JP5437159B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device that absorbs an impact by deploying a tubular airbag, in which a metal plate is folded and openings at both ends are closed with a closing member, with a gas generated by an inflator.

  By storing a cloth airbag folded inside the pillar garnish that covers the front of the front pillar of an automobile, and supplying the gas generated by the inflator at the time of collision with a pedestrian to the airbag, from the gap where the pillar garnish broke A pedestrian protection airbag apparatus that protects a pedestrian by deploying an airbag along the front surface of the front pillar is known from Patent Document 1 below.

  In addition, the pillar garnish that covers the front of the front pillar of the automobile is supported on the pillar skeleton member via a link-type pillar drive mechanism, and the pillar garnish is lifted from the pillar skeleton member by the pillar drive mechanism at the time of a collision with a pedestrian, A pedestrian protection shock absorbing structure that absorbs collision energy by allowing a pillar garnish to stroke is known from Patent Document 2 below.

JP 2002-283939 A JP 2006-282105 A

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to maintain the deployed state for a long time because the airbag is made of cloth, and depending on the timing at which the pedestrian collides with the front pillar, the impact is sufficient. There was a possibility that the absorption effect could not be exhibited.

  Further, the invention described in Patent Document 2 has a complicated structure of a link-type pillar drive mechanism that movably supports the pillar garnish on the pillar skeleton member, which increases the number of parts and causes a cost increase. was there.

  Therefore, the present applicant arranges a metal airbag folded in a zigzag manner between the front window glass and the front pillar, and deploys the airbag in a tube shape along the front pillar when colliding with a pedestrian, This has already been proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-224380.

  However, the one proposed in the above Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-224380 is that the both ends of the folded airbag are press-fitted and fixed to the opening of the thick and rigid box-shaped end cap. Both ends of the airbag are restrained by the end cap and cannot be inflated freely, and the rigidity of both ends of the airbag may remain high, resulting in a reduction in impact absorption performance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reliably deploy both end portions of a metal airbag.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a tubular air bag in which a metal plate is folded and the openings at both ends are closed with a closing member is developed with a gas generated by an inflator. an airbag apparatus for absorbing an impact, both ends of the folded airbag in shall be welded bendable to said closure member, said closure member is closing portion to be butted to the end face of the opening And a cylindrical portion that is bent from the periphery of the closed portion so as to cover the entire circumference of the side surface of the airbag and is welded to the side surface, and is formed into a cap shape. possible provided with a slit, Ru is proposed an air bag system which is a deformable pressure of the air bag to deploy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, an airbag device is proposed in which the closing member is fixed to a vehicle body via a deformable stay. .

According to the configuration of claim 1, the metal airbag does not deflate once deployed, and absorbs shock by plastic deformation of the metal. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost by adopting a small capacity inflator. In addition, stable shock absorbing performance can be exhibited regardless of the timing of collision. In addition, since both ends of the folded airbag are welded to the closing member so as to be able to bend, by bending both ends of the airbag radially outward at the time of deployment, the both ends are sufficiently deployed to provide shock absorption performance. Ru can be increased.

The closure member includes a closure portion that is abutted against the end face of the opening portion, and a cylindrical portion that is bent so as to cover the entire circumference of the side surface of the airbag from the periphery of the closure portion and is welded to the side surface. Jo the formed, because the tubular portion is provided with expandable slit, that as to spreading the slit of the cylindrical portion of the closing member at a pressure of the air bag to deploy deforming the cylindrical portion It is possible to bend the both end portions of the airbag easily outward in the radial direction, and to deploy reliably .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the closing member is fixed to the vehicle body via the deformable stay, the stay is deformed when the airbag is deployed, and the closing member moves in a direction away from the vehicle body. Both end portions of the airbag can be deployed more reliably.

The top view of the vehicle body front part of a motor vehicle. (First Reference Embodiment) FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. (First Reference Embodiment) The perspective view of an airbag. (First Reference Embodiment) FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of part 4 of FIG. 3. (First Reference Embodiment) FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of part 5 of FIG. 3. (First Reference Embodiment) FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of six directions in FIG. 3. (First Reference Embodiment) Action explanatory drawing at the time of air bag deployment corresponding to FIG. (First Reference Embodiment) The figure corresponding to the said FIG. (Second Reference Embodiment) The perspective view of a closure member. (Third reference embodiment) The perspective view of a closure member. (Fourth reference embodiment) The figure corresponding to the said FIG. (Fifth Reference Embodiment) The figure corresponding to the said FIG. (Embodiment of the present invention )

Hereinafter, a first reference embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automobile is provided with a front window glass 12 behind a hood 11, and between the left and right edges 12 a and 12 a of the front window glass 12 and the door glasses 14 and 14 of the front doors 13 and 13. Front pillars 15 and 15 are arranged so as to be sandwiched.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front pillar 15 has a closed cross-section formed by connecting an outer panel 16 positioned on the outer side of the vehicle body and an inner panel 17 positioned on the inner side of the vehicle body. A metal airbag 18 also serving as a garnish is provided in a folded state. The edge portion 12a of the front window glass 12 is overlapped with the front surface of the coupling portions 16c and 17a of the outer panel 16 and the inner panel 17 via the dam rubber 20, and is bonded with an adhesive 21.

  The airbag 18 made of a folded metal tube includes a garnish portion 18a, a window glass side folding portion 18b, an outer panel side folding portion 18c, and an inflator support portion 18d. The garnish portion 18a is smoothly connected from the side surface 16b of the outer panel 16 of the front pillar 15 toward the front window glass 12, and functions as a pillar garnish disposed between the outer panel 16 and the front window glass 12. Yes.

  The window glass side folding part 18b and the outer panel side folding part 18c are folded into zigzag folds on the back side (rear side) of the garnish part 18a in order to secure the allowance when the airbag 18 is deployed. . In that case, the folding width W2 of the outer panel side folding part 18c is set larger than the folding width W1 of the window glass side folding part 18b.

  As is clear from FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, both end portions of the folded airbag 18 are thinly press-molded, and the flat plate-like closing portions 24a and 24a of the closing members 24 and 24 are brought into contact therewith. By welding and welding, both ends of the airbag 18 are closed. In addition, if the space which arrange | positions the both ends of the airbag 18 can be ensured on the vehicle body side, it is not necessary to press-mold both ends thinly. Each closing member 24 is provided with a mounting portion 24b connected to the closing portion 24a. By screwing a nut 27 into a bolt hole 24c of the mounting portion 24b and a bolt 26 penetrating the vehicle body panel 25, the airbag 18 is moved to the front. It is fixed along the pillar 15.

  Of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the folded airbag 18, the garnish portion 18a and the inflator support portion 18d that are not zigzag folded are abutted against the closing portion 24a of the closing member 24 over the entire width thereof and are fillet welded. The window glass side folded portion 18b and the outer panel side folded portion 18c that are w1 and are folded in a zigzag manner are subjected to fillet welding w2 with only the tips of the crests being abutted against the closed portion 24a.

  As apparent from FIGS. 2 to 4, a gas for deploying the airbag 18 is provided at the lower end portion of the inflator support portion 18 d facing the garnish portion 18 a across the window glass side folding portion 18 b and the outer panel side folding portion 18 c. An inflator 19 that generates The cylindrical inflator 19 is fixed to the inner surface of a mounting bracket 28 having a U-shaped cross section by two fixing tools 29, 29. The mounting bracket 28 has an opening 18e formed in an inflator support portion 18d of the airbag 18. And are fixed by bolts 30 and nuts 31.

  As apparent from FIG. 2, an outer panel side lip 32 is provided at the boundary between the garnish portion 18 a of the airbag 18 and the outer panel side folded portion 18 c, and this outer panel side lip 32 is the front surface 16 a of the outer panel 16. Abut. Further, a window glass side lip 33 is provided at the boundary between the window glass side folding portion 18b and the inflator support portion 18d of the airbag 18, and this window glass side lip 33 contacts the front surface of the edge portion 12a of the front window glass 12. Touch. The outer panel side lip 32 and the window glass side lip 33 can prevent rainwater and the like from entering the inflator support portion 18d side of the airbag 18, thereby protecting the inflator 19.

Next, the operation of the first reference embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

  During normal times when the airbag 18 is not deployed, the garnish portion 18a of the airbag 18 is smoothly connected to the side surface 16b of the outer panel 16 of the front pillar 15 to exhibit the function of the pillar garnish. The number of parts can be reduced. Moreover, since the airbag 18 is compactly disposed between the front pillar 15 and the front window glass 12 by replacing the conventional pillar garnish, the front pillar is eliminated while eliminating the case and cover for storing the folded airbag 18. The appearance around 15 can be maintained well.

  Now, when it is detected that the vehicle has collided with a pedestrian, the inflator 19 is activated, and the internal pressure of the airbag 18 is increased by the gas generated by the inflator 19. As shown in FIG. 7, the window glass side folding portion 18 b and the outer panel side folding portion 18 c of the airbag 18 are first inflated toward the outside of the vehicle body and then the outer panel of the front pillar 15, as shown in FIG. 16 is developed in the left-right direction so as to cover the front surface 16a and the side surface 16b.

  At this time, since the airbag 18 includes the window glass side folding portion 18b and the outer panel side folding portion 18c, a large circumferential length of the airbag 18 after deployment is ensured, and a large area of the front pillar 15 is covered to absorb shock. Performance can be increased. Further, since the front pillar 15 is harder than the front window glass 12, the impact given to the pedestrian is increased, but the folding width W2 of the outer panel side folding part 18c is set larger than the folding width W1 of the window glass side folding part 18b. As a result, the expansion allowance (expansion amount) at the time of deployment of the outer panel side folding portion 18c is increased, and the airbag 18 is deployed so as to wrap around the side surface 16b side of the outer panel 16 to further improve the shock absorbing performance. it can.

The airbag device for pedestrians has a characteristic that a relatively large difference is likely to occur in the time until the pedestrian collides with the front pillar 15 according to the physique of the pedestrian and the vehicle speed at the time of the collision. Therefore, the conventional fabric airbag has a problem that a large-capacity inflator that continuously generates gas is required to maintain the deployed state for a predetermined time. In this reference embodiment contrast, by adopting the metal of the air bag 18, the air bag 18 is once expanded is maintained even expanded state after stopping the supply of gas, with a pedestrian by the plastic deformation Since the impact of the collision is absorbed, effective impact absorbing performance can be exhibited regardless of the timing at which the pedestrian collides with the front pillar 15 while reducing the capacity of the inflator 19.

  By the way, when the airbag 18 is deployed, both end portions in the longitudinal direction are coupled to the closing members 24 and 24 in a folded state, so that it is difficult to deploy compared to the central portion in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 18 develops in a substantially circular cross section, whereas the end portions in the longitudinal direction develop into a shape having irregularities because the folding is not completely released, and the irregularities function as reinforcing ribs. By doing so, there is a possibility that the rigidity when the occupant collides becomes too high to exhibit effective shock absorbing performance.

However, according to this reference embodiment, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 18 are butted against the closing members 24 and 24 and are bendable so as to be bent, so that the portions of the fillet welds w1 and w2 are provided. Thus, by deforming the end edge of the airbag 18 so as to bend radially outward, both longitudinal ends of the airbag 18 can be sufficiently developed. As a result, the rigidity of both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the deployed airbag 18 is reduced to be equal to the rigidity of the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, and uniform shock absorbing performance can be exhibited over the entire length of the airbag 18. .

  In addition, since the window glass side folding part 18b and the outer panel side folding part 18c of the airbag 18 are fillet welded w2 to the closing member 24 only at the tips of the crests, Although gas leaks from the gap of the connecting portion, the gap exhibits the same function as the vent hole, and does not hinder the deployment of the airbag 18.

Next, a second reference embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG.

In the second reference embodiment , the closing portion 24a of the closing member 24 and the mounting portion 24b are connected by a stay 24d that can be bent, so that the mounting portion 24b and the stay 24d overlap each other when the airbag 18 is not deployed. Is bent.

  As the stay 24 d rises with respect to the attachment portion 24 b by the reaction force received from the vehicle body panel 25 when the airbag 18 is deployed, the airbag 18 can move in a direction away from the vehicle body panel 25. As a result, the longitudinal end portions of the airbag 18 can be freely deployed without interfering with the vehicle body panel 25, and the deployment performance of the longitudinal end portions of the airbag 18 is further improved.

Next, a third reference embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG.

In the third reference embodiment , the closing portion 24a of the closing member 24 is folded in a zigzag manner. When the airbag 18 is deployed, the zigzag folding of the closing portion 24a is extended so that both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 18 are deployed. The performance is further improved.

Next, a fourth reference embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG.

The fourth reference embodiment is a modification of the third reference embodiment, in which the window glass side folding portion 18b and the outer panel side folding portion 18c of the airbag 18 are formed from both side edges of the closed closing portion 24a of the closing member 24. A pair of zigzag side walls 24e and 24e are integrally formed so as to cover the surface.

According to the fourth reference embodiment , in addition to the function and effect of the third reference embodiment, the window glass side folding portion 18b and the outer panel side folding portion 18c of which the fillet weld w2 is applied only to the tip of the peak portion. The effect of suppressing gas leakage from the end portions by the side wall portions 24e and 24e can be achieved.

Next, a fifth reference embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The closing member 24 of the fifth reference embodiment is constituted by a cap-like member with one surface released. That is, the closing member 24 welded to the L-shaped bracket 34 fixed to the vehicle body panel 25 with the bolts 26 and the nuts 27 is a flat plate-like closing portion 24a with which the openings at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 18 abut. And a cylindrical portion 24f extending from the periphery of the closing portion 24a toward the airbag 18, and is formed thin so that the tip side portion of the cylindrical portion 24f has low strength. Note that the entire cylindrical portion 24f may have low strength.

  The flat garnish portion 18a and the inflator support portion 18d of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 18 inserted into the cylindrical portion 24f of the closing member 24 are fillet welded w1 over the entire length, and are folded on the window glass side. As for the part 18b and the outer panel side folding part 18c, only the front-end | tip of a peak part is fillet weld w2.

According to this reference embodiment, when the airbag 18 is deployed, the tubular portion thin portion of 24f of the closing member 24 by deforming so as to spread radially outwardly with the air bag 18, the longitudinal air bag 18 Both ends in the direction can be bent together with the thin-walled portion and fully developed. As a result, the rigidity of both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the deployed airbag 18 is reduced to be equal to the rigidity of the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, and uniform shock absorbing performance can be exhibited over the entire length of the airbag 18. .

Next, the implementation of the embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG.

The embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the fifth reference embodiment, in which slits 24g... That can be expanded are formed at the four corners of the cylindrical portion 24f of the cap-shaped closing member 24.

  According to the present embodiment, when the airbag 18 is deployed, the cylindrical portion 24f of the closing member 24 is easily opened by the slits 24g, so that both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 18 can be more reliably deployed. Can do.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, the method of folding the airbag 18 is not limited to the embodiment.

15 front pillar 18 airbag 19 inflator 24 closing member 24a closing portion 24d stay 24f cylindrical portion 24g slit w1 welding w2 welding

Claims (2)

A tubular airbag (18) in which a metal plate is folded and the openings at both ends are closed by a closing member (24) is deployed with a gas generated by an inflator (19) to absorb the shock,
In both end portions shall be bendable welded (w1, w2) to the closure member (24) of folded the airbag (18),
The closing member (24) is folded so as to cover the entire periphery of the side surface of the airbag (18) from the periphery of the closing portion (24a) that is abutted against the end face of the opening. A cylindrical portion (24f) welded (w1, w2) to the side surface and formed into a cap shape,
The cylindrical portion (24f) is provided with a expandable slit (24 g), characterized in that it is deformable by the pressure of the air bag (18) to expand, the air bag equipment. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the closing member (24) is fixed to the vehicle body via a deformable stay (24d).

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