Airbag storage case lid opening and closing structure

Abstract

To provide an openable lid structure for an air bag storage case in which load more than strength of a skin can be generated in a tear line when splitting the air bag storage case without having a starting point of cleavage on a skin.SOLUTION: An openable lid structure for an air bag storage case is given in which an air bag B stored and supported in an air bag retainer 1 is inflated and activated when a prescribed impact occurs so that a lid part 10 of the air bag retainer is opened by expansion stress of the air bag. The lid part of the air bag retainer includes: a tear line 13 which is a starting point to open the lid part where wall is thin; and one or plural flap parts 14 arranged in a protruding state on an inside surface of the lid part in which a maximum wall part 14e of the flap part is arranged in the vicinity of the tear line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag storage case opening and closing lid structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, airbag storage case opening and closing covers have been formed with a tear line as a tearing section for tearing open the storage case, and are configured so that when the stored airbag inflates, the inflation pressure tears the tear line, allowing the inflated airbag to intervene between the driver (or passenger) and the instrument panel, protecting the body from impact and maintaining physical safety.

[0003] The opening and closing lid of an airbag storage case with such a structure is configured so that the tear line can be easily torn by a certain impact stress, and careful consideration is made to prevent it from tearing accidentally under normal circumstances. For example, certain considerations are made in the hard synthetic resin material and the molding means for the opening lid shape, and certain modifications are made to the structure of the double lid to make it easier for the lid to inflate and deploy (see Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-234132 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-301398 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, these conventional airbag storage cases have a risk of not always being able to rupture stably along the tear line because the instrument panel structure is wrapped in a high-strength skin, and the conventional airbag retainer structure cannot bear a load greater than the strength of the skin, so any part of the periphery of the lid, excluding the tear line, may tear, resulting in the problem of not being able to rupture stably along the tear line.

[0006] The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its object is to provide an airbag storage case split-open lid structure that can generate a load at the tear line that is greater than the strength of the skin when the airbag storage case is split, without providing a split starting point in the skin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first aspect of the present invention relates to an airbag storage case opening / closing lid structure configured so that an airbag stored and supported in an airbag retainer expands upon the occurrence of a predetermined impact, causing the lid of the airbag retainer to open due to the expansion stress of the airbag, wherein the lid of the airbag retainer has a thin-walled tear line that serves as the starting point for opening the lid, and one or more flap portions protruding from the inner surface of the lid, and the thickest portion of the flap portion is arranged in the vicinity of the tear line.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an airbag storage case opening / closing lid structure, characterized in that the flap portion is formed in a triangular pyramid shape, and the apex of the triangle of the flap portion is oriented toward the tear line.

[0009] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention relates to an airbag storage case opening and closing lid structure, characterized in that the lid portion is formed from two half-lid bodies, and the two half-lid bodies are configured to open like a double door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an airbag storage case lid opening / closing structure configured such that an airbag stored and supported in an airbag retainer inflates upon the occurrence of a predetermined impact, causing the airbag retainer lid to open due to the airbag's expansion stress, the airbag retainer lid has a thin-walled tear line that serves as a starting point for opening the lid, and one or more flaps protruding from the inner surface of the lid, with the thickest portions of the flaps positioned near the tear line, so that in response to the airbag's inflation, the surface of the airbag first abuts the thickest portions of the flaps and pushes the flaps upward, thereby tearing the airbag retainer lid starting from the tear line. Furthermore, this tearing action forms a tear starting point in the instrument panel skin covering the tear line, and by pulling so that stress is concentrated at the tear starting point, the instrument panel skin can be smoothly and reliably torn along the tear line. In particular, since the thickest part of the flap is located near the tear line of the lid, the maximum pressure when the airbag inflates is transmitted to the tear line via the thickest part, ensuring that the airbag can be reliably torn open from the tear line.

[0011] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the flap portion is formed in a triangular pyramid shape, and the apex of the triangle of the flap portion is arranged to face the tear line. As the airbag inflates, the surface of the airbag first abuts the thickest part of the flap portion, causing the apex of the triangle of the flap portion to rotate upward, forming a tear start point in the instrument panel skin. While concentrating stress at the tear start point, the flap portion further rotates upward, allowing the airbag to tear smoothly and reliably along the tear line. This has the effect of allowing the airbag to inflate smoothly and quickly in the event of an external force accident, thereby enabling the airbag to fulfill its safety function.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the lid portion is formed of two half-lid bodies and configured to open like a double door, so that the lid portion rotating in a direction away from the tear line acts to push aside the instrument panel skin covering the tear line, making it easy to tear open the instrument panel skin. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an airbag storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention is stored in an instrument panel. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a flap portion according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the cover portion of the airbag retainer according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the tearing of an instrument panel skin and a tear line due to the inflation of an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows the start of the tearing, (b) shows the instrument panel skin being pulled upward, and (c) shows the state in which the instrument panel skin has been torn. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are bottom views showing the cover portion of an airbag retainer according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a view showing the flap portion in the shape of a truncated quadrangular pyramid, and (b) is a view showing the flap portion in the shape of a semi-cylindrical cylinder. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are perspective views showing the shape of a flap portion according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is formed in an approximately quadrangular pyramid shape, (b) is formed in an approximately semi-cylindrical shape, and (c) is formed in a shape obtained by cutting out a portion of a sphere. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are bottom views showing the cover portion of an airbag retainer according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A shows that the flap portion is disposed so as to straddle the tear line, and FIG. 10B shows that the flap portion is disposed opposite to the tear line. [Figure 9] 10 is a view showing an example of an airbag retainer according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is formed in a one-sided opening shape. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 9. In this embodiment, the lid portion has a double door structure that opens and closes from front to back, and the flap portion has a generally triangular pyramid shape. In describing this embodiment, the "front-rear direction" refers to the overall length of the vehicle, and the "left-right direction" refers to the width direction of the vehicle, and the front-rear and left-right directions correspond to the front-rear and left-right directions of the vehicle (see Figure 1).

[0015] An airbag B is housed inside the instrument panel P. The airbag B inflates upon an external impact and tears open an airbag retainer 1 disposed on the rear surface of the panel at a tear line 13 (see FIG. 2). This embodiment relates to the tear line 13 of the airbag retainer 1 disposed inside the instrument panel P and the structure around it. The front side of the instrument panel P is covered with an instrument panel skin P1. The instrument panel skin P1 is formed of a relatively high-strength skin material, such as a raised skin.

[0016] The airbag retainer 1 has a lid portion 10 which is divided in the front-rear direction, and the butted portion at the center of the lid portion 10 is configured like a double door so that it can be opened and closed.

[0017] The airbag retainer 1 has a tear line 13 that thins the butted portion in the center of the lid portion 10. The tear line 13 is a linear, thin portion of the lid portion that serves as the starting point for opening the lid portion 10. The airbag retainer 1 tears at the tear line 13 due to the inflation pressure of the airbag B, causing the airbag B to inflate to the outside of the airbag retainer 1 and intervene between the instrument panel P and the body of the person sitting in the passenger seat, protecting the person sitting in the passenger seat from external impacts.

[0018] The airbag storage case lid opening / closing structure of this embodiment is characterized in that, in the basic structure of the airbag B, a flap portion 14 is provided to rotatably protrude from the inner surfaces of the front and rear half-lid bodies 11, 12, which are the lid portion 10 of the airbag retainer 1. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the flap portion 14 is provided on the inner surface of the front half-lid body 12 will be described as an example.

[0019] 2, 3, and 4, the flap portion 14 is a generally triangular pyramid-shaped portion made of the same material as the airbag retainer 1. The flap portion 14 has a generally triangular shape in a plan view, is provided on the tear line 13 side of the front half-cover 12, and is formed as part of the front half-cover 12 via a thin portion 12b that is relatively thinner than the general portion of the front half-cover 12. In other words, the thin portion 12b is formed linearly around the periphery of the flap portion 14, following the outline of the generally triangular shape of the flap portion 14.

[0020] The flap portion 14 has a configuration in which a protruding portion having a predetermined shape is provided on a triangular base portion 14c, which is a portion that is continuous with the thin portion 12b of the front half-cover 12. The flap portion 14 has leg plates 14a, 14a that gradually decrease in height from the triangular apex 14b toward the triangular base 14c suspended from the underside along triangular hypotenuses 14f, 14f, and has a maximum thickness portion 14e that is the highest in height near the triangular apex 14b.

[0021] The pair of leg plates 14a, 14a are protrusions formed along the outer shape of the flap portion 14 to form a generally "V" shape in a plan view, and have a shape in which the amount of protrusion relative to the triangular base 14c gradually decreases from the triangle apex 14b toward the triangle base 14c. More specifically, the generally V-shaped protrusions formed by the pair of leg plates 14a, 14a have an upper surface 14h that is an inclined surface that slopes along a common inclined plane that descends from the triangle apex 14b toward the triangular base 14c, relative to the horizontal triangular base 14c, in a side view of the flap portion 14. In other words, the flap portion 14 is formed to form a triangle in a side view by the upper surface of the triangular base 14c, the inclined upper surface 14h, and the side formed by the maximum thickness portion 14e.

[0022] The flap portion 14 has a maximum thickness portion 14e disposed at or near a tear line 13, which is the abutment portion of the front and rear half-cover bodies 11, 12 of the airbag retainer 1 when the lid is closed. That is, as shown in Fig. 4, the flap portion 14, which has an outer shape of an isosceles triangle, is provided so that the vertex where the maximum thickness portion 14e (triangle vertex 14b) is located abuts against the linear tear line 13.

[0023] Lightening holes 15 are formed in the triangular base 14c by hollowing out the flap portion 14 to reduce the weight of the flap portion 14. A reinforcing rib 16 having a generally Y-shape in plan view is provided between the pair of leg plates 14a. The reinforcing rib 16 is located at a lower position than the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14 relative to the triangular base 14c, and is formed with a constant or approximately constant thickness (protrusion amount). The reinforcing rib 16 connects the ends of the branching portions of the Y-shaped outer shape to the leg plates 14a, respectively.

[0024] The flap portion 14 connects the leg plates 14a, 14a with the reinforcing rib 16, thereby eliminating the risk of the leg plates 14a, 14a being deformed by the pressure when the airbag B contacts them. In other words, the reinforcing rib 16 suppresses the deformation of the leg plates 14a, 14a, thereby suppressing the dispersion of the contact load of the airbag B and concentrating the maximum inflation pressure of the airbag B at the triangular apex 14b located above the maximum thickness portion 14e, thereby allowing the instrument panel skin P1 to be easily torn open.

[0025] Furthermore, the flap portion 14 has thin portions 12b connected to the triangular base portion 14c and the triangular hypotenuse portion 14f, each with a different thickness. Specifically, the thin portion 12b connected to the triangular hypotenuse portion 14f is thinner than the thin portion 12b connected to the triangular base portion 14c. This allows the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14 to be easily lifted independently from the front half-cover 12 on one side as the airbag B inflates. That is, in response to the inflation of the airbag B, the surface of the airbag B first abuts against the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14, causing the triangular apex portion 14b and the triangular hypotenuse portions 14f, 14f to detach from the front half-cover 12, and allowing the flap portion 14 to rotate in the tearing direction (upward) around the triangular base portion 14c before the front half-cover 12. Here, the flap portion 14 rotates with the triangular base portion 14c side as the base end for rotation relative to the main body of the front half-cover 12. As a result, the flap portion 14 rotates in the tearing direction around the thin portion 12b to form a tearing start point in the instrument panel skin P1, and in conjunction with the opening of the front and rear half-covers 11, 12, pushes the instrument panel skin P1 aside from the tearing start point, allowing the airbag B to tear accurately and reliably from the tear line 13 due to inflation.

[0026] As mentioned above, the airbag retainer 1 forms a tear line 13 in the thin-walled portion where the front and rear half cover bodies 11, 12 butt together, which is located approximately in the center of the cover portion 10, and a flap portion 14 is provided on the front half cover body 12 on one side, and the front and rear half cover bodies 11, 12 have their base end edges rotatably connected to one side edge of the airbag retainer 1, and the inflation pressure of the airbag B causes the front and rear half cover bodies 11, 12 to rotate upward around the pivot portions 11a, 12a at their base ends and open, tearing open the instrument panel skin P1 that covers the airbag retainer 1 and allowing the inflated airbag B to bulge outward from the airbag retainer 1, thereby protecting the bodies of the driver and passengers seated in the front passenger seat, etc., from impact.

[0027] The order in which the airbag retainer 1 is torn open and the instrument panel skin P1 is torn open will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c).

[0028] As shown in Figure 5(a), the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12, which are the cover portion 10 of the airbag retainer 1, are configured in a closed state with their butt joints connected together via a tear line 13 below the instrument panel P covered with the instrument panel skin P1.

[0029] When the airbag B is inflated by impact, the thickest part 14e near the triangular apex 14b of the flap portion 14 is first lifted, causing the instrument panel skin P1 to expand by that amount, and the triangular apex 14b forms a tear starting point in the instrument panel skin P1.

[0030] Next, when the airbag B further inflates, the rear half-cover 11 on one side is lifted while the flap portion 14 remains folded, and the front half-cover 12 on the other side is lifted simultaneously with the rear half-cover 11 on the other side, causing the front and rear half-cover 11, 12 to open like a double door, as shown in Figure 5(b). That is, at the tearing starting point of the instrument panel skin P1, two rotational stresses are generated: an upward rotational stress about the triangular base 14c of the flap portion 14 as the rotational axis due to the inflation of the airbag B, and an upward rotational stress about the pivotal support portions 11a, 12a of the front and rear half-cover 11, 12 that constitute the lid portion 10 as the rotational axis. In addition, the rotational stress of the flap portion 14 acts to form a tearing starting point in the instrument panel skin P1, and the rotational stress of the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 acts to push the instrument panel skin P1 aside from the tearing starting point and tear the instrument panel skin P1.

[0031] When the airbag B further inflates, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 of the cover portion 10 tear the instrument panel skin P1 from the tearing starting point located above the tear line 13, and the airbag B stored inside the airbag retainer 1 bulges out of the retainer to perform its body protection function.

[0032] In this way, the flap portion 14 has the thickest portion 14e near the triangular apex 14b as the pressure-receiving body of the airbag B that first receives the pressure when the airbag B inflates, and therefore, in response to the inflation of the airbag B, the surface of the airbag B first abuts against the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14, causing the triangular apex 14b of the flap portion 14 to be lifted upward. In other words, the flap portion 14 rotates upward about the triangular base portion 14c while detaching the triangular apex 14b and the triangular hypotenuses 14f, 14f from the front half-cover 12, thereby forming a notch in the tear line 13 and forming a tear starting point in the instrument panel skin P1.

[0033] Then, by simultaneously lifting the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 with the airbag B, the thin-walled tear line 13 is pulled diagonally upward in the front and rear directions, respectively, and the tear line 13 is torn from the cutout portion as a starting point, while the tear line 13 rotates diagonally upward in the front and rear directions, pushing aside the instrument panel skin P1 in the front and rear direction, and the instrument panel skin P1 can be torn from the tear starting point.

[0034] This tearing operation occurs when the instrument panel skin P1 covering the tear line 13 is pulled, and a tearing starting point is formed in the instrument panel skin P1 at the triangular apex 14b of the flap portion 14. This causes the inflation pressure of the airbag B when it inflates to be concentrated at the tearing starting point in the instrument panel skin P1, making it easier to tear the instrument panel skin P1, and thereby enabling the safety function of the airbag inflation in the event of an external force impact accident to be accurately and reliably achieved.

[0035] While the present embodiment has been described with the flap portion 14 having a generally triangular pyramid shape, the flap portion 14 may have any shape, such as a generally truncated square pyramid shape, a generally truncated semi-conical shape, a generally square prism shape, or a generally semi-cylindrical shape, as long as the maximum thickness portion 14e is formed along the tear line 13, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. In other words, the flap portion 14 may have any shape as long as the maximum thickness portion 14e is disposed near the tear line 13 and can form a tear start point for concentrating stress on the instrument panel skin P1 as the airbag B inflates.

[0036] For example, the following description will be given taking the case where the flap portion 14 is a flap portion 14' having a substantially truncated quadrangular pyramid shape. As shown in Figures 6(a) and 7(a), the flap portion 14' is pivotally protruded from the inner surface of the cover portion 10 (front half cover 12) on one side of the tear line 13 of the front and rear half cover portions 11, 12 so as to be able to rotate upward around the triangular base portion 14c' as a rotation axis, similar to the substantially triangular pyramid-shaped flap portion 14.

[0037] The flap portion 14' has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view and is integrally connected to the front half-cover 12 by a thin portion 12b'. The flap portion 14' has a bottom surface 14h' that first comes into contact with the airbag B when it inflates, and a top surface 14m' that forms part of the upper surface of the front half-cover 12, with the top surface 14m' being configured so that it has a larger area than the bottom surface 14h'. The flap portion 14' is configured so that a maximum thickness portion 14e' is located below the tear line 13, and so that the maximum inflation pressure when the airbag B inflates is generated in the maximum thickness portion 14e'. As a result, when the airbag B inflates, the maximum inflation pressure of the airbag B is first generated at the bottom surface 14h' of the flap portion 14', pushing up the top surface 14m' via the thickest part 14e', and the rear end 14b' of the top surface 14m' abuts against the instrument panel skin P1, forming a tear starting point in the instrument panel skin P1. After that, when the airbag B further inflates, the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 rotate upward about the pivot parts 11a, 12a as rotation axes. As a result, the rear end 14b' of the flap portion 14' rotates upward around the triangular base 14c' of the flap portion 14', pushing up the instrument panel skin P1 from below and forming a tear starting point in the instrument panel skin P1.

[0038] Thereafter, the airbag B rotates the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 upward about the pivotal portions 11a, 12a, thereby concentrating the rotational stress of the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 and the flap portion 14' at the tearing starting point of the instrument panel skin P1, making it easy to tear the instrument panel skin P1.

[0039] Even when the flap portion 14 is formed in an approximately semi-cylindrical shape as shown in Figures 6(b) and 7(b), by arranging the thickest portion 14e'' of the flap portion 14'' near the tear line 13, which is the butt joint between the front and rear cover bodies 11 and 12, and configuring it so that the inflation pressure when the airbag B is inflated is generated in the thickest portion 14e'', the cover portion 10 can be easily torn from the tear line 13, and the instrument panel skin P1 can be easily torn from above the tear line 13, just like when the flap portion is formed in an approximately triangular pyramid shape (flap portion 14) or a quadrangular pyramid shape (flap portion 14').

[0040] 6(b) and 7(b), similarly to the triangular flap portion 14 shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the upper surface 14k of the semicircular flap portion 14" can be configured as an inclined surface that slopes downward from the triangular apex 14b" toward the triangular base 14c" with respect to the horizontal triangular base 14c" in a side view of the flap portion 14". In other words, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the semicircular flap portion 14" may have a shape in which the thickness gradually decreases from the apex side of the semicircular shape toward the linear triangular base 14c". In such a shape of the flap portion 14", a triangular shape is formed in a side view by the upper surface of the triangular base 14c", the upper surface 14k, and the side formed by the thickest portion 14e". By adopting such a shape, the pressing force of the inflating airbag B can be efficiently received near the top of the semicircular flap portion 14, and the action of tearing the lid portion 10 can be efficiently exerted on the lid portion 10.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14 is disposed below the tear line 13, but the position of the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14 is not limited to this, and the thickest portion 14e may be disposed so as to straddle the tear line 13.

[0042] 8(a), the flap portion 14 is disposed so as to straddle the front and rear half-lid bodies 11, 12. Specifically, the triangular base portion 14c of the flap portion 14 is disposed on one half-lid body 12, the front half-lid body, and the triangular apex portion 14b is disposed on the other half-lid body 11, the rear half-lid body.

[0043] By disposing the flap portion 14 so as to straddle the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 in this way, when the airbag B inflates, the surface of the airbag B presses the thickest part 14e of the flap portion 14, causing the triangular apex 14b to rotate upward, forming a tearing start point in the instrument panel skin P1 at the triangular apex 14b. Thereafter, the front half-cover 12 on the side of the triangular base 14c of the flap portion 14 rotates upward with a delay following the rotation of the triangular apex 14b, so that the instrument panel skin P1 is pushed aside in the front-rear direction by the tearing start point formed by the triangular apex 14b and the rear half-cover 11, and is reliably torn from the tearing start point.

[0044] At this time, the triangular hypotenuse portions 14f, 14f of the flap portion 14 are connected to the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 in a thin state, so that when the flap portion 14 is subjected to the inflation pressure from the airbag B, the triangular apex portion 14b and the triangular hypotenuse portions 14f, 14f of the flap portion 14 detach from the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 and can rotate independently, allowing the flap portion 14 to tear without impeding the tearing action when tearing from the tear line 13.

[0045] Alternatively, the flap portions 14 may be provided on the rear surfaces of the front and rear cover halves 11, 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the flap portions 14, 14 having a generally triangular shape in plan view are provided on the rear surfaces of the front and rear cover halves 11, 12, respectively, and the vertices 14b, 14b of the flaps 14, 14 are arranged along the tear line 13. That is, one vertex 14b of the flaps 14, 14 is arranged so as to contact the other vertex 14b of the flaps 14, 14. As a result, the inflation pressure of the airbag B is generated in the thickest portions 14e, 14e of the flaps 14, 14, causing the vertices 14b, 14b and the hypotenuses 14f, 14f of the flaps 14, 14 to detach from the front and rear cover halves 11, 12 and to be pushed upward, thereby forming tear starting points in the instrument panel skin P1 at the vertices 14b, 14b. Thereafter, the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 each having the flap portions 14, 14 rotate upward at the same timing, so that the instrument panel skin P1 can be torn apart from the tearing starting point.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flap portion 14 is integrally connected to the front and rear half lid bodies 11, 12 of the airbag retainer 1, and is configured so that it can detach from the front and rear half lid bodies 11, 12 and rotate independently when an impact is received, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the front and rear half lid bodies 11, 12 and the flap portion 14 may be configured separately. As a result, the flap portion 14 does not need to be detached from the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12, and the expansion energy of the airbag B can be used only for tearing the tear line 13, tearing the instrument panel skin P1, and inflating the airbag B, thereby allowing the airbag retainer 1 to be efficiently ruptured.

[0047] Therefore, by constructing the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 and the flap portion 14 separately, the loss of inflation energy of the airbag B is reduced, while the instrument panel skin P1 can be torn above the tear line 13 in the same way as when the front and rear cover bodies 11, 12 and the flap portion 14 are constructed integrally.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, the airbag retainer 1 has been described as having a double-door lid portion 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the lid portion 10' of the airbag retainer 1 may be configured to open on one side, and one end of the lid portion 10' may be thinly connected to the side wall of the airbag retainer 1 to form a tear line 13'. The maximum thickness portion 14e of the flap portion 14 may be disposed along this tear line 13'.

[0049] In this way, when the flap portion 14 is provided on the one-sided lid portion 10', as in the case of the double-door lid portion 10, when the airbag B inflates, the surface of the airbag B presses against the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14, forming a tearing starting point in the instrument panel skin P1. When the airbag B then further inflates, the lid body 12' constituting the lid portion 10' pushes aside the tearing starting point, easily tearing the instrument panel skin P1.

[0050] In this way, the present invention has a flap portion 14 on the lid portion 10 that constitutes the airbag retainer 1, and the thickest portion 14e of the flap portion 14 is arranged near the tear line 13, which is the tearing portion of the airbag retainer 1.When the airbag B is inflated, the flap portion 14 rotates upward, forming a notch in the tear line 13 and forming a tear starting point in the instrument panel skin P1.Then, the lid portion 10 rotates in response to the rotation of the flap portion 14, tearing the tear line 13 from the notch, making it possible to easily tear the instrument panel skin P1 from the tear starting point. This reduces the loss of energy used to inflate airbag B, thereby ensuring that airbag B can effectively protect the bodies of the driver and passengers seated in the front passenger seat from impact.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but also includes configurations in which the components disclosed in the above-described embodiments are mutually substituted or combined, as well as known inventions, etc. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but extends to the matters set forth in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Airbag retainer 10,10´ Lid 11 Anterior half-lid 12 Posterior half lid 11a,12a Cardinal branch 12b,12b´,12b´´ Thin wall part 13,13´ Tearline 14,14´,14´´ Flap section 14a leg plate 14a´ bottom 14b,14b´,14b´´ Triangle vertices 14b´ Top surface 14c,14c´,14c´´ Triangle base 14d´ corner 14e,14e´,14e´´ Maximum thickness part 14f Triangle hypotenuse 15 Lightweight hole 16 Reinforcing rib P Instrument panel P1 instrument panel skin B. Airbag

Claims

1. In an airbag storage case opening / closing lid structure, an airbag stored and supported in an airbag retainer is inflated by the occurrence of a predetermined impact, and a lid portion of the airbag retainer is opened by the expansion stress of the airbag, The lid of the airbag retainer is It includes two half-lids, one in front and one in back, a tear line formed at the butted portion of the two half-lid bodies to be thin and serving as a starting point for opening the two half-lid bodies; The half-lid body has a maximum thickness portion protruding toward the inside thereof, and one or more flap portions formed as part of the half-lid body via a thin portion that is relatively thinner than the thickness of the general portion of the half-lid body, The thin-walled portion is formed along the entire periphery of the flap portion, An airbag storage case opening / closing lid structure, characterized in that the maximum thickness portion is positioned to abut against the tear line.

2. 2. The airbag storage case lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the flap portion is formed in a triangular pyramid shape, and the apex of the triangle of the flap portion is oriented toward the tear line.

Images