WO2021057077A1

WO2021057077A1 - Housing for overhead safety airbag module, and overhead safety airbag module

Info

Publication number: WO2021057077A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/094317
Authority: WO
Inventors: 孟强
Original assignee: 奥托立夫开发公司
Priority date: 2019-09-27
Filing date: 2020-06-04
Publication date: 2021-04-01
Also published as: CN112572338A

Abstract

A housing (13) for an overhead safety airbag module (1), and an overhead safety airbag module. The housing is used to accommodate an airbag (11), is mounted between a car roof (2) and a sun visor of a vehicle, and is provided with a windshield side opening (13a) open toward a first direction in which a windshield (3) of the vehicle is located. The housing comprises a support portion (131). The support portion is used to support the airbag, and is configured to expose part of the airbag when the airbag is in a packaged state, such that the housing is provided with a sun visor side opening (13b) open toward a second direction in which the sun visor is located. the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The sun visor side opening communicates with the windshield side opening. When the airbag is inflated, the airbag expands downwards along the windshield via both the windshield side opening and the sun visor side opening so as to reduce the impact with the windshield and the roof. The overhead safety airbag module comprises: the airbag, a gas generator (12) located in the airbag and used to inflate the airbag, and the housing used to accommodate the airbag.

Description

Housing for overhead airbag module and overhead airbag module

Technical field

The invention relates to a housing of an overhead airbag module for a vehicle and an overhead airbag module including the housing.

Background technique

The overhead airbag module includes an airbag, a gas generator located in the airbag, and a housing accommodating the airbag, and can be installed between the roof of the vehicle and the sun visor. When the vehicle encounters a sudden deceleration (such as a collision accident), the gas generator releases inflation gas that can inflate the airbag. The airbag initially expands from the side of the housing toward the windshield, and then rapidly expands toward the direction of the passenger, thereby providing cushioning for the passenger and preventing harmful impact with other structures of the vehicle.

However, the structural design of the housing in the prior art makes the airbag that is instantly pushed out from the housing by the high-temperature and high-pressure gas to have a strong impact on the windshield and the roof, thereby causing damage to the windshield and the roof.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a housing which can reduce the impact of an instantaneously launched airbag on the windshield and the roof of the vehicle. Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag module including such a housing.

The present invention provides a housing of an overhead airbag module for a vehicle. The airbag module includes: an airbag; a gas generator located in the airbag for inflating the airbag; and a housing for accommodating The airbag is installed between the roof of the vehicle and the sun visor and forms a windshield side opening opening that opens in a first direction where the windshield of the vehicle is located, wherein the housing includes a support portion for supporting the airbag and constructing In order to expose a part of the airbag in the encapsulated state of the airbag, the housing is formed with an opening on the sun visor side that opens in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction where the sun visor is located, and wherein the opening on the sun visor side and the baffle The open port on the windshield side is connected. When the airbag is inflated, the airbag can expand down the windshield through both the open port on the windshield side and the open port on the sun visor side, so as to reduce the impact on the windshield and the roof .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing further includes: a blocking portion, which is arranged oppositely in parallel with the supporting portion at a certain distance; and a first connecting portion, which connects the end of the blocking portion away from the first direction and the end of the supporting portion. The ends facing away from the first direction are connected to form a space for accommodating the airbag, wherein when the airbag is inflated, the blocking portion is used to block the airbag from expanding toward the roof of the vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of through holes are formed on the blocking portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each end portion of the blocking portion in the width direction of the vehicle is provided with at least one airbag mounting portion for mounting the airbag on the housing and at least one airbag mounting portion for mounting the housing on the roof. At least one roof mounting part, and wherein, at each end of the blocking part, at least one airbag mounting part and at least one roof mounting part are alternately arranged one after another in the first direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing further includes a guide portion extending from an end of the blocking portion in the first direction for guiding the airbag when the airbag is inflated, and both the guiding portion and the blocking portion face the airbag There is an obtuse angle between the surfaces.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing further includes a second connecting portion located at both ends of the housing in the width direction of the vehicle and connecting the blocking portion and the supporting portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing further includes a first reinforcing member, which is plate-shaped and fits the surface of the support portion facing the sun visor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the two end portions of the first reinforcement member in the width direction of the vehicle respectively extend beyond the support portion, and each of the two end portions is provided with a sun visor mounting portion for Install the sun visor on the shell.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing further includes a second reinforcing member configured as a reinforcing rib protruding from the surface of the support part facing away from the sun visor.

The present invention also provides an overhead airbag module for a vehicle, which includes: an airbag; a gas generator located in the airbag for inflating the airbag; and the housing according to the above-mentioned embodiment Used to accommodate airbags.

The housing according to the embodiment of the present invention is not only provided with a windshield side opening opening, but also provided with a sun visor side opening opening communicating therewith. When the airbag is inflated, the airbag can inflate not only through the opening on the windshield side, but also through the opening on the sun visor side. Since the opening on the side of the sun visor can release part of the impact of the airbag, the impact of the airbag on the windshield and roof is reduced. As a result, damage to the windshield and roof caused by the inflated airbag is reduced or even avoided.

Description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an overhead airbag module installed on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a gas generator of an overhead airbag module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a housing of an overhead airbag module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the first reinforcement member of the housing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The present invention will now be further described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an overhead airbag module 1 installed on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag module 1 is installed between the roof 2 (specifically, the front cross member 21 of the roof 2) and the sun visor (not shown). The airbag module 1 includes an airbag 11, a gas generator 12 located in the airbag 11, and a housing 13 accommodating the airbag 11. During installation, the airbag 11 is in a packaged state inside the housing 13 (for example, rolled, folded, and/or compressed in other ways). During the collision event, the gas generator 12 is triggered and the airbag 11 is quickly filled with inflation gas, and the airbag 11 can be rapidly expanded downwardly along the windshield 3 from the packaged state. In this way, it provides a cushion for passengers and prevents harmful impacts with other structures of the vehicle.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the gas generator 12 of the overhead airbag module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas generator 12 has a main body 121 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral surface of the main body 121 is provided with a holding pin 122 for mounting the gas generator 12 to the housing 13. Correspondingly, the airbag 11 is provided with a through hole into which the holding pin 122 is inserted. The holding pin 122 on the housing 13 may be welded to the main body 121, or the holding pin 122 may also be connected to the gas generator 12 through a binding member (not shown). Preferably, the holding pin 122 extends from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 121 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the main body 121. In one example, the gas generator 12 is provided with a plurality of holding pins 122. For example, the number of holding pins 122 is three. The plurality of holding pins 122 are arranged at intervals in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body 121. The diameter of the holding pin 122 at the middle position of the main body 121 is larger than the diameter of the other holding pins 122, as shown in FIG. 2. However, it should be understood that the number of holding pins 122 may be selected according to the specifications of the airbag 11 on which the gas generator 12 acts. For example, when the volume of the airbag 11 is large, the number of the holding pins 122 can be appropriately increased. When the volume of the airbag 11 is small, the number of the holding pins 122 can be appropriately reduced.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the housing 13 of the overhead airbag module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the housing 13 forms a windshield side opening 13a that opens toward the first direction D1 where the windshield 3 of the vehicle is located. The housing 13 includes a supporting part 131, and the supporting part 131 is used to support the airbag 11. The support portion 131 is configured to expose a part of the airbag 11 in the encapsulated state of the airbag 11 so that the housing 13 forms an opening 13b on the sun visor side that opens toward the second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1 where the sun visor is located. The sun visor side opening 13b and the windshield side opening 13a communicate with each other.

In the prior art, the housing 13 only has a windshield-side opening 13a on the side and no opening is provided at the bottom. When the airbag 11 is inflated, because the bottom of the airbag 11 blocks the inflated airbag 11, the airbag 11 turns to form a greater impact on the windshield 3 and the roof 2. As a result, damage to the windshield 3 and the roof 2 may be caused, for example, the windshield 3 is broken and the roof 2 is deformed.

However, the housing 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention is not only provided with a windshield side opening port 13a, but also provided with a sun visor side opening port 13b communicating therewith. When the airbag 11 is inflated, the airbag 11 can be inflated not only through the windshield-side open opening 13a, but also through the sun visor side open opening 13b. Since the sun visor side opening 13b can release a part of the impact of the airbag 11, the impact of the airbag 11 on the windshield 3 and the roof 2 is reduced. As a result, damage to the windshield 3 and the roof 2 caused by the inflated airbag 11 is reduced or even avoided.

Preferably, the length of the supporting portion 131 in the first direction D1 can be designed to be sufficiently small, so that the impact of the inflated airbag 11 on the windshield 3 and the roof 2 is greatly reduced. In addition, the length of the support portion 131 can also be determined in combination with the installation position of the sun visor and the installation position of the entire airbag module 1.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the housing 13 further includes a blocking portion 132 and a first connecting portion 133. The blocking portion 132 and the supporting portion 131 are arranged oppositely in parallel with a certain distance. The first connecting portion 133 connects the end portion of the blocking portion 132 facing away from the first direction D1 and the end portion of the supporting portion 131 facing away from the first direction D1 to form a space for accommodating the airbag 11. In this embodiment, when the airbag 11 is inflated and expanded, the blocking portion 132 can block the airbag 11 from expanding toward the roof 2 to avoid direct impact on the roof 2, thereby further preventing damage to the roof 2, for example, the front cross member 21 is deformed .

Preferably, the size of the blocking portion 132 should be determined according to the size of the front cross member 21. For example, the size of the blocking portion 132 is designed such that when the blocking portion 132 and the front cross member 21 are viewed in a direction opposite to the second direction D2, the blocking portion 132 completely covers the front cross member 21 and the front cross member 21 is not visible. In addition, the size of the blocking portion 132 may also be determined according to the volume of the airbag 11.

In one example, the blocking portion 132, the first connecting portion 133 and the supporting portion 131 are all made of metal materials, and are integrally formed by a bending process. The first connecting portion 133 is perpendicular to the blocking portion 132 and the supporting portion 131 respectively. The connecting portion between the first connecting portion 133 and the blocking portion 132 and the connecting portion between the first connecting portion 133 and the supporting portion 131 are provided with rounded corners to reduce stress concentration, thereby increasing the strength of the housing 13.

A plurality of hollow through holes 132 a are formed on the blocking portion 132 to reduce the overall weight of the housing 13. Preferably, the through hole 132a has a circular shape. Alternatively, the through hole 132a may also be elliptical, triangular, quadrilateral, or other regular or irregular shapes. The through holes 132a may be distributed at intervals along the width direction of the vehicle and the first direction D1, respectively, to form an array. In one example, the number of through holes 132a is 20 and forms a 4×5 array. It should be understood that the distribution of the through holes 132a is not limited to this, and may also be arrays of other sizes or irregular arrangements.

Each end of the blocking portion 132 in the width direction of the vehicle may be respectively provided with a plurality of airbag mounting portions 1321 for mounting the airbag 11 on the housing 13 and a plurality of airbag mounting portions 1321 for mounting the housing 13 on the roof 2 Multiple roof mounting portions 1322. At each end, the airbag mounting portion 1321 and the roof mounting portion 1322 are alternately arranged one after another in the first direction D1.

In one example, the airbag mounting portion 1321 is configured as a hook-shaped portion. For example, the hook portion is bent toward the roof 2 from the end portion of the blocking portion 132 in the width direction of the vehicle. Correspondingly, the airbag 11 is provided with a mounting hole corresponding to the airbag mounting portion 1321. The mounting hole can be hung on the hook-shaped airbag mounting portion 1321 so that the airbag 11 can be fixed on the housing 13. In this way, the air bag 11 can be easily installed on and removed from the housing 13.

In an example, the roof mounting portion 1322 is configured as a through hole, and a screw protrudes from a position on the roof 2 corresponding to the through hole. The screw can be inserted into the through hole and fixed with a nut. Thereby, the housing 13 and therefore the airbag module 1 are mounted on the roof 2 of the vehicle.

The first connecting portion 133 is provided with a gas generator mounting portion 1331 for mounting the gas generator 12 on the housing 13. In one example, the gas generator mounting part 1331 is configured as a through hole into which the holding pin 122 of the gas generator 12 is inserted. The holding pin 122 can be sequentially inserted into the corresponding through holes of the airbag 11 and the housing 13 and fixed with a nut. Thus, the airbag 11 is mounted on the housing 13. The size of the holding pins 122 of the gas generators 12 of different specifications may be different, and the distance between the holding pins 122 may also be different. The first connecting portion 133 is provided with through holes corresponding to the holding pins 122 on the gas generators 12 of different specifications, so that the housing 13 can be adapted to the gas generators 12 of different specifications.

The housing 13 also includes a guide 134. The guide portion 134 extends from the end of the blocking portion 132 in the first direction D1 for guiding the expansion direction of the airbag 11 when the airbag 11 is inflated. The guide portion 134 and the blocking portion 132 have an obtuse angle between the surfaces facing the airbag 11 so that the airbag 11 does not directly impact on the windshield 3, thereby further preventing damage to the windshield 3. The guide portion 134 has a plate-like structure, for example. However, it should be understood that the guide 134 is not necessary. If the interval between the airbag module 1 and the windshield 3 is greater than a predetermined distance or more, the guide 134 may not be used.

The housing 13 further includes a second connecting portion 135. The second connecting portion 135 is located at both ends of the housing 13 in the width direction of the vehicle, and connects the blocking portion 132 and the supporting portion 131. In this way, it is possible to prevent the deformation amount of the support portion 131 from being too large when the airbag 11 is inflated. Here, the amount of deformation refers to the angle at which the support portion 131 expands toward the outside of the housing 13 around the connection site of the support portion 131 and the first connection portion 133. The second connection part 135 is configured in a plate shape and is integrally molded with the support part 131. The second connection part 135 may be welded to the blocking part 132, for example.

The housing 13 also includes a first reinforcement member 136. FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the first reinforcement member 136 of the housing 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the first reinforcement member 136 has a plate shape and is attached to the surface of the support portion 131 facing the sun visor, thereby increasing the deformation resistance of the support portion 131. For example, the first reinforcement member 136 is welded to the support portion 131 by spot welding. The solder joints are approximately evenly distributed on the surface where the first reinforcing member 136 and the supporting portion 131 are attached.

The two ends of the first reinforcement member 136 in the width direction of the vehicle respectively extend beyond the support portion 131, and each of the two ends is provided with a sun visor mounting portion 1362 for mounting the sun visor On the housing 13. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the sun visor mounting portion 1362 is a circular through hole 136a. The sun visor mounting portion 1362 also includes a square through hole 136 b for avoiding the insertion structure of the sun visor. In addition, a positioning hole 136c is also provided at one end of the first reinforcement member 136 in the width direction of the vehicle.

The housing 13 also includes a second reinforcement member 137. The second reinforcing member is configured as a reinforcing rib protruding from the surface of the supporting portion 131 facing away from the sun visor, for reducing the amount of deformation of the supporting portion 131.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiment. On the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent configurations. In addition, although various elements and method steps of the disclosed invention are shown in various exemplary combinations and configurations, other combinations including more or fewer elements or methods also fall within the scope of the present invention .

Claims

A housing of an overhead airbag module for a vehicle, the airbag module includes:

Airbag

A gas generator located in the airbag for inflating the airbag; and

The housing, which is used to accommodate the airbag, is installed between the roof of the vehicle and the sun visor, and forms a windshield side opening opening that opens toward the first direction where the windshield of the vehicle is located, wherein, The housing includes

A support part for supporting the airbag and configured to expose a part of the airbag in the encapsulated state of the airbag so that the housing is formed to face the sun visor and perpendicular to the first direction The side opening of the sun visor that is open in the second direction, and in which,

The open opening on the side of the sun visor communicates with the open opening on the side of the windshield. When the airbag is inflated, the airbag can pass through both the open opening on the side of the windshield and the open opening on the side of the sun visor. The windshield expands downward, so that the impact on the windshield and the roof of the vehicle is reduced.
The housing according to claim 1, further comprising:

A blocking portion, which is arranged oppositely and parallel to the supporting portion at a certain distance; and

A first connecting portion that connects the end of the blocking portion facing away from the first direction and the end of the supporting portion facing away from the first direction to form a space for accommodating the airbag, wherein:

When the airbag is inflated, the blocking portion is used to block the airbag from expanding toward the roof.
The housing according to claim 2, wherein:

A plurality of through holes are formed on the blocking portion.
The housing according to claim 2, wherein:

Each end of the blocking portion in the width direction of the vehicle is respectively provided with at least one airbag mounting portion for mounting the airbag on the housing and at least one airbag mounting portion for mounting the housing on the housing. At least one roof mounting portion on the roof of the vehicle, and wherein,

At the each end of the blocking portion, the at least one airbag mounting portion and the at least one roof mounting portion are alternately arranged one after another along the first direction.
The housing according to claim 2, further comprising:

A guide portion extending from an end portion of the blocking portion in the first direction for guiding the airbag when the airbag is inflated, and both the guiding portion and the blocking portion face The surfaces of the airbags have obtuse angles between them.
The housing according to claim 2, further comprising:

The second connecting portion is located at both ends of the housing in the width direction of the vehicle, and connects the blocking portion and the supporting portion.
The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

The first reinforcing member has a plate shape and is attached to the surface of the support portion facing the sun visor.
The housing according to claim 7, wherein:

The two end portions of the first reinforcing member in the width direction of the vehicle respectively extend beyond the support portion, and each of the two end portions is provided with a sun visor mounting portion for use To install the sun visor on the housing.
The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

The second reinforcing member is configured as a reinforcing rib protruding from the surface of the support part facing away from the sun visor.
An overhead airbag module for a vehicle, which includes:

Airbag

A gas generator located in the airbag for inflating the airbag; and

The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 9 for accommodating the airbag.