PILLAR GARNISH MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A HEAD-PROTECTING AIR BAG APPARATUS

• US 20090160165A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Torii, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/025 Pillars; Roof rails
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0275 comprising removable or hinged parts for accessing storage compartments B60R7/04; for airbag deployment B60R21/215
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/0287 integrating other functions or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars

Abstract

A metal bracket (50) is mounted on the outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of an upper end (46C) of a center pillar garnish (36). When an air bag (20) is deployed, bent parts (74B) of the wings of the bracket (50) come into contact with a seat part (88) of a pillar inner panel (38) and the a portion of the expansion force is transferred. As the air bag (20) continues to expand, the bracket (50) rotates about the base of an upper inclined part (72C), and the bent parts 74B rotate toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. Because the lower edges (74C) of the wings (74) come into contact with the pillar inner panel (38), the expansion force is transferred to the pillar inner panel 38.

Claims

1. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

14. A pillar garnish mounting structure in a vehicle equipped with a head-protecting air bag apparatus, comprising:

the head-protecting air bag apparatus that includes;

an inflator, disposed at a prescribed position in the vehicle, and an air bag, at least a part of which is housed in a folded condition between a roof side rail and a headliner end part, which expands and deploys from below the roof side rail into the passenger compartment by pressing open the headliner end part when gas is supplied from the inflator;

a deployment direction guide integrally formed in an outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle at an upper edge of a front part of a pillar garnish affixed to the inside surface that faces the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of a pillar inner panel, wherein at least one part of the front part overlaps with the headliner end part surface inside the passenger compartment, and the deployment direction guide includes a guide wall inclined toward the passenger compartment to guide the deploying direction of the air bag toward the passenger compartment;

a seat part is formed on the pillar inner panel and protrudes toward the guide wall; and

a metal bracket is provided on an outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the deployment direction guide, which comes into surface contact with the seat part when the expansion force of the air bag is applied to the guide wall.

2. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 14, wherein an upper end of the bracket extends both upwards and laterally outward, and passes through an aperture formed in the pillar inner panel, and further engages and overlaps with an outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the pillar inner panel.

4. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 14, wherein the deploying direction guide further has a vertical wall that extends upward to the inside edge of the guide wall and that is substantially parallel with the front part and a mating part that extends upward from the outside edge of the guide wall.

5. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 4, wherein the guide wall extends upward from the upper edge of the vertical wall, and the mating part extends upward from the guide wall such that the mating part is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction at a larger angle than an angle at which the guide wall is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

6. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 5, wherein a trapezoidally shaped rib is formed on the inside surface that faces the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the base part of the deployment direction guide, the long side of the trapezoidally shaped rib is connected to the vertical wall, the short side is connected to the upper edge, and the lower side of which is connected to a channel base, which links the upper edge and the vertical wall.

7. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 5, wherein, on the outside surface of the deployment direction guide, a plurality of longitudinal ribs that bridge across the vertical wall and the guide wall and a lateral rib that intersects with the longitudinal ribs are provided, the lateral rib mutually connecting the plurality of longitudinal ribs.

8. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 7, wherein a central rib that bridges across the vertical wall and the guide wall is provided on the outside surface of the center part of the deployment direction guide in the vehicle width direction, the thickness of central rib being greater than that of the longitudinal ribs and the height towards outside in the vehicle width direction being higher than that of the longitudinal ribs.

9. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 14, wherein the bracket includes a central support bent to coincide with the shape of the deployment direction guide, and a pair of wings that extend outward on the right and left from the bottom edge of the central support.

10. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 9, wherein when the upper edge of the front part flexes into the passenger compartment, the lower edges of the wings come into contact with the pillar inner panel.

11. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 8, wherein a slit is provided in the center part of the central support of the bracket in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the bracket coming into contact with the longitudinal ribs and the mating part, and the central rib being inserted in the slit.

12. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 9, further having a sound-absorbing material on the upper end of the wings.

13. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 14, wherein the air bag has a front chamber that expands at the side of the head of a front-seat occupant, and a rear chamber that expands at the side of the head of a rear-seat occupant, wherein

the inflator is disposed near the upper end of the center pillar garnish in the roof side rail.

15. A pillar garnish mounting structure in a vehicle equipped with a head-protecting air bag apparatus, comprising:

the head-protecting air bag apparatus that includes;

an inflator, disposed at a prescribed position in the vehicle, and an air bag, at least a part of which is housed in a folded condition between a roof side rail and a headliner end part, which expands and deploys from below the roof side rail into the passenger compartment by pressing the headliner end part to open;

a deployment direction guide integrally formed in an outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle at an upper edge of a front part of a pillar garnish affixed to the inside surface that faces the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of a pillar inner panel, wherein at least one part of the front part is overlaps with the headliner end part surface inside of the passenger compartment, and the deployment direction guide includes a guide wall inclined toward the passenger compartment to guide the deploying direction of the air bag toward the passenger compartment; and

a metal bracket provided on an outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the deployment direction guide, the lower part of which comes into contact with the pillar inner panel when the expansion force of the air bag is applied to the guide wall and the upper edge of the front part of the pillar garnish flexes into the passenger compartment, and

wherein an upper end of the bracket extends in both upward and laterally outward, and passes through an aperture formed in the pillar inner panel, and further engages and overlaps with an outside surface that faces the outside of the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the pillar inner panel.

16. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 15, wherein the deploying direction guide further has a vertical wall that extends upward to the inside edge of the guide wall and that is substantially parallel with the front part and a mating part that extends upward from the outside edge of the guide wall.

17. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 16, wherein the guide wall extends upward from the upper edge of the vertical wall, and the mating part extends upward from the guide wall such that the mating part is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction at a larger angle than an angle at which the guide wall is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

18. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 17, wherein a trapezoidally shaped rib is formed on the inside surface that faces the passenger compartment in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the base part of the deployment direction guide, the long side of the trapezoidally shaped rib is connected to the vertical wall, the short side is connected to the upper edge, and the lower side of which is connected to a channel base, which links the upper edge and the vertical wall.

19. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 17, wherein, on the outside surface of the deployment direction guide, a plurality of longitudinal ribs that bridge across the vertical wall and the guide wall and a lateral rib that intersects with the longitudinal ribs are provided, the lateral rib mutually connecting the plurality of longitudinal ribs.

20. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 19, wherein a central rib that bridges across the vertical wall and the guide wall is provided on the outside surface of the center part of the deployment direction guide in the vehicle width direction, the thickness of central rib being greater than that of the longitudinal ribs and the height towards outside in the vehicle width direction being higher than that of the longitudinal ribs.

21. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 15, wherein the bracket includes a central support bent to coincide with the shape of the deployment direction guide, and a pair of wings that extend outward on the right and left from the bottom edge of the central support.

22. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 21, wherein when the upper edge of the front part flexes into the passenger compartment, the lower edges of the wings come into contact with the pillar inner panel.

23. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 20, wherein a slit is provided in the center part of the central support of the bracket in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the bracket coming into contact with the longitudinal ribs and the mating part, and the central rib being inserted in the slit.

24. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 21, further having a sound-absorbing material on the upper end of the wings.

25. The pillar garnish mounting structure according to claim 15, wherein the air bag has a front chamber that expands at the side of the head of a front-seat occupant, and a rear chamber that expands at the side of the head of a rear-seat occupant, wherein

the inflator is disposed near the upper end of the center pillar garnish in the roof side rail.