Airbag unit comprising a retaining element and supporting element for fixing the airbag

• US 20050225058A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Takata - Petri AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata - Petri AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Braun, Eleonore
• Application Number:
  US10/510,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20050225058A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to an airbag unit comprising an airbag (3) and a flat supporting element (2), whereby the air bag (3) is situated in front of a surface (21) of the supporting element (2), and the supporting element has an opening (20) for fixing the airbag (3) thereto. The airbag unit also comprises a retaining element (1) that, for fixing the airbag (3) to the supporting element (2), interacts therewith. A section (32) of the airbag (3) passes completely through the opening (20) of the supporting element (2) to the other side of the supporting element (2) and is held there in front of the other surface (22) of the supporting element (2) by means of the retaining element (1). The dimensions both of the opening (20) of the supporting element (2) as well as of the retaining element (1) are matched to one another whereby enabling the retaining element (1) to be guided through the opening (20) in a first spatial orientation, and an edge area of the opening (20) prevents the retaining element (1) from moving in at least one second spatial orientation of the retaining element (1).

Claims

1. An airbag unit comprising

an airbag (3),

a flat supporting element (2), in front of whose one surface (21) the airbag (3) is arranged and which has an opening (20) for fixing the airbag (3) on the supporting element (2), and

a retaining element (1) which interacts with the supporting element (2) in order to fix the airbag (3) thereon, one section (32) of the airbag (3) extending through the opening (20) of the supporting element (2) to the other side of the supporting element (2) and being retained there in front of the other surface (22) of the supporting element (2) by means of the retaining element (1), wherein the dimensions of the opening (20) of the supporting element (2), on the one hand, and of the retaining element (1), on the other hand, are coordinated with one another in such a manner that the retaining element (1) can be guided through the opening (20) in a first spatial orientation and an edge region of the opening (20) prevents the retaining element (1) from being guided through in at least one second spatial orientation of the retaining element (1).

2. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the airbag section (32) holds the retaining element (1).

3. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the airbag section (32) is retained in a form-fitting manner on the supporting element (2) by the retaining element (1).

4. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the retaining element (1) reaches behind the edge of the opening (20) of the supporting element (2).

5. The airbag unit as claimed in in claim 1, wherein the retaining element (1) is designed as a retaining plate which, when aligned essentially parallel to the associated surface (22) of the supporting element (2), reaches behind the edge of the opening (20) of the supporting element (2) and, when aligned essentially vertically with respect to the associated surface (22) of the supporting element (2), can be guided through the opening (20) of the supporting element (2).

6. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening (20) of the supporting element has a slot of defined width (B) and slot length (L), and in that the retaining element (1) is designed as a retaining plate having such a thickness (D) and having such edge lengths (l, l′

) that the thickness (d) of the retaining plate (1) is smaller than the width (B) of the slot (20) and at least one edge length (l, l′

) of the retaining plate (1) is smaller than the slot length (L).

7. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining element (1) has a throughflow opening (10) and the airbag (3) has an inflow opening (30) in the region of the airbag section (32), said openings interacting with the opening (20) of the supporting element (2) to form a passage for gas.

8. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 7, having a gas generator (4) for inflating the airbag (3), characterized in that the outflow opening (4) of the gas generator (4) and the inflow opening (30) of the airbag (3) are positioned with respect to each other in such a manner that the gas produced by the gas generator (4) can flow into the airbag (3).

9. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, in order to position the retaining element (1) with respect to the supporting element (2), a tubular element (6) is arranged in such a manner that the tubular element (6) protrudes through the throughflow opening (10) of the retaining element (1) and the opening (20) of the supporting element (2).

10. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the tubular element (6) is of hollow-cylindrical design.

11. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the gas generator (4) has a tubular element (6) which is arranged on the outflow opening (40) and protrudes through the inflow opening (30) of the airbag (3), the throughflow opening (10) of the retaining element (1) and the opening (20) of the supporting element (2).

12. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the retaining element (1) is provided with a tubular element (6, 16) which is arranged on the throughflow opening (10) of the retaining element (1) and is positioned with respect to the supporting element (2) in such a manner that it protrudes through the opening (20) of the supporting element (2).

13. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the retaining element (1) and the tubular element (6, 16) form a single-part or a multi-part subassembly.

14. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the supporting element (2) is part of a housing (5) which surrounds the gas generator (4) at least in some sections.

15. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that a multi-part retaining device (7, 7′

, 58, 540, 550, 800, 840, 860) is provided for holding the gas generator (4).

16. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the retaining device (7, 7′

) retains the supporting element (2), which is of essentially flat design, at a defined distance from the gas generator (4) and surrounds the gas generator (4) at least in some sections.

17. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the retaining device (7, 7′

) is formed by two hose clips (7, 7′

) which have a means (11) for holding the supporting element (2).

18. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that the means (11) for holding the supporting element (2) is designed as an aperture.

19. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that a first hose clip (7) and a second hose clip (7′

) are arranged on both sides of the outflow opening (40) of the gas generator (4), in that the hose clips (7, 7′

) have two apertures (11) along the direction of extent of the supporting element (2), and in that in its end sections the supporting element (2) comprises bending sections (9) which protrude out of the apertures (11) which face away from the outflow opening, it being possible for the supporting element (2) to be fixed on the hose clips (7, 7;

) by the bending sections (9) being bent transversely with respect to the direction of extent of the apertures (11).

20. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the retaining device has at least one fastening element (800, 840) which secures the gas generator on the supporting element (2) and surrounds the gas generator (4) in the region of the outflow openings (40) in such a gastight manner that a chamber leading into the airbag (3) is formed.

21. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that the retaining device has at least one fastening element (860, 58) which secures the gas generator on the supporting element (2) and surrounds the gas generator (4) in the region of the outflow openings in such a gastight manner that only one outflow opening facing in the direction of a throughflow opening (10) of the retaining element (1) remains free.

22. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the fastening element (800, 840, 860) is designed as a separate part which can be connected to the supporting part (2), in particular by pushing on, conical pressing or screwing.

23. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the fastening element (58) is of bell-shaped design and has a threaded attachment (580) and a screw (582) guided therein, the screw (582) serving for the radial bracing of the gas generator (4) which can be retained in the bell-shaped fastening element (58).

24. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the fastening element (58) has at least one closure stopper (583) for sealing off an outflow opening of the gas generator (4).

25. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the retaining device has at least one further, annular fastening element (550) which is connected to the supporting element (2), which serves to hold the gas generator (4) and through which the gas generator (4) can be pushed.

26. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the supporting element (2) is of multi-part design.

27. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that a first part (8) and a second part (8′

) of the supporting element (2) have a respective cutout (12, 12′

) and the opening (20) of the supporting element (2) is formed by the adjacent arrangement of the cutouts (12, 12′

) of the two parts (8, 8′

) of the supporting element (2).

28. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that extensions (81, 81′

) which at least partially surround the gas generator (4) are provided in each case on the two parts (8, 8′

) of the supporting element (2).

29. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the gas generator (4) is designed as a tubular gas generator and the outflow opening (40) is arranged in the circumferential surface thereof.

30. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the supporting element (2) has a holding device (13) which holds the airbag (3) and forms a storage space (14) for the airbag (3).

31. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a flat stabilizing element (11) is arranged in such a manner that the retaining element (1) is supported on the supporting element (2) or on an additional retaining device (7, 7′

) via the stabilizing element (90).

32. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 31, characterized in that the retaining element (1) can be fixed on the inside of the airbag (3).

33. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 32, characterized in that at least one fabric part (300, 300′

) is fastened, in particular sewn, in its edge region on the inside of the airbag (3) in such a manner that the retaining element (1) can be fixed in a pocket formed between the airbag (3) and the fabric part (300, 300′

).

34. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 33, characterized in that the fabric part (300, 300′

) is not connected to the airbag (3) in at least part of the edge region (320, 320′

), thus enabling the retaining element (1) in this part of the edge region (320, 320′

) to be introduced into the pocket.

35. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 34, characterized in that two fabric parts (300, 300′

) are arranged on the airbag (3) in such a manner that those parts of the edge region (320, 320′

) which are not connected to the airbag (3) are arranged opposite each other in such a manner that the openings of the two pockets which are produced point in opposite directions.

36. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 35, characterized in that the two fabric parts (300, 300′

) are arranged one above the other.

37. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 33, characterized in that the fabric part (300) has a slot (330) for the introduction of the retaining element (1).

38. The airbag unit as claimed in claim 34, characterized in that at least one tab (360) which is connected to the airbag (3) is guided over the fabric part (300) in such a manner that a retaining element (1) situated in the pocket is secured against sliding