Co-driver safety air bag assembly and vehicle instrument panel

Abstract

The invention discloses a co-driver safety air bag assembly and a vehicle instrument panel, and relates to the technical field of vehicle safety air bags, the co-driver safety air bag assembly comprises an integrated injection molding shell, the shell is provided with a gas generator and an air bag assembly, and the gas generator is connected with a grounding terminal through a grounding wire harness; transversely and longitudinally distributed supporting ribs are arranged on the outer side mounting surface of the shell, retaining walls are arranged on the inner sides of the supporting ribs, notches are formed in the retaining walls, clamping grooves are formed in the positions, close to the notches, of the supporting ribs, and the clamping grooves and the notches are used for limiting rotation of the grounding terminals in the assembling process. According to the invention, the problem of rotation of the grounding terminal is solved on the basis of not increasing tool positioning, and effective grounding of the generator shell metal of the PAB assembly is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle airbag, and particularly to a co-pilot airbag assembly and a vehicle instrument panel. Background Art

[0002] The housing of the co-pilot airbag assembly of traditional vehicles is made of metal material, and the generator housing is connected (grounded) to the vehicle body through a metal housing, a lower metal bracket, and a metal pipe beam. With the development of technology, the structure of vehicles is becoming more and more complex, and the co-pilot airbag assembly with a plastic housing gradually replaces the metal housing due to its characteristics such as small size, light weight, and small occupied layout space. At the same time, in order to avoid other structures, the lower metal bracket of the co-pilot airbag assembly is cancelled, resulting in that the entire generator housing cannot be connected (grounded) to the vehicle body, and the requirement for grounding the generator housing cannot be met.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to add a new conductive circuit to be connected (grounded) to the vehicle body, that is, to connect and conduct (ground) the "generator housing" of the co-pilot airbag assembly to the vehicle body through a wire harness. The connection terminal can be selected to be welded on the metal housing of the generator, but the characteristics of the generator are similar to those of gunpowder, and the welding risk and cost are high. Therefore, the "connection terminal" is connected to the "generator housing" by means of screwing with screws and nuts. However, during the assembly process, the rotation of the nut to tighten will drive the connection terminal to rotate, resulting in the wire harness being wound around the tightening gun and causing damage to the wire harness; at the same time, the "connection terminal" rotates together with the rotating nut, and there is a risk that the tightening torque of the locking nut exceeds the tolerance. In order to solve the problem of the rotation of the connection terminal, an assembly tooling is used for positioning during the assembly process. However, when disassembling from the assembly tooling, there is still a risk of damaging the wire harness and the tightening torque exceeding the tolerance during the replacement and disassembly of the components of the co-pilot airbag assembly. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a co-pilot airbag assembly and a vehicle instrument panel, which solve the problem of the rotation of the grounding terminal without the need to add tooling positioning, and ensure the effective grounding of the metal of the "generator housing" of the PAB assembly.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention is realized by the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a co-pilot airbag assembly, including a housing integrally injection-molded, the housing is provided with a gas generator and an airbag assembly, and the gas generator is connected to a grounding terminal through a grounding wire harness; the outer mounting surface of the housing is provided with support ribs distributed horizontally and vertically, a retaining wall is arranged inside the support ribs, a notch is formed in the retaining wall, and a card slot is arranged near the notch of the support rib, and the card slot and the notch are used to limit the rotation of the grounding terminal during the assembly process.

[0007] As a further implementation manner, the grounding terminal is fastened to the gas generator flange through a lock nut, and the retaining wall surrounds the outside of the gas generator flange.

[0008] As a further implementation manner, the grounding terminal is connected to the support ring assembly of the airbag assembly and locked by a lock nut.

[0009] As a further implementation manner, the grounding wire harness passes through the card slot and is connected to the gas generator, and the joint of the grounding wire harness connecting the grounding terminal is arranged in the notch.

[0010] As a further implementation manner, the card slot is a U-shaped slot, and its opening direction is consistent with the installation direction of the gas generator.

[0011] As a further implementation manner, both ends of the housing are respectively provided with support arms, and the support arms are connected with a plurality of vertical reinforcing ribs;

[0012] A reinforcing structure is arranged on the inner mounting surface of the housing.

[0013] As a further implementation manner, the support arm is provided with a positioning protrusion for cooperating with the instrument panel positioning hole;

[0014] An anti-misalignment hole is further arranged on the inner mounting surface of the housing.

[0015] As a further implementation manner, a plurality of connection holes are further opened on the support arm, and inserts are arranged on the periphery of the connection holes.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a vehicle instrument panel, on which the co-pilot airbag assembly is installed.

[0017] As a further implementation manner, the airbag assembly is connected to the instrument panel by bolts.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0019] (1) The outer mounting surface of the housing of the present invention is provided with support ribs distributed horizontally and vertically. There is a retaining wall inside the support ribs. The retaining wall is provided with a notch. A card slot is arranged near the notch of the support ribs. The cooperation of the retaining wall, the support ribs and the card slot on the support ribs can prevent the rotation of the grounding terminal and the grounding wire harness during the PAB assembly process; the grounding terminal is connected to the support ring assembly and fixed by a lock nut. The current conducts through the grounding terminal and the grounding wire harness to the metal housing of the gas generator and the support ring assembly to achieve effective grounding.

[0020] (2) The housing of the present invention is injection-molded. The inner surface of the housing is provided with a strengthening structure, and the outer surface is provided with support ribs, which increases the structural strength of the airbag assembly and ensures that it will not be damaged or deformed significantly when the airbag inflates and deploys; the support ribs distributed horizontally and vertically on the outer surface of the housing can enhance the strength of the retaining wall and the housing itself at the same time; during the assembly process of the PAB, the gas generator is installed after the grounding terminal, which plays a pre-positioning role for the gas generator and improves the assembly accuracy and efficiency.

[0021] (3) The two side arms of the housing of the present invention are provided with positioning protrusions and connection holes for connecting the instrument panel. The bottom surface of the housing is provided with anti-misalignment holes. The cooperation of the positioning protrusions, connection holes and anti-misalignment holes can better realize the matching of the PAB with the instrument panel and the vehicle wiring harness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The schematic embodiments and descriptions thereof of the present invention are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the airbag assembly housing according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a side view of the airbag assembly housing according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a top view of the airbag assembly housing according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 is a matching diagram of the housing and the airbag frame according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 is an axonometric view of the co-pilot airbag assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 is Figure 5 a partial enlarged view of part A of

[0029] Figure 7 is a bottom view of the co-pilot airbag assembly housing according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 is Figure 7 a sectional view taken along line B-B of

[0031] Figure 9(a) is an axonometric view of the airbag module according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 9(b) is an exploded view of an airbag assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 10 is an assembly drawing of a co-pilot airbag assembly and an instrument panel according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the pin of the end sheath of a co-pilot airbag assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Wherein, 1, support arm; 2a, connection hole; 2b, positioning protrusion; 3, anti-misalignment hole; 4, vertical reinforcing rib; 5, reinforcing structure; 6, airbag; 7, wire harness assembly; 8, locking nut; 9, ground wire harness; 10, ground terminal; 11, gas generator; 12, housing; 13, support ring assembly; 14, airbag assembly; 15, instrument panel; 16, airbag assembly; 17, card slot; 18, retaining wall; 19, notch; 20d, plastic housing; 20c, plastic housing airbag frame; 21d, metal housing; 21c, metal housing airbag frame; 22, support rib; 23, insert. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0036] It should be noted that the following detailed description is exemplary and is intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in the present invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

[0037] For the convenience of description, if the words "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" appear in the present invention, they only represent the same directions as the upper, lower, left, and right of the drawing itself, and do not limit the structure. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention.

[0038] Embodiment 1:

[0039] The housing 12 of the co-pilot airbag assembly 16 (abbreviation "PAB") of a traditional car is made of cold-rolled steel plate. The PAB is clamped to the airbag frame with the whole vehicle through a metal hook and a sheet metal support foot, and is bolted to the pipe beam. The metal housing 21d has the following problems compared with the plastic housing 20d: such as Figure 4As shown, the lateral dimension of the metal housing 21d is f, and the lateral dimension of the plastic housing 20d is e, where f > e. It can be seen that the space required by the metal housing 21d is larger than that of the plastic housing 20d. And in the F / A direction of the whole vehicle, there is a certain gap between the outside of the metal housing 21d and the airbag frame 21c of the metal housing 12, while the plastic housing 20d can be fitted with the airbag frame 20c of the plastic housing. The metal housing 21d must be installed with sheet metal feet to connect to the pipe beam to provide fixation and grounding functions, further increasing the weight of the PAB. Therefore, the demand for the plastic housing 20d is gradually increasing, but there are problems when installing the plastic housing 20d, such as the connecting terminals and wire harness rotating with the nut, resulting in easy damage to the wire harness and out-of-tolerance tightening torque.

[0040] Based on this, this embodiment provides a co-pilot airbag assembly, which is provided with a mechanical anti-rotation structure. Without the need for tooling positioning, it can prevent the rotation of the grounding wire and terminals during the assembly process; as Figure 5 shown, the airbag assembly 16 of this embodiment mainly includes a housing 12, an airbag assembly 14, and a gas generator 11. The housing 12 is integrally injection-molded, for example, using PA6 + GF40 material. Of course, the material of the housing 12 can be adjusted according to actual requirements. The housing 12 does not require surface treatment, and its weight can be reduced by 30 - 40%.

[0041] Specifically, as Figures 1 - 3 shown, the housing 12 has a cavity for accommodating the airbag assembly 14. The gas generator 11 is installed outside the housing 12, with the installation surface of the gas generator 11 as the bottom surface of the housing 12; the bottom surface of the housing 12 is provided with installation holes for the gas generator 11. The bottom surface of the housing 12 is also provided with anti-misalignment holes 3, which can position the gas generator 11 and the airbag assembly 14 during the installation process to prevent misalignment of the gas generator 11 and the airbag assembly 14. A strengthening structure 5 is also provided on the inner bottom surface of the housing 12. The strengthening structure 5 is symmetrically arranged relative to the installation holes. In this embodiment, the strengthening structure 5 is a mesh-shaped reinforcing rib, which can increase the support strength of the bottom surface of the housing 12.

[0042] The left and right sides of the housing 12 respectively have arms 1. The arms 1 are used for connecting the airbag assembly 16 to the instrument panel 15 during assembly. Therefore, the arms 1 need to be provided with connection holes 2a, and the number of connection holes 2a only needs to ensure connection stability. As Figure 10 shown, inserts 23 are added around the connection holes 2a to strengthen the installation strength at the connection holes 2a.

[0043] To improve the assembly efficiency and accuracy, positioning protrusions 2b are provided on the upper surface of the arms 1. The positioning protrusions 2b are inserted and matched with the positioning holes on the instrument panel 15 to accurately align the two. In this embodiment, the positioning protrusions 2b are cross pins, which can perform two-way positioning in the X and Y directions. As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, vertical stiffeners 4 are provided on the outer side of the support arm 1. The vertical stiffeners 4 are fixed to the bottom surface of the support arm 1 and the outer side surface of the housing 12. And a plurality of vertical stiffeners 4 are arranged in the front and rear directions of the housing 12, which can increase the structural strength of the connection between the support arm 1 and the housing 12.

[0044] As Figures 5 - 7 shown, the gas generator 11 is installed at the installation hole of the housing 12 through a flange. The edge of the flange is connected to the airbag assembly 14 through the grounding terminal 10; combined Figure 8 with FIG. 9 shown, the airbag assembly 14 includes an airbag 6 and a retainer ring assembly 13. The retainer ring assembly 13 is installed on the bottom surface of the airbag 6. The grounding terminal 10 is connected to the retainer ring assembly 13, and the grounding terminal 10 is connected to the gas generator 11 through a grounding wire harness 9; the static current of the outer shell of the gas generator 11 passes through the grounding terminal 10 and the grounding wire harness 9, and sequentially conducts the metal housing 12 of the gas generator 11 and the retainer ring assembly 13 to realize the internal metal grounding of the PAB assembly; at the same time, it is insulated from the ignition component of the gas generator 11, increasing safety.

[0045] The grounding wire harness 9 is led out from one end of the wire harness assembly 7 and connected to the grounding terminal 10. The other end of the wire harness assembly 7 is connected to the vehicle wire harness. In this embodiment, an anti-rotation structure is provided outside the flange to prevent the grounding terminal 10 and the grounding wire harness 9 from rotating due to the rotational friction of the lock nut 8 during the PAB assembly process; wherein, the anti-rotation structure includes a retaining wall 18 and a support rib 22, as Figures 5 - 7 shown, the retaining wall 18 is provided outside the flange. The retaining wall 18 is a closed structure distributed along the circumference of the flange, and its shape is adapted to the outer shape of the flange; there is a certain distance between the retaining wall 18 and the edge of the flange, and this distance does not affect the normal installation of the flange and the grounding terminal 10.

[0046] Support ribs 22 are provided on the outside of the retaining wall 18 in a transverse and longitudinal distribution. The left and right sides of the retaining wall 18 are the first distribution areas of the support ribs 22, and the front and rear sides of the retaining wall 18 are the second distribution areas of the support ribs 22, and both the first distribution area and the second distribution area are symmetrically distributed with respect to the retaining wall 18. In the first distribution area, one end of the transversely distributed support rib 22 is connected to the outer wall of the retaining wall 18; in the second distribution area, one end of the longitudinally distributed support rib 22 is connected to the outer wall of the retaining wall 18; through the support ribs 22 distributed in a transverse and longitudinal manner, the retaining wall 18 is supported, and at the same time, it cooperates with the strengthening structure 5 on the inner bottom surface of the housing 12 to enhance the overall support strength of the housing 12.

[0047] Since the grounding terminal 10 at a corner of the flange is connected to the grounding wire harness 9, a joint is provided at the connection end of the grounding wire harness 9 and the grounding terminal 10. As Figure 11 shown, the grounding wire harness 9 and the airbag ignition circuit are commonly routed in the corrugated pipe, insulated from each other, and the insulation resistance is greater than 10 MΩ, ensuring that the grounding wire harness 9 will not break down the ignition circuit and guaranteeing safety.

[0048] In order to prevent the grounding terminal 10 and the wiring harness from rotating, a notch 19 is provided near the grounding terminal 10 in the retaining wall 18, and the notch 19 satisfies the requirement that the connector is arranged in an inclined state; the contact surface between the notch 19 and the connector is an inclined surface, and the two oppositely arranged inclined surfaces can prevent the connector from rotating. A slot 17 is provided near the notch 19 on the longitudinal support rib 22 of the first distribution area, so that the grounding harness 9 passes through the slot 17, and the slot 17 can prevent the grounding harness 9 from rotating. The specific location of the slot 17 can be adaptively adjusted according to the length of the grounding harness 9; when the harness is longer, the number of slots 17 can also be increased.

[0049] like Figure 6 As shown, the slot 17 is a U-shaped slot, and its opening direction is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the housing 12, that is, consistent with the installation direction of the gas generator 11. The slot 17 can be realized by slotting a block structure, or by two columns with a certain interval.

[0050] The shell 12 of this embodiment is injection molded, and a reinforcing structure 5 is provided on the inner surface of the shell 12, and a supporting rib 22 is provided on the outer surface to increase the structural strength of the airbag assembly 16 and ensure that it will not be damaged or deformed significantly when the airbag is inflated and deployed. During the PAB assembly process, the gas generator 11 is installed after the grounding terminal 10 is installed, which plays a pre-positioning role for the gas generator 11 and improves the assembly accuracy and efficiency. The grounding terminal 10 is connected to the support ring assembly 13 and fixed by the locking nut 8. The current is conducted to the metal shell 12 and the support ring assembly 13 of the gas generator 11 through the grounding terminal 10 and the grounding wire harness 9; and, through the cooperation of the retaining wall 18, the supporting rib 22 and the card slot 17 on the supporting rib 22, the grounding terminal 10 and the grounding wire harness 9 can be prevented from rotating during the PAB assembly process, thereby achieving effective grounding.

[0051] Therefore, this embodiment achieves the function of grounding the metal shell of the generator inside the PAB without adding a lower bracket; and the grounding terminal 10 is fixed to the support ring assembly 13 by the locking nut 8, and the grounding harness 9 is limited by the notch 19 and the slot 17; the shell 12 cooperates with the instrument panel 15 through the positioning protrusion 2b and is connected by bolts; so that the airbag assembly 16 can solve the problem of abnormal noise generated by the assembly while meeting the performance strength requirements.

[0052] Embodiment 2:

[0053] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a vehicle dashboard, which is equipped with the passenger airbag assembly 16 described in embodiment 1, such as Figure 10As shown, the airbag assembly 16 is connected to the instrument panel 15. The instrument panel 15 is provided with two positioning holes, one of which is a square hole and the other is a rectangular hole. The positioning holes on the instrument panel 15 cooperate with the positioning protrusions on the housing 12 of the airbag assembly 16 to realize the installation and positioning of the airbag assembly 16 and the instrument panel 15. An insert 23 is provided at the connection between the airbag assembly 16 and the instrument panel 15 and is connected by bolts.

[0054] The foregoing are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications can be made to the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A passenger airbag assembly, characterized in that: It comprises an integral injection-molded shell, on which a gas generator and an airbag assembly are installed, and the gas generator is connected to a grounding terminal via a grounding harness; the outer mounting surface of the shell is provided with support ribs distributed transversely and longitudinally, a retaining wall is provided on the inner side of the support rib, a notch is opened in the retaining wall, and a slot is provided near the notch at the support rib, and the slot and the notch are used to limit the rotation of the grounding terminal during assembly.

2. A passenger airbag assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grounding terminal is fastened to the gas generator flange through a locking nut, and the retaining wall surrounds the outer side of the gas generator flange.

3. A passenger airbag assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The grounding terminal is connected to the support ring assembly of the air bag assembly and is locked by a locking nut.

4. The passenger airbag assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grounding wire harness passes through the card slot and is connected to the gas generator, and a connector of the grounding wire harness connected to the grounding terminal is arranged in the notch.

5. A passenger airbag assembly according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The slot is a U-shaped slot, and its opening direction is consistent with the installation direction of the gas generator.

6. The passenger airbag assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two ends of the shell are respectively provided with supporting arms, and the supporting arms are connected to a plurality of vertical reinforcing ribs; The inner mounting surface of the shell is provided with a reinforcement structure.

7. A passenger airbag assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The support arm is provided with a positioning protrusion, and the positioning protrusion is used to match the positioning hole of the instrument panel; The inner mounting surface of the shell is also provided with an anti-misalignment hole.

8. A passenger airbag assembly according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The support arm is also provided with a plurality of connection holes, and inserts are arranged around the connection holes.

9. A vehicle dashboard, characterized in that: A passenger airbag assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is installed.

10. A vehicle instrument panel according to claim 9, characterized in that: The safety airbag assembly is connected to the instrument panel via bolts.

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