Airbag module and a method for the attaching of an airbag to an airbag holder

• US 20040041371A1
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Webber, James Lloyd, Asic, Sabina
• Granted Patent: US 7,131,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2035 using modules containing inflator, bag and cover attachable to the steering wheel as a complete sub-unit steering wheel covers with tear lines B60R21/21656; assembling of modules B60R21/217
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/217 Inflation fluid source retainers, e.g. reaction canisters; Connection of bags, covers, diffusers or inflation fluid sources therewith or together

Abstract

An airbag module includes an airbag holder, which has a base body and a projection on a peripheral surface of the base body extending around this in full or with the exception of at least one interruption, and an airbag which has an airbag mouth whose peripheral contour is smaller than a peripheral contour enclosing the projection and the base body and which is held at the airbag holder in an end position in which the airbag mouth encloses the base body and thereby engages behind the projection at a first side of the projection.

Claims

1. An airbag module comprising

an airbag holder (14) which has a base body (28, 30) and a projection (106;

126) on a peripheral surface of the base body (28, 30) and running around this in full or with the exception of at least one interruption; and

an airbag (20;

124;

134) which has an airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) whose peripheral contour is smaller than a peripheral contour enclosing the projection (106;

126) and the base body (28, 30) and which is held at the airbag holder (14) in an end position in which the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) encloses the base body (28, 30) and thereby engages behind the projection (106;

126) at a first side of the projection (106;

126),

wherein the projection (106;

126) and the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) are made such that, for the installation of the airbag (20;

124;

134) to the airbag holder (14), a first section (108;

116) of a rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) of the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) can be guided behind the projection (106;

126) onto a first side of the projection (106;

126) and a second section (110;

116) of the rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) adjacent to the first section (108;

116) is thereby arranged on a second side of the projection (106;

126) opposite the first side; and

such that the rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) is then movable into the end position by a deformation.

2. An airbag module in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the base body (28, 30) is formed in one piece with the projection (106;

126) such that the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) cannot be removed from the end position in a direction opposite to the projection (106;

126) from the base body (28, 30) in a destruction free manner.

8. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a contact surface (95, 98) of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126), which the rim (66, 68;

100;

120;

122;

132) of the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) contacts in the end position or on pulling in the direction of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126) is planar.

9. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a contact surface (98) of the projection (96) which the rim (66, 68) of the airbag mouth (62, 64) contacts in the end position or on pulling in the direction of the projection (96) is conical in shape.

10. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126) has a circular outer contour.

11. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a section (28, 30) of the base body (28, 30) adjoining the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126) has a circular cross-section.

12. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) is substantially circular.

13. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airbag mouth (104) has an elliptical shape.

14. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rim (100;

120;

122;

132) is reinforced at least section-wise.

15. An airbag module in accordance with claim 14, characterized in that the rim (122) has a reinforcement ring (128).

16. Airbag modules in accordance with claim 14 or claim 15, characterized in that the rim (100) is coated for reinforcement.

17. An airbag module in accordance with any of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the rim (132) is formed by at least two layers (135) of airbag material connected to one another.

18. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projection (126) has an undercut (130) along at least part of its periphery on the side facing the airbag (124;

134) in the end position.

19. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a projection (26, 58) complementary to the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126) is provided which forms, together with the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126), a groove (56, 60), at least section-wise, for the mounting of the rim (66, 68;

100;

120;

122;

132) of the airbag (20;

124;

134).

20. An airbag module in accordance with claim 19, characterized in that the complementary projection (26, 58) is formed as a flange running around the base body (28, 30).

21. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airbag holder (14) is made in one piece.

22. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airbag holder (14) is made at least in part as a diffuser (28).

23. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airbag holder (14) is made in one piece with a support element (12) of the airbag module serving for the attachment of the airbag module.

24. An airbag module in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized

in that the airbag holder (14) has a further projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126) at the periphery of the base body (28, 30) offset in the axial direction with respect to the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126), and in that the airbag (20;

124;

134) is a toroidal airbag (20;

124;

134) with a further airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) which has a rim (66, 68;

100;

120;

122;

132) enclosing the base body (28, 30) in an end position and engaging behind the further projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126), the peripheral contour of said rim being smaller than a peripheral contour around a cross-section through the base body (28, 30) and the further projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126).

3. An airbag module comprising

an airbag holder (14) which has a base body (28, 30) and a projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) formed on a peripheral surface of the base body (28, 30); and

an airbag (20;

124;

134) which has an airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) whose peripheral contour is smaller than a peripheral contour enclosing the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) and the base body (28, 30) and which is held at the airbag holder (14) in an end position in which the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) encloses the base body (28, 30) and thereby engages behind the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126) at a first side of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96;

106;

126);

wherein the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) has a cut-out (52, 54;

90;

92) which extends from the first side of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) through this to a second side opposite the first side; and

wherein the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96), with the cut-out (52, 54;

90;

92), and the airbag module (62, 64;

104) are designed such that, for the installation of the airbag (20;

124;

134) at the airbag holder (14), an introduction section (85) of a rim (66, 68;

100;

120;

122;

132) of the airbag mouth (62, 64;

110) can be introduced into the cut-out (52, 54;

90;

92) and thereby a first section (86) of the rim (66, 68;

100) adjoining the introduction section (85) is arranged on the first side of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) and a second section (86′

) of the rim (66, 68;

100) adjoining the introduction section (85) is arranged on the second side of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96); and

such that the rim (66, 68;

100) can then be moved into the end position by a rotational movement relative to the base body (28, 30) and/or at least by a displacement and/or a stretching of the rim (66, 68;

100).

4. An airbag module in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) is formed to extend around the base body (28, 30) with the exception of the cut-out (52, 54;

90;

92).

5. An airbag module in accordance with claim 3 or claim 4, characterized in that the cut out (52, 54;

90;

92) is made as a slot (52, 54;

92) passing through the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96).

6. An airbag module in accordance with any of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the slot (52, 54;

92) is less than 2 mm wider than the thickness of the airbag (20;

124;

134) in the region of the rim (66, 68;

100).

7. An airbag module in accordance with any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that a direction in which at least one region of the slot (92) passes through the projection (94) is inclined with respect to a normal to a contact surface (95) which the rim (66, 68) of the airbag module (64, 62) contacts in the end position or on pulling in the direction of the projection (94).

25. A method for the attachment of an airbag which has an airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) bounded by a peripheral rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) at an airbag holder (14) which has a base body (28, 30) and a projection (106;

126) on a peripheral surface of the base body (28, 30) running around this in full or with the exception of at least one interruption, in which

a first section (108;

116) of a rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) is guided beyond the projection (106;

126) behind the same; and

a second section (110;

116), complementary to the first section, of the rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) is moved while deforming the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) into an end position in which the rim (66, 68;

120;

122;

132) encloses the base body (28, 30) and thereby engages behind the projection (106;

126).

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, characterized in that the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) is stretched on the deformation.

28. A method in accordance with any one of claims 25 to 27, characterized

in that an airbag (20) with an elliptically formed airbag mouth (104) is used;

and

in that a section of the rim (100), which is substantially bounded by the ends of the longer main axis of the ellipse, is initially guided as the first section (108) over the projection (48, 50) and then the second section (110) is moved behind the projection (48, 50) into the end position.

27. A method for the attachment of an airbag which has an airbag mouth (62, 64) bounded by a peripheral rim (66, 68;

100) at an airbag holder (14) which has a base body (28, 30) and a projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) formed at a peripheral surface of the base body (28, 30) and having a cut-out (52, 54;

90;

92) which extends from a first side of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96) through this to a second side opposite the first side, in which

an introduction section (85) of a rim (66, 68;

100) of the airbag mouth (62, 64;

104) is introduced into the cut-out (54, 54;

90;

92), with adjacent first and second sections (86, 86′

) of the rim (66, 68;

100) being arranged on the first and on the second side of the projection (48, 50;

88;

94, 96) respectively; and

the rim (66, 68;

100) being moved by a rotational movement relative to the base body (28, 30) and/or at least by a displacement and/or by a stretching of the rim (66, 68;

100) into an end position, in which the rim (66, 68;

100) encloses the base body (28, 30) and thereby engages behind the projection (48, 50;

88;

94;

96).

29. A method in accordance with claim 27 and 28, characterized in that the airbag (20) is moved by a rotation into the end position in which the longer main axis of the elliptically shaped airbag mouth (104) is not arranged in the region of the cut-out (52, 54).