A cover for covering a safety device in a vehicle

Abstract

A cover plate for covering a safety device in a vehicle, the cover plate being covered by an interior panel and comprising a fixed portion, a flap portion, a fixed extension, a flap extension and a flexible connection portion, wherein the fixed extension is provided at one end of the fixed portion close to the flap portion and extends away from the interior panel, the flap extension is provided at one end of the flap portion close to the fixed portion and extends away from the interior panel, the flap portion is pivotably connected to the flap extension, and one end of the flexible connection portion is connected to one end of the fixed extension away from the interior panel and the other end of the flexible connection portion is connected to one end of the flap extension away from the interior panel, wherein, when required, the flap extension is able to slide along the fixed extension for a distance in a direction towards the interior panel and to turn in a direction towards the fixed portion under the connection of the flexible connection portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to a cover for covering safety devices. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the automotive industry, safety devices, such as airbags, have become essential equipment in vehicles as crucial facilities for ensuring passenger safety. They inflate rapidly and deploy during a collision, using the cushioning force to protect passengers.

[0003] Airbags are typically located inside the steering wheel or dashboard, covered by a cover plate. To enhance the aesthetics of the car's interior, the cover plate is often covered with an interior trim panel. The cover plate has a fixed section and a flap section, and the inner side of the interior trim panel has weakening lines. When a collision occurs, the inflating airbag pushes open the flap section, tearing through the weakening lines on the interior trim panel, thus deploying to provide safety protection for the driver and passengers.

[0004] In the prior art, document CN206124972U describes an airbag cover. This document describes an airbag cover comprising a fixed portion and an opening portion connected to the fixed portion, which can be opened by the airbag when it inflates. A flexible connector is connected between the opening portion and the fixed portion, ensuring that the opening portion remains connected to the fixed portion when the airbag opens. The flexible connector is located at one end of the opening portion. In other words, the inner surface of the interior trim panel directly covers the flexible connector. Therefore, due to the excessive distance from the unbonded portion of the interior trim panel to the weakening line, there is a risk of breakage, or even breakage of the flexible connector.

[0005] The present invention aims to address this deficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To this end, the present invention provides a cover for covering a safety device in a vehicle, such as an airbag. The cover is disposed on the vehicle steering wheel or instrument panel and is covered by an interior trim panel, the interior trim panel including an outer surface visible to passengers and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, the inner surface of the interior trim panel having a weakening line, and the cover being attached to the inner surface of the interior trim panel by adhesive bonding, welding, or other fastening methods. The cover includes:

[0007] The fixing part is fixed to one side of the inner surface of the interior panel and cannot be popped out;

[0008] The flap section is located on one side of the inner surface of the interior panel and can be popped out.

[0009] A fixed extension is provided at one end of the fixed part near the flip panel and extends away from the interior panel;

[0010] A flap extension is provided at one end of the flap section near the fixing part and is pivotally connected to the flap section, and extends away from the interior panel;

[0011] The flexible connecting part is deformable, and one end of it is connected to the end of the fixed extension away from the interior panel, and the other end is connected to the end of the flip-up extension away from the interior panel.

[0012] When the vehicle is hit, the airbag inflates, the weakening line on the inner surface of the interior panel is torn, and the flap extension, connected by the flexible connection, can slide a distance along the fixed extension toward the interior panel and flip toward the fixed part, thereby causing the airbag to deploy.

[0013] Furthermore, the flexible connection portion has a certain length and / or is elastic, the length preferably being 10 to 30 mm or other preferred values ​​found in practice. In the airbag storage state, the flap extension is kept in a position relative to the fixed extension; in the airbag deployment state, the flap extension slides along the fixed extension towards the interior trim panel.

[0014] Optionally, a first window is provided on the fixed extension, and a second window is provided on the flap extension, with the first window and the second window at least partially overlapping. The airbag is fixed to the lower part of the fixed portion by fasteners passing through the first and second windows.

[0015] Furthermore, the bottom of the second window is lower than the bottom of the first window, so that when the flap extension slides towards the interior panel in the airbag deployment state, the fixing member used to secure the airbag can still pass through both the first and second windows simultaneously.

[0016] Alternatively, if the flexible connection remains below the bottom of the airbag housing after movement, the cover plate may not have a window.

[0017] Optionally, the flap extension is disposed close to the fixed extension.

[0018] Optionally, a gap is provided between the fixed extension and the flap extension. Further, a filling structure is provided in this gap, which can be an integral plastic, metal, or other positioning and guiding material.

[0019] Optionally, the flexible connection portion is connected to the fixed extension and the flap extension in a non-detachable manner.

[0020] Optionally, the flexible connection portion can be embedded into the fixed extension and the flap extension. Preferably, the flexible connection portion is a mesh, or it can be other forms of deformable elastic elements.

[0021] The cover plate proposed in this invention for covering safety devices in vehicles avoids the risk of breakage due to excessive distance between the unjoined part of the interior panel and the weakening line, or even breakage at the junction of the flip-up part and the flip-up extension, because the flexible connecting part is located below the fixing part and the flip-up extension.

[0022] At the same time, this makes both the fixing part and the flip-up part closer to the weakening line on the inner surface of the interior panel. Attached Figure Description

[0023] It should be understood that all features, alternatives and / or embodiments of the present invention can be associated in different combinations, as long as they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive.

[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention, which are listed as non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] - Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the state of a cover plate for covering a safety device when the safety device is in a storage position, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] - Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 The state of the cover plate when the safety device is open;

[0027] - Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 After the safety device is opened, the cover plate in the middle is folded to a large angle.

[0028] - Figure 4 A flip panel with a window is shown according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] - Figure 5 A flap with a filling structure is shown in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] - Figure 6 A flap with an embedded flexible connection portion is shown according to one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but rather show a simplified representation to some extent of the various preferred features that illustrate the basic principles of the invention. For example, the specific design features of the invention disclosed herein, including particular dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, are determined to some extent by the specific intended purpose and environment of use.

[0032] The present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. In the figures, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar items.

[0033] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown of a cover for covering a safety device in a vehicle, such as an airbag. The cover is covered by an interior panel 6, which includes an outer surface visible to passengers and an inner surface opposite to the outer surface. The cover is attached to the inner surface of the interior panel 6 by adhesive bonding, welding or other fastening methods.

[0034] As shown in the figure, the cover plate includes a fixing part 1, a flip-up part 2, a fixing extension part 11, a flip-up extension part 21, and a flexible connecting part 3. The fixing part 1 and the flip-up part 2 are located on the same plane and extend to one side of the inner surface of the interior panel 6. The fixing extension part 11 is located at the end of the fixing part 1 near the flip-up part 2 and extends away from the interior panel 6. Correspondingly, the flip-up extension part 21 is located at the end of the flip-up part 2 near the fixing part 1 and is pivotally connected to the flip-up part 2, and extends away from the interior panel 6. Because the end of the fixing part 1 and the end of the flip-up part 2 are close together, the fixing extension part 11 and the flip-up extension part 21 are also close together. The end of the fixing extension part 11 away from the interior panel 6 and the end of the flip-up extension part 21 away from the interior panel 6 are connected by the flexible connecting part 3.

[0035] The flexible connecting portion 3 is deformable and has a certain length and / or elasticity. The length of the flexible connecting portion 3 is preferably 10 to 30 mm or other values ​​preferred in practice. When the airbag is deployed, the flap extension 21 slides along the fixed extension 11 towards the interior trim panel 6.

[0036] Figure 1 The cover shown is in the folded position and storage location of the airbag 5. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The diagram further illustrates the state of the cover when the airbag 5 inflates in the event of a vehicle impact.

[0037] A weakening line 4 is provided on the inner surface of the interior trim panel 6, and the position of the weakening line 4 corresponds to the junction of the fixing part 1 and the flip-up part 2 of the cover. Figure 2As shown, when the vehicle is subjected to an external impact, the airbag stored below the flap section 2 begins to deploy and simultaneously exerts a pushing force on the flap section 2. The flap extension 21 begins to slide along the fixed extension 11 toward the interior panel 6, while the flexible connection 3 begins to deform, for example, straightening and / or being stretched from a loose state. The fixed part 1 remains in its original position, and the fixed part 1 and the flap section 2, which were originally in a stable relative position, begin to move out of alignment, causing the weakening line 4 on the inner surface of the interior panel 6 to break. When the plane where the flap section 2 is located is higher than the plane where the fixed part 1 is located, the flap section 2 pivots around the connection end between the flap section 2 and the flap extension 21, thereby completing the opening of the flap section and causing the airbag to deploy.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, when the flexible connecting part 3 undergoes significant deformation, for example, changing from a loose state to a straightened state, the flap extension 21 displaces significantly towards the interior panel 6, causing the flap part 2 to pop out a considerable distance. The maximum pop-out distance of the flap part 2 can be affected by adjusting the length and extensibility of the flexible connecting part 3. Figure 4 As shown, a first window 12 is further provided on the fixed extension 11, and a second window 22 is further provided on the flap extension 21. The first window 12 and the second window 22 at least partially overlap so that the airbag fixing element, such as a fixing hook, can pass through both the first window 12 and the second window 22 simultaneously, thereby securing the airbag within the cavity enclosed by the fixed part 2 and the fixed extension 21, preventing it from flying out when the airbag deploys. Preferably, the area of ​​the second window 22 is larger than the area of ​​the first window 12, especially when the airbag 5 is in the folded storage position, the lower edge of the second window 22 is lower than the lower edge of the first window 12, so that when the airbag 5 deploys, after the flap extension 21 extends along the fixed extension 11 towards the interior panel 6, the second window 22 and the first window 12 can still at least partially overlap, allowing the airbag fixing element to still pass through both the first window 12 and the second window 22 simultaneously. The gap between the lower edge of the second window 22 and the first window 12 is proportional to the deformation length of the flexible connection 3.

[0039] Alternatively, if the flexible connection remains below the bottom of the airbag housing after movement, a window may not be provided on the cover.

[0040] Figure 5 A variant of the invention is shown in which a gap is provided between the fixed extension 11 and the flap extension 12. Optionally, a filling structure 31 is provided in the gap.

[0041] Alternatively, the filling structure 31 can be an integral plastic, metal or other material that can be used for positioning and guidance.

[0042] Figure 6 Another variation of the invention is shown, in which the flexible connection 3 is embeddedly connected to the fixed extension 11 and the flap extension 21. Optionally, the embedded flexible connection 3 may be a mesh or made of other materials capable of straightening or deforming from a loose state. Many embodiments, variations, and modifications are known to those skilled in the art. In particular, it should be noted that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, all the foregoing features, alternatives, and / or embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other, provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the flexible connection 3 may also be in other forms capable of straightening or deforming from a loose state, such as a spring.

[0043] The above embodiments are provided as examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Based on these examples, those skilled in the art can anticipate other embodiments with the same functionality within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A cover for covering safety devices in a vehicle, the cover being covered by an interior trim panel (6) of the vehicle, the cover comprising a fixing part (1) and a flip-up part (2), characterized in that, The cover plate further includes: A fixed extension (11) is provided at one end of the fixed part (1) near the flip-up part (2) and extends away from the interior panel (6). A flap extension (21) is provided at one end of the flap portion (2) near the fixing portion (1) and extends away from the interior panel (6). The flexible connecting part (3) has one end connected to the fixed extension part (11) away from the interior panel (6), and the other end connected to the flip-up extension part (21) away from the interior panel (6). The flap section (2) is pivotally connected to the flap extension section (21), and the flap extension section (21) can slide a distance along the fixed extension section (11) towards the interior panel (6) under the connection of the flexible connection section (3), and the flap section (2) can be flipped towards the fixed section (1). The flexible connecting part (3) has a certain length, allowing the flap extension (21) to slide a distance along the fixed extension (11) towards the interior panel (6) under the connection of the flexible connecting part (3), and the flap part (2) can be flipped towards the fixed part (1). Furthermore, the fixed extension (11) is provided with a first window (12), and the flip-up extension (21) is provided with a second window (22), and the first window (12) and the second window (22) at least partially overlap.

2. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible connecting part (3) is elastic, allowing the flap extension (21) to slide a distance along the fixed extension (11) towards the interior panel (6) under the connection of the flexible connecting part (3), and the flap part (2) can be flipped in the direction of the fixed part (1).

3. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the second window (22) is lower than the bottom of the first window (12).

4. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flap extension (21) is set close to the fixed extension (11).

5. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A gap is provided between the fixed extension (11) and the flap extension (21).

6. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 5, characterized in that, A filling structure (31) is provided in the gap between the fixed extension (11) and the flap extension (21), and the filling structure is an integrated plastic, metal or other positioning and guiding material.

7. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible connecting part (3) is connected to the fixed extension part (11) and the flap extension part (21) in an inseparable manner.

8. The cover plate of the safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible connecting part (3) is embeddedly connected to the fixed extension part (11) and the flap extension part (21).

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