Head protecting airbag device

• US 6,565,116 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Terada, Yoshitaka, Kobayashi, Fumitake, Osawa, Yasuyuki, Tajima, Hiroyuki, Nagai, Yutaka, Totani, Chiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Boehler, Anne Marie
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROYAL, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/586,613
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.3, 280/728.2, 280/730.2, 244/53, 242/97, 411/41, 411/45, 411/46, 411/47, 411/48, 411/60.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0206 Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings devices for fastening or securing F16B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/025 Pillars; Roof rails
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/016 integrating other functions or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/0293 Connection or positioning of adjacent panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/075 the socket having resilient parts on its inside and outside
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/088 the stud, pin or spigot being integrally formed with the component to be fastened, e.g. forming part of the sheet, plate or strip
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/065 the plates being one on top of the other and distanced from each other, e.g. by using protrusions to keep contact and distance
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0657 at least one of the plates providing a raised structure, e.g. of the doghouse type, for connection with the clamps or clips of the other plate
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0664 at least one of the sheets or plates having integrally formed or integrally connected snap-in-features
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/309 Plastic type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/42 Independent, headed, aperture pass-through fastener

Abstract

A head-protecting airbag device includes an airbag cover mounted on the body of a vehicle for covering a folded airbag. The airbag cover includes an airbag cover body and a clip portion protruding from the back side of the airbag cover body. The clip portion is inserted into a retaining of the vehicle body and is retained by the vehicle body. The clip portion can establish two states: a first retaining state, in which the clip portion is so unextractably retained in the retaining hole that the clip portion cannot be pulled from the body; and a second retaining state, in which the clip portion is inserted farther into the retaining hole compared to the first retaining state and is extractably retained to permit extraction of the clip portion from the body. The head-protecting airbag device can firmly mount the airbag cover to and easily dismount the airbag cover from the vehicle body.

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag device comprising an airbag cover mounted on a vehicle body which has a retaining hole and includes a folded airbag, said airbag cover being constructed and arranged to cover the folded airbag and comprising a clip portion, said clip portion protruding from a back side of said airbag cover and being insertable along an inserting direction into the retaining hole to establish first and second retaining states, wherein:

in the first retaining state said clip portion cannot be pulled away from the retaining hole in an opposite direction to the inserting direction to extract said clip portion from the retaining hole,

in the second retaining state said clip portion is inserted farther in the inserting direction into the inserting hole and is extractable from the vehicle body by pulling said clip portion from the retaining hole in the opposite direction, and

the second retaining state of said clip portion is established by pushing said airbag cover in the first retaining state.

2. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

said clip portion includes a plurality of pawl members movable relative to each other from a narrow state in which leading end portions of the said pawl members are sufficiently close to each other to permit insertion and extraction of said pawl members into and out of the retaining hole, and a diverging state in which said leading end portions of said pawl members are spaced from each other by a sufficient distance to contact a back side of a circumferential edge of the retaining hole and establish said clip portion in the first retaining state; and

wherein said pawl members have respective shrinking guide portions positioned on a front side of the circumferential edge of the retaining hole in the first retaining state, and wherein movement of said clip portion from the first retaining state to the second retaining state causes the retaining hole circumferential edge to move said shrinking guide portions and thereby guide said pawl members from the first retaining state into the second retaining state.

3. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein said clip portion comprises:

a rigid core member including a neck portion protruding from the back side of said airbag cover and a head portion arranged at a leading end of said neck portion, said head portion having a root portion, a leading end, and said head portion being larger in width size than said neck portion; and

an elastically deformable cap having first and second grooves and a fixedly retained portion on a leading end side of said first and second grooves, said cap being mountable around said core member into a mounted position in which said cap covers said neck portion and said root portion of said head portion and in which said first groove is positioned in closer proximity to said leading end of said head portion than said second groove, which is positioned at a root portion of said neck portion,

wherein in the first retaining state a circumferential edge of the retaining hole is fitted in said first groove and said fixedly retained portion is retained on the back side of the retaining hole such that head portion of said core member is not extractable by movement of said head portion in the opposite direction,

wherein in the second retaining state the circumferential edge of the retaining hole is fitted in said second groove, and said fixedly retained portion has an inner side face sufficient in size to permit said head portion of said core member to be inserted therein and extracted from said cap, and

wherein in the mounted state, said inner side face of said fixedly retained portion is spaced from said neck portion of said core member by a small clearance sufficient to receive inward deformation of said fixedly retained portion caused by said insertion of said fixedly retained portion through the retaining hole.

4. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said core member is rod shape.

5. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said core member is plate shaped.

6. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said core member is molded integrally with said airbag cover body.

7. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said cap has at least one slit extending in an axial direction relative to said cap from a leading end of said fixedly retained portion.

8. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said cap has at least one slit extending in the axial direction relative to said cap throughout the entire length of said cap.

9. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said core member is interchangeable with said cap and other caps exerting different retaining forces on the circumferential edge of the retaining hole.

10. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein said airbag cover body includes an interchangeable base portion, and wherein said clip portion is mountable on and demountable from said interchangeable base portion.

11. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 10, wherein said interchangeable base portion has a retaining recess for receiving a portion of said clip portion, and wherein said retaining recess is at a position different from a mounting position at which said clip portion is mounted in the circumferential edge of the retaining hole.

12. A head-protecting airbag device comprising an airbag cover mountable in a vehicle for covering a folded airbag housed from a rear pillar portion to at least a roof side rail portion of the vehicle body, said airbag cover comprising a rear pillar garnish mountable on the rear pillar portion, said rear pillar garnish comprising a body portion and a door portion molded integrally with said body portion, said body portion having a mounting seat mountable on said rear pillar, said door portion being arranged on an upper end side of said garnish and constructed and arranged to open upon inflation and expansion of the airbag,

wherein portions of said door portion and said mounting seat of said body portion in the vicinity of said door portion comprises at least one thermoplastic elastomer, and

wherein a remaining portion of said door portion and said mounting seat not in the vicinity of said door portion comprises at least one hard synthetic resin,

wherein said mounting seat comprises a clip portion insertable along an inserting direction into a retaining hole of the vehicle body to establish first and second retaining states, wherein in the first retaining state said clip portion cannot be pulled away from the retaining hole in an opposite direction to the inserting direction to extract said clip portion from the retaining hole, and wherein in the second retaining state clip portion is inserted farther in the inserting direction into the inserting hole and is extractable from the vehicle body by pulling said clip portion from the retaining hole in the opposite direction, wherein said clip portion comprises:

a rigid core member including a neck portion protruding from the back side of said airbag cover and a head portion arranged at a leading end of said neck portion, said head portion having a root portion, a leading end, and said head portion being larger in width size than said neck portion; and

an elastically deformable cap having first and second grooves and a fixedly retained portion on a leading end side of said first and second grooves, said cap being mountable around said core member into a mounted position in which said cap covers said neck portion and said root portion of said head portion and in which said first groove is positioned in closer proximity to said leading end of said head portion than said second groove, which is positioned at a root portion of said neck portion,

wherein in the first retaining state a circumferential edge of the retaining hole is fitted in said first groove and said fixedly retained portion is retained on the back side of the retaining hole such that head portion of said core member is not extractable by movement of said head portion in the opposite direction,

wherein in the second retaining state the circumferential edge of the retaining hole is fitted in said second groove, and said fixedly retained portion has an inner side face sufficient in size to permit said head portion of said core member to be inserted therein and extracted from said cap, and

wherein in the mounted state, said inner side face of said fixedly retained portion is spaced from said neck portion of said core member by a small clearance sufficient to receive inward deformation of said fixedly retained portion caused by said insertion of said fixedly retained portion through the retaining hole.

13. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 12, wherein said thermoplastic elastomer and said hard synthetic resin are compatible with each other.

14. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 12, wherein a surface skin is arranged on an interior surface side of said rear pillar garnish to face an interior compartment of the vehicle body.

15. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 12, wherein said door portion is arranged at an upper edge of said rear pillar garnish, and wherein said door pivots about a hinge portion arranged on a lower edge side of said door portion so that said door is pushed and opened downward as said airbag is inflated and expands.

16. A head-protecting airbag device according to claim 12, wherein said door portion has a rupturable portion of reduced thickness that is ruptured as said airbag is inflated and expands, said rupturable portion facing away from an interior compartment of the vehicle body.