KR20090102470A - Floor air bag - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A floor airbag is provided to reduce injury to a passenger in a crash accident by changing the motion of the passenger as the lower body of the passenger is raised. CONSTITUTION: A floor airbag includes a vehicle panel(110), a floor material(120), a tear line, an air bag housing(150), an air bag cushion(160), and an inflator(170). The vehicle panel is fixed adjacent to the bottom of a dash panel(121) of a vehicle. The floor material is installed on the top of the vehicle panel. The tear line is formed to shear a part of the floor material. The air bag housing is fixed to the vehicle panel below the tear line and built in the air bag housing. The inflator supplies expansion gas to the air bag cushion.

Description

Floor Air Bag {Floor Air Bag}

The present invention relates to a floor airbag, and more particularly, to a floor airbag installed on the floor of a vehicle to protect the ankle of the occupant in the event of a crash or the like.

In general, various devices such as a brake booster, a master cylinder coupled thereto, an engine, a transmission, and the like are densely arranged in the engine room of a vehicle with almost no spare space.

When the driver presses the brake pedal, the brake of the vehicle generates a braking force by using a friction force that is in close contact with a pad of a caliper cylinder provided inside the wheel and the friction material, such as a brake drum or a brake disc of the wheel.

When such a vehicle travels at high speed and hits an oncoming vehicle or obstacle, the brake booster is pushed toward the interior space due to the limited deformation of the engine room, and the brake pedal connected to the brake booster is pushed backward toward the lower body of the driver. It becomes.

The car is also equipped with an airbag to mitigate the impact on the occupant with the seat belt to protect the occupant (including the driver) in the event of a car crash.

These airbags include driver airbags (DAB) and passenger airbags (PAB) to protect front passengers in frontal collisions, side airbags (SAB) and curtain airbags (CAB) to protect passengers in the event of side impacts. There are various types.

These airbags are installed in the driver's seat and the passenger seat to protect the driver and the front passenger, and the shock absorber serves to prevent the passenger's body from being forwardly moved by a car crash or a sudden stop during driving, so that they do not hit the steering wheel or the instrument panel directly. Done.

The airbag is operated by a collision detection sensor and an electronic control unit (ECU) in the event of a vehicle crash. The collision sensor detects a shock and sends it to the ECU when the vehicle crashes. Therefore, it is determined whether the airbag is operated, and if it is a condition to operate the airbag, the inflator is operated to inflate the airbag.

At this time, the inflator is connected to the airbag installed in a folded state, and when operated by the ECU, the heater inside thereof generates heat to ignite the gunpowder, burns the gas generating agent, and injects a large amount of expanded gas generated in an instant into the airbag. Will expand.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Publication No. 2005-76030 discloses a seat airbag for protecting a driver's leg, which is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

As shown in Figs. 1A and 1B, the seat airbag is installed in the driver's seat 10, which is installed in the inner front side of the cushion portion 11, and the inflator 22 is lowered so that its deployment direction is directed upward. Is installed in, the deployment portion 21 is installed at the top.

That is, the airbag 20 has a structure in which the deployment part 21 is expanded when gas is generated from the inflator 22 installed at the bottom, and the reason for installing the airbag 20 at the front side of the cushion part 11 is the airbag 20. This is to lift the driver's leg upward by a certain height by this expansion force.

In addition, a tear line 24 is formed along the front edge of the cushion part 11 so that the air bag 20 mounted therein is easily deployed to the outside. The tier line 24 may be a seam or may be formed as a thin groove in the cover of the cushion unit 11.

In addition, the collision sensor (not shown in the drawing) detects the collision of the vehicle and at the same time quantitatively measures the amount of impact caused by the collision and sends an electrical signal to the electronic control unit.

Such a collision sensor measures the collision of the vehicle and generates an electrical signal and sends it to the electronic control unit when the measured value is large enough to transmit a shock to the brake pedal 4 by greatly modifying the engine room.

Therefore, when the impact value due to the collision measured by the collision sensor during the collision of the vehicle is larger than the predetermined set value, it generates an electrical signal and sends it to the electronic control unit, the brake pedal (4) as the engine room is greatly deformed by the collision. This will cause deformation to the driver.

Accordingly, the electronic control unit sends a control signal to the inflator 22 to operate the airbag 20 to lift the driver's leg 41.

Such a conventional seat airbag is installed inside the seat to lift the driver's leg, so even if the driver's knees or thighs cannot be lifted, the foot or ankle part below the knee cannot be protected, and the impact that the seat airbag inflates is prevented. Since the brake pedal is operated in a strong shock that deforms the brake pedal, there is a problem in that the driver is not protected from shock as the seat airbag operation is operated late.

In addition, the seat airbag is difficult to secure the space to install the airbag in the cushion portion, there is a problem that the tear line is formed in the cushion portion of the seat to damage the aesthetics of the driver seat.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a floor airbag to prevent the occupant's foot to move toward the dash panel to protect the foot portion of the occupant.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a floor airbag that reduces the injury to the occupant by changing the behavior of the occupant as the lower body of the occupant is lifted.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor airbag in which the occupant's foot is prevented from sliding toward the engine compartment of the vehicle, as well as correcting the abnormal priest of the occupant, thereby more safely protecting the occupant.

In order to achieve the above object, the floor airbag of the present invention includes a body panel fixed to a lower side of a dash panel of a vehicle, a flooring material installed on an upper part of the vehicle body panel, a tier line formed by breaking part of the flooring material, and a lower part of the tier line. An airbag housing fixed to the vehicle body panel, an airbag cushion embedded in the airbag housing, and an inflator for supplying an inflation gas to the airbag cushion.

As described above, the present invention protects the ankle of the occupant by inflating the airbag at the bottom of the vehicle, and also prevents the ankle from slipping as the ankle of the occupant is lifted, thereby correcting the abnormal posture of the occupant. Safer contact to protect the occupant, the ankle is lifted and the center of rotation of the ankle is raised has a useful effect of protecting the occupant more secure.

In addition, the present invention is inflated at the same time as the driver's seat airbag, passenger seat airbag, curtain airbag, knee airbag, etc. installed in the vehicle to protect each part of the passenger's body by inflating in the form of surrounding the upper body and side, knee, ankle of the occupant in case of an accident There is a useful effect to be done.

Figure 1a is an operation diagram showing a conventional seat airbag.

Figure 1b is a side view showing a conventional seat airbag.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the floor airbag according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a plan view showing a floor airbag according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a side view showing an inflated floor airbag according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a side view showing a state in which the door tether is inflated on the floor airbag according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a side view showing a state in which the door tether is inflated in the floor airbag according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side view showing the inflated floor airbag according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a side view showing the inflated floor airbag according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

110: body panel 120: flooring

121: dash panel 121: brake pedal

122: accelerator pedal 125: tier line

130: rug 131: groove

150: airbag housing 160: airbag cushion

161: tether 162: door tether

163: partition panel 170: inflator

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the floor airbag according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the floor airbag according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the floor airbag according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in the vehicle body panel 110 of the vehicle, the flooring material 120 is fixed to the upper body panel 110.

The body panel 110 is fixed to the upper surface of the frame (not shown in the drawing) of the vehicle or the upper side of the frame, and the body panel 110 refers to covering the wiring, parts, etc. of the vehicle from the top. .

In addition, the flooring material 120 supports the foot of the occupant, and is fixed to the upper part of the body panel 100 so as to be fixed to the floor of the vehicle interior.

In addition, a brake pedal 122 or an accelerator pedal 123 is installed on the dash panel 121 constituting the vehicle body, and the tier line 125 is formed on the flooring material 120 so that the inflated air bag is easily inflated upward. do.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the tier line 125 may be formed at a position away from the brake pedal 122 toward the front seat so that the inflated airbag does not come into contact with or interfere with the brake pedal 122.

That is, the tier line 125 is formed on the floor of the driver's seat or the passenger seat, respectively, and the tier line 125 formed on the driver's seat is formed close to the brake pedal 122 side, and the circumference of the inflated floor airbag is formed. Accordingly, is formed in a 'c' shape.

In addition, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the upper surface of the flooring material 120 is selectively placed a conventional rug 130 so that foreign matters such as dirt on the passenger's shoes do not contact the flooring material 120. The rug 130 is provided with a groove 131 to prevent contact or interference with the brake pedal 122 when the floor airbag is inflated.

In addition, the airbag housing 150 is firmly fixed to the vehicle body panel 110. The airbag housing 150 includes an airbag cushion 160 embedded therein and an inflator 170 for supplying an inflation gas to the airbag cushion 160.

Such floor airbags are installed at the lower part of the position where the occupant's foot is placed. In other words, the floor airbag prevents the occupant's foot from moving in the same direction as the vehicle's traveling direction, and raises the occupant's foot height to cause the occupant's body behavior.

As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag housing 150 has a shape in which the flooring material 120 and the dash panel 121 are connected. One side of the airbag housing 150 is formed horizontally, and the other side is dashed. It is formed to be inclined upward toward the panel 121.

In addition, the airbag cushion 160 is built in the folded state in the airbag housing 150, the inflator 170 is installed in the airbag housing 150. 4, the inflator 170 may be installed at an intermediate position of the airbag housing 150 or may be installed at one side of the airbag housing 150, that is, at the right end of FIG. 4.

In the floor airbag of the present invention having such a configuration, the vehicle body panel 110 is fixed to the lower portion of the flooring material 120 on which the occupant's foot is placed, and the airbag housing 150 is firmly installed to the vehicle body panel 110.

The floor airbag installed as described above detects the amount of impact from the collision sensor as the vehicle collides, and the amount of impact detected by the collision sensor is sent to the electronic control unit to send the presence or absence of operation of the inflator 170 according to the amount of impact.

Accordingly, the inflator 170 is ignited in the inflator by the control signal of the electronic control unit to generate the expansion gas.

The floor airbags are operated under the same operating conditions in which the driver's seat airbag, the passenger seat airbag, the knee airbag, and the curtain airbag operate.

As such, the inflation gas generated from the inflator 170 is supplied to the airbag cushion 160, and the airbag cushion 160 is inflated while protruding outward of the airbag housing 150 as shown in FIG. 4.

In addition, since the tier line 125 is located at a position away from the brake pedal 122, the inflated airbag cushion 160 is inflated smoothly without interference or contact with the brake pedal 122.

The inflated floor airbag is inflated upward from the bottom of the passenger's foot as the tier line 125 formed in the flooring material 120 is torn, and moves along the airbag housing 150 formed to be inclined toward the dash panel 121. Inflate forward.

That is, the floor airbag is inflated from the bottom of the rider's foot to the top as well as inflated from the front of the rider's foot to the top. The floor airbag inflated in this way not only lifts the occupant's foot but also raises the center of rotation of the ankle as shown in FIG. 4, thereby changing the upper body behavior of the occupant.

In addition, the floor airbag prevents the occupant's foot from moving forward so that the occupant's foot does not slip (sliding) toward the engine compartment of the vehicle.

As a result, the floor airbag stops slipping toward the front of the vehicle as the ankle is lifted, so that the occupant's posture is correct even if the occupant is sitting in an abnormal unstable posture, that is, the occupant's body is biased to one side or the upper body of the occupant is inclined. Since the occupant is held in a correct position, the occupant is in close contact with the center of the inflating driver's seat airbag, the passenger seat airbag, the curtain airbag, and the like.

In addition, the rug 130 placed on the upper surface of the floor 120 is raised with the flooring 120 as the airbag cushion 160 is inflated, and the rug 130 is formed with a groove 131 in the brake pedal 122. ) And no interference occurs.

Second Embodiment

5 is a side view illustrating a state in which the door tether is inflated in the floor airbag according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a state in which the door tether is inflated in the floor airbag according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view and the same name as the above-mentioned 1st Example is demonstrated using the same code | symbol.

In addition, FIG. 5 shows a floor airbag in which two door tethers 162 are installed, and FIG. 6 shows that three door tethers 162 are installed, and FIGS. 5 and 6 show that only the number of door tethers 162 is different. Therefore, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 will be described together.

The tether 161 described in the second embodiment of the present invention refers to a conventional tether 161 made of nylon or webbing of the same thickness and material as the airbag cushion 160.

In addition, the door tether 162 is made of nylon or seat belt webbing made of airbags in the same way as the tether 161. In the present invention, the door tether 162 is made thicker than the tether 161. Reference is made to a tether having a greater strength than (161).

5 and 6, the airbag cushion 160 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of tethers 161 and door tethers on both sides of the flooring material 120 on which the tier line 125 is formed. 162 is fixed.

One end of the door tether 162 is fixed to the airbag housing 150 or the vehicle body panel 110, the other end of the door tether 162 is fixed to the flooring material 120, the flooring material 120 is the floor airbag is inflated and Together it is limited to lift by the length of the door tether 162.

In addition, the shape of the airbag cushion 160 is limited by the tether 161 fixed therein, but the bottom member 120 lifted by the airbag cushion 160 is limited in shape by the door tether 162. do.

In addition, the door tether 162 not only restricts the height of the airbag cushion 160 that is inflated, but also prevents the airbag cushion 160 from leaving the floor 120 by the door tether 162 fixed to both sides of the flooring 120. Not limited.

The floor airbag according to the second embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will not be repeated with the above-described first embodiment, and the tether 161 and the door tether 162 will be described.

As in the first embodiment, the inflation gas generated from the inflator 170 is supplied into the airbag cushion 160, and the inflation gas supplied to the airbag cushion 160 is supplied to the airbag cushion 160 through the hole of the tether 161. Swell).

The inflated airbag cushion 160 is inflated in a state in which the tether 161 is expanded in the inflated width of the airbag cushion 160, and the bottom ash 120 is lifted by the airbag cushion 160.

The flooring material 120 which is lifted as described above is raised to a height limited by the length of the door tether 162, and the airbag cushion 160 that is inflated is not separated out of the flooring material 120 by the door tether 162. do.

In addition, since the door tether 162 is formed thicker than the tether 161, the floor tether 162 and the airbag cushion 160 have a strength that is not pressed by the passenger's foot.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating an inflated floor airbag according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating an inflated floor airbag according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, the third embodiment of the present invention will not be described the same as the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above, and will be described with respect to the partition panel 163 which is a different component from the first and second embodiments. Let's do it.

In the floor airbag of the present invention according to the third embodiment, the partition panel 163 is fixed together with the tether 161 or the door tether 162.

The partition panel 163 partitions the airbag cushion 160, and refers to partitioning the airbag cushion 160 so that one side of the airbag cushion 160 is inflated first and the other side of the airbag cushion 160 is later inflated.

That is, the partition panel 163 is different from the tether 161 or the door tether 162 in which the hole of the second embodiment is expanded by one side by the pressure of the inflation gas supplied into the airbag cushion 160, and the other side is later. A portion of the partition panel 163 is torn off to expand.

The partition panel 163 is fixedly biased toward the occupant at an intermediate position when the airbag cushion 160 is inflated, and the airbag cushion 160 is divided into two partitioned spaces by the partition panel 163.

In addition, part of the partition panel 163 is torn off as the inflation gas in the airbag cushion 160 expands above a set pressure.

The partition panel 163 may have a vent hole (not shown in the drawing) that is opened by pressure in the middle thereof, or may cause a part of a seam that fixes the partition panel 163 and the airbag cushion 160 to be torn. .

The floor airbag according to the third embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to the partition panel 163 without omitting description overlapping with the above-described first or second embodiment.

The inflation gas generated in the inflator 170 is supplied to the airbag cushion 160, and the inflation gas supplied in this way inflates a part of the airbag cushion 160 partitioned by the partition panel 163.

At this time, the first chamber 165 partitioned by the partition panel 163 is first expanded in a position close to the inflator 170, and the second chamber 166 blocked by the partition panel 163 is the first chamber. The partition panel 163 is inflated after being broken by the pressure of the inflating gas filled in 165.

That is, as a strong pressure is applied to the partition panel 163, a part of the vent hole of the partition panel 163 or a portion of the seam of the partition panel 163 is torn off, and thus divided into the first chamber 165 and the second chamber 166. The space is opened to allow the expansion gas to move.

As described above, the present invention has been described for the sake of convenience, the partition panel 163 may be selectively installed together with the tether 161 in the first embodiment, and the second embodiment may also be the tether 161. ), The door tether 162 and the partition panel 163 may be selectively installed. In the third embodiment, the tether 161, the door tether 162 and the partition panel 163 may be installed.

The present invention can be applied to protect the foot area by preventing the occupant's foot from moving forward toward the dash panel, as well as to protect the entire body part of the occupant along with the driver's airbag, the passenger seat airbag, and the curtain airbag.

Claims (13)

Body panels fixed adjacent the bottom of the vehicle's dash panel, A flooring material installed on the vehicle body panel, A tier line in which a part of the flooring material is broken; An airbag housing fixed to the vehicle body panel below the tier line; An airbag cushion embedded in the airbag housing; A floor airbag, comprising: an inflator for supplying an inflation gas to the airbag cushion. The method of claim 1, The tier line is a floor airbag, characterized in that formed in a position away from the brake pedal toward the front seat so as not to interfere with the brake pedal installed in the dash panel. The method of claim 1, The airbag housing is a floor airbag, characterized in that installed on the bottom surface of the floor where the occupant's feet are located. The method of claim 3, The airbag housing is a floor airbag, characterized in that one side is fixed to the vehicle body panel, the other side is inclined upward toward the dash panel. The method of claim 1, One side of the airbag cushion is fixed to the airbag housing, the floor airbag characterized in that the amplified width gradually expanded from the fixed portion when the airbag cushion is inflated. The method of claim 5, The floor airbag is provided with a door tether connecting the airbag housing and the flooring material, and the door tether is installed on both sides of the flooring material. The method of claim 5, The airbag cushion is further provided with a partition panel partitioning the interior of the airbag cushion into a first chamber and a second chamber, and the partition panel maintains the expanded state of the first chamber until the expansion gas supplied from the inflator reaches a predetermined pressure. The floor airbag, wherein the floor airbag is torn apart from the inside of the airbag cushion to expand the second chamber when the pressure rises above the set pressure. The method of claim 7, wherein The airbag cushion is a floor airbag, characterized in that the first chamber is inflated higher than the second chamber. The method of claim 7, wherein The airbag cushion is inflated to lift the occupant's foot position to the top when inflated with the inflation gas supplied from the inflator. The method of claim 7, wherein The airbag cushion is a floor airbag, characterized in that when inflated to rotate the ankle portion around the ankle of the occupant. The method of claim 1, The inflator is a floor airbag, characterized in that installed in the middle or one end of the airbag housing. The method of claim 1, The floor airbag, characterized in that the top surface is provided with a rug covering the flooring. The method of claim 12, The rug is a floor airbag, characterized in that the groove is formed in the rug so as not to interfere with the brake pedal installed in the dash panel.