JP3337821B2 - Structure of the airbag section of the instrument panel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of an airbag section of an instrument panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an airbag device has been provided also in a passenger seat of an automobile. This airbag device
The airbag includes an airbag and an airbag case in which the airbag is stored. The airbag is attached to the front of the front passenger seat, behind the instrument panel. The airbag section of the instrument panel provided with the airbag device has a deployment opening for the airbag, and this opening is covered by an airbag door having the same appearance as the instrument panel in a normal state. Have been done. When the vehicle receives a large impact once due to a collision or the like, the airbag housed in the airbag case is activated and inflated, and the airbag door is pushed open from the inside to open.

However, in this structure, since the deployment opening of the airbag and the airbag door are formed separately, the two are partitioned due to slight variations in product dimensions or shrinkage of the product due to use. Inevitably, a line is generated, which may impair the appearance of the instrument panel. In addition, attaching the airbag door to the instrument panel in a later process naturally increases the number of steps.

For this reason, recently, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a notched anticipated opening portion 51 and a hinge portion 52 are formed on the back surface of the instrument panel 50 to integrally form an airbag door portion 53. In addition, a proposal has been made in which the back surface of the airbag door portion 53 is lined with a reinforcing plate 54 such as an aluminum plate or an iron plate. Then, when the airbag 55 is inflated, the notched opening portion 51 on the back surface of the instrument panel 50 is torn, and the airbag door portion 53 is opened via the hinge portion 52.

According to this structure, the instrument panel 50 and the airbag door portion 53 are integrally formed, and the line that separates the two does not appear on the instrument panel surface. Become. However, since the instrument panel 50 and the airbag door portion 53 are integrally formed, a gap is generated between the instrument panel portion and the airbag case 56 in which the airbag 55 is provided, and the inflating and deploying air is generated. The pressure of the bag 55 acts on a wider range than the airbag opening scheduled portion 51, and the peripheral instrument panel 50 is deformed before the airbag door portion 53 is opened.
There was a risk of damage.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it has been proposed that an airbag can be reliably provided without causing deformation or breakage of an instrument panel around an airbag door. The present invention is intended to provide a structure of an airbag portion of an instrument panel having a good appearance.

[0007]

That is, the present invention provides:
A panel main body of an instrument panel in which a hinge portion and a scheduled opening portion are respectively formed in advance so as to form a hinged opening and an airbag door portion by an inflation pressure at the time of operation of the airbag, and the hinge on a back surface side of the panel main body. And a reinforcing plate provided with a bent portion and a slit-shaped opening corresponding to the planned opening portion, which are lined with the portion and the planned opening portion and the vicinity thereof and overlapped in correspondence with the hinge portion, and via the reinforcing plate. An airbag portion of an instrument panel in which an airbag case enclosing an airbag is fixed in an opening, wherein a boss for heat staking is provided on the rear surface side of the panel main body with the hinge portion and the opening portion. A large number of protruding portions are provided around the periphery of the avoided airbag door portion, and the reinforcing plate has Boss penetrating portion of the eye have been formed,
The boss penetrates through the boss penetrating portion and is heat caulked to fix the reinforcing plate to the back side of the panel main body, and the reinforcing plate is provided with an airbag case attaching member, The bag case is provided with a mounting hole at a position corresponding to the mounting member, and the airbag case is fixed to the reinforcing plate via the mounting member. Pertaining to the structure of the part.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of an airbag section of an instrument panel according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part thereof, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing another example of the structure of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the structure of the airbag section of the instrument panel of the present invention is as follows.
The present invention relates to a structure in which an airbag case 31 enclosing an airbag 30 is securely and firmly fixed by a mounting member 32 at a predetermined position on the back surface of an instrument panel 10 of an automobile. Then, when receiving the inflation pressure at the time of operating the airbag, the airbag door portion 1 is reliably prevented without breaking the instrument panel around the airbag door portion.
1 can be opened. Reference numeral 17 denotes a lean hose for supporting the airbag case 31, and reference numerals 18 and 19 denote brackets.

The instrument panel 10 includes a panel main body 12 formed in a predetermined panel shape and a reinforcing plate 20 lined at a predetermined position on the back surface of the panel main body 12. On the back surface of the panel main body 12, a hinge portion 13 and a scheduled opening portion 14 previously thinned by a notch having an appropriate depth are formed on the back surface of the panel main body 12, as described in the section of the related art. The hinge portion 13 causes the airbag door portion 11 to hinge open when receiving the inflation pressure at the time of operating the airbag. In the embodiment, the opening opening portion 14 is formed in a U-shape, partitions the door shape of the airbag door portion 11, and is broken by the inflation pressure of the airbag 30 to break the airbag door portion 11. To release. In addition,
The opening scheduled portion 14 may be formed in a substantially U-shape as shown in FIG. According to this configuration, the airbag door portion 11 is formed integrally with the instrument panel 10, and the boundary between the airbag door portion 11 and the instrument panel 10 does not appear,
Good appearance.

As shown in FIG. 3, a large number of heat staking bosses 16 are integrally formed on the back surface of the panel main body 12. The boss 16 is for fixing a reinforcing plate 20 described later to the back surface of the panel main body 12 by heat staking.
It is formed longer than the thickness of the reinforcing plate 20. The boss 16 is connected to the airbag door 11 of the panel main body 12.
A large number are provided not only on the rear surface but also around the periphery of the airbag door portion 11 avoiding the hinge portion 13 and the scheduled opening portion 14. It is preferable that the boss 16 has a hollow shape in order to prevent sink marks on the design surface.

In this embodiment, a recess 15 is formed near the outside of the opening 33 of the airbag case 31 on the back surface of the panel main body 12. This recess 15
Attachment member (here, bolt) 3 for fixing airbag case 31 to the back of instrument panel 10
The second head 35 is accommodated. According to the recess 15, when the reinforcing plate 20 is lined with the back surface of the panel main body 12, the head 35 is completely accommodated in the panel main body 12.
The reinforcing plate 20 can be fixed in close contact with the back surface of the panel main body 12. The depth of the recess 15 depends on the mounting member 3.
2 is completely housed, and the length of the bolt portion 34 protruding from the back surface of the panel main body 12 is configured to be larger than the thickness of the reinforcing plate 20.

The reinforcing plate 20 is made of a metal plate or a resin plate having high rigidity. The reinforcing plate 20 is lined with the back surface of the airbag door portion 11 of the panel main body 12 including the hinge portion 13, the opening portion 14 and the vicinity thereof. . As a result, the impact at the time of opening the airbag door section 11 causes the instrument panel 10 around the hinge section 13 and the opening section 14 to be opened.
To prevent deformation or breakage. This reinforcing plate 20 includes
A boss penetrating portion 21 composed of a small hole for the boss 16 and an air bag case attaching member 32 are provided. Reference numeral 22 denotes a hole for the mounting member 32.
As the reinforcing plate 20, in addition to a metal plate such as iron or aluminum, various elastomer materials are used in addition to polycarbonate (PC), a PC alloy composite, a PA alloy composite, a PPO alloy composite. . Reference numeral 23 in the figure denotes a bent portion overlapping the hinge portion of the panel main body 12, and reference numeral 24 denotes a slit-shaped opening corresponding to the expected opening portion 14. The inflated airbag 30 inflates the panel main body 12. The opening opening 14 is quickly broken.

The boss penetrating portion 21 of the reinforcing plate 20 is provided at a position corresponding to the boss 16 protruding from the panel main body 12. Then, the boss 16 is made to penetrate, and the tip protrudes from the surface of the reinforcing plate 20. At a predetermined position of the reinforcing plate 20, an airbag case attaching member (bolt) 3 is provided.
When the reinforcing plate 20 is fixed to the panel main body 12, the bolt portion 34 of the mounting member 32 projects from the hole 22 to the surface of the reinforcing plate 20.

The reinforcing plate 20 having such a structure allows the boss 16 of the panel main body 12 to penetrate through the boss penetrating portion 21, and the tip of the boss 16 protruding from the surface of the reinforcing plate 20 is exposed to ultrasonic waves, hot air or the like. The panel main body 12 is softened and pressed through the reinforcing plate 20 and caulked.
It is integrally fixed to the back surface.

At this time, when the head 35 of the airbag case attaching member (bolt) 32 projects from the reinforcing plate 20 as in this embodiment, the back surface of the panel main body 12 is attached to the back as described above. Recess 1 for accommodating bolt head 35
5, the reinforcing plate 20 is connected to the panel body 12
It can be adhered to the back surface and firmly fixed.

Incidentally, there is an example as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 for assembling the airbag case attaching member and the reinforcing plate. FIG. 4 shows a structure in which a recess 29 is provided in the reinforcing plate 20A, and the bolt head 35 of the airbag case attachment member (bolt) 32 is accommodated in the recess 29. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to form the recess 15 mainly in the panel as in the previous embodiment. Reference numeral 31 denotes an airbag case, and 38 denotes a nut.

FIG. 5 also shows an airbag case attaching member (nut) 32A in the recess 29 of the reinforcing plate 20A.
This is an example in which is attached. Reference numeral 39 denotes a bolt.

An airbag case 31 is attached to the back of the instrument panel 10 lined with the reinforcing plate 20. As described above, the airbag case 31 is open to the instrument panel 10 side and contains the airbag 30. The opening 33 of the airbag case 31 is provided with a flange-shaped mounting portion 36 for mounting the airbag case 31 to the instrument panel 10. In this example, the mounting portions 36 are provided on all sides of the opening end 33.

The mounting portion 36 is provided with a mounting hole 37 corresponding to a mounting member (bolt or nut or the like) provided on the reinforcing plate, and a nut 38 (or a bolt) is formed through the mounting hole 37. 39), the airbag case 31 is fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel 10.

As can be understood from FIG. 1, the opening 33 of the airbag case 31 and the slit-shaped opening 2
It is preferable that the positional relationship between 4 and the opening portion 14 does not coincide with each other and is formed outward from the opening portion 33 toward the opening portion 14. Thereby, when the airbag 30 is inflated and the airbag door portion 11 is opened, the airbag 30 is prevented from hitting the broken opening portion 14 and being torn.

Further, since the opening scheduled portion 14 is supported from the back surface by the reinforcing plate 20 and the mounting portion 36 of the airbag case 31, it is possible to maintain a sufficient strength against pressure from the instrument panel surface side in a normal state.

[0023]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, the airbag door is formed integrally with the instrument panel, and the shape of the airbag door does not appear on the surface. Therefore, the appearance of the instrument panel is extremely good, and the process for attaching the airbag door can be simplified. Moreover, since the opening portion of the airbag door and the periphery of the hinge portion are firmly reinforced by the reinforcing plate, there is no possibility that the peripheral portion is deformed or broken by the energy when the airbag is deployed. In addition, the airbag case is directly attached to the back of the instrument panel by mounting bolts protruding from the back of the instrument panel via the reinforcing plate, so that the positioning at the time of attaching the airbag case is easy and the accuracy is good. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a structure of an airbag section of an instrument panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part thereof.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the structure of the present invention shown from the back of the instrument panel.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part showing another example of the structure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of an airbag section of a conventional instrument panel.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Instrument panel 11 Airbag door part 12 Panel main body 15 Depression 16 Boss 20 Reinforcement plate 21 Boss penetration part 22 Bolt penetration part 30 Airbag 31 Airbag case 32 Mounting member (bolt) 34 Bolt part 35 Head 37 Mounting hole

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-278548 (JP, A) JP-A-5-162603 (JP, A) JP-A-6-117429 (JP, A) JP-A-6-117429 114940 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application Hei 6-28882 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Hei 6-26698 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/20

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A and panel main instrument panel in advance hinge portion and the opening scheduled portion so as to form the air bag door portion is formed respectively by a hinge opening by expansion pressure during air bag deployment, the panel main body On the back side, the hinge part and the scheduled opening part and its vicinity
And backing corresponding to the hinge portion
Slit shape corresponding to the fitting bent part and the expected opening part
Including a reinforcing plate provided with an opening, opening through the reinforcing plate
A structure of the air bag portion of the instrument panel airbag case is fixed enclosing the air bag portion, the boss said heat for thermal caulking on the back side of the panel main body
Airbag door, avoiding the
A plurality of bosses are formed so as to protrude around the periphery, and a boss penetration portion for the heat caulking boss is formed on the reinforcing plate, and the boss is heat caulked through the boss penetration portion to perform the reinforcement. A plate is fixed to the back side of the panel main body, and the reinforcing plate is provided with an airbag case mounting member, and the airbag case is provided with a mounting hole at a position corresponding to the mounting member. The structure of the airbag section of the instrument panel, wherein the airbag case is fixed to the reinforcing plate via the mounting member.