Airbag apparatus for automobile

• US 6,692,017 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanko Gosei Kabushiki Kaisha, Daihatsu Motor Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanko Gosei Kabushiki Kaisha, Daihatsu Motor Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Taoka, Yoshifumi, Hayashi, Akihito, Yasuda, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US10/008,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20020079675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.3, 280/732, 280/728.2, 280/730.1
• 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, 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

reinforcement plate members 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 hinge portions, 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,

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 segments being in close contact with or in the vicinity of the inside surface of the surface panel while being located across the fracture groove or the hinge groove of said fracture-opening section,

wherein said frame member has a plurality of joint segments formed at the edge portion in opposition to the inside surface of the surface panel, the joint segments being 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 extend through corresponding through-holes formed in the joint segments, and the thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach said frame member to a peripheral region adjacent the fracture groove of said fracture-opening section, and

wherein fixation members are provided on said frame member and the surface panel for fixing them together.

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

3. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcement plate members comprise 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 extend through the corresponding through-holes; and

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

4. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 3, wherein slits are formed in the reinforcement plates for absorbing a thermal expansion difference between the reinforcement plates and the surface panel.

5. 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 that faces the person in the vehicle and includes fracture grooves and hinge grooves formed on an inside surface of the surface panel, the fracture-opening section having a rectangular shape of sufficient size defined by the fracture grooves and the hinge grooves to allow the inflating airbag to project therethrough, and by the inflating airbag, the fracture-opening section being 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 having 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, 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 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,

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 extend through corresponding through-holes formed in the reinforcement segments, and the thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the reinforcement segments to said fracture-opening section.

6. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 5, wherein adjacent reinforcement segments are connected by means of elastic segments.

7. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 5, 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.

8. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 7, 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 extend through corresponding through-holes formed in the joint segments, and the thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the joint segments to the surface panel.

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

10. 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 that faces the person in the vehicle and includes fracture grooves and hinge grooves formed on an inside surface of the surface panel, the fracture-opening section having a rectangular shape of sufficient size defined by the fracture grooves and the hinge grooves to allow the inflating airbag to project therethrough, and by the inflating airbag, the fracture-opening section being 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 having 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, 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 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,

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, the opposite joint portions being fixedly attached to the inside surface of the surface panel,

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 extend through corresponding through-holes formed in the joint segments, the thermal joint protrusions being melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the joint segments to the surface panel, and

wherein adjacent joint segments are connected by means of an elastic segment.

11. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 10, 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 extend through corresponding through-holes formed in the reinforcement segments, and the thermal joint protrusions are melted and crushed to thereby fixedly attach the reinforcement segments to said fracture-opening section.

12. An airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 11, wherein adjacent reinforcement segments are connected by means of elastic segments.