Airbag device and seat assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to a safety air bag device which comprises a shell body, the shell body comprises a first shell part and a second shell part, the second shell part and the first shell part are bent to form an angle to be transited to the first shell part, and the first shell part is connected with the second shell part. A shell structure with four open sides is defined by the first shell part and the second shell part, and an accommodating space is defined by the shell structure with four open sides; the air bag assembly comprises an air bag and an air generator, and the air bag assembly is arranged in the containing space and fixed to the shell body through a fastening device. Therefore, the beneficial effects can be provided in the aspects of reducing failure risk points, improving safety, ensuring the appearance of the seat, reducing manufacturing cost, and / or improving assembly efficiency and the like. In addition, the utility model further provides a seat assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of airbag technology, and more particularly to an airbag device, especially a distal airbag device. Furthermore, this application also relates to a seat assembly equipped with the aforementioned airbag device. Background Technology

[0002] With increasingly stringent requirements for automotive safety performance, remote airbags, as a key component for ensuring the safety of vehicle occupants, are being used more and more widely in automotive safety systems. Remote airbags are typically located on the side of the driver's seat near the center (the location varies depending on whether the vehicle is left- or right-hand drive), and they contain two large airbag chambers designed to protect the head and chest. In the event of a collision, the remote airbag inflates rapidly, forming a soft cushion that effectively reduces the impact force on the occupant's head and chest. It also reduces the risk of collisions between front-seat occupants and minimizes contact between occupants and the center console, seats, and door trim, significantly reducing the likelihood of injury and playing a crucial role in protecting occupants.

[0003] Currently, remote airbags on the market mainly come in two forms: soft-shell airbags and rigid-shell airbags. Rigid-shell airbags, which use a box-shaped rigid plastic shell, integrate the gas generator, air bag, and other components into a modular unit within the rigid plastic shell. To ensure smooth deployment of the air bag upon detonation, this design requires tear lines and closure latches, but this makes the structure extremely complex and carries a high risk of failure. Furthermore, during air bag deployment, the rigid plastic shell is highly susceptible to fragmentation that can fly out, posing a potential threat to occupant safety.

[0004] As a soft-pack airbag, specifically a distal airbag using a soft fabric covering, although the entire module is wrapped in soft fabric, it cannot be used in many situations due to differences in seat design among different manufacturers and limitations imposed by factors such as seat foaming requirements (e.g., insufficient foaming space) and frame design. Otherwise, it would cause localized seat collapse, severely affecting the appearance. Furthermore, soft-pack airbags typically use non-woven fabric to wrap the airbag for fixation and dust protection. However, this design requires an additional bag-type guide structure on the seat to guide airbag deployment. In cases where the seat frame surface where the airbag is installed is uneven and the installation space is extremely limited, this can easily cause bulges or dents on the seat surface, failing to meet the aesthetic requirements of car owners. While hard-shell airbags use a plastic shell to wrap the airbag, achieving a better appearance after seat assembly and eliminating the need for a bag-type guide structure, their complex assembly structure presents numerous potential failure points in areas such as buckles, hinges, and tear lines, making reliability difficult to guarantee.

[0005] In summary, existing remote airbags have shortcomings in reducing failure risk points, improving safety, ensuring seat appearance, reducing manufacturing costs, and / or improving assembly efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this application is to provide an airbag device that overcomes at least one deficiency in the prior art, thereby providing beneficial effects in terms of reducing failure risk points, improving safety, ensuring seat appearance, reducing manufacturing costs, and / or improving assembly efficiency. Furthermore, this application also provides a seat assembly equipped with the aforementioned airbag device.

[0007] According to a first aspect of this application, an airbag device is provided, the airbag device comprising: a housing body including a first housing portion and a second housing portion, the second housing portion being bent at an angle to transition into the first housing portion, wherein the first housing portion and the second housing portion define a four-sided open housing structure and the four-sided open housing structure defines an accommodating space; and an airbag assembly including an airbag and a gas generator, the airbag assembly being disposed within the accommodating space and secured to the housing body via fastening devices.

[0008] This application utilizes a four-sided open shell structure, eliminating the tear lines and latches required in traditional rigid-shell airbag structures. This directly reduces common failure points such as tear line breakage and latch detachment, effectively lowering the risk of failure. Simultaneously, the four-sided open shell structure minimizes the risk of debris ejection during airbag deployment, significantly improving safety. In other words, this application proposes a shell body without tear lines or latches, allowing the airbag to eject directly outwards towards the open surface of the shell body after the gas generator detonates. The absence of tear lines and latches avoids the problem of airbags failing to deploy properly due to tear line failure or latch detachment in traditional structures, reducing the risk of failure and eliminating the risk of secondary injury to occupants from flying debris, thus improving safety.

[0009] Furthermore, this application utilizes a four-sided open shell structure, reducing the amount of manufacturing materials used, lowering product costs, and effectively meeting the demand for lightweight products. Simultaneously, the simplified design, eliminating tear lines and snap-fit ​​fasteners, improves product manufacturing efficiency.

[0010] In some embodiments, the four-sided open shell structure is configured as an L-shaped shell structure. The L-shaped shell structure can advantageously fit snugly into the internal structure of the seat. During installation, the second shell portion can be fixed to the seat frame using bolts or other methods, while the first shell portion can be directly fitted to the seat upholstery, ensuring a flat seat appearance. Directly fitting the first shell portion to the seat upholstery avoids localized seat collapse caused by insufficient foaming space (e.g., in the case of soft-pack airbags), which would severely affect the appearance.

[0011] In some embodiments, the airbag device includes one or more fastening straps as fastening devices, the one or more fastening straps being configured to secure the airbag assembly to the housing body in a bundle-like manner.

[0012] In some embodiments, the housing body is configured as a housing body without tear lines and without clips, and the gas bag is ejected directly outward toward the open surface of the housing body after the gas generator is detonated.

[0013] In some embodiments, when the gas generator is not ignited, the second housing portion is bent at an angle between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the first housing portion. It should be understood that these angles are merely exemplary and not limiting. By selecting a suitable bending angle, a compact housing structure can be achieved that meets the interior space layout requirements of the seat while allowing sufficient space for the airbag to deploy.

[0014] In some embodiments, the airbag assembly abuts against the inner side of the first housing portion on a first side and against the inner side of the second housing portion on a second side.

[0015] In some embodiments, a hinge portion is provided between the first housing portion and the second housing portion. When the airbag deploys, the first housing portion can be opened further outwards relative to the second housing portion more efficiently, providing the airbag with greater freedom of deployment.

[0016] In some embodiments, the housing body is configured as a plastic housing body.

[0017] In some implementations, the first housing portion is designed to be wider than the second housing portion.

[0018] In some embodiments, the airbag device includes a wiring harness protection cover, which is secured to the port of the gas generator by a fastening ring.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first housing portion is further opened outward relative to the second housing portion after the gas generator is ignited.

[0020] In some embodiments, the housing body is configured as a one-piece molded housing structure.

[0021] In some embodiments, the airbag device is configured as a distal airbag device.

[0022] In some embodiments, the second housing portion is provided with a fixing hole through which a stud of the gas generator passes.

[0023] In some embodiments, the second housing portion has a boss formed at the fixing hole.

[0024] In some embodiments, the inner surfaces of the first housing portion and the second housing portion are respectively formed with reinforcing ribs.

[0025] In some embodiments, the reinforcing ribs include: a plurality of first reinforcing ribs spaced apart from each other, the plurality of first reinforcing ribs extending along a first direction; and / or a plurality of second reinforcing ribs spaced apart from each other, the plurality of second reinforcing ribs extending along a second direction at an angle to the first direction.

[0026] A grid-like reinforcing structure can be formed by extending reinforcing ribs in two intersecting directions, especially in directions substantially perpendicular to each other, effectively enhancing the strength and rigidity of the shell body and ensuring the stability of the shell body during the deployment of the gas bag. Additionally or alternatively, a fixing hole can be provided in the second shell portion of the shell body, through which the studs of the gas generator can pass. Advantageously, the second shell portion can be formed with bosses at the fixing holes, thereby enhancing structural strength and ensuring the installation stability of the gas generator.

[0027] According to a second aspect of this application, a seat assembly is provided, the seat assembly including a seat and an airbag device mounted on the seat, characterized in that the airbag device is configured as an airbag device according to some embodiments of this application, wherein a first housing portion of the housing body of the airbag device is configured to fit against the seat upholstery, and a second housing portion of the housing body of the distal airbag device is configured to be mounted on the seat frame. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of the vehicle is shown;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an airbag device according to some embodiments of this application is shown, viewed from the outside of the first housing portion.

[0031] Figure 3An airbag device according to some embodiments of this application is shown. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of observation from the opposite side;

[0032] Figure 4 and 5 The inner and outer side views of the housing body of an airbag device according to some embodiments of this application are shown respectively;

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a seat assembly according to some embodiments of this application is shown.

[0034] Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are sometimes used across different figures to denote the same parts or parts with the same function, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In some cases, similar reference numerals and letters are used to denote similar items, so once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0035] For ease of understanding, the positions, dimensions, and ranges of the structures shown in the accompanying drawings and other documents may not represent actual positions, dimensions, and ranges. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the positions, dimensions, and ranges disclosed in the accompanying drawings and other documents. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The present application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present application. However, it should be understood that the present application can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure of the present application more complete and to fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present application to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide more additional embodiments.

[0037] In the various embodiments described, the same reference numerals or element names are used for the same elements, and the disclosure contained throughout the specification can be applied semantically to elements with the same reference numerals or element names. Furthermore, in the various embodiments, the number, implementation, and / or arrangement of elements are not limited to the examples shown, but other numbers, implementations, and / or arrangements can be selected according to actual needs.

[0038] In this document, spatial relation terms such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "high," and "low" are used to describe the relationship between one feature and another in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that spatial relation terms include not only the orientation shown in the drawings but also different orientations of the device during use or operation. For example, when the device in the drawings is inverted, a feature previously described as "below" other features can now be described as "above" other features. The device can also be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), in which case the relative spatial relationships will be interpreted accordingly.

[0039] In this document, the term “A or B” includes both “A and B” and “A or B”, rather than exclusively including only “A” or only “B”, unless otherwise specified.

[0040] In this document, the terms "illustrative" or "exemplary" mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration," and not as a "model" to be precisely copied. Any implementation described herein by example is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, this application is not limited to any stated or implied theory given in the foregoing technical field, background art, utility model content, or specific embodiments.

[0041] In this document, the term “substantially” means any minor variation caused by defects in design or manufacturing, tolerances of devices or components, environmental influences and / or other factors.

[0042] In this article, the term "part" can refer to any proportion. For example, it can be greater than 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%.

[0043] Additionally, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used in this document for reference purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words “first,” “second,” and other such numerical terms relating to structures or elements do not imply order or sequence.

[0044] Some embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] like Figure 1The diagram shows a partial schematic of vehicle 100. An airbag system 40, particularly a distal airbag system, is installed within vehicle 100 to ensure passenger safety in the event of a vehicle collision, such as a side collision. It should be understood that vehicle 100 of this application can be broadly interpreted as including, but not limited to, land vehicles, such as various types of motor vehicles (especially cars, commercial vehicles, buses, etc.), water vehicles, and air vehicles, as long as there is a risk of side collision.

[0046] It should be understood that the airbag device 40 of this application may involve other types of airbag devices 40, and is not limited to remote airbag devices. The following describes the airbag device 40 of this application in detail only using a remote airbag device as an example.

[0047] In a side-impact collision, a "remote airbag" typically refers to an airbag installed inside the vehicle to protect occupants during a side impact. A side-impact collision occurs when a vehicle makes lateral contact with another vehicle or a fixed object. In a side-impact collision, the side where the point of impact is located is called the proximal end, and the side opposite the point of impact is called the distal end. In the industry, a remote airbag device can also be referred to as a central airbag device, and it is typically installed as a front center airbag on the driver's seat 10, for example, on the inside of the seat back. It should be understood that a remote airbag device can also be installed in other areas on the distal side of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the remote airbag device 40 can be arranged in the central space between the driver's seat 10 and the front passenger seat 30, for example, in the area of ​​the center console 20. In other embodiments, the remote airbag device 40 can be installed as a rear center airbag on a passenger seat, for example, on the inside of the seat back. In other embodiments, the remote airbag device 40 can be installed as a rear center airbag in the central space between the two rear passenger seats.

[0048] Reference Figures 2 to 5 The diagrams show schematic representations of an airbag device 40 and its housing body 50 according to some embodiments of this application.

[0049] like Figure 2 and 3As shown, the airbag device 40 may include a housing body 50 and an airbag assembly 60. The housing body 50 may be constructed as a so-called rigid plastic housing, such as a rigid plastic housing made of TPO material, thereby at least partially avoiding a series of drawbacks associated with soft-pack housings. Advantageously, the housing body 50 may employ a one-piece molded plastic housing structure, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process, reducing assembly steps, and lowering manufacturing costs. The airbag assembly 60 may include an airbag 61 and a gas generator 62. The gas generator 62 may typically be connected to the airbag 61, for example, via a specific mounting interface or mechanism, to form the airbag assembly 60. In some embodiments, to ensure effective gas filling of the airbag 61 and to prevent gas leakage, the connection between the gas generator 62 and the airbag 61 may use materials such as sealing gaskets and / or sealants to ensure the airtightness of the connection.

[0050] like Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the housing body 50 may include a first housing portion 51 and a second housing portion 52, the second housing portion 52 being angled to transition into the first housing portion 51. Advantageously, the first housing portion 51 and the second housing portion 52 define a housing structure that is open on all four sides. "Open on all four sides" means that, apart from the first side where the first housing portion 51 is located and the second side where the second housing portion 52 is located, the other four sides of the housing structure are substantially open, i.e., substantially unobstructed by the housing. "Substantially open" can be understood as the housing structure being mostly open on these sides, i.e., substantially unobstructed by the housing, but allowing for a small portion of the housing to be covered.

[0051] Furthermore, the housing body 50 defines a receiving space in which an airbag assembly 60 can be arranged. The airbag assembly 60 can be further secured to the housing body 50 via a fastening device 63. In the illustrated embodiment, the airbag assembly 60 can abut against the inner side of the first housing portion 51 on a first side and against the inner side of the second housing portion 52 on a second side, thereby ensuring the stability of the airbag 61 within the housing body 50.

[0052] This application, through its four-sided open shell structure, eliminates the tear lines and buckle designs required in traditional rigid-shell airbag closed structures, directly reducing common failure points such as tear line breakage and buckle detachment, effectively lowering the risk of failure. Simultaneously, the four-sided open shell structure ensures that there is virtually no risk of debris flying out when the airbag 61 deploys, effectively improving safety. In other words, this application proposes a shell body 50 without tear lines or buckles, allowing the airbag 61 to eject directly outwards towards the open surface of the shell body 50 after the gas generator 62 detonates. The absence of tear lines and buckles avoids the problem of the airbag 61 failing to deploy properly due to tear line failure or buckle detachment in traditional structures, reducing the risk of failure and eliminating the risk of secondary injury to occupants from flying debris, thus improving safety.

[0053] Furthermore, this application utilizes a four-sided open shell structure, reducing the amount of manufacturing materials used, lowering product costs, and effectively meeting the demand for lightweight products. Simultaneously, the simplified design, eliminating tear lines and snap-fit ​​fasteners, improves product manufacturing efficiency.

[0054] In some embodiments, the four-sided open shell structure can be configured as an L-shaped shell structure. That is, the shell body 50 can be constructed solely from a first shell portion 51 and a second shell portion 52 bent at an angle to each other. The first shell portion 51 and the second shell portion 52 can each advantageously be configured as substantially panel-shaped shell sections. The first shell portion 51 can be designed to be wider than the second shell portion 52, especially by more than 20%, to better accommodate the airbag 61. The L-shaped shell structure can advantageously fit snugly to the internal structure of the seat. During installation, the second shell portion 52 can be fixed to the seat frame by bolts or the like, while the first shell portion 51 can be directly attached to the seat cover, ensuring a flat seat appearance. By having the first shell portion 51 directly attached to the seat cover, localized seat collapse caused by seat foaming requirements (e.g., insufficient foaming space) during soft-pack airbag installation can be avoided.

[0055] In some embodiments, when the gas generator 62 is not ignited, the angle at which the second housing portion 52 is bent relative to the first housing portion 51 can be, for example, between 60 and 120 degrees. It should be understood that the above angles are merely exemplary and not limiting. By selecting a suitable bending angle, a compact housing structure can be achieved that meets the interior space layout requirements of the seat while allowing sufficient space for the airbag to deploy.

[0056] In some embodiments, a hinge portion 53 may be provided between the first housing portion 51 and the second housing portion 52. When the air bag 61 is deployed, the first housing portion 51 can be further and more efficiently folded outward relative to the second housing portion 52, providing the air bag 61 with greater freedom of deployment.

[0057] Continue to refer to Figure 2 and 3 The airbag device 40 may include one or more fastening straps, such as tape, as fastening devices 63, which are configured to secure the airbag assembly 60 to the housing body 50 in a bundle-like manner. Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the airbag device 40 may include at least one first fastening strap, which can bind and secure the airbag assembly 60 to a first end of the housing body 50; and the airbag device 40 may include at least one second fastening strap, which can bind and secure the airbag assembly 60 to a second end of the housing body 50. By binding and securing the airbag assembly 60 to the housing body 50 at two opposing ends, reliable fixation of the airbag assembly 60 is ensured, while avoiding significant restraint when the airbag 61 deploys. Furthermore, during installation, combined with the open structure, the operator only needs to wrap the fastening strap around the airbag assembly 60 to complete the fixation, making the operation simple and convenient, and greatly improving assembly efficiency.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the airbag device 40 may include a wire harness protective cover 64 for protecting the wire harness 66. The wire harness protective cover 64 is fixed to the port of the gas generator 62 by a fastening ring 65. This provides good protection for the wire harness, preventing damage due to wear, pulling, etc., and improving the reliability of the airbag device 40.

[0059] In some embodiments, the inner surface of the first housing portion 51 of the housing body 50 and the inner surface of the second housing portion 52 of the housing body 50 may be respectively formed with reinforcing ribs 56. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the reinforcing ribs 56 may include a plurality of first reinforcing ribs 56 spaced apart from each other, the plurality of first reinforcing ribs 56 extending along a first direction, such as a length direction; and / or a plurality of second reinforcing ribs 56 spaced apart from each other, the plurality of second reinforcing ribs 56 extending along a second direction at an angle to the first direction, such as a width direction. By extending the reinforcing ribs 56 in two intersecting directions, especially in directions substantially perpendicular to each other, a mesh-like reinforcing rib structure 56 can be formed, effectively enhancing the strength and rigidity of the housing body 50 and ensuring the stability of the housing body 50 during the deployment of the air bag 61. Additionally or alternatively, a fixing hole 54 may be provided in the second housing portion 52 of the housing body 50, the fixing hole 54 allowing the studs of the gas generator 62 to pass through. Advantageously, a boss 55 may be formed in the second housing portion 52 at the fixing hole 54, thereby enhancing structural strength and ensuring the installation stability of the gas generator 62.

[0060] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a seat assembly 80 according to some embodiments of this application is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the seat assembly 80 may include a seat 10 and an airbag device 40, or a distal airbag device, mounted on the seat 10. The airbag device 40 is securely connected to the seat frame 12 via a connecting plate and remains substantially parallel to the seat back. The housing body 50 of the airbag device 40 may adopt an L-shaped housing structure, with its first housing portion 51, as the largest surface, configured to fit against the seat upholstery for support, thereby ensuring a flat seat appearance. The second housing portion 52 of the housing body 50 may be configured to be mounted on the seat frame, achieving reliable fixation between the airbag device 40 and the seat.

[0061] When a collision occurs, the gas generator 62 detonates, and the airbag 61 is rapidly ejected outward. At this time, the first housing portion 51, subjected to impact, flips outward around its connection point with the second housing portion 52, such as the hinge portion 53. During this process, the housing structure of the housing body 50 does not break and remains intact, effectively improving the safety and reliability of the seat.

[0062] While specific embodiments of this application have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the scope of this application. The various embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any way without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Those skilled in the art should also understand that various modifications can be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An airbag device, characterized in that, The airbag device includes: A housing body, comprising a first housing portion and a second housing portion, wherein the second housing portion is bent at an angle to transition into the first housing portion, wherein the first housing portion and the second housing portion define a four-sided open housing structure and the four-sided open housing structure defines an accommodating space; and An airbag assembly, comprising an airbag and a gas generator, is arranged within the receiving space and secured to the housing body via fastening devices.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell structure, which is open on all four sides, is an L-shaped shell structure.

3. The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The airbag device includes one or more fastening straps as fastening devices, the one or more fastening straps being configured to secure the airbag assembly to the housing body in a bundle-like manner.

4. The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing body is configured to be without tear lines and without clips, and the gas bag pops out directly towards the open surface of the housing body after the gas generator is detonated.

5. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, When the gas generator is not ignited, the angle at which the second housing portion is bent relative to the first housing portion is between 60 and 120 degrees.

6. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The airbag assembly abuts against the inner surface of the first housing portion on a first side and against the inner surface of the second housing portion on a second side; and / or A hinge portion is provided between the first housing portion and the second housing portion; and / or The housing body is configured as a plastic housing body; and / or The first housing portion is designed to be wider than the second housing portion; and / or The airbag device includes a wiring harness protective cover, which is secured to the port of the gas generator by a fastening ring; and / or The first housing portion opens further outward relative to the second housing portion after the gas generator is ignited; and / or The shell body is configured as a single-piece shell structure; and / or The airbag device is configured as a remote airbag device.

7. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The second housing portion is provided with fixing holes through which the studs of the gas generator pass.

8. The airbag device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second housing part has a boss formed at the fixing hole position.

9. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The inner surfaces of the first shell portion and the second shell portion are respectively formed with reinforcing ribs, wherein the reinforcing ribs include: A plurality of first reinforcing ribs spaced apart from each other, the plurality of first reinforcing ribs extending along a first direction; and / or Multiple second reinforcing ribs spaced apart from each other extend along a second direction at an angle to the first direction.

10. A seat assembly, the seat assembly comprising a seat and an airbag device mounted on the seat, characterized in that, The airbag device is configured as an airbag device according to claims 1 to 9, wherein a first housing portion of the housing body of the airbag device is configured to fit against the seat cover, and a second housing portion of the housing body of the airbag device is configured to be mounted on the seat frame.

Images