Air bag mount structure for vehicle

• US 5,230,530 A
• Filed: 10/15/1991
• Issued: 07/27/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kimura, Shigeru, Shibata, Keiichirou, Iriyama, Toru, Hirashima, Isao, Iwamoto, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Graysay, Tamara L.
• Application Number:
  US07/774,177
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 280/727, 280/728, 280/730, 280/752, 280/732, 280/743, 280/779, 180/311, 180/90, 296/194, 296/192, 296/37.1, 296/37.2
• US Class Current: 280/732
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards

Abstract

An air bag mount structure for mounting an air bag unit which is disposed behind an instrument panel for absorbing a shock against a passenger seated in a front seat of a vehicle includes a hinge pillar arranged in a front body structure of the vehicle for supporting a door unit through a hinge device. A support device mounts the air bag unit thereon. The support device is mounted on the hinge pillar at one end portion and on either the hinge pillar or a floor panel at the other end. Stability can be improved in supporting the air bag unit so that a reliability of the air bag system can be obtained in operation.

Claims

1. An air bag mount structure for a vehicle having a front body structure including at least one dash panel and at least one cowl panel for partitioning a passenger compartment from an engine room, the air bag mount structure supporting an air bag unit having an air bag for absorbing a shock against a passenger comprising:

a pair of hinge pillars, each of said hinge pillars arranged in the front body structure of the vehicle and supporting a door unit through a hinge device,

support means for supporting said air bag unit extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle and connected with both of the hinge pillars at opposite ends, and

at least one mounting bracket for mounting the air bag unit on the support means, the mounting bracket connecting the air bag unit only to the support means, the support means being not directly connected to any of the dash and cowl panels so that rearward deformation of the dash and cowl panels during a collision is not transmitted to the air bag unit directly.

2. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 1 wherein the support means is of a pipe like configuration extending transversely of the vehicle.

3. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 1 wherein a knee protector is downwardly disposed adjacent to the support means.

4. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 3, and further comprising an instrument panel facing said passenger compartment, wherein the air bag unit is disposed in a space defined by the instrument panel and above a hypothetical locus of the knee protector in case of collision.

5. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 1, and further comprising an auxiliary support member extending transversely of the vehicle and parallel to the support means below the support means so as to support a mount case means for receiving the air bag unit therein.

6. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 5, and further comprising a floor panel and a reinforcement structure on said floor panel, wherein the auxiliary support member is supported by one of the hinge pillars at one end and by an extension formed on the reinforcement structure at its other end.

7. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 1 further comprising a pair of brackets welded onto the support means in a transversely spaced relationship with each other for mounting the air bag unit thereon.

8. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 7, wherein each bracket is provided with an engaging surface on which a mount case means for receiving said air bag unit is mounted.

9. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 1 further comprising a lower bracket with a round flange which is connected with the support means and an upper bracket with a flat flange for mounting the air bag unit, the lower and upper brackets being engaged with each other.

10. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a substantially U-shaped bracket extending transversely of the vehicle and connected with the front body structure at a front end and with an upper portion of a mount case means for receiving said air bag unit at a rear end.

11. An air bag mount structure as recited in claim 10, wherein the bracket comprises ribs for reinforcing corner portions of the bracket.

12. An air bag mount structure for mounting an air bag unit, disposed behind an instrument panel for absorbing a shock against a passenger seated in a front seat of a vehicle, comprising:

a hinge pillar means arranged in a front body structure of the vehicle for supporting a plurality of door units through hinge devices,

support means for mounting the air bag unit thereon, the support means being mounted on the hinge pillar means at opposite ends,

mount case means for receiving the air bag unit therein,

the mount means being secured to the support means at a lower portion so that the air bag unit is positioned slightly upwardly for causing an air bag to be inflated toward an upper portion of the passenger, and

an auxiliary support member extending transversely in parallel with the support means at a position below the support means so as to support the mount case means,

the auxiliary support member being supported by the hinge pillar means at one end and by an extension formed on reinforcement structure on a floor panel at the other end,

the mount case means being joined with the support means at an upper portion of an external bottom surface thereof and with the auxiliary support member at a lower portion of a lower surface thereof.

13. An air bag mount structure for mounting an air bag unit, disposed behind an instrument panel for absorbing a shock against a passenger seated in a front seat of a vehicle, comprising:

hinge pillar means arranged in a front body structure of the vehicle for supporting a plurality of door units through hinge devices,

support means for mounting the air bag unit thereon, the support means being mounted on the hinge pillar means at opposite ends,

mount case means for receiving the air bag unit therein, the mount case means being secured to the support means at a lower portion so that the air bag unit si positioned slightly upwardly for causing an air bag to be inflated toward an upper portion of the passenger, and

an auxiliary support member extending transversely in parallel with the support means at a position below the support means so as to support the mount case means,

the auxiliary support member being supported by the hinge pillar means at one end and by an extension formed on reinforcement structure on a floor panel at the other end, wherein the support means comprises a plurality of members for supporting an external upper portion of the mount case means, and the auxiliary support member comprises a plurality of members for supporting an external lower portion of the mount case means.

14. An air bag mount structure for mounting an air bag unit, disposed behind an instrument panel for absorbing a shock against a passenger seated in a front seat of a vehicle, comprising:

hinge pillar means arranged in a front body structure of the vehicles for supporting a plurality of door units through hinge devices,

support means for mounting the air bag unit thereon, the support means being mounted on the hinge pillar means at opposite ends, and

a substantially U-shaped bracket extending transversely of said vehicle and connected with the front body structure at a front end and with an upper portion of mount case means at a rear end, wherein a front end portion of the bracket extends upwardly and thereafter forwardly to form a substantially horizontal flange by which the bracket is connected with the front body structure.

15. An air bag mount structure for mounting an air bag unit, disposed behind an instrument panel for absorbing a shock against a passenger seated in a front seat of a vehicle, comprising:

hinge pillar means arranged in a front body structure of the vehicle for supporting a plurality of door units through hinge devices,

support means for mounting the air bag unit thereon, the support means being mounted on the hinge pillar means at opposite ends, and

a substantially U-shaped bracket extending transversely of said vehicle and connected with the front body structure at a front end and with an upper portion of mount case means at a rear end, wherein the bracket is formed with an extension at a rear end portion thereof which terminates in an upper surface of a case means for receiving the air bag unit therein to be engaged with the mount case means.