JP2000062564A - Inflator assembly and air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the leakage of gas through a coupled part between an inflator or an inflator assemble and an air bag and to prevent play of an inflator. SOLUTION: An inflator 10 and a spacer 40 are inserted in a cylindrical inflator 20, and an end gap 60 is fastened against the rear end side through a gasket 50. The ring part of the gasket 50 has a tip decreased in thickness toward the tip side and a ring part is pressed between the inflator 10 and the retainer 20 by fastening the gasket 50, and further the flange part of the gasket 50 is pressed against the rear end face of the retainer 20. The gas introduction port 74 of an air bag 70 is fitted in externally of the tip side of the retainer 20 and fastened by a band 72.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device provided in a moving body such as an automobile and an inflator assembly used in the airbag device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inflator assembly that is employed when the inflator has a rod shape and gas is ejected from one end side thereof, and an airbag device using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A side air bag device disposed on the side of a seat of an automobile, a head protection air bag device for inflating an air bag to the side of a passenger's head, and a seat belt webbing are incorporated. A rod-shaped inflator is sometimes used in an airbag device such as an airbag device for protecting the chest or the lower back (sometimes referred to as an airbag device).

Fi of US Pat. No. 5,564,739
g. 5D and FIG. As shown in FIG. 10D, a gas ejection port is provided on the outer peripheral surface on one end side of the rod-shaped inflator.

In US Pat. No. 5,564,739, the rod-shaped inflator is attached to a plate, and the plate with the inflator is housed inside the airbag through an opening of the airbag, and the plate is attached to a vehicle seat by a bolt. It is attached.

[0005]

The above-mentioned US Pat. No. 5,
In No. 564,739, it is difficult to almost completely prevent the gas from leaking from the opening for inserting the plate.

An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device in which gas leakage from a connecting portion between an airbag and a rod-shaped inflator is almost completely prevented, and an inflator assembly therefor.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An inflator assembly according to the present invention has a tubular retainer having a gas outlet at the tip and an opening for inserting an inflator at the rear end, and a gas outlet at the tip side. A rod-shaped inflator that is inserted into the retainer from the front end side, an end cap that is screwed to the rear end side of the retainer and that prevents the inflator from being pulled out, and a rear end side of the inflator. And a gasket interposed between the outer circumference and the inner circumference on the rear end side of the retainer.

The gas inlet of the airbag is externally fitted to the retainer of the inflator assembly, and the inlet of the airbag is connected to the tubular retainer by tightening with a tightening member such as a band, thereby forming an airbag device. To be done. The opening on the rear end side of the retainer is sealed by a gasket, and gas leakage is almost completely prevented.

In this inflator assembly, a male screw is provided on the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the retainer, and the end cap is a cylinder having a female screw meshing with the male screw on the inner peripheral surface. A ring-shaped portion interposed between the retainer and the inflator, and a flange portion provided inward from the rear end side of the tubular portion. A flange portion protruding from the rear end, the flange portion being sandwiched between the rear end surface of the retainer and the flange portion of the end cap, and the ring portion having a wall thickness that becomes smaller toward the front end. Is also good.

In this inflator assembly, a step portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface on the tip side of the retainer, and a cylindrical spacer may be arranged between the step portion and the inflator. A filter may be interposed between the step and the spacer. This filter can exert the effect of reducing the speed at which gas from the inflator flows into the airbag.

In order to assemble the filter into the inflator assembly, a female screw may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer on the front end side, and the filter meshing with the female screw may be arranged inside the front end of the retainer. . Further, the filter may be held inside the tip of the retainer by a holding ring meshed with the female screw.

Another airbag device of the present invention comprises a rod-shaped inflator having a gas ejection port on the tip side, an airbag having a gas inlet port fitted on the inflator, and a gas inlet port of the airbag. And a tightening member fixed to the inflator. The airbag device may include a holder for attaching to the vehicle body. The holder may include a plate portion and a holding portion that is provided so as to project from the plate portion and holds the gas inlet of the airbag and the inflator.

A gas outlet is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inflator on the front end side, a head cap surrounding the gas outlet is attached to the inflator, and a gas outlet is provided on the front end surface of the head cap. It may be.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an inflator assembly according to an embodiment and a structure in which an airbag is connected to the inflator assembly. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of this inflator assembly.

The inflator 10 has a cylindrical rod shape, and has a gas ejection port 12 provided on the outer peripheral surface on the front end side and a connector 14 provided on the end surface on the rear end side. Inside the inflator 10, a gas generating agent and an ignition means for igniting the agent are provided, and the connector 14 is for supplying electricity to the ignition means.

The inflator 10 is inserted into the retainer 20 from the tip side. The retainer 20 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas outlet 22 is provided on the tip side,
The rear end side is an insertion port 24 of the inflator 10.
A flange portion 26 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer 20 on the front end side. A step portion 28 is provided on the inner peripheral surface on the tip side of the retainer 20.

A bracket 30 having a long hole 32 and a bracket 34 having a circular hole 36 are provided in the middle of the retainer 20 in the longitudinal direction. These brackets 30 and 34 are for fastening the retainer 20 to a vehicle body (for example, a frame of a seat of an automobile, a pillar of an automobile, a roof side rail, a buckle anchor assembly of a seat belt device (air belt device), etc.).

A male screw 38 is provided on the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the retainer 20. When the inflator 10 is inserted into the retainer 20, a cylindrical spacer 40 is fitted onto the tip of the inflator 10 so as to surround the gas ejection port 12 of the inflator 10. In this case, spacer 4
0 into the retainer 20 first and then the inflator 10
May be inserted, or the spacer 40 may be fitted onto the inflator 10 and then the inflator 10 may be inserted into the retainer 20. The spacer 40 and the inflator 10 may be inserted into the retainer 20. The tip of the spacer 40 inserted into the retainer 20 contacts the step portion 28.

After inserting the inflator 10 into the retainer 20, the ring portion 54 of the gasket 50 is inserted between the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the inflator 10 and the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the retainer 20. The gasket 50 is the ring portion 5
4 and a flange portion 52 protruding from the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the ring portion 54. The ring portion 54 has a wedge-shaped cross-sectional shape whose wall thickness decreases toward the tip end side. After mounting the gasket 50 on the retainer 20, the end cap 60 is screwed into the rear end side of the retainer 20.

The end cap 60 has a tubular portion 68 having an internal thread 62 on its inner peripheral surface, and a flange portion 66 provided inward from the rear end of the tubular portion 68. .
The inside of the collar portion 66 is an opening 64 for passing a lead wire. By screwing the female screw 62 into the male screw 38 of the retainer 20, the end cap 60 is moved to the retainer 20.
Fixed to. When the end cap 60 is screwed into the retainer 20, the ring portion 54 of the gasket 50 is pressed between the inflator 10 and the retainer 20, and the flange portion 52 is pressed against the rear end surface of the retainer 20, so that the rear end side Gas leaks are reliably prevented.

The inflator 10 thus constructed,
To attach the airbag 70 to the inflator assembly including the retainer 20, the spacer 40, the gasket 50, and the end cap 60, the gas inlet 74 of the airbag 70 is fitted onto the retainer 20 as shown in FIG. Tighten it to the rear side of the collar 26.
As a result, the airbag 70 is firmly connected to the retainer 20.

When the inflator 10 is operated to generate gas, the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 12 is discharged by the spacer 40.
The air bag 70 is inflated by being ejected toward the front from the gas outlet port 22 by being guided by.

This airbag 70 is used for various airbags such as a side airbag arranged on the side of a seat of an automobile, a head protection airbag which is inflated to the side of the head of an occupant, and an airbag of an airbag device. Either may be used.

FIG. 3 shows the filter assembly 8 between the spacer 40 and the step 28 in the airbag assembly shown in FIGS.
0 shows an inflator assembly with 0 interposed. The filter 80 includes a ring 82 and a mesh 84 provided inside the ring 82. By providing the filter 80, the speed at which the gas ejected from the inflator 10 flows into the airbag 70 can be reduced. Therefore, for example, the airbag 70 can be slowly inflated, or the gas pressure in the airbag 70 can be kept high for a long time. Further, the filter 80 can also have an effect of removing fine particles contained in the gas.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are block diagrams showing other examples of arrangement of filters. In FIG. 4, the mesh 8
Reference numeral 0A includes a ring 82A and a mesh 84A, and a male screw is engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the ring 82A. A female screw 86 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the gas outlet 22A of the retainer 20A.
Is provided, and the male screw of the filter 80A meshes with the female screw 86. Reference numeral 26A in FIG. 4 is a retainer 20A.
The collar part of this is shown.

In FIG. 5, the filter 80B is disposed on the inner side of the female screw 86 of the retainer 20B, and the retaining ring 8 is provided.
The filter 80B is fixed by 8. The filter 80B includes a ring 82B and a mesh 84B arranged inside the ring 82B. 26B shows a collar portion of the retainer 20B.

FIGS. 6 to 9 show the structure of an airbag device including an inflator and an airbag according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a connecting portion between the inflator and the airbag. 7 is a sectional perspective view of a portion similar to FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a filter, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a tip portion of an inflator.

In this embodiment, the air bag 7
The gas introduction port of 0 is fitted onto the inflator 100 and is fastened with the band 102. The gas inlet of the airbag 70 and the inflator 100 are fastened by the saddle band 94 of the holder 90.

The holder 90 is provided with a plate portion 92 and a pair of saddle bands 94. The tip end side of the saddle band 94 and the plate portion 92 are overlapped with each other, and the bolt insertion holes provided in these overlapping portions are inserted. The bolt 98 is inserted through the hole 96. By tightening the bolt 98, the gas inlet portion of the airbag 70 and the inflator 100 are connected to the holder 90.
The holder 90 is fixed to the vehicle-body-side member via 8.

The inflator 100 has a tip portion 104.
A gas ejection port 106 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the, and an end cap 110 is attached so as to surround the tip portion 104. A male screw shaft 108 projects from the tip surface of the tip portion 104, and the opening of the end cap 110 is fitted to the male screw shaft 108. By tightening the nut 114, the end cap 110 is moved to the inflator 100.
Fixed to. A plurality of gas ejection holes 112 are provided on the tip surface of the end cap 110.

Even in this embodiment, the airbag 7
The gas introduction port of No. 0 is fastened by the fastening band 102 and the saddle band 94, and the airbag 7
A gas leak from the zero gas inlet portion is reliably prevented.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, gas leakage from the connecting portion between the gas introduction port portion of the airbag and the inflator for inflation is reliably prevented. Further, by providing a gasket on the rear end side of the inflator assembly, it is possible to prevent rattling of the inflator and to prevent abnormal noise from being generated. In the present invention, by incorporating a filter in the inflator assembly,
Reduces the ejection speed of the gas introduced into the airbag,
It is also possible to configure the pressure rising rate and the pressure holding time in the airbag as desired.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an inflator assembly according to an embodiment.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the inflator assembly of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an inflator assembly according to another embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing a relationship between a spacer and a filter.

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a filter and a retainer according to another embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of this filter.

5A is a cross-sectional view of a retainer and a filter according to still another embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the retainer, the filter, and the holding ring.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a connecting structure between an inflator and an airbag according to another embodiment.

7 is a perspective view showing a cross section of the airbag showing the structure of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a holder used in FIGS.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the tip portion of the inflator in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 inflator 12 gas outlets 20 retainer 22 Gas outlet 26 collar part 28 steps 30,34 bracket 40 spacer 50 gasket 52 Flange 54 Ring part 60 end cap 66 Flange 68 Cylindrical part 70 airbags 72 bands 74 Gas inlet 80, 80A, 80B filter 84, 84A, 84B mesh 90 holder 92 Plate part 94 saddle band 100 inflator 102 tightening band 106 gas outlet 108 Male screw shaft 110 head cap

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yasushi Masuda             Takata, 1-4-30 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Within the corporation (72) Inventor Ryosuke Nakanishi             Takata, 1-4-30 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Within the corporation F term (reference) 3D054 AA02 AA03 AA07 DD14 EE20

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical retainer having a gas outlet at the tip and an opening for inserting an inflator at the rear end, and a gas jet outlet at the tip side, which is inserted into the retainer from the tip side. A rod-shaped inflator, an end cap screwed to the rear end side of the retainer to prevent the inflator from being pulled out, an outer periphery of the rear end side of the inflator, and an inner periphery of the rear end side of the retainer. An inflator assembly having a gasket interposed between the inflator assembly and the gasket. 2. The cylinder according to claim 1, wherein a male screw is provided on the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the retainer, and the end cap has a female screw meshing with the male screw on the inner peripheral surface. A ring-shaped portion interposed between the retainer and the inflator, and a flange portion provided inward from the rear end side of the tubular portion. A flange portion projecting from the rear end, the flange portion being sandwiched between the rear end surface of the retainer and the flange portion of the end cap, and the ring portion having a wall thickness that decreases toward the tip. An inflator assembly characterized in that 3. The retainer according to claim 1, wherein a step portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer on the front end side, and a cylindrical spacer is arranged between the step portion and the inflator. A characteristic inflator assembly. 4. The inflator assembly and the airbag device according to claim 3, wherein a filter is interposed between the step portion and the spacer. 5. The retainer according to claim 1, wherein a female screw is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer on the front end side, and the filter meshed with the female screw is disposed inside the front end of the retainer. The inflator assembly which is characterized. 6. The retainer according to claim 1, wherein a female screw is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the retainer on the distal end side, and the retaining ring meshed with the female screw causes the filter to be provided inside the distal end of the retainer. The inflator assembly is characterized by being retained. 7. An air bag device in which an air bag is connected to the inflator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a gas introduction port of the air bag is fitted onto the outer periphery of the retainer at the tip side thereof, and is tightened. An airbag device, wherein the gas introduction port of the airbag is connected to a retainer by an attachment member. 8. A rod-shaped inflator having a gas ejection port on the tip side, an airbag having a gas introduction port fitted onto the inflator, and a fastening member fixing the gas introduction port of the airbag to the inflator. And an attachment member. 9. The holder according to claim 8, further comprising a holder for attaching the inflator to a vehicle body, the holder being provided with a plate portion and projecting from the plate portion, the gas introducing port of the airbag and the inflator. An air bag device, comprising: a holding portion that holds the air bag. 10. The inflator according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a gas outlet is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inflator on the tip side, and a head cap surrounding the gas outlet is attached to the inflator. An air bag device, characterized in that a gas outlet is provided on the front end surface of the air bag.