JPH0594028U - Airbag cover - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] It is provided so as to cover the opening of the instrument panel in front of the passenger seat of the vehicle and allows the airbag stored in the instrument panel to expand smoothly and swiftly. Provided is a resin airbag cover having sufficient surface rigidity. [Structure] As the airbag 12 accommodated in the instrument panel 10 in front of the passenger seat expands and expands, the hinge portion 23 pivots upward with the root of the hinge portion 23 as a hinge center to open the instrument panel 10. On the back surface of the airbag cover 20 that opens 11, the vertical ribs 21 and the horizontal ribs 22 intersecting with the airbag ribs are formed in a grid pattern, and the height of the vertical ribs 21 is set slightly higher than the height of the horizontal ribs 22. I made it higher.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a vehicle airbag cover structure, and in particular, is provided so as to cover an opening of an instrument panel in front of a passenger seat in which the airbag is housed, and the opening is provided as the airbag expands. It relates to an airbag cover to be opened.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 2. Description of the Related Art Some vehicles are provided with an airbag device which prevents an occupant from colliding forward by inflating an airbag between the occupant and a steering wheel or an instrument panel in the event of a vehicle collision.

On the passenger's side of the vehicle, the airbag is folded and stored in an instrument panel in front of the passenger's seat, and in the event of a vehicle collision, the airbag bulges toward the passenger's seat through an opening provided in the instrument panel. Deploy to reduce the impact on passengers. This opening is normally covered with an air bag cover, and the air bag cover rotates upward as the airbag expands and expands during a vehicle collision, and the opening is opened.

Conventionally, a pad type airbag cover has been used as an airbag cover (Actual Kaihei No. 1-81156, No. 25-25346). In recent years, instead of the pad type, a resin-made airbag cover is often used for the purpose of cost reduction. In addition, in order to reduce the weight of the airbag cover, it is often configured with a thin resin plate, but in this case, unevenness may occur on the surface due to the compression heat strain generated during molding. Since there is a risk of damage due to the inflation force when the airbag is inflated, the back surface of the airbag cover is arranged in a grid pattern in the vertical direction along the airbag deployment direction and in the horizontal direction intersecting the vertical direction. Reinforcing ribs are provided to ensure the surface rigidity of the airbag cover.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when the above-described reinforcing rib is provided on the back surface of the airbag cover, the airbag is swollen and expanded due to the resistance of the rib when the airbag is swollen and expanded. -There is a risk of a delay in the timing of the inflation and deployment of the airbag, which must be done promptly at the same time as the collision.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a resin airbag cover that has sufficient surface rigidity and enables smooth and rapid inflation of the airbag. It was made as an issue.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention was made by paying attention to the fact that the resistance of the rib of the airbag cover that hinders the smooth inflation of the airbag is mainly due to the resistance of the lateral rib. As shown in FIG. Is provided so as to cover the opening 11 of the instrument panel 10 and is rotated around the hinge portion 23 provided at the front edge as the airbag 12 housed inside the instrument panel 10 expands and expands. In the resin airbag cover 20 that opens the opening 11, a vertical rib 21 along the deployment direction of the airbag 12 and a horizontal rib 22 that intersects the vertical rib 21 are provided on the back surface to improve the surface rigidity. It is characterized in that the heights of the vertical ribs 21 are set higher than the heights of the horizontal ribs 22 in a lattice form.

[0008]

[Action]

 At the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag cover 20 pivots upward around the root of the hinge portion 23 due to the bulging of the airbag 12, and opens the opening 11 of the instrument panel 10. The airbag 12 bulges and expands in the passenger seat direction from the opening 11 along the tips of the vertical ribs 21 without receiving the resistance of the lateral ribs of the airbag cover 20 that has rotated upward, and cushions the occupant. ..

[0009]

【Example】

 The present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIGS. In FIG. 1, an airbag 12 (FIG. 2) is housed inside an instrument panel 10 in front of a passenger seat of a left hand vehicle, and an opening 11 is formed on the upper surface of the instrument panel 10. is there. The opening 11 is covered with an airbag cover 20.

In FIG. 2, the airbag cover 20 is formed of a thin plate material made of resin, and is normally located flush with the instrument panel 10 by closing the opening 11 of the instrument panel 10. ing. The airbag 12 is provided in the instrument panel 10 and is accommodated in a folded state in an airbag case 14 having an opening above.

Hinge portions 23 that extend obliquely downward are integrally formed at the front and rear edges of the airbag cover 20, and the connecting portion with the airbag cover 20 is made thinner than the general portion. is there.

The hinge portion 23 has a shape in which the middle portion is bent, and ribs 231 are integrally provided with the hinge portion 23 at a plurality of positions on the lower surface of the air bag cover 20 in front of the hinge portion 23. Further, a reinforcing member 30 for reinforcing the hinge portion 23 is provided in front of the hinge portion 23. The reinforcing member 30 is made of a thin iron plate, and the lower end portion thereof is fixed to the airbag case 14 together with the hinge portion 23, and the upper end portion 31 is engaged with the engaging groove 232 provided in the rib 231. ..

On the back surface of the airbag cover 20, a plurality of ribs 21 and 22 are formed in a grid pattern for reinforcing the airbag cover 20.

The reinforcing ribs formed in a lattice shape are composed of vertical ribs 21 provided along the deployment direction of the airbag 12 shown by an arrow in FIG. 2 and horizontal ribs 22 provided so as to intersect with the vertical ribs 21. These are integrally formed on the back surface of the airbag cover 20. The height of the vertical ribs 21 is slightly higher than the height of the horizontal ribs 22 over the entire length.

As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag cover 20 having the above structure is normally locked to the opening edge of the airbag case 14 by locking members 40 at both end positions of the airbag cover. The upper end of the locking member 40 is fixed to the back surface of the airbag cover 20, and the lower end is fixed to the airbag case 14. A breaking portion 41, which is thin and easily broken, is formed in the middle of both the fixing portions of the locking member 40.

The airbag cover 20 of the present invention having the above structure normally covers the opening 11 of the instrument panel 10 in front of the passenger seat. In the event of a vehicle collision, a sensor (not shown) installed in the front part of the vehicle detects the collision and activates a gas generator (not shown) provided in the lower part of the airbag 12 to supply gas into the airbag 12 to supply the airbag. 12 is developed in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. Due to the impact at the time of a vehicle collision, the breaking portion 41 of the locking member 40 breaks and separates, the engagement between the airbag cover 20 and the airbag case 14 is released, and the airbag cover 20 is expanded by the airbag 12. It is pushed upward and pivots upward with the root of the hinge portion 23 as the hinge center.

The inflating output of the airbag 12 further acts on the airbag cover 20 rotated upward, and the hinge portion 23 extends linearly along the airbag case 14. As a result, the rib 231 moves rearward of the vehicle, the upper end 31 of the reinforcing member 30 comes out of the engaging groove 232 provided in the rib 231, and the airbag cover 20 becomes apart from the reinforcing member 30 and becomes free. As a result, the airbag cover 20 rotates further upward and opens the opening 11. The airbag 12 expands from the opened opening 11 along the tips of the vertical ribs 21 of the airbag cover 20 and bulges between the passenger seat and the instrument panel 10 to reduce the impact on the occupant.

According to the airbag cover of the present invention, the airbag cover 20 can ensure sufficient surface rigidity by the reinforcing ribs 21 and 22 provided on the back surface in a grid pattern, and the reinforcing ribs 21 and 22 can be provided. Of the 22, the height of the vertical ribs 21 along the deployment direction of the airbag 20 is set to be slightly higher than the height of the horizontal ribs 22, so that the airbag 12 is less likely to receive the resistance of the horizontal ribs 22, and the vertical ribs 21 have a smaller height. The airbag 12 bulges and deploys smoothly along the front end in the passenger seat direction, allowing the airbag 12 to bulge and deploy quickly in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0019]

[Effect of the device]

 According to the airbag cover of the present invention, sufficient surface rigidity can be ensured and the airbag can be smoothly expanded and expanded in the event of a vehicle collision.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel in front of a passenger seat of a left-hand drive vehicle equipped with an airbag cover of the present invention.

2 is a sectional view of the airbag cover of the present invention taken along the line II-II of FIG.

3 is a sectional view of the airbag cover of the present invention taken along the line III-III of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Instrument Panel 12 Airbag 20 Airbag Cover 21 Vertical Rib 22 Horizontal Rib 23 Hinge

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An instrument panel provided in front of a passenger seat having an air bag accommodated therein, covering an opening of the instrument panel.
In a resin airbag cover that pivots around a hinge portion provided at the front end edge to open the opening as the airbag expands and expands, a vertical rib extending along the airbag deployment direction is formed on the back surface. An airbag cover characterized in that a grid-like reinforcing rib is formed by lateral ribs intersecting with each other, and the height of the vertical ribs is made higher than that of the horizontal ribs.