JP2010222000A - Car with airbag - Google Patents

Abstract

An automobile including an airbag is provided.
A built-in chamber (4) for storing an airbag (2) is defined by a slide inclined plate (6) and an edge region (7) of a roof lining (8). 6, the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8 is inserted into the gap 12 and contacts the upper end of the pillar trim 9. When the airbag 2 is deployed, the edge region 7 becomes the airbag 2. The at least one protective element 15 is attached to the lower region of the slide inclined plate 6 between the airbag 2 and the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8 in a standby state. Projecting into the built-in chamber 4 and when the airbag 2 is deployed, the protective element 15 is moved inwardly toward the interior 5 by the airbag 2 so as to bridge the gap 12. And bent downward, and contacts from inside the upper end of the pillar trim 9.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least one airbag arranged at the height of the head in the area of the pillar.

  An automobile in which an airbag is arranged at the height of the head on each side of the vehicle is known from Patent Document 1 below. In this case, the airbag extends along the roof frame, extends along the A pillar from the lower end of the windshield, and extends rearward from the upper end of the windshield to the C pillar. In the case of a known automobile, an airbag control member is further arranged in the B pillar region. The airbag control member includes a base portion that is connected to a first portion of the inner plate of the side portion of the vehicle roof adjacent to the upper end portion of the B-pillar trim. The second portion of the airbag control member is disposed inside the folded airbag. The airbag control member further includes a third portion. The third portion is disposed above the upper end portion of the B-pillar trim before the airbag is inflated, does not cover the upper end portion of the B-pillar trim, and the third portion of the airbag control member is not covered by the third portion. The portion is arranged at a location that covers a part of the upper end portion of the trim of the B pillar after the airbag is inflated. With this structure of the airbag control member, the airbag can be inflated unimpeded in the event of a collision, and the B-pillar trim can be prevented from peeling off the vehicle.

  The cost for implementing such an airbag control member is relatively high. This is because, in the standby state, the airbag control member surrounds the airbag at least on both sides, preferably on three sides or four sides. In addition, costly quality checks must be performed when installing such airbag control members to ensure unobstructed inflation when the airbag is activated.

German Patent Application Publication No. 69919067T2 Specification

  The present invention relates to the problem of providing an improved embodiment for a vehicle of the kind mentioned at the outset, which can be implemented in particular at a relatively low cost.

  This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

  According to the present invention, at least one protective element is attached to a lower range of a slide inclined plate that defines a chamber for incorporating an airbag on the side opposite to the inside of the vehicle, and the protective element is in the standby state of the airbag. And the edge area of the roof lining is based on the universal idea of protruding into the built-in room. This protective element is folded inward and downward by the airbag when the airbag is deployed, and bridges the gap formed between the lower end of the slide inclined plate and the upper end of the pillar trim, It is formed so as to come into contact with the upper end of the pillar trim on the near side, that is, from the inside. Such a protective element basically has the same function as a known automobile air bag control member, but it is possible to realize a significant cost reduction. This is because the protective element forms a constituent member of the slide inclined plate and does not belong to the structural range of the airbag. The protective element further does not impair or substantially impair the function of the airbag. Thereby, the cost for quality assurance can be reduced without losing manufacturing quality and reliability. In this case, the present invention recognizes that each closure element bridges at least a portion of the gap between the pillar trim and the slide ramp to ensure correct deployment of the airbag and to prevent the pillar trim from peeling off. Is used. The closing element proposed according to the invention performs this function. No further guidance or control functions are required to determine the direction of airbag deployment or to influence airbag deployment. Therefore, it can be implemented at a much lower cost than known airbag control members.

  For example, each closure element can be made of synthetic resin according to an advantageous embodiment. In particular, it can be formed elastically (with elasticity like rubber).

  In another advantageous embodiment, each protective element is shorter than the gap in the longitudinal direction of the gap. For example, the protective element can be measured so that a maximum of 25% of the gap length is crosslinked when the airbag is deployed. This structure is based on the recognition that bridging a portion of the gap is sufficient to effectively prevent the airbag from entering behind the pillar trim.

  Embodiments in which at least two protection elements are provided and are separated from one another along a gap are very effective. Each of the at least two protective elements allows partial cross-linking of the gap, thereby preventing the penetration of the airbag behind the pillar trim very effectively without the need for cross-linking of the entire gap.

  Other important features and advantages of the invention emerge from the dependent claims, the drawings and the associated description based on the drawings.

  It will be appreciated that the features described above and those described below can be used not only in the respective combinations described above, but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the figure. This embodiment will be described in detail in the following description. The same reference numbers indicate the same or similar parts or functionally the same parts.

It is the simplified view which looked at the upper field of the pillar trim from the inner side of a vehicle when the air bag is not operating. It is a figure similar to FIG. 1 when an airbag operates. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line III-III in FIG. 2, where the solid line indicates the situation of FIG. 1 and the broken line indicates the situation of FIG. 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an automobile 1, preferably a passenger car, showing only a part, has at least one airbag 2 that can be confirmed in FIG. 3 on at least one side of the vehicle, preferably on both sides of the vehicle. I have one. The airbag is disposed at the height of the head and is disposed at least in the region of the pillar 3. Therefore, the airbag 2 can also be called a head airbag or a side collision protection airbag. The pillar 3 shown is a central pillar or a B pillar as usual.

  The airbag 2 is stored in the built-in chamber 4 in a standby state shown in FIG. 1 and indicated by a solid line in FIG. The built-in chamber 4 is defined by a slide inclined plate 6 on the side opposite to the interior 5 of the vehicle. The built-in chamber 4 is defined by the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8 of the vehicle interior 5 on the side closer to the vehicle interior 5. The pillar 3 is provided with a pillar trim 9 or covered with a pillar trim on the side closer to the interior 5 of the vehicle. The pillar trim 9 has an upper end 10 near the roof lining 8. The slide inclined plate 6 has a lower end 11 near the pillar trim 9. The pillar trim 9 is dimensioned such that a gap 12 is formed between the upper end 10 and the lower end 11 of the slide inclined plate 6. The ends 10 and 11 are separated from each other through this gap. An end portion 13 is formed in the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8. This end portion is inserted into the gap 12 in the standby state of the airbag 2. The end portion 13 is further in contact with the upper end 10 of the pillar trim 9. As a result, a seam 14 that is excellent in appearance is formed between the roof lining 8 and the pillar trim 9 on the side closer to the vehicle interior 5.

  Furthermore, at least one protective element 15 is provided. Although two such protective elements 15 are shown in FIG. 2, the present invention is not limited to this. In principle, it is clear that one protective element 15 is sufficient. Similarly, more than two protection elements 15 can be provided. However, the illustrated embodiment with two such protective elements 15 is advantageous. As shown in FIG. 3, each protection element 15 is fixed to the slide inclined plate 6 in the lower region of the slide inclined plate 6. In the standby state, the protective element projects into the built-in chamber 4 between the airbag 2 and the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8. When the airbag 2 is activated, on the one hand, the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8 is pushed away into the vehicle interior 5. This is indicated by a broken line in FIG. At that time, since the end portion 13 is pulled out from the gap 12, the gap 12 is opened. Further, when the airbag 2 is deployed, each protection element 15 is bent inwardly and downwardly toward the interior 5 of the vehicle. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each protection element 15 bridges the gap 12 when the airbag is activated, and further contacts the upper end 10 of the pillar trim 9 from the inside, that is, from the side closer to the interior 5 of the vehicle. Is called. By bridging the gap 12 with the bent protective element 15 shown by a broken line in FIG. 3, the deployed airbag 2 can be effectively prevented from reaching the back of the pillar trim 9 through the gap 12. Therefore, as a whole, the reliability of the airbag 2 is increased.

  In order to be able to be folded in this way when the airbag 2 is activated, each protective element 15 can preferably be made of synthetic resin. In that case, it is preferable to form the protection element 15 rubber-elastically. In particular, this can be easily achieved by using a suitable synthetic resin. By suitable material selection, the protective element 15 can be adapted to the contour of the upper end 10 of the pillar trim 9 and contact the pillar trim on the surface.

  In FIG. 2, each protection element 15 is preferably sized so as to be shorter than the gap 12 in the longitudinal direction 16 of the gap 12 indicated by a double-headed arrow. The longitudinal direction of this gap is preferably parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Each protection element 15 is dimensioned in the longitudinal direction 16 of the gap so as to bridge, for example, a maximum of 25% or a maximum of 20% of the gap length when the airbag 2 is operated. When a plurality of protection elements 15 are provided as shown in FIG. 2, at least two protection elements 15 are arranged along the gap 12 so as to be separated from each other. At that time, it can be confirmed that the distance between the adjacent protection elements 15 not shown in detail is much larger than the length of the protection elements 15 in the longitudinal direction 16 of the gap 12. The spacing is, for example, at least twice as large as the length of each protection element 15 or at least three times as large.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pillar trim 9 includes a front corner region 17 and a rear corner region 18 at least in the region of the upper end 10. At that time, the terms “front side” and “rear side” relate to the traveling direction 19 of the vehicle 1 indicated by arrows in FIGS. The pillar trim 9 is connected to the front end region 20 through the front corner region 17. The pillar trim is connected to the rear end region 21 via the rear corner region 18. As shown in FIG. 2, both protection elements 15 are attached to both corner regions 17, 18. This means that one protective element 15 is arranged within the front corner area 17 and the other protective element 15 is arranged within the rear corner area 18. Thereby, it is very effectively prevented that the airbag 2 enters the back of the pillar trim 9 through the gap 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each protection element 15 is preferably dimensioned to extend exclusively along the inner surface 22 of the airbag 2 in a standby state. The inner surface of the airbag is directed toward the interior 5 of the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, each protection element 15 can be positioned so as to contact the inner surface 22 of the airbag 2. However, basically, a gap may exist between the protective element 15 and the inner surface 22. Furthermore, the protective element 15 protrudes from the slide inclined plate 6 in a self-supporting manner in the built-in chamber 4, for example. The protective element has a linear cross-sectional shape in the illustrated longitudinal section extending in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction 16 of the gap 12. In the illustrated protection element 15, the length of the gap 12 in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction 16 is twice as large as the width of the gap in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction 16 of the gap 12. By selecting this measurement (length) of the protective element 15, when the airbag 2 is deployed, reliable bridging of the gap 12 and stable contact with the upper end 10 of the pillar trim 9 are achieved. For example, the protective element 15 is shorter than the airbag in the lateral direction with respect to the longitudinal direction 16 of the gap 12. The positioning and measurement of each protection element 15 can be used to determine the orientation of the airbag 2 during assembly. Thus, the protective element 15 has an additional function with respect to assembly.

  In the example of FIG. 3, the protection element 15 is fixed to the slide inclined plate 6 by at least one clip stopper, but is not limited thereto. Basically, other fixing means for fixing each protection element 15 to the slide inclined plate 6 are also suitable.

  In FIG. 3, the edge region 7 of the roof lining 8 can be connected to the remaining roof lining 8 via the inner hinge region 23. This inner hinge region 23 facilitates deformation of the roof lining 8 and simplifies displacement of the edge region 7 when the airbag 2 is deployed. The edge region 7 can be turned inwardly by the inner hinge region 23. Further, for example, an outer hinge region 24 can be provided. The end region 13 is connected to the remaining edge region 7 through this outer hinge region. The outer hinge region 24 facilitates deformation of the edge region 7 when the edge region 7 is pushed away. Thereby, the extraction of the end region 13 from the gap 12 is simplified. The hinge regions 23 and 24 can be formed by reducing the wall thickness of each connecting portion like a film hinge. The roof lining 8 is preferably formed as a rigid roof lining or a self-supporting roof lining. The hinge regions 23, 24 facilitate proper deformation, thereby creating a predetermined exit window for the deployed airbag 2, so that the airbag can be deployed in curtains along each side of the vehicle.

2 Airbag 3 Pillar 4 Built-in chamber 5 Car interior 6 Slide inclined plate 7 Edge area 8 Roof lining 9 Pillar trim 10 Upper end of pillar trim 11 Lower end of slide inclined plate 12 Gap 13 End portion 15 Protection element 16 Longitudinal direction 17 Front corner area 18 Rear Side corner region 20 Front end region 21 Rear end region 22 Inner surface 23 Inner hinge region 24 Outer hinge region

Claims (12)

A vehicle with at least one airbag (2) arranged at the height of the head in the region of the pillar (3),
A built-in chamber (4) for storing the waiting airbag (2) is defined by a slide inclined plate (6) on the side opposite to the interior (5) and on the side closer to the interior (5). , Defined by the edge region (7) of the roof lining (8) of the interior (5) of the vehicle,
A pillar trim (9) is attached to the pillar (3) on the side closer to the interior (5), and the upper end (10) of the pillar trim near the roof lining (8) is connected to the slide inclined plate (12) via a gap (12). 6) spaced from the lower end (11) of
In the standby state, the end portion (13) of the edge region (7) of the roof lining (8) is inserted into the gap (12) and contacts the upper end (10) of the pillar trim (9),
Upon deployment of the airbag (2), the edge region (7) is pushed away into the vehicle interior (5) by the airbag,
At least one protective element (15) is attached to the lower region of the sliding inclined plate (6), and this protective element is in the standby state in the edge region (7) of the airbag (2) and the roof lining (8). ) Projecting into the built-in chamber (4), and when the airbag (2) is deployed, the protective element bridges the gap (12) with the airbag (5). ) Inwardly and downwardly toward the top and from above contact the upper end (10) of the pillar trim (9).
Car.   2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the protective element (15) is made of a synthetic resin.   The automobile according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the protective element (15) is formed elastically.   The edge region (7) is connected to the remaining roof lining (8) via an inner hinge region (23), and when the edge region (7) is pushed away, the inner hinge region is deformed, The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the edge region (7) can be turned.   The end region (13) is connected to the remaining edge region (7) via an outer hinge region (24), and when the edge region (7) is pushed away, the outer hinge region is deformed and the gap (12 5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the end region (13) can be easily pulled out of the end region (13).   2. The protective element (15) is shorter than the gap (12) in the longitudinal direction (16) of the gap (12), and particularly bridges a maximum of 25% of the gap length. The automobile according to any one of claims 5 to 5.   7. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least two protective elements (15) are provided, the protective elements being separated from one another along the gap (12). .   The pillar trim (9) has a front corner region (17) and a rear corner region (18) at least at its upper end (10), and in this corner region, the pillar trim has a front end region (20) and a rear corner region (20). 8. A motor vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that it is connected to an end region (21) on the side and the two protective elements (15) are attached to each of the corner regions (17, 18).   9. Each of the protective elements (15) extends exclusively in the standby state along the inner surface (22) of the airbag (2) close to the interior (5). The automobile according to any one of the above.   10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein an inner surface (22) of the airbag (2) is in contact with the protection elements (15) in a standby state.   The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein each of the protection elements (15) protrudes independently from the slide inclined plate (6) into the built-in chamber (4).   The length of each protection element (15) in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction (16) of the gap (12) is the maximum of the gap width in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction (16) of the gap (12). The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the automobile is twice as large.

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