JPH0719919Y2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an improvement of an air bag device which is mounted on a vehicle and inflates when a vehicle collision occurs to protect an occupant. The present invention relates to an airbag device in which a switch is attached to a built-in steering pad section.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, when a switch is mounted on a steering pad portion incorporating an air bag, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-141559, the switch is configured to be supported on a side wall of a retainer. Was there.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] By the way, recently, a push button switch of a car phone and various switches for remotely controlling various loads such as an audio device of a vehicle are arranged on a steering pad portion, and So-called steering control devices have been developed which send control signals to a receiving device.

However, when the airbag device is built in the steering pad portion, in order to dispose the switch of the steering control device in the steering pad portion, it is necessary to dispose the switch in a position that does not hinder the inflation of the airbag in the above-described conventional technique. It was However, when the number of switches is large, it is difficult to place the switches on the outer periphery of the steering pad, and when the switches are forcibly placed, the switches are small, and the visibility is poor and the operability is poor. It could be bad.

[Means for Solving Problems] The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems, and a large number of switches are arranged in a steering pad portion having an airbag built therein without impairing visibility and operability. The purpose is to do.

As a means for this, the present invention forms a thin portion having a thickness sufficient to be broken by the inflation force of an airbag, and includes a switch panel covering the airbag in a breaking opening portion of a steering pad portion, The switch board integrally molds a resin material for covering the airbag, a flexible membrane switch portion provided on the surface of the resin material, and a net provided inside the membrane switch portion. An airbag device configured as described above is provided.

[Operation] The airbag device having the above-described means operates as follows.

That is, when the occupant operates a switch on the switch board covering the airbag during normal traveling, a control signal corresponding to the operation of the switch is transmitted to the vehicle-side receiving device, and various loads such as an audio device are applied. Predetermined control.

Further, when a collision accident or the like occurs in the vehicle, the inflator of the airbag device is actuated and the airbag is inflated instantaneously.

The airbag is covered with a switch panel having a thin portion having a sufficient thickness to be broken by the inflation force of the airbag as described above, and the airbag is inflated due to the above-mentioned vehicle collision accident or the like. At this time, the thin portion of the switch board is broken by the expansion of the airbag. As a result, the airbag pops out from the breaking opening portion of the steering pad portion provided with the switch board, and protects the occupant from impact.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a steering pad portion 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with a part cut away for explaining the structure.

In the steering pad portion 1, an airbag 3 and an inflator (not shown) that generates gas for momentarily inflating the airbag 3 are built. The airbag 3 is covered with a membrane type switch board 2. In other words, the switch board 2 is provided in the breaking opening portion of the steering pad portion 1.

The structure of the switch board 2 will be described in detail.

The switch board 2 has a flexible membrane type switch structure. As shown in FIG. 1, a urethane material 21 for covering the airbag 3 and a urethane material 21 are provided on the surface of the urethane material 21. The membrane switch section 23 and the net 22 arranged inside the membrane switch section 23 are integrally formed.

Further, the switch board 2 is formed with thin portions 24 and 25.

The thin portions 24 and 25 are formed by substantially V-shaped grooves as shown in FIG. 1, and the stress applied to the switch board 2 due to the inflation of the airbag 3 is the maximum of the thin portions 24 and 25. It is easy to concentrate on thin points.

Therefore, when the airbag 3 is inflated due to a collision of a vehicle or the like, as shown in FIG.
The airbag 3 is fractured from 5 as indicated by imaginary lines a and b, and the airbag 3 is ejected toward the occupant side from the location opened by the fracture of the switch board 2. This protects the occupant from a collision or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that the design can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Advantages of the Invention] In this invention, a switch board provided in a breaking opening portion of a steering pad portion has a resin material for covering an airbag, and a flexible membrane switch portion provided on the surface of the resin material. Since the net disposed inside the membrane switch section is integrally molded, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since the switch panel has a flexible structure, the inflation of the airbag is not hindered by the switch panel,
It is safe because the airbag can pop out like the existing one without the switch panel on the steering pad.

(2) Despite having a built-in airbag,
It is possible to dispose the switch board on, for example, substantially the entire surface of the steering pad portion, and even when the switch board has a large number of switches, the operating portion of each switch can be set relatively large and with a margin. Therefore, the visibility and operability of the switch are not impaired.

(3) The switch board can be made thinner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a main part of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Steering pad, 2 ... Switch panel, 24,2
5 ... Thin section, 3 ... Airbag.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An airbag device for protecting an occupant by inflating an airbag in a steering pad portion of a vehicle, wherein a thin portion that is broken by the inflation force of the airbag is formed and the airbag is covered. A switch board is provided in a breaking opening portion of a steering pad section, and the switch board has a resin material covering the airbag, a flexible membrane switch section arranged on a surface of the resin material, and the membrane switch section. An air bag device, characterized in that it is formed by integrally molding a net disposed inside the air bag.