JP5072456B2 - Airbag device for passenger seat - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device equipped with an airbag that is mounted on a passenger seat of a vehicle and inflated and deployed in the event of a collision or the like.

Airbags are widely used today as a means for absorbing and mitigating shocks to passengers in vehicle collisions. Airbags are instantly deployed in response to vehicle collisions, etc., and catch an occupant. It is important that the airbag be deployed quickly and smoothly.
The airbag device receives an occupant and relaxes an impact, an inflator that generates gas for inflating the airbag, an airbag folded as a state before activation, and an airbag and an inflator. It consists of a container portion that is supported in a connected state, a cover that is made of resin, cloth, or the like as appropriate according to the application.

As a conventional example, an airbag that is folded with an opening, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, an upper chamber that houses the airbag, and a lower chamber that is disposed below the upper chamber are arranged as described above. A lower chamber for storing and holding an inflator, and a bag retainer for pressing the peripheral edge of the opening in the airbag and attaching the airbag to the case. The airbag device is configured so that the upper chamber includes a bottom wall portion in which a communication hole communicating with the lower chamber is disposed near the center, and a peripheral wall portion extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion. The bag retainer is disposed on one side, and is disposed on the other side, a fixing portion having a bolt that is nut-tightened through the periphery of the airbag opening and the bottom wall of the case upper chamber. The Te,
An engagement convex portion engageable with an engagement concave portion provided on the inner peripheral side in the vicinity of the bottom wall portion in the peripheral wall portion of the case upper chamber, and the bag retainer is connected to the peripheral edge of the opening portion in the airbag In the state where the bolt of the fixed part is passed through the periphery of the opening, the engaging convex part is engaged with the engaging concave part, and the bolt is penetrated through the bottom wall part to fix the nut. By doing
There is an airbag device (see, for example, Patent Document 1) in which the periphery of the airbag opening is attached to the case.
The airbag device for the passenger seat of Patent Document 1 has used a cylinder-type (tubular) inflator, which generates a larger amount of gas than that for the driver's seat and expands the airbag for the passenger seat. The amount of gas required for the purpose can be ejected. As a cylinder type inflator, there is a type in which a chemical (tablet) that burns and generates nitrogen gas is enclosed, and electric energy is given to an ignition device (squib) to start combustion (pyrotechnic type, pyrotechnic type) .
In addition, there is a cylinder that compresses and encloses a large amount of gas, and a type that generates a certain amount of inflation gas at the same time as opening the seal of the rupturable plate by blowing a metal piece toward the rupturable plate of the cylinder ( Combined type, hybrid type).
A cylindrical inflator has been conventionally used in the above-described passenger airbag device, and a cylindrical inflator is still used in a considerable proportion of the passenger airbag device. A cylindrical inflator is generally attached while holding a circumferential surface that forms a curved surface.
In addition, as a recent movement, there are cases in which a disc-type inflator is also used in a passenger seat airbag device. In this case, the amount of medicine to be sealed is increased while adopting the basic structure of a conventional disc-type inflator for a driver's seat.
As a result, the height dimension is increased, and the shape is closer to a sphere than a normal disc type inflator for a driver's seat.
As a conventional example, a metal housing having an initiator shell and a closure shell, a combustion chamber formed in the housing and loaded with a gas generating agent that generates high-temperature gas by combustion, and disposed around the combustion chamber A filter member, ignition means attached to the housing for igniting and burning the gas generating agent in the combustion chamber, and a plurality of gas discharge holes formed in the housing for discharging the gas generated in the combustion chamber. A gas generator, wherein either or both of an initiator shell and a closure shell constituting the housing have a hemispherical or semi-elliptical spherical end plate portion, and a diameter D formed continuously from the end plate portion. The ratio between the outer diameter D of the cylindrical portion and the length H of the housing of each end plate portion of the initiator shell and the closure shell The range of / D is 0.4 to 1.3, and the ignition means is provided in the housing and has a plurality of heat transfer holes and a bottom portion, and is loaded into the inner cylinder. And an igniter provided so as to be in contact with the heat transfer agent in the inner cylinder, and the ratio d / D of the outer diameter d of the inner cylinder and the outer diameter D of the end plate portion There is a gas generator (see, for example, Patent Document 2) characterized in that the range is 0.1 to 0.5.
As described above, the disc-shaped inflator is lighter and more compact than the cylindrical inflator, and has a feature that it is generally inexpensive because it can divert the structure and parts that have been proven in the disc-type inflator for the driver's seat. . The disk type and the large-capacity shape are usually a pyrotechnic inflator.
On the other hand, the specifications of the airbag device are changed depending on the region (destination) where the vehicle on which it is mounted is sold. This is because various changes are made in comparison with one specification so that it can conform to the regulations of the destination, and instead of or in addition to the start-up device for generating inflation gas, which is the specification of a certain destination. Then, add or change as a setting for each destination.
For example, a control mechanism including a sensor, an arithmetic device, software, and the like is appropriately selected and mounted, but the inflator is a main change part. For example, it is a single inflator with pyrotechnic large capacity (the number of moles of gas generated is large), or a dual inflator incorporating two hybrid medium capacity (number of moles) inflators in one case. . Some are preferably cylindrical, and some are disk-type (a type in which a hook-shaped flange is attached). This depends on whether high-performance products can be easily procured from the market, and can be said to be an indispensable choice for supplying a good airbag device to a car manufacturer at a low price.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-67852 (refer to the claims, detailed description of the invention, and FIGS. 1 to 12) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-53382 (see claims, detailed description of the invention, and FIGS. 1 and 2)

The difference in the inflator type as described above affects the overall design of the airbag apparatus. Containers that store airbags in a folded state receive force so that they can be expanded from the inside when the airbag is deployed, hold the inflator, hold the conduit from the inflator, etc., and combine the airbag and the inflator It has a function as a structure to be made. Therefore, as the inflator types are diversified, the shape of the container body must be individually designed. If the shape of the container changes, the deployment characteristics of the airbag will be different, and the shape design of the airbag will be greatly affected.
As a result, the design performance test of the airbag must be performed for the number of such variations, resulting in an increase in design cost.
The present invention provides a container body that reduces the influence on the deployment shape of an airbag regardless of the type of inflator, and provides an airbag apparatus that can suppress the total cost of diversified airbag apparatuses. It is intended.

A first invention of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a passenger-side airbag device as described in claim 1, and is as follows.
An airbag device for a passenger seat having a container portion for storing a folded airbag and an inflator that is held in the container portion and supplies inflation gas to the airbag, the container portion being a flange of a flange-mounted inflator A pair of opposed flat plate portions that are in parallel with each other in the horizontal direction and a plurality of arch portions that are stretched along the peripheral surface of the tubular inflator are arranged in parallel, and a flange is provided on the bottom surface of the container portion. A central opening into which the mounting type inflator can be inserted is provided, and either a cylindrical inflator that supports the airbag and the inflator together in a container part or a flange mounting type inflator having a plate-like flange part can be attached. .

A second invention of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a passenger seat airbag apparatus as described in claim 2, which is as follows.
In addition to the invention described in claim 1, the inflator is a cylindrical inflator, and the cylindrical inflator grounded to the arch portion of the container portion is provided with an upper retainer that houses an airbag and presses the upper peripheral surface of the inflator The pair of opposed flat portions of the container portion and the lower retainer supported from the lower peripheral surface of the inflator are in continuous contact with each other.

A third invention of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a passenger seat airbag apparatus as described in claim 3, which is as follows.
In addition to the invention described in claim 1, the inflator is a flange-mounted inflator, and an upper retainer for mounting the folded airbag and the inflator by inserting the upper portion of the flange-mounted inflator into the central opening of the container portion. In this configuration, the pair of opposed flat portions of the container portion are continuously interviewed.

Since the airbag apparatus according to the present invention has the configuration as described above, the following effects are achieved.
(1) Either a cylindrical inflator or a flange-mounted inflator can be attached without exchanging the container part of the airbag device.
(2) The shape of the base of the airbag, the positional relationship with the cover, etc. are kept unchanged, the mounting relationship of the airbag does not change, and only the gas generation characteristics of the inflator are changed. It is only necessary to test the changed part without performing the design performance test, and it is easy to set a plurality of specifications with different destinations.
(3) The types of processing jigs, punching dies, and press dies for manufacturing the container portion are reduced (for example, they can be integrated into one type), and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  An airbag device for a passenger seat having a container portion for storing a folded airbag and an inflator that is held in the container portion and supplies inflation gas to the airbag, the container portion being a flange of a flange-mounted inflator A pair of opposed flat plate portions that are in parallel with each other in the horizontal direction and a plurality of arch portions that are stretched along the peripheral surface of the cylindrical inflator are arranged in parallel. For passenger seats that can be installed with either a cylindrical inflator that has a central opening into which a mounting type inflator can be inserted and supports the airbag and the inflator together in a container part or a flange mounting type inflator having a plate-like flange part An airbag device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment in which a tubular inflator 40 is attached to a passenger airbag device 1 of the present invention. The airbag 10 is formed in a block shape in a state in which the applicator 20 inserted in advance in the folded airbag body 11 is stored, and the shape is held by wrapping the wrapping cloth 12 on the surface. The applicator 20 includes a flange portion 21, an arch portion 22, and a mounting bolt 23, and the mounting bolt 23 is drawn downward from the lower portion 13 of the folded lump of the airbag 10.
Reference numeral 30 denotes a middle retainer corresponding to a container portion made of a pressed steel material. The bottom portion 31 has a through hole 32, a pair of flat plate portions 34 opposed to each other with the central opening 33 interposed therebetween, and an arch shape adjacent to the central opening 33. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a total of six connecting arches 35 for connecting the flat plate portions 34 to each other are formed. An opening 37 is provided between the side plate portions 36 and 36 that are bent and extended upward from the flat plate portion 34, and acts to suppress the mass of the middle retainer 30.
A pair of frame-like portions 38 are provided at the upper portion of the middle retainer 30 and are spot-welded to the upper portion of the side plate portion 36, and the end portions 38a, 38a having a U-shape are overlapped with each other to form an annular shape. A hook 39 extending outward from the upper portion of the frame-shaped portion 38 is hooked into a square hole of a support piece of a module cover (not shown) and loosely fitted, and the module cover is positioned in relation to the surface of the instrument panel. The retainer 30 and the lateral beam in the instrument panel are not affected by variations in mounting accuracy.
The rib 39b having an isosceles trapezoidal shape extending to the lower part of the frame-shaped portion 38 functions as a reinforcing rib, and suppresses deformation of the frame-shaped portion 38, for example, barrel-shaped deformation against the inflation of the airbag 1. Is.
The inflator 40 has an elongated cylindrical shape that can be a cylinder or a rod, and gas jets 41 are opened in a line along the circumferential surface at a central portion in the longitudinal direction. There is a socket 42 at the end, and a connector of a wire harness (not shown) is connected, and a large amount of nitrogen gas for inflating the airbag 10 can be instantaneously injected by receiving an electrical signal from the activation device.
The lower retainer 50 is generally composed of a curved surface portion 51, a flange portion 52, a through hole 53, and a mounting bracket 54. The passenger seat airbag device 1 can be formed by fixing with the connecting arch 35 and tightening the mounting bolt 23.
In FIG. 2, for the sake of explanation, a space is drawn between the peripheral surface of the inflator 40, the curved surface portion 51 of the lower retainer 50, and the arch portion 22 of the upper retainer 20. The shape is set so that even if a gap is generated, only a very small gap is generated.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the tubular inflator 40 is attached to the passenger seat airbag apparatus 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows the tubular inflator 40 attached to the passenger seat airbag apparatus 1 of the present invention. It is a schematic front sectional view at the time of attachment.
As can be understood from FIGS. 2 and 3, the inflator 40 is mounted so as to be covered by the upper retainer 20, the middle retainer 30, and the lower retainer 50, and the gas in the center in the longitudinal direction of the inflator 40 due to the collision of the vehicle body or the like. Nitrogen gas passes through a curve along the inflator 40 of the lower retainer 50 from the ejection port 41, is injected into the airbag 10 that is folded and attached to the upper side of the upper retainer 20, and moves along the side plate portion 36 provided in the middle retainer 30. To expand.
Although the lower retainer 50 in FIG. 1 is omitted for simplification, grooves 55 are provided along a plurality of gas injection ports 41 formed in a row on the peripheral surface of the inflator 40, and the lower retainer 50 is provided from the gas injection ports 41. The gas to be injected toward the side is efficiently guided. (See FIG. 3).

Next, an embodiment in which a flange-mounted inflator 40 ′ having a plate-like flange portion is attached to the passenger airbag device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment in which a flange-mounted inflator 40 ′ having a plate-like flange portion is attached to the passenger airbag device 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a passenger seat of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view when a flange-mounted inflator 40 ′ having a plate-like flange portion is attached to the airbag device 1, and FIG. 6 has a plate-like flange portion in the passenger seat airbag device 1 of the present invention. It is a schematic front sectional view when the flange-mounted inflator 40 ′ is mounted.

As can be understood from FIG. 4, the applicator 20 ′ has a side wall portion 21 ′ and a mounting bolt 23 ′. The lower part of the applicator 20 ′ is adapted to the shape of the plate-shaped flange mounting inflator 40 ′. A hole 14 is provided. The hole 14 is perforated so that the upper part of the flange-mounted inflator 40 'can protrude.
The middle retainer 30 is a middle retainer 30 made of pressed steel similar to the passenger seat airbag device to which the cylindrical inflator is attached, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
The inflator 40 ′ is a flange-mounted inflator having a plate-like flange portion, in which a plate-like flange is attached in the middle of the columnar appearance, and a gas outlet is provided at the center of the upper portion of the cylinder. It opens in a line along the surface, and when the airbag is deployed, nitrogen gas is guided upward and ejected along the side wall portion 21 'of the applicator 20' to quickly deploy the airbag. Can do.
Since the flange-mounted inflator 40 ′ having the plate-like flange portion has a plate-like flange, the lower retainer is not required, the upper retainer 20 ′ and the middle retainer 30 are attached, and the inflator 40 ′ is One passenger's seat airbag device can be formed by inserting it into the hole 14 provided in the retainer 20 'and connecting it with a mounting bolt 23'.

  As described above, the airbag device 1 for a passenger seat according to the present invention is a flange-mounted inflator 40 ′ having a cylindrical inflator 40 and a plate-like flange portion only by changing the applicators 20 and 20 ′. It is not necessary to change the entire retainer according to the shape of the inflator that is changed depending on the vehicle type, and as can be understood from FIG. 3 and FIG. The folded state of the bag is just a difference that does not affect the deployment of the airbag, and the deployment characteristics of the airbag when the inflator is changed are almost unchanged, so the number of design performance tests can be reduced, and the product Reduces development costs, shortens product development time, and improves installation efficiency and man-hours. In terms of reduction, an excellent effect can be obtained.

  It can be used in all passenger-side airbag devices mounted in various automobiles.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one Example in the case of attaching a cylindrical inflator to the airbag apparatus for passenger seats of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing at the time of attaching a cylindrical inflator to the passenger seat airbag device of the present invention. It is a schematic front sectional view at the time of attaching a cylindrical inflator to the passenger seat airbag device of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment when a flange-mounted inflator having a plate-like flange portion is attached to a passenger seat airbag device of the present invention. Schematic sectional view when a flange mounting type inflator having a plate-like flange portion is attached to the passenger seat airbag device of the present invention. It is a schematic front sectional view when a flange mounting type inflator having a plate-like flange portion is attached to the passenger seat airbag device of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 .... Airbag device for passenger seats 10 .... Airbag 11 .... Airbag body 12 .... Wrapping cloth 13 .... Lower part 14 .... Hole 20 .... Applicator 20 '... Applicator 21 ... Flange part 21' ... Side wall part 22 ... Arch part 23 ... Mounting bolt 23 '... Mounting bolt 30 ...・ ・ Middle retainer 31 ・ ・ ・ ・ Bottom 32 ・ ・ ・ ・ Through hole
33 ... Central opening 34 ... Flat plate part 35 ... Connection arch 36 ... Side plate part 37 ... Opening 38 ... Frame-shaped part 38a ... U-shaped Shaped end 39 ... Hook
39b ··· An isosceles trapezoidal rib 40 ··· A cylindrical inflator 40 '··· A flange-mounted inflator 41 having a plate-like flange portion ··· Gas outlet 42 ···・ Socket 50 ・ ・ ・ ・ Lower retainer 51 ・ ・ ・ ・ Curved surface part 52 ・ ・ ・ ・ Flange part 53 ・ ・ ・ ・ Through hole 54 ・ ・ ・ ・ Mounting bracket 55 ・ ・ ・ ・ Groove

Claims (3)

An airbag device for a passenger seat having a container portion for storing a folded airbag and an inflator that is held in the container portion and supplies inflation gas to the airbag, the container portion being a flange of a flange-mounted inflator A pair of opposed flat plate portions that are in parallel with each other in the horizontal direction and a plurality of arch portions that are stretched along the peripheral surface of the cylindrical inflator are arranged in parallel. A central opening into which the mounting type inflator can be inserted is provided, and it is possible to mount either a cylindrical inflator that supports the airbag and the inflator together in a container part or a flange mounting type inflator having a plate-like flange part. An airbag device for a passenger seat. The inflator is a cylindrical inflator, a cylindrical inflator that is grounded to the arch part of the container part, an upper retainer that stores an airbag and presses the upper peripheral surface of the inflator, a pair of opposed flat parts of the container part, The airbag device for a passenger seat according to claim 1, wherein the airbag device is continuously in contact with a lower retainer that is supported from the lower peripheral surface of the inflator. The inflator is a flange-mounted inflator. The upper part of the flange-mounted inflator is inserted into the central opening of the container part, and the upper retainer for attaching the folded airbag and the inflator is continuous with the pair of opposed flat parts of the container part. The airbag device for a passenger seat according to claim 1, wherein the airbag device is interviewed.

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