Subassembly of a vehicle safety system, vehicle safety system, vehicle safety device and method of manufacturing a subassembly of a vehicle safety system

• US 10,259,415 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Airbag Systems GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Airbag Systems GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Englbrecht, Karl, Kolbin, Vadim, Gabler, Michael, Tautschnig, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US15/154,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20160355216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/003 characterised by occupant or pedestian
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• 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
• 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 a subassembly (10) of a vehicle safety system comprising a tubular casing (20) and comprising a fastening element (30) that includes at least one fastening hole (13) and a peripheral portion (31) curved at least in portions, wherein the peripheral portion (31) is connected at least at one connecting point (11) to the tubular casing (20). In accordance with the invention, the peripheral portion (31) includes at least one breakthrough (40) and a coating passage (17) is formed at least in portions between the peripheral portion (31) and the casing (20), wherein the tubular casing (20) includes at least in portions, especially on its entire exposed surface (21), an anti-corrosion layer and/or the fastening element (30) includes at least in portions, especially on its entire exposed surface (32), an anti-corrosion layer.

Claims

1. A subassembly (10) of a vehicle safety system comprising:

a tubular casing (20); and

a fastening element (30) that includes at least one fastening hole (13) and a peripheral portion (31) curved at least in portions, the fastening element (30) further including first and second fastening flanges (12, 12′

) positioned on opposite sides of the casing (20), each of the first and second fastening flanges (12, 12′

) including at least one fastening hole (13, 13′

) for receiving a fastening member to secure the fastening element (30) to a vehicle body,

wherein the peripheral portion (31) is connected at least at one connecting point (11) to the tubular casing (20) such that the tubular casing (20) engages the fastening element (30) only at the at least one connecting point (11) with no portion of the fastening element (30) extending entirely around the tubular casing (20), wherein the peripheral portion (31) includes at least one breakthrough (40) and that between the peripheral portion (31) and the casing (20) a coating passage (17) is formed at least in portions, wherein at least one of the tubular casing (20) and the fastening element (30) includes an anti-corrosion layer at least in portions on its exposed surface (21, 32).

2. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion (31) is curved in the radial circumferential direction (UR) of the casing (20) so that the peripheral portion (31) surrounds the casing (20) at a distance at least in portions so as to form the coating passage (17).

3. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least one connecting point (11) is a weld spot or a weld seam.

4. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion (31) includes an inner surface (33) facing the casing (20) and an outer surface (34) facing away from the casing (20), wherein the at least one breakthrough (40) is formed in the peripheral portion (31) from the outer surface (34) to the inner surface (33) and wherein the at least one breakthrough (40) is not configured as a fastening hole for fastening the subassembly (10) to a component fixed to the vehicle.

5. The subassembly (10) according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the coating passage (17) extending in the longitudinal direction (L) of the casing (20), measured as distance between the inner surface (33) of the peripheral portion (31) and a surface portion (22) of the casing (20) facing the peripheral portion (31), amounts to 0.5-2.0 mm.

6. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one breakthrough (40) includes a cross-sectional surface the size of which amounts to at least 30% of the surface of the peripheral portion (31).

7. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the fastening element (30) comprises transitional portions (15, 15′

) configured between each fastening flange (12, 12′

) and the peripheral portion (31).

8. The subassembly (10) according to claim 7, wherein the second fastening flange (12′

) includes a fastening slot (14), wherein planes of extension (E;

E1) of the fastening flanges (12, 12′

) extend substantially in parallel to each other.

9. A vehicle safety system comprising a subassembly (10) according to claim 1.

10. A vehicle safety device for protecting a pedestrian or for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising a vehicle safety system including a subassembly (10) according to claim 1, and further comprising an electronic control unit by means of which the vehicle safety system can be activated upon occurrence of a release situation.

11. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the anti-corrosion layer is on the entire exposed surface (21, 32) of at least one of the tubular casing (20) and the fastening element (30).

12. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the tubular casing (20) is an inflator or an outer actuator casing.

13. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one breakthrough (40) comprises plural breakthroughs (40c, 40d) each of which includes a substantially rectangular cross-sectional surface, wherein the lengths (43) of all rectangular cross-sectional surfaces point in the radial circumferential direction (UR) of the casing (20) or in the longitudinal direction (L) of the casing (20).

14. The subassembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one breakthrough (40) comprises two first breakthroughs (40e) that include a cross-sectional surface substantially in the form of a pentagon and two second breakthroughs (40f) that include a cross-sectional surface substantially in the form of a rectangle, the two first breakthroughs (40e) and the two second breakthroughs (40f) extending within planes that face each other.

15. A vehicle safety system comprising at least one of hood stays and an inflator for an airbag module, and further comprising a subassembly (10) according to claim 1.

16. The subassembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting point comprises a plurality of discrete, spaced apart weld spots between the casing and the fastening element.

17. The subassembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting point comprises multiple connecting points with every connecting point on the fastening element being positioned on a single side of the casing.

18. A method of manufacturing a subassembly (10) of a vehicle safety system comprising a tubular casing (20) and a fastening element (30) which includes at least one fastening hole (13, 13′

) and a peripheral portion (31) curved at least in portions, comprising the steps of;

forming at least one breakthrough (40) in the peripheral portion (31) of the fastening element (30),

connecting the peripheral portion (31) to the tubular casing (20) at least at one connecting point (11) so that a coating passage (17) is configured at least in portions between the peripheral portion (31) and the tubular casing (20) and such that the tubular casing (20) engages the fastening element (30) only at the at least one connecting point (11) with no portion of the fastening element (20) extending entirely around the tubular casing (20), with first and second fastening flanges (12, 12″

) of the fastening element (30) being positioned on opposite sides of the casing (20), each of the first and second fastening flanges (12, 12′

) including the at least one fastening hole (13, 13′

) for receiving a fastening member to secure the fastening element (30) to a vehicle body,

coating at least a portion of the exposed surface (21;

32) of the tubular casing (20) and/or the fastening element (30) with an anti-corrosion layer,

wherein the peripheral portion (31) is welded and/or bonded at least at one connecting point (11) to the tubular casing (20), and wherein the anti-corrosion layer of the tubular casing (20) and/or of the fastening element (30) is applied by galvanic coating and/or spray-coating and/or painting.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising applying the anti-corrosion layer through the at least one breakthrough to coat portions of at least one of the exposed surfaces encircling the at least one connecting point.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of connecting the fastening portion to the tubular casing comprises welding the peripheral portion to the tubular casing at a plurality of connecting points such that the fastening portion only engages the tubular casing at the connecting points.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one connecting point comprises multiple connecting points with every connecting point on the fastening element being positioned on a single side of the casing.

22. A subassembly of a vehicle safety system comprising:

a tubular casing; and

a fastening element that includes at least one fastening hole and a curved peripheral portion including a plurality of breakthroughs in the form of one of circular and triangular holes,

the peripheral portion being secured to the tubular casing by at least one connecting point such that the fastening element only engages the tubular casing at the at least one connecting point and is otherwise radially spaced from the tubular casing by a coating passage with no portion of the fastening element extending entirely around the tubular casing, wherein an exposed surface of at least one of the tubular casing and the fastening element is covered with an anti-corrosion layer.

23. The subassembly (10) according to claim 22, wherein the triangular breakthroughs (40b) have triangular cross-sectional surfaces arranged so that the points (41) of the triangular cross-sectional surfaces are facing toward each other and lands (50a) are formed between the breakthroughs.

24. The subassembly according to claim 22, wherein the at least one connecting point comprises a plurality of discrete, spaced apart weld spots between the casing and the fastening element.

25. The subassembly according to claim 22, wherein the fastening element includes first and second flanges positioned on opposite sides of the casing, each of the first and second flanges including at least one fastening hole for receiving a fastening member to secure the fastening element to a vehicle body.

26. The subassembly according to claim 22, wherein the at least one connecting point comprises multiple connecting points with every connecting point on the fastening element being positioned on a single side of the casing.