JPH05648A - Car air bagging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out easily the position adjusting work of an air bag lid. CONSTITUTION:The upper side and lower side connection members 9, 10 extending toward an air bag main body 3 are fitted to an air bag lid 4. A position adjusting means that consists of ragged pieces 9b, 10b and engage- locking edges 11d, 13d and engages the air bag lid 4 with the air bag main body 3 in such a way as making position adjustment possible, is provided between the air bag main body 3 and the upper and lower side connection members 9, 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile air bag system, and more particularly to a structure for connecting an air bag body and an air bag grid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an airbag device for an automobile,
It is known that the instrument panel is arranged at the front position of the passenger seat. Specifically, in the instrument panel, an opening is formed in the front surface facing the passenger seat, the airbag main body is housed inside the instrument panel opened by the opening, and the airbag main body is inserted into the opening. An air bag grid covering from the indoor side is arranged so as to be rotatable with respect to the instrument panel. Further, the airbag main body contains a detonator and an airbag in a casing supported on the vehicle body side, and the airbag is inflated toward the passenger seat due to the explosion of the detonator. . Therefore, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the airbag is inflated toward the passenger compartment, and the inflating force causes the airbag bag to rotate to open the opening, from which the airbag is directed toward the passenger on the passenger side. It bulges out and restrains the forward movement of this occupant.

As an airbag device of this type, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-198547, there is a device in which the mounting position of the airbag device with respect to the instrument panel can be adjusted.

[0004]

However, in the structure as disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the position adjustment of only the air bag grid cannot be performed, and in particular, the air bag grid is used for the casing of the airbag body. In the case of an airbag device that is designed to be supported, in order to adjust the position of the airbag, it is necessary to adjust the mounting position of the airbag body, and in some cases the airbag body is installed at an appropriate position. There is a problem that the air bag grid cannot be arranged at a predetermined position of the instrument panel when the air bag main body is mounted or an error occurs in the mounting position of the airbag body.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and makes it possible to dispose the air bag grid at a predetermined position of the instrument panel without adjusting the mounting position of the air bag body. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a configuration that facilitates position adjustment work.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention makes it possible to adjust the position of only the air bag grid with respect to the instrument panel, and to position it between the air bag grid and the airbag body. It has an adjustment function. Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 is an air which is attached to a vehicle body-side member at a position corresponding to an opening of the instrument panel in an internal space of the instrument panel, and in which an initiator and an air bag are housed. It is premised on an automobile airbag device including a bag body and an airbag bag arranged in an opening of the instrument panel. A connecting member extending toward the airbag body is attached to the airbag bag grid, and a position where the airbag bag grid is positionally adjustable with respect to the airbag body between the connecting member and the airbag body. The configuration is such that adjustment means is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle airbag apparatus according to the first aspect, the position adjusting means is provided on one of the coupling member and the airbag body, and on the other side. The engaging portion is constituted by a locking portion that is capable of adjusting its position stepwise in the direction of approaching the airbag body and cannot engage in position adjustment in the direction of separation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the automobile airbag apparatus according to the first aspect, the position adjusting means is provided on one of the connecting member and the airbag body, and the other is provided on the engaging portion. The air bag grid is configured so that it can be adjusted stepwise in the direction away from the airbag body with respect to the engaging portion, and the engagement portion engages with the position incapable of adjusting the approaching direction.

[0009]

With the above-described structure, the present invention has the following effects. According to the first aspect of the present invention, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle or the like, the detonating agent explodes to inflate the airbag toward the interior of the vehicle, and the inflating force rotates the air bag grid to open the opening of the instrument panel. Open. As a result, the airbag bulges toward the occupant and restrains the forward movement of the occupant to ensure safety. When the airbag device is attached to the vehicle body side, the position adjusting means provided between the connecting member attached to the airbag bag and the airbag body adjusts the position of the airbag bag with respect to the airbag body. While mounting it in place. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the position of only the air bag grid, and at the time of this position adjustment, it is not necessary to adjust the position of the airbag body, so that the workability of position adjustment is improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the airbag device is attached to the vehicle body side, first, the airbag body is attached to the vehicle body side member, and in this state, the connecting member of the airbag bag grid is attached to the airbag body. Engage. At this time, the position of the air bag grid can be adjusted stepwise in the direction of approaching the air bag body and cannot be adjusted in the direction of separation due to the engagement between the connecting member and the engaging portion of the air bag body and the locking portion. Therefore, only by pushing the air bag grid toward the air bag body, the position adjustment and the attachment to the air bag grid can be performed at the same time. Therefore, the simplification of the position adjusting work and the mounting work is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the airbag device is attached to the vehicle body side, first, the engaging portion and the engaging portion are engaged with each other with the airbag bag being close to the airbag body. In this state, the airbag body is attached to the vehicle body side member. Then, when the airbag main body is attached at a predetermined position, the airbag bag and the airbag main body are adjusted in position gradually in a direction in which they are relatively separated from each other, and the airbag main body is installed at a predetermined position on the instrument panel. Therefore, the attachment of the airbag body and the position adjustment of the airbag bag are simultaneously performed, and the workability thereof is improved.

[0012]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) Next, a first embodiment according to claim 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows the vicinity of an instrument panel 2 of an automobile in which an airbag device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. The airbag device 1 of the present example is arranged on the instrument panel 2 at a position facing the passenger seat. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inside of the portion of the instrument panel 2 facing the passenger seat is formed in the accommodation space 2a of the airbag device 1 (internal space of the instrument panel in the present invention). A rectangular opening 2b that is long in the vehicle width direction is formed on the front surface of the instrument panel 2 corresponding to the accommodation space 2a so that the airbag device 1 is accommodated in the accommodation space 2a. It has become. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag device 1
Is composed of an airbag body 3 and an airbag bag 4. The airbag body 3 has a metallic casing 5 having an opening 5a facing the opening 2b that opens the accommodation space 2a, a detonator 6 accommodated in a front end portion of the casing 5, and The airbag 7 is located closer to the opening 5a than the initiator 6 and is accommodated in the casing 5 in a folded state. And, in the case of a car front collision, the detonator 6
Due to the explosion, the airbag 7 is inflated toward the front passenger seat to restrain the forward movement of the occupant sitting in the front passenger seat.

A steering support shaft 8 (see FIG. 3), which extends in the vehicle width direction as a vehicle body side member according to the present invention, is disposed in the instrument panel 2. The steering support shaft 8 is Both left and right ends thereof are connected to a cowl side panel (not shown) and are supported on the vehicle body side with high support rigidity. Further, a support bracket (not shown) is arranged on the steering support shaft 8, and the casing 5 is attached to the upper surface of the support bracket. The casing 5 has a high support rigidity on the vehicle body side. It is installed with.

On the other hand, the air bag grid 4 has a shape substantially matching the opening 2b of the instrument panel 2, and a cushion material 4b made of urethane foam is arranged on the surface of a core material 4a formed by bending a sheet metal. Was set up,
Further, a skin material 4c is attached to the surface of the cushion material 4b.

Positioning pin insertion holes 2c are formed in the edges of the instrument panel 2 on the left and right sides of the opening 2b. The positioning pin insertion holes 2 are formed on the left and right edges of the back surface of the air bag grid 4.
A positioning pin 4f is provided so as to project corresponding to the drilling position of c. That is, when the air bag grid 4 is assembled to the instrument panel 2, the positioning pin 4f is inserted into the positioning pin insertion hole 2c, and the air bag grid 4 is attached to the instrument panel 2 at a predetermined position. It will be. Further, a substantially frustoconical contact member 4g is arranged at the base end of the positioning pin 4f.

The characteristic structure of this embodiment is the support structure for the air bag grid 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air bag grid 4 has its upper and lower end portions supported by the casing 5 via upper and lower connecting members 9 and 10. First, the support structure of the upper end portion of the air bag grid 4 will be described. The upper coupling member 9 is made up of a pair of left and right plate-shaped members, and has a flange portion 9a at its rear end (inside the vehicle compartment).
It is attached to the upper portion of the back surface of the core member 4a of the air bag grid 4 by screwing or the like. A characteristic of the support structure at the upper end portion is the structure around the front portion of the upper connecting member 9. The structure around the front portion of the upper connecting member 9 will be described below. A pair of left and right locking brackets 11, 11 are attached to a portion of the upper surface 5b of the casing 5 corresponding to the position where the upper connecting member 9 is disposed. This locking bracket 11 has a horizontal portion 11
a and a vertical part 1 bent downward from both ends of the horizontal part 11a
1b and a substantially hat-shaped member in a front view, the upper surface 5 is attached to the upper surface 5b of the casing 5.
insertion opening 1 into which the upper connecting member 9 can be inserted
1c is formed. Also, this locking bracket 11
On the lower surface of the horizontal portion 11a, a plurality of locking blades 11d, 11d, ... As engaging portions according to the present invention are formed, each of which is a vertical surface and an inclined surface that inclines upward as it faces the inside of the vehicle. ing. On the other hand, at the front end portion of the upper connecting member 9,
As shown in FIG. 4, the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 9b, ... As the locking portion according to the present invention arranged in two rows are formed. The cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 9b, ... Have a vertical surface and an inclined surface that inclines upward as it faces the inside of the vehicle. Further, the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 9b, ... Are formed at positions such that adjacent ones on the left and right are slightly displaced in the longitudinal direction of the upper coupling member 9 with a small dimension, and the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 9b ,. The height dimension of 9b is set to be larger than the height dimension of the insertion opening 11c. Therefore, when the upper connecting member 9 is inserted into the insertion opening 11c, as shown in FIG.
, The vertical planes of the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 9b, ... Abut the vertical planes of the locking blades 11d of the locking bracket 11, so that the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 9b ,. 11d, the upper coupling member 9 is allowed to move to the front of the vehicle body in this engaged state and regulates the movement to the vehicle interior side. That is, while allowing the air bag grid 4 to move in the direction of approaching the airbag body 3,
It is designed to regulate the movement in the direction of separation.

On the other hand, the mounting structure of the lower portion of the casing 5 will be described. The lower side connecting member 10 is composed of a pair of left and right plate-like members, like the upper side connecting member 9 described above, and its rear end portion ( The inside of the vehicle) is attached to the lower part of the back surface of the core member 4a of the air bag grid 4 via a resin-made connecting member 12. The lower connecting member 12 is provided with a V-shaped cut 12a on the lower surface of the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction, and when the airbag device 1 is activated, the connecting member 12 is cut by the expansion force of the airbag 7. The air bag grid 4 is cut at the molding position of 12a so as to be rotatable around the upper end as a rotation center. The connecting structure between the lower connecting member 10 and the casing 5 is also formed on the locking bracket 13 attached to the lower surface 5c of the casing 5, as in the case of the upper connecting member 9 described above. The stop blade 13d and the cut-and-raised piece 10b provided on the lower connecting member 10 are connected to each other, and the air bag grid 4 can be moved to the airbag body 3 side. It is designed to regulate movement. Therefore, the cut-and-raised pieces 9b and 10b and the locking blade 11 described above are provided.
The position adjusting means in the present invention is constituted by d and 13d.

With such a structure, when the airbag device 1 is actuated at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle or the like, the detonator 6 explodes and the airbag 7 is inflated toward the interior of the vehicle. The connecting member 12 is cut at the cut 12a. As a result, the air bag grid 4 rotates upward around the upper end while bending the upper connecting member 9 to open the opening 2b of the instrument panel 2. As a result, the airbag 7 bulges toward the occupant seated in the passenger seat and restrains the forward movement of the occupant to ensure safety.

Next, the assembling work of the airbag device 1 will be described. First, the detonator 6 and the airbag 7 are housed in the casing 5 in order to form the airbag body 3. Then, the lower portion of the casing 5 is fixed to the steering support shaft 8 by means such as bolting. In this way, after the air bag body 3 is attached to the vehicle body side, the air bag grid 4 is attached to the instrument panel 2. In the attaching operation to the instrument panel 2, the upper and lower connecting members 9 and 10 are provided.
Is inserted into the insertion opening 11c formed by the casing 5 and the locking brackets 11 and 13, and the air bag grid 4 is pushed toward the instrument panel 2. By this pushing operation, the cut-and-raised pieces 9 of the connecting members 9 and 10 are
b and 10b are locking blades 11 of the locking brackets 11 and 13.
By locking d and 13d, the air bag grid 4 is gradually pushed toward the instrument panel side.
Along with this pushing operation, the positioning pin 4f is inserted into the positioning pin insertion hole 2c, and the abutting member 4g provided at the base end portion of the positioning pin 4f is provided in the opening 2b of the instrument panel 2. The air bag grid 4 is installed at a predetermined position at a position where it comes into contact with the side edge. As a result, the air bag grid 4 is attached at a predetermined position with respect to the instrument panel 2, and its position is established by the engagement of the positioning pin 4f and the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 10b with the locking blades 11d, 13d. It is installed without shifting. By such an operation, the airbag device 1 is attached to the predetermined position. As described above, according to the configuration of this example, since the attachment position of the airbag bag 4 is set independently of the airbag body 3, it is possible to attach the airbag bag 4 at an accurate position, and the attaching operation thereof. In that case, the position can be set only by pushing in the air bag grid 4, and since the air bag grid 4 does not move to the passenger compartment side, the air bag grid 4 can be mounted by a simple mounting operation. It can be attached to the instrument panel 2.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment according to claim 3 of the present invention will be described. In this example, the same members as those in the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting structure of the air bag grid 4 and the casing 5 in this embodiment will be described. The front end portions of the upper and lower connecting members 9 and 10 are connected to the locking brackets 11 and 13 and the casing. After passing through the insertion opening formed by 5 and 5, it is curved in a U shape to the outside in the vertical direction and extends toward the vehicle interior side. Also, the locking bracket 1
The locking blades 11d and 13d and the cut-and-raised piece 9 are provided on the connecting members 1 and 13 and the connecting members 9 and 10 as in the first embodiment described above.
b and 10b are respectively formed, and these are engaged with each other. The engagement state of the locking blades 11d, 13d and the cut-and-raised pieces 9b, 10b is the engagement state in the opposite direction to that of the first embodiment described above. That is,
The locking blades 11d and 13d and the cut and raised pieces 9b and 10b are
It has a vertical portion and an inclined surface that faces the central side in the up-down direction as it goes toward the passenger compartment, and the position adjusting means configured by this has a position in the direction of separating the airbag bag 4 from the airbag body 3. While allowing movement, it regulates movement in the approaching direction.

With such a structure, when the airbag apparatus 1 is actuated at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle or the like, the detonator 6 explodes to inflate the airbag 7 toward the interior of the vehicle, and the inflating force is applied to the airbag bag grid 4. The connecting member 12 is cut at the cut 12a. On the other hand, in the upper support portion of the airbag body, the U-shaped portion of the upper coupling member is hooked on the front end of the upper locking bracket 11, so that the airbag bag grid 4 is engaged with the airbag body 3 on the upper side. Is maintained. Therefore, the air bag grid 4 is
With the periphery of the upper end portion as the center of rotation, the upper connecting member 9 is bent and rotated upward to open the opening 2b of the instrument panel 2. As a result, the airbag 7 bulges toward the occupant seated in the passenger seat and restrains the forward movement of the occupant to ensure safety.

Next, the assembling work of the airbag apparatus 1 in this example will be described. First, the detonator 6 and the airbag 7 are housed in the casing 5 in order to form the airbag body 3. Then, the airbag bag 4 is engaged with the airbag body 3 so as to be in the closest position. That is, the cut-and-raised pieces 9b and 10b and the locking blade 11 are arranged so that the respective connecting members 9 and 10 are located as far forward as possible.
It is set to the engagement state with d and 13d. In this way
With the airbag bag 4 attached to the airbag body 3, the airbag body 3 is inserted through the opening 2b of the instrument panel 2, and the airbag body 3 is attached to the steering support shaft 8 by means such as bolting. At the time of this mounting operation, the air bag grid 4 is regulated at a position in contact with the peripheral edge of the instrument panel 2, so that the air bag grid 4 and the airbag body 3 are gradually separated from each other. Is adjusted to. This prevents the air bag grid 4 from moving from a predetermined mounting position on the instrument panel 2. Therefore, the attachment of the airbag body 3 and the position adjustment of the airbag bag 4 are simultaneously performed, and the workability thereof is improved.

As described above, according to the structure of this embodiment as well, since the mounting position of the air bag grid 4 is set independently of the airbag body 3, it is possible to mount the airbag bag 4 at a precise position. The positioning is performed only by attaching the airbag body 3 to the vehicle body side, and the airbag bag grid 4 can be attached to the instrument panel 2 by a simple attaching operation.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the air bag grid is composed of one sheet, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two
You may make it consist of more than one sheet. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the cut-and-raised pieces 9b and 10 are provided on the air bag grid side.
Although b is provided and the locking blades 11d and 13d are provided on the casing side, conversely, the locking blade is provided on the air bag grid side and the cut-and-raised pieces are provided on the casing side. Good.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited. According to the invention described in claim 1, when the airbag device is mounted on the vehicle body side, the position adjusting means provided between the connecting member mounted on the airbag bag and the airbag body causes the airbag bag to move. Since it is mounted at a predetermined position while adjusting the position with respect to the main body, it is possible to adjust the position of only the air bag grid, and it is not necessary to adjust the position of the airbag main body at the time of this position adjustment. The workability of position adjustment can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaging portion of the connecting member and the airbag body allows
Since the position of the air bag grid can be adjusted stepwise in the direction of approaching the air bag body and the position of the air bag grid cannot be adjusted in the direction of separating the air bag grid, the air bag grid can be adjusted by simply pushing it toward the air bag body. Attachment to the grid is performed at the same time, and both simplification of the position adjustment work and the attachment work can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the airbag main body is attached at a predetermined position, the position of the airbag bag is adjusted stepwise in the direction away from the airbag main body so that the airbag bag is positioned at a predetermined position on the instrument panel. Since it is installed, the attachment of the airbag body and the position adjustment of the airbag bag are performed at the same time, and the workability thereof can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view around an airbag device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an attachment work of an air bag grid.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view around an instrument panel in which an airbag device is arranged.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a front end portion of an upper connecting member.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Airbag device 2 Instrument panel 2a accommodation space (internal space) 2b opening 3 Airbag body 4 air bag grid 6 detonator 7 airbags 8 Steering support shaft (body side member) 9 Upper connection member 10 Lower connecting member 9b, 10b Cut and raised piece (locking part) 11d, 13d Locking blade (engaging part)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An airbag main body, which is attached to a vehicle body side member at a position corresponding to an opening of the instrument panel in an internal space of the instrument panel, and in which an initiator and an airbag are housed, and the instrument. In an airbag device for an automobile comprising an airbag bag arranged in an opening of a panel, a connecting member extending toward the airbag body is attached to the airbag bag, and the connecting member and the airbag body are connected to each other. An air bag apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that a position adjusting means for engaging the air bag grid with the air bag main body is provided between the position adjusting means. 2. The automobile airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position adjusting means is provided on one of the connecting member and the airbag body and on the other, and the position adjusting means is provided with respect to the engaging portion. The airbag device for an automobile is characterized in that the airbag bag is configured to have a stepwise position adjustment in a direction approaching the airbag body, and a locking portion engaged with the position away from the airbag body so as not to be positionally adjustable. . 3. The airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the position adjusting means is provided on one of the connecting member and the airbag body, and on the other side, with respect to the engaging portion. The airbag device for a vehicle is characterized in that it is configured by a locking portion that can adjust its position stepwise in a direction away from the airbag body and cannot engage in a position adjustment in an approaching direction. .