Air bag device and steering wheel

Abstract

To provide an air bag device that can secure holding force of a hook part for a cable, and to provide a steering wheel including the same.SOLUTION: An air bag device 3 includes: an air bag; an inflator 12 for supplying a gas for inflation deployment into the air bag; a cover body 13 for covering the air bag that is in a folded state; an insertion part 45 which is open in the cover body 13 and through which a cable 25 is inserted; a hook part 46 formed in the cover body 13 to hold the cable 25 that is inserted through the insertion part 45; and a deformation suppression part 52 for inhibiting the hook part 46 from deforming in a direction in which the cable 25 is detached from the insertion portion 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag device in which an airbag is covered with a cover body, and a steering wheel equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an airbag device for protecting a passenger seated in the driver's seat is attached to a steering wheel, such as a steering wheel, used in a vehicle such as an automobile. In the airbag device, an airbag with an inflator inserted therein is held in a folded state on a plate, which is a support member for supporting the airbag against a core metal of the steering wheel, and a cover body is attached to cover the airbag. For example, a cable (harness) is connected to the inflator to receive an electrical signal to instruct activation of the inflator. This cable is inserted into an insertion portion opened in the cover body and is engaged and held by a hook portion located in the insertion portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-123859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The cover is made primarily of synthetic resin so that the airbag will rupture a portion of it to form an outlet, and the hook formed on the cover is also made of synthetic resin, which makes the hook relatively susceptible to deformation and raises concerns that the hook may not be able to hold the cable securely.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide an airbag device and a steering wheel provided with the same, which can ensure the cable holding force by the hook portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An airbag device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an airbag, an inflator that supplies gas for inflating and deploying the airbag, a cover body that covers the airbag in a folded state, an insertion portion that is opened in the cover body and through which a cable is inserted, a hook portion that is formed in the cover body and that holds the cable inserted through the insertion portion, and a deformation suppression portion that suppresses deformation of the hook portion in the direction of the cable detaching from the insertion portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the cable holding force by the hook portion can be ensured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear side; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. [Figure 3] 3A is a perspective view showing a cover body of the airbag device from the rear side, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing a support member of the airbag device from the rear side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the airbag device from the rear side. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a steering wheel equipped with the same airbag device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering handle (steering wheel) for steering a vehicle such as an automobile. The steering wheel 1 is configured by attaching an airbag device 3 and a lower cover to a steering wheel main body 2. In this embodiment, the steering wheel 1 is exemplified as a steering wheel in which the steering wheel main body 2 has a boss 5 located in the center, a rim (grip) 6 that is a circular or arc-shaped grip surrounding the boss 5, and the spokes 7 that are radially connected to the boss 5. However, the steering wheel 1 is not limited to this, and may be a control stick type, such as a so-called yoke type. The steering wheel 1 is normally attached to a steering shaft, which is a steering shaft provided in a vehicle in an inclined state. In the following description, the direction of arrow U is the upper side and the direction of arrow D is the lower side when viewing the steering wheel 1 from the occupant's side. In addition, the front, rear, left and right directions are based on the direction of the steering wheel 1 as seen from the axial direction of the steering shaft by a passenger seated in the driver's seat, and in each drawing, the arrow FR direction is the front or rear side, the arrow RR direction is the rear or front side, the arrow L direction is the left side, and the arrow R direction is the right side. Also, the position and shape of each part of the steering wheel 1 will be described based on the steering reference state shown in Figure 5, i.e., the neutral position.

[0011] The handle body 2 is formed by covering a part of a core (armature) with a covering made of synthetic resin or the like. The core is made of metal such as aluminum or magnesium. The covering is made of, for example, synthetic resin.

[0012] The boss portion 5 is attached to the steering shaft and is located at the rotation center of the steering wheel 1. The airbag device 3 is attached to the front side of the boss portion 5.

[0013] The rim portion 6 is the portion that the occupant (driver) grips to operate the steering wheel 1. In other words, the rim portion 6 is the portion used for steering. On the surface of the rim portion 6, the covering portion may be covered with a skin body.

[0014] There are multiple spokes 7. In the present embodiment, three spokes 7 are provided to connect the left and right sides and the bottom of the boss 5 to the rim 6, but the number is not limited to this and may be, for example, two or four or more.

[0015] The airbag device 3 is disposed so as to cover the front side of the boss portion 5 of the handle body 2. As shown in Figure 4, the airbag device 3 is configured by attaching a folded airbag and an inflator 12 that injects gas to inflate the airbag to a support member 10, and by attaching a cover body 13 that covers the front side of the airbag.

[0016] The support member 10 shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 4 is a plate-like member also referred to as a base plate, a damper plate, or the like. The support member 10 is made of metal, such as SECC (galvanized steel plate). In other words, the support member 10 is a sheet metal member. The support member 10 is integrally molded, for example, by press molding. The support member 10 is attached to the front portion of the core metal of the boss portion 5 (shown in FIG. 5) of the handle body 2. The support member 10 has a circular opening 16 in the center of the plate-like main body 15, into which the inflator 12 is fitted. The main body 15 also has mounting openings 18 formed around the opening 16, into which fixing members 17, such as bolts, for attaching the inflator 12 are inserted. The support member 10 also has mounting openings 20 formed around the opening 16, into which a damper device 19, a vibration suppression device for elastically engaging the airbag device 3 to the handle body 2, is attached. In this embodiment, for example, three mounting openings 20 are set, and are arranged on both sides of the upper part and in the center in the left-right direction of the lower part of the opening 16. Note that the support member 10 may also be formed in the shape of a box with an open front side.

[0017] The damper device 19 elastically supports the airbag device 3 relative to the steering wheel main body 2 (shown in FIG. 5), causing the airbag device 3 to act as a damper mass and protecting the steering wheel 1 (shown in FIG. 5) from vibrations during driving. The damper device 19 is, for example, a hook device that is inserted into an insertion opening formed in the boss portion 5 (shown in FIG. 5) of the steering wheel main body 2 and is hooked and held by a hook member located on the back side of the insertion opening.

[0018] The airbag held by the support member 10 is formed in a circular shape or the like to protect the occupant when deployed. The airbag is folded into any predetermined shape when stored.

[0019] The inflator 12 held by the support member 10 includes a cylindrical inflator main body 22 and a mounting portion that protrudes from the outer periphery of the inflator main body 22 in a flange-like shape and secures the inflator 12 to the support member 10. The inflator main body 22 houses a gas generating unit therein. The inflator main body 22 is inserted into the opening 16 of the support member 10 and is positioned so as to protrude from both the front and rear sides of the support member 10. The inflator main body 22 is formed with a gas ejection port that ejects gas into the airbag. The inflator main body 22 also has a terminal portion 24. The inflator main body 22 is attached to the support member 10 so that the terminal portion 24 is positioned rearward relative to the support member 10. In other words, the terminal portion 24 is located at the rear of the inflator 12 when attached. In this embodiment, a pair of terminal portions 24 are arranged side by side. A cable 25 is electrically and mechanically connected to the terminal portion 24 via a connector 26, which serves as a connection portion. The cable 25 is for receiving an electrical signal indicating a command to activate the inflator 12 from a control unit such as an on-board control unit (ECU) to the inflator 12 when necessary, such as in the event of a vehicle collision. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the cables 25 are bundled together via connectors 26 to form a harness. In the example shown in the figure, two cables 25 are bundled together for each connector 26.

[0020] The cover body 13 shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 4 is also referred to as a pad or a module cover. The cover body 13 includes a cover main body 30 formed of, for example, synthetic resin. The surface of the cover main body 30 may be covered with a skin or the like. The cover main body 30 includes a front panel 32 as a covering that partially covers the boss 5 and the spoke 7 (shown in FIG. 5), and a wall 33 protruding from the rear side of the front panel 32. The space surrounded by the front panel 32 and the wall 33 serves as a storage compartment for storing a folded airbag. The wall 33 is positioned so that the front panel 32 surrounds an area facing the folded airbag. In this embodiment, the wall 33 is formed in a continuous cylindrical shape. The wall 33 includes a cover body engaging portion 34 for engaging the support member 10 and the cover body 13. The cover body engaging portion 34 is a protrusion that protrudes from the tip of the wall 33. In this embodiment, the cover body locking portions 34 are provided at the center of the upper portion in the left-right direction and at both left and right sides of the lower portion of the wall portion 33. In other words, the cover body locking portions 34 are located between the damper devices 19.

[0021] In this embodiment, the cover body 13 is engaged with the support member 10 via an attachment member 35. The attachment member 35 is made of metal, such as SECC (galvanized steel plate). The attachment member 35 is formed, for example, from the same material as the support member 10. The attachment member 35 is formed, for example, in a plate shape with a raised outer edge. The attachment member 35 is placed on the front of the support member 10 and is sandwiched in the front-rear direction between the support member 10 and the cover body 13. The attachment member 35 has a communication opening that communicates with the opening 16 of the support member 10, and the inflator main body 22 of the inflator 12 is inserted between the opening 16 and the communication opening. In addition, the attachment member 35 has holes formed around the communication opening, through which the fixing member 17 is inserted. The fixing member 17 is inserted through the holes and the attachment opening 18 of the support member 10, thereby fixing the inflator 12 integrally to the attachment member 35 and the support member 10.

[0022] Additionally, the mounting member 35 has locking holes 40 formed around the communication opening, into which the cover body locking portions 34 are locked. The locking holes 40 are slit-shaped openings located along the outer edge of the mounting member 35. In this embodiment, the cover body locking portions 34 are engaged with the locking holes 40 by claw engagement in the front-to-rear direction. In the illustrated example, support pieces 41 raised on the outer edge of the support member 10 abut against the cover body locking portions 34, thereby reinforcing the locking of the cover body locking portions 34 with the locking holes 40.

[0023] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which mounting member 35 is configured as a separate member from support member 10, but mounting member 35 and support member 10 may also be formed as a single unit. Furthermore, support member 10 or mounting member 35 may be made of a conductive metal or provided with a conductive contact portion, so that it also serves as a horn plate that forms part of a horn switch for sounding the horn device.

[0024] The cover body 13 also has an opening for an insertion portion 45 through which the cable 25 is inserted. The insertion portion 45 is formed as a notch in the wall portion 33 of the cover main body portion 30 of the cover body 13. In this embodiment, the insertion portion 45 is formed as a notch in the tip portion of the wall portion 33. In the example shown in the figure, the insertion portion 45 is formed as a notch in one of the cover body locking portions 34, in the example shown, in the tip portion of the cover body locking portion 34 located at the top. The insertion portion 45 is formed in the shape of a rectangular hole.

[0025] The insertion portion 45 is formed with a hook portion 46 for holding the cable 25. The hook portion 46 is formed integrally with the wall portion 33 or the cover body engaging portion 34, i.e., the cover body 13. Therefore, the hook portion 46 is made of the same material as the cover body 13, which in this embodiment is made of synthetic resin.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3(a), the hook portion 46 is formed to narrow the opening side of the insertion portion 45. The hook portion 46 integrally includes a hook base 47 that protrudes from one side facing the opening of the insertion portion 45 toward the other side opposite thereto, and a hook inclined portion 48 that is continuous with the tip of the hook base 47. The hook base 47 is formed to extend in a direction that intersects the insertion and removal direction of the cable 25 into the insertion portion 45, for example, in the left-right direction. The hook inclined portion 48 is inclined forward toward the inside of the insertion portion 45. The tip of the hook inclined portion 48 is spaced apart from the other side of the insertion portion 45, and an insertion opening 49 for inserting the cable 25 into the insertion portion 45 is formed between the tip of the hook inclined portion 48 and the other side of the insertion portion 45.

[0027] When the cover body 13 is attached to the support member 10, the insertion portion 45 and the hook portion 46 are positioned to protrude rearward from the main body portion 15 of the support member 10 and face the side of the inflator main body portion 22 of the inflator 12.

[0028] The hook portion 46 is formed in a plate shape from synthetic resin, and is therefore capable of elastically bending in the front-to-rear direction (the up-and-down direction in FIG. 2), which is the direction in which the cable 25 is inserted into and removed from the insertion portion 45.

[0029] The elastic deformation of the hook portion 46 in the direction in which the cable 25 is removed from the insertion portion 45 is suppressed by the deformation suppression portion 52. The deformation suppression portion 52 covers the hook portion 46 from the side opposite the insertion portion 45, i.e., from the rear in this embodiment, thereby allowing deformation of the hook portion 46 forward, i.e., toward the inside of the insertion portion 45, in other words, in the direction in which the cable 25 is inserted into the insertion portion 45, and restricting deformation backward, i.e., toward the outside of the insertion portion 45, in other words, in the direction in which the cable 25 is removed from the insertion portion 45. The deformation suppression portion 52 is formed of a material harder than the hook portion 46. In this embodiment, the deformation suppression portion 52 is made of metal and formed integrally with the support member 10, and is also referred to as a plate hook portion, etc. In the illustrated example, the deformation suppression portion 52 is formed on the support piece portion 41 of the support member 10. In this embodiment, the upper support piece 41 is formed by dividing it into one side and the other side of the insertion portion 45, and there is a deformation suppression portion 52 at the tip of the support piece 41 located on one side of the insertion portion 45.

[0030] The deformation suppression portion 52 has a thickness in the front-to-rear direction. The deformation suppression portion 52 integrally includes a suppression base 55 overlapping the hook base 47 of the hook portion 46 on the rear side opposite the insertion portion 45, and an inclined portion 56 overlapping the tip of the suppression base 55 on the rear side opposite the insertion portion 45 relative to the hook inclined portion 48 of the hook portion 46. The suppression base 55 extends in the left-to-right direction. The inclined portion 56 is bent forward relative to the suppression base 55 toward the insertion portion 45. The inclined portion 56 is formed by bending the tip of the suppression base 55, which becomes the punched end when forming the support member 10, by, for example, a chamfering process, so as to crush it. In this embodiment, the tip of the inclined portion 56 is configured not to protrude toward the insertion opening 49 relative to the hook inclined portion 48 of the hook portion 46 so as not to narrow the insertion opening 49.

[0031] Then, in the airbag device 3, the airbag is folded into a predetermined shape and is assembled together with the inflator 12 to the support member 10 via the fixing member 17. In this embodiment, the airbag and the inflator 12 are assembled integrally to the mounting member 35 and the support member 10 via the fixing member 17. That is, the inflator 12 is inserted by inserting the inflator main body 22 into the communication opening of the mounting member 35 and into the opening 16 of the support member 10, which has the damper device 19 attached to the mounting opening 20, and the inflator 12, the mounting member 35, and the support member 10 are fixed integrally by the fixing member 17. Thereafter, the airbag and the inflator 12 are covered with a separately molded cover body 13, and the cover body engaging portion 34 of the cover body 13 is inserted into the engaging hole 40 of the mounting member 35, thereby engaging and fixing the cover body 13 to the mounting member 35 and the support member 10.

[0032] In this state, the cable 25 connected to the terminal portion 24 of the inflator 12 via the connector 26 is inserted into the insertion portion 45 of the cover body 13 through the insertion opening 49 and held in the insertion portion 45 by the hook portion 46. Then, the airbag device 3 and the lower cover are assembled to the steering wheel main body 2. For the airbag device 3, the support member 10 is elastically assembled to the core metal of the steering wheel main body 2 via the damper device 19. Thereafter, the cable 25 is connected to an on-board control device or the like as required, and the steering wheel 1 is completed.

[0033] When the vehicle is subjected to a collision impact, the inflator 12 of the airbag device 3 is activated in response to a signal from the on-board control device, and gas is rapidly injected from the gas injection port into the folded airbag, causing the airbag to expand, and the inflation pressure causes the front panel portion 32 of the cover body 13 to split open, causing the airbag to deploy in front of the occupant, restraining and protecting the moving occupant.

[0034] When the cable 25 is inserted into the insertion portion 45, the tip of the deformation suppression portion 52 is bent relative to the suppression base portion 55 and chamfered to form an inclined portion 56 that is inclined toward the insertion portion 45, making it difficult for the deformation suppression portion 52 to damage the cable 25. Furthermore, when the cable 25 is inserted through the insertion opening 49, when the cable 25 hits the inclination of the hook inclined portion 48 of the hook portion 46, the hook portion 46 elastically deforms so as to fall inward of the insertion portion 45, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2. This, combined with the inclination of the hook inclined portion 48, makes it easy to assemble the cable 25 into the insertion portion 45.

[0035] With regard to the hook portion 46 that holds the cable 25 inserted into the insertion portion 45, the deformation suppression portion 52 suppresses deformation of the hook portion 46 in the direction of the cable 25 being removed from the insertion portion 45, thereby ensuring the holding force of the cable 25 by the hook portion 46 and suppressing removal of the cable 25 from the insertion portion 45 due to deformation of the hook portion 46.

[0036] By forming the deformation suppression portion 52 on the support member 10 that holds the inflator 12, the deformation suppression portion 52 can be easily formed at the same time as molding the support member 10.In addition, if the support member 10 is made of metal, for example, the rigidity of the deformation suppression portion 52 can be easily obtained without impairing the assembly ability of the airbag device 3, and the deformation suppression portion 52 can effectively reinforce the hook portion 46.

[0037] In other words, the holding structure for the cable 25 is formed by combining multiple components, namely, the synthetic resin hook portion 46 formed on the cover body 13 and the metal deformation suppression portion 52 formed on the support member 10, so that the holding structure is not dependent on the material properties of any single component, and it is possible to set up a holding structure that makes it easy to assemble the cable 25 into the insertion portion 45 and makes it difficult for it to come off.

[0038] Since the deformation suppression portion 52 is positioned to cover the hook portion 46 from the side opposite to the insertion portion 45, even if a strong load is applied to the cable 25 inserted into the insertion portion 45 in the direction of removal, the deformation of the hook portion 46 can be effectively restricted by the deformation suppression portion 52, and the cable 25 can be prevented from coming off the insertion portion 45.

[0039] In one embodiment, the cable 25 that is inserted into the insertion portion 45 and held by the hook portion 46 is not limited to one that is connected to the inflator 12, but may be any other cable, such as a cable for a horn switch.

[0040] Furthermore, the deformation suppression portion 52 is not limited to being formed on the support member 10, but may be formed from a separate synthetic resin or the like. [Industrial Applicability]

[0041] The present invention is suitably used as an airbag device for a driver's seat of a vehicle such as an automobile. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 handle 2 Handle body 3 Airbag device 10 Support member 12 Inflator 13 Cover body 25 Cable 45 Insertion part 46 Hook part 52 Deformation suppression section 56 Slope

Claims

1. Airbags and an inflator that supplies gas for inflation to the airbag; a cover body that covers the airbag in a folded state; an insertion portion formed in the cover body and through which a cable is inserted; a hook portion formed on the cover body for holding the cable inserted into the insertion portion; a deformation suppression portion that suppresses deformation of the hook portion in a direction of removal from the insertion portion of the cable; An airbag device comprising:

2. a support member to which the cover body is attached and which holds the inflator; The deformation suppressing portion is formed on the support member.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1.

3. The deformation suppression portion is positioned to cover the hook portion from the opposite side to the insertion portion.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1.

4. The deformation suppression portion has a tip end portion that is inclined toward the insertion portion.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1.

5. A handle body portion, an airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 attached to the steering wheel main body; A handle comprising:

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