Airbag apparatus for automobile

• US 20020079675A1
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanko Gosei Kabushiki Kaisha, Daihatsu Motor Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Daihatsu Motor Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Taoka, Yoshifumi, Hayashi, Akihito, Yasuda, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 6,692,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21537 characterised by hinges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/201 Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening

Abstract

An airbag apparatus for an automobile includes a fracture-opening section of an instrument panel cover; a frame member having edge portions in contact with a peripheral region around the fracture-opening section to thereby reinforce the instrument panel cover from inside; reinforcement plate members connected to the edge portions of the frame member by means of hinge portions and adapted to reinforce the fracture-opening section; and an airbag case which is located opposite to the instrument panel cover with respect to the frame member while being removably connected to the frame member.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus for an automobile for protecting a person in a vehicle from impact through inflation of an airbag upon collision of the vehicle to thereby ensure safety of the person, comprising:

an airbag support member disposed behind a surface panel provided within the vehicle and adapted to support the airbag in a folded condition, the airbag being fixedly attached to a surface of said airbag support member facing the surface panel and being inflated by means of gas from an inflater;

a fracture-opening section of the surface panel, comprising a fracture groove and a hinge groove formed on an inside surface of the surface panel facing the surface of said airbag support member having the airbag fixedly attached thereto, the fracture groove and the hinge groove determining a shape of an opening for allowing the inflating airbag to project therethrough;

a frame member located between the inside surface of the surface panel and said airbag support member and fixedly attached to the surface panel and/or a fixing member disposed inside the surface panel, said frame member having an edge portion at one end thereof, the edge portion being in close contact with or in the vicinity of the inside surface of the surface panel at a position corresponding to a peripheral region around said fracture-opening section, an opposite end thereof being connected to said airbag support member; and

a reinforcement plate member fixedly attached to an inside surface of said fracture-opening section for reinforcing said fracture-opening section and connected to said frame member, by means of a hinge portion, movably from a state of closing an opening of said frame member facing the surface panel to a state of opening the opening of said frame member for allowing the inflating airbag to project therethrough.

2. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein said frame member has a plurality of rest segments formed at the edge portion in opposition to the inside surface of the surface panel, the rest segments being in close contact with or in the vicinity of the inside surface of the surface panel while being located across a peripheral edge of a potential opening of said fracture-opening section.

3. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 2, wherein the rest segments are brought in contact with the inside surface of the surface panel such that a plurality of thermal joint protrusions formed on the inside surface of the surface panel are inserted through corresponding through-holes formed in the rest segments, and the inserted thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach said frame member to a peripheral region around the potential opening of said fracture-opening section.

4. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein said frame member and said airbag support member are separably connected.

5. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcement plate member comprises at least two reinforcement plates;

a plurality of through-holes are formed in the reinforcement plates;

a plurality of thermal joint protrusions formed on the inside surface of said fracture-opening section are inserted through the corresponding through-holes; and

the inserted thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the reinforcement plates to said fracture-opening section.

6. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 3, wherein a tentative fixation member is provided on said frame member and the surface panel for tentatively fixing them together.

7. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 5, wherein a slit is formed in the reinforcement plates for absorbing a thermal expansion difference between the reinforcement plates and the surface panel.

8. An airbag apparatus for an automobile for protecting a person in a vehicle from impact through inflation of an airbag effected by means of gas from an inflater upon collision of the vehicle, comprising:

a fracture-opening section of a surface panel facing the person in the vehicle, comprising a fracture groove formed on an inside surface of the surface panel and assuming a rectangular shape of sufficient size to allow the inflating airbag to project therethrough, the inflating airbag causing a rectangular portion defined by the fracture groove to be fractured in such a manner as to be split open in opposite directions with respect to a center thereof;

an airbag support member disposed inside the surface panel in opposition to said fracture-opening section and adapted to accommodate the airbag in a folded condition, one end of the airbag being fixedly attached to said airbag support member;

a frame member assuming a rectangular shape corresponding to said fracture-opening section, extending between the inside surface of the surface panel and said airbag support member, and supported by the surface panel and/or a fixing member disposed inside the surface panel, said frame member having an edge portion at one end thereof facing said fracture-opening section, the edge portion being in close contact with or in the vicinity of the inside surface of the surface panel at a peripheral region around said fracture-opening section, an opposite end thereof being connected to said airbag support member; and

a plurality of reinforcement plates fixedly attached to an inside surface of said fracture-opening section at the rectangular portion and connected to the edge portion of said frame member, by means of corresponding arcuate hinge portions, movably from a state of closing an opening of said frame member facing said fracture-opening section to a state of opening the opening of said frame member for allowing the inflating airbag to project therethrough.

9. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 8, wherein each of said reinforcement plates is divided into a plurality of reinforcement segments arranged along a longitudinal direction of said fracture-opening section;

the reinforcement segments are connected to the edge portion of said frame member by means of corresponding arcuate hinge portions; and

a plurality of thermal joint protrusions formed on the inside surface of said fracture-opening section are inserted through corresponding through-holes formed in the reinforcement segments, and the inserted thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the reinforcement segments to said fracture-opening section.

10. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 8, wherein adjacent reinforcement segments are connected by means of an elastic segment.

11. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 8, wherein said frame member comprises joint portions extending outward, along the inside surface of the surface panel, from opposite sides of the edge portion of said frame member with respect to a longitudinal direction of said fracture-opening section;

and the opposite joint portions are fixedly attached to the inside surface of the surface panel.

12. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 11, wherein each of the joint portions is divided into a plurality of joint segments arranged along a lateral direction of said fracture-opening section;

and a plurality of thermal joint protrusions formed on the inside surface of the surface panel are inserted through corresponding through-holes formed in the joint segments, and the inserted thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the joint segments to the surface panel.

13. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 12, wherein adjacent joint segments are connected by means of an elastic segment.