Air bag device

Abstract

The present invention introduces an airbag device characterized by comprising: an airbag cushion that deploys in a shape covering the side and front of a passenger; and a front tether that is connected at a position passing over the upper shoulder of a passenger between the airbag cushion and the seat back, and is filled with gas and deployed.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag device that prevents the risk of injury that may occur when a tether deployed between an all-around airbag and a seat comes into contact with a passenger's body part. Background Technology

[0003] In the case of an all-around airbag that deploys to cover both the side and front of the passenger, the front chamber is connected to the side chamber to form an airbag cushion.

[0004] The airbag cushion folds into the left and right sides of the seat and deploys toward the front of the passenger in the event of a collision, thereby surrounding the passenger's sides and front to protect the passenger.

[0005] However, if the lateral and front chambers rotate outward and spread excessively during the airbag cushion deployment process, a space is created in front of the passenger, making it difficult to safely restrain the passenger.

[0006] Accordingly, by connecting a tether between the lateral chamber and / or the front chamber and the seat, the outward rotation of the front chamber by the tether is restricted, thereby regulating the deployment shape of the airbag cushion.

[0007] However, in the case of the tether connecting the top of the seat back and the airbag cushion, the tether may rub against the passenger's neck area during the process of deploying together with the airbag cushion, raising concerns that it may cause injuries such as lacerations and punctures to the passenger's neck.

[0009] The matters described above as background technology are intended only to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention and should not be construed as an acknowledgment that they constitute prior art already known to those skilled in the art. The problem to be solved

[0011] The present invention is proposed to solve these problems and provides an airbag device that prevents the risk of injury that may occur when a tether deployed between the all-around airbag and the seat comes into contact with a passenger's body part.

[0012] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0014] An airbag device according to the present invention for achieving the above objective may be characterized by comprising: an airbag cushion that deploys in a shape covering the side and front of a passenger; and a front tether that is connected at a position passing over the upper shoulder of a passenger between the airbag cushion and the seat back, and is filled with gas and deployed.

[0015] The gas inside the aforementioned front tether can share the gas inside the airbag cushion.

[0016] The airbag cushion includes a side chamber that deploys to cover the side of the passenger and a front chamber that deploys to cover the front of the passenger, and the front tether is connected to the front chamber to share the gas filled inside.

[0017] The gas inside the aforementioned front chamber can be filled into the front tether.

[0018] The connection portion of the above-mentioned front chamber and front tether is integrally formed in a shape that communicates, so that the gas filled inside can be shared.

[0019] A flow hole is formed at the connection point of the lateral chamber and the front chamber, respectively; and the lateral chamber and the front chamber are connected in a state where the flow holes coincide, so that the interiors of the lateral chamber and the front chamber can be communicated through the flow holes.

[0020] The above-mentioned flow holes may be formed in multiple locations along the vertical length direction of the connection between the lateral chamber and the front chamber.

[0021] A lateral tether can be connected at a position passing over the upper shoulder of the passenger between the connection point of the lateral chamber and the front chamber and the seat back.

[0022] The above-mentioned front tether can be formed in a shape that extends from the seat back toward the airbag cushion.

[0023] The above-mentioned front tether can be formed so that gas is filled in the interference area on one side facing the passenger's neck, and gas is not filled in the non-interference area on the other side.

[0024] An assembly hole is formed at the end of the front tether and connected to the seat back; the front tether portion where the assembly hole is formed can be formed so as not to be filled with gas. Effects of the invention

[0026] According to the present invention, the front tether is expanded by filling its interior with gas, and as a result of the expanded volume of the front tether, the outer surface of the front tether facing the passenger's neck is formed into a curved shape. Therefore, even if the front tether comes into contact with the passenger's neck, the curved outer surface of the front tether makes contact, thereby effectively preventing the risk of injury, such as lacerations and puncture wounds, caused by the front tether.

[0027] The effects obtainable from the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0029] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating the state in which an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention is operated. FIG. 2 is a drawing of an airbag cushion in an unfolded form according to the present invention. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of Figure 2. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the lateral chamber and the front chamber separated according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing in which the flow holes of the lateral chamber and the front chamber of FIG. 4 are aligned. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0030] In describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the essence of the embodiments disclosed in this specification. Furthermore, the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical concept disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings; it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of this disclosure. The disclosure below is not intended to limit this disclosure to the described form or specific field, and it is considered that various alternative modes and modifications to this disclosure are possible, whether explicitly stated or implied in this specification. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the form and details of this disclosure may change.

[0031] The present disclosure is described with reference to specific embodiments. However, as understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains, the various embodiments disclosed herein may be modified or otherwise implemented in various other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following description should be considered illustrative and is intended to teach those skilled in the art to the manner in which various embodiments are made and used. It will be understood that the forms of the disclosure shown and described herein are to be taken as representative embodiments. Equivalent elements, or materials, processes, or steps may be substituted for those representatively exemplified and described in the present disclosure. Expressions used in describing the present disclosure, such as "including," "comprising," "incorporating," "consisting of," "have," "is," etc., should be interpreted as allowing items, components, or elements not explicitly described to be indicated in a non-exclusive manner, i.e., to be indicated. In addition, references to the singular should be interpreted as including those related to the plural.

[0032] Furthermore, the various embodiments disclosed herein should be accepted as illustrative and descriptive and should not be interpreted as limiting the content of the disclosure. All references to joining (e.g., attached, affixed, coupled, connected, etc.) are used solely to aid in understanding the disclosure and are not intended to limit the location, orientation, or use of the configuration or the methods disclosed herein. Accordingly, where joining references exist, they should be interpreted broadly. Moreover, in such joining references, it is not assumed that two or more elements are directly connected to each other. Additionally, all numeric terms, e.g., "first," "second," "third," "primary," "secondary," "major," or any other general or numeric terms, are to be taken solely as identifiers to aid in understanding the various components, forms, variations, or modifications of the present disclosure and are not to imply any limitation to any component, form, variation, or modification, or to any order or preference thereof. That is, while such expressions may be used to describe various components, the components are not limited by such expressions. Such expressions are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0033] The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the ease of drafting the specification, and do not inherently possess distinct meanings or roles.

[0034] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0035] Furthermore, the terms "Unit" or "Control Unit" included in the name are merely terms widely used to name controllers that control specific vehicle functions, and do not refer to generic function units.

[0036] A controller may include a communication device that communicates with other controllers or sensors to control the function it is responsible for, a memory that stores an operating system, logic instructions, and input / output information, and one or more processors that perform judgments, calculations, decisions, etc., necessary for controlling the function it is responsible for.

[0037] Any number of components or various components in any configuration described herein may be included within the disclosure described herein. Components may include any combination of features described herein and may be arranged in any configuration among the various configurations described herein. Concepts regarding the structure and arrangement of the components of the disclosure, as well as their use and operation, may be applied to any number of embodiments in any combination, as well as to specific embodiments discussed herein. Embodiments including those having various features of various arrangements are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0039] Hereinafter, various embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components are given the same reference number regardless of the drawing symbols, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0041] The airbag device according to the present invention comprises: an airbag cushion (10) that deploys in a shape covering the side and front of a passenger; and a front tether (110) that is connected at a position passing over the upper shoulder of a passenger between the airbag cushion (10) and the seat back (20) and is filled with gas and deployed.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the airbag cushion (10) is configured to include a side chamber (200) that unfolds to cover the side of the seat and a front chamber (100) that unfolds to cover the front of the seat.

[0044] The side chambers (200) are extended forward from the left and right sides of the seat back (20), respectively, and extend long in the vertical direction.

[0045] The above-mentioned side chamber (200) extends into the space between the vehicle structure, such as the door and center console, and the passenger, protecting the main body parts on the passenger's side, such as the head, shoulders, chest, abdomen, and pelvis.

[0046] The front chamber (100) is connected to the front ends of the left and right side chambers (200) respectively and unfolds in a shape that bends toward the front of the passenger.

[0047] The above-mentioned front chamber (100) is deployed to protect the area from the passenger's shoulder to the abdomen.

[0048] That is, the side chambers (200) and the front chamber (100) are deployed on the left and right sides of the seat in a shape that completely surrounds both sides of the passenger and the front of the passenger.

[0049] Accordingly, by directly restraining the passenger in various seat positions and postures, it is possible to respond to various collision modes to safely protect the passenger, and it can replace airbags in other areas as well as seat belts, thereby significantly improving product competitiveness.

[0051] The front tether (110) can be connected between the upper part of the airbag cushion (10) and the upper part of the seat back (20).

[0052] The front tether (110) has its front end connected to the top of the front chamber (100) and its rear end connected to the top of the seat back (20).

[0053] For example, the front tether (110) can be connected from the top of the front chamber (100) over the passenger's shoulder to a seat back frame (not shown) built into the top of the seat back (20).

[0054] At this time, as the airbag cushion (10) of the present invention is deployed on both sides of the seat, the front tether (110) connected to the upper left side of the seat back (20) is connected to the upper right side of the front chamber (100), and the front tether (110) connected to the upper right side of the seat back (20) is connected to the upper left side of the front chamber (100), so that the left and right front tethers (110) cross each other around the neck area of ​​the passenger, thereby strengthening the restraining force of the airbag cushion (10).

[0055] However, due to this, the front tether (110) may come into contact with the passenger's neck area during the deployment process of the airbag cushion (10).

[0056] Accordingly, the front tether (110) of the present invention is expanded by filling it with gas, and as a result of the volume of the expanded front tether (110), the outer surface of the front tether (110) facing the passenger's neck area is formed in a curved shape.

[0057] Therefore, even if the front tether (110) comes into contact with the passenger's neck area, the curved outer surface of the front tether (110) comes into contact, thereby preventing the risk of injury such as lacerations and stab wounds to the passenger caused by the front tether (110).

[0059] Meanwhile, in the present invention, the gas inside the front tether (110) is configured to share the gas inside the airbag cushion (10).

[0060] That is, the inflator (city omitted) is a device that generates gas by exploding in response to a collision signal of the vehicle, and when the airbag is activated, the airbag cushion (10) is inflated and deployed by the gas generated from the inflator, and the gas that inflates the airbag cushion (10) is also supplied to the inside of the front tether (110), so that the front tether (110) can be inflated and deployed together with the airbag cushion (10).

[0062] More specifically, the airbag cushion (10) includes a side chamber (200) that unfolds to cover the side of the passenger and a front chamber (100) that unfolds to cover the front of the passenger, and the front tether (110) is connected to the front chamber (100) and configured to share the gas filled inside.

[0063] Preferably, the gas inside the front chamber (100) can be filled into the front tether (110).

[0064] That is, the front end of the front tether (110) can be connected to the top of the front chamber (100) in a way that allows communication.

[0065] Accordingly, the side chamber (200) and the front chamber (100) are expanded by the gas generated from the inflator, and the gas filling the front chamber (100) flows into the front tether (110), allowing the front tether (110) to expand and unfold.

[0067] In addition, the present invention is configured such that the connecting portion of the front chamber (100) and the front tether (110) is integrally formed in a shape that communicates with each other, thereby sharing the gas filled inside.

[0068] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the front chamber (100) is provided with a square-shaped panel (100a) forming the front chamber (100), and horn-shaped panels (100b) forming the front tether (110) are integrally formed on both upper sides of the front chamber (100) panel (100a), and the front chamber (100) panel (100a) and the front tether (110) panel (100b) are formed symmetrically.

[0069] Accordingly, the front chamber (100) and the front tether (110) are formed integrally by folding the front chamber (100) panel (100a) in half based on the middle, and then sewing along the outer edge of the folded panels (100a, 100b).

[0070] In particular, by communicating the inside of the front chamber (100) and the inside of the front tether (110), the gas filled inside the front chamber (100) is supplied to the inside of the front tether (110), thereby enabling the front tether (110) to be inflated when the airbag cushion (10) is deployed.

[0072] In addition, the present invention has a flow hole formed at the connection portion of the lateral chamber (200) and the front chamber (100); and the lateral chamber (200) and the front chamber (100) are connected in a state where the flow holes are aligned, so that the interiors of the lateral chamber (200) and the front chamber (100) can be communicated through the flow holes.

[0073] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the side chamber (200) is formed by sewing the outer edges of an inner inboard panel (200a) and an outer outboard panel (200b), and an inflator is inserted at the rear end of the side chamber (200) so that gas from the inflator is supplied into the side chamber (200).

[0074] And, a first flow hole (120) is formed at the front end of the inboard panel (200a), and a second flow hole (220) corresponding to the first flow hole (120) is formed in the center of the front chamber (100) panel (100a).

[0075] Accordingly, by sewing along the outer edges of the first flow hole (120) and the second flow hole (220) while the first flow hole (120) and the second flow hole (220) are aligned, the interior of the side chamber (200) and the interior of the front chamber (100) are connected through the first flow hole (120) and the second flow hole (220).

[0076] Accordingly, the gas from the inflator provided in the side chamber (200) can flow into the front chamber (100) by passing through the first flow hole (120) and the second flow hole (220).

[0078] In addition, the above-mentioned fluid holes may be formed in multiple locations along the vertical length direction of the connection portion between the lateral chamber (200) and the front chamber (100).

[0079] For example, the front end of the lateral chamber (200) and one end of the front chamber (100) each become a connecting part.

[0080] Accordingly, two first flow holes (120) are formed respectively at the upper and lower ends of the connecting portion of the side chamber (200), and two second flow holes (220) are formed respectively at the upper and lower ends of the connecting portion of the front chamber (100).

[0081] Accordingly, by forming multiple flow holes along the vertical length direction at the connection point between the lateral chamber (200) and the front chamber (100), the gas inside the lateral chamber (200) can flow stably into the front chamber (100).

[0083] Meanwhile, in the present invention, a lateral tether (210) may be connected at a position passing over the upper shoulder of a passenger between the connection portion of the lateral chamber (200) and the front chamber (100) and the seat back (20).

[0084] Preferably, the front end of the lateral tether (210) is connected to the inside of the inboard panel (200a) of the lateral chamber (200) or the front chamber (100) panel (100a), and the rear end of the lateral tether (210) can be connected to the top of the seat back (20).

[0085] That is, a lateral tether (210) formed in a planar shape can be further connected between the rear end of the seat back (20) and the lateral chamber (200) separately from the front tether (110), and the lateral tether (210) can be prevented from spreading excessively outward.

[0086] For reference, the front tether (110) and the side tether (210) can also be connected between the lower part of the airbag cushion (10) and the lower part of the seat back (20).

[0087] That is, the lower front tether (110) has its front end connected to the lower part of the front chamber (100), and its rear end can pass over the passenger's thigh and be connected to a seat back frame built into the bottom of the seat back (20).

[0088] Additionally, the lower lateral tether (210) can have its front end connected to the lower connection portion of the front chamber (100) and the lateral chamber (200), and its rear end connected to the seat back frame embedded in the bottom of the seat back (20).

[0090] Meanwhile, in the present invention, the front tether (110) may be formed in a shape that extends from the seat back (20) toward the airbag cushion (10).

[0091] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front tether (110) is formed in the shape of a right triangle, with the width in the width direction of the rear end of the front tether (110) connected to the seat back (20) being relatively narrow, and the width in the width direction gradually widening toward the front end of the front tether (110) connected to the airbag cushion (10).

[0092] Accordingly, as the left-right width direction length connecting the front chamber (100) and the front tether (110) is increased, the unfolded shape of the front chamber (100) can be more stably controlled by the front tether (110).

[0093] In addition, the front tether (110) can be formed so that gas is filled in the interference area (A1) on one side facing the passenger's neck, and gas is not filled in the non-interference area (A2) on the other side.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 2, one side facing the passenger's neck area based on the front-rear length direction of the front tether (110) can be classified as an interference area (A1), and the other side facing the side chamber (200) can be classified as a non-interference area (A2).

[0095] Accordingly, when sewing the front chamber (100), the front tether (110) is sewn so that gas is filled only within the interference area (A1) formed along one side of the front tether (110).

[0096] The reason is that if the entire outer edge of the front tether (110) is sewn including the non-interference area (A2) of the front tether (110), the gas filled into the airbag cushion (10) is used up due to an increase in unnecessary volume, which may lead to a problem where the volume of the airbag cushion (10) is relatively reduced. Therefore, the volume of the front tether (110) can be optimized by filling the gas only in the interference area (A1).

[0098] In addition, an assembly hole (130) is formed at the end of the front tether (110) and connected to the seat back (20); the front tether (110) where the assembly hole (130) is formed may be formed so as not to be filled with gas.

[0099] That is, an assembly hole (130) is formed at the rear end of the front tether (110), and the assembly hole (130) is connected to the seat back frame.

[0100] As such, since the assembly hole (130) is a part that is assembled with the seat back (20) and gas must not be introduced, the rear end of the front tether (110) where the assembly hole (130) is formed is set so that gas is not introduced through sewing.

[0102] Thus, the present invention is developed in such a way that gas is filled inside the front tether (110) and it expands, so that the outer surface of the front tether (110) facing the passenger's neck area is formed in a curved shape due to the volume of the expanded front tether (110).

[0103] Therefore, even if the front tether (110) comes into contact with the passenger's neck area, the curved outer surface of the front tether (110) comes into contact, thereby preventing the risk of injury such as lacerations and stab wounds to the passenger caused by the front tether (110).

[0105] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as provided by the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0107] 10 : Airbag cushion 20 : Seatback 100 : Front chamber 110: Forward Tether 120 : 1st flow hole 130 : Assembly hole 200 : Side chamber 210: Side Tether 220 : 2nd flow hole A1 : Interference area A2 : Non-interference area

Claims

Claim 1 An airbag device comprising: an airbag cushion that deploys in a shape covering the side and front of a passenger; and a front tether that is connected between the airbag cushion and the seat back at a position passing over the upper shoulder of the passenger and is filled with gas and deployed. Claim 2 An airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that the gas inside the front tether shares the gas inside the airbag cushion. Claim 3 An airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion comprises a lateral chamber that deploys in a shape covering the side of the passenger and a front chamber that deploys in a shape covering the front of the passenger, and wherein the front tether is connected to the front chamber and shares the gas filled inside. Claim 4 An airbag device according to claim 3, characterized in that the gas inside the front chamber is filled inside the front tether. Claim 5 An airbag device according to claim 3, characterized in that the connection portion of the front chamber and the front tether is integrally formed in a shape that communicates with each other and shares the gas filled inside. Claim 6 An airbag device according to claim 3, wherein a flow hole is formed at the connection portion of the lateral chamber and the front chamber, respectively; and the lateral chamber and the front chamber are connected in a state where the flow holes are aligned, so that the interiors of the lateral chamber and the front chamber are in communication through the flow holes. Claim 7 An airbag device according to claim 6, characterized in that the fluid holes are formed in plurality along the vertical length direction of the connection portion between the lateral chamber and the front chamber. Claim 8 An airbag device according to claim 3, characterized in that a lateral tether is connected at a position passing over the upper shoulder of a passenger between the connection portion of the lateral chamber and the front chamber and the seat back. Claim 9 An airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front tether is formed in a shape that extends from the seat back toward the airbag cushion. Claim 10 An airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front tether is formed such that gas is filled in an interference area on one side facing the passenger's neck, and gas is not filled in a non-interference area on the other side. Claim 11 An airbag device according to claim 1, wherein an assembly hole is formed at the end of the front tether and connected to the seat back; and wherein the front tether portion where the assembly hole is formed is formed so as not to be filled with gas.

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