Airbag system

Abstract

To provide an air bag device advantageous in improvement of deployment performance of an air bag.SOLUTION: A reinforcement 26 is disposed below a rear end of a hood 14 to extend in a vehicle width direction. Both end portions 26A of the reinforcement 26 in the extension direction are each attached to a lower surface of the hood 14 between a hinge mechanism 18 and the lower surface of the hood 14 to be overlapped with the hinge mechanism and the lower surface, and an air bag case 28 is attached to an intermediate portion 26B of the reinforcement 26 in the extension direction. The reinforcement 26 enhances strength rigidity at portions of the rear end of the hood 14 to which the hinge mechanisms 18 are attached and in the entire region in the width direction of the rear end of the hood 14 including the portions of the rear end of the hood 14. The center of a rear part of the hood 14 in the vehicle width direction is prevented from being deformed downward by a load applied when the rear end of the hood 14 is moved upward by a pair of pop-up mechanisms 48 on both sides in the vehicle width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag device.

Background Art

[0002] From the viewpoint of protecting pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcycle riders, when a vehicle undergoes a side collision, the rear ends on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the hood are pushed upward by a pop-up mechanism provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction, thereby forming a space between the lower end of the windshield glass and the rear end of the hood. An airbag device that inflates and deploys an airbag from this space to cover the lower part of the windshield glass and the lower part of the A pillar (see Patent Document 1), and an airbag device that inflates and deploys an airbag from a space formed using a pop-up mechanism to cover the rear part of the upper surface of the hood have been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such an airbag device, when the rear ends on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the hood are pushed upward by the pop-up mechanism, the central portion in the vehicle width direction of the rear end of the hood is likely to bend downward. Therefore, it is important to reliably and stably deploy the airbag from the space formed between the lower end of the windshield glass and the rear end of the hood using the pop-up mechanism. In other words, it is important to improve the deployment performance of the airbag. The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that is advantageous for improving the deployment performance of an airbag.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above objective, one embodiment of the present invention provides an airbag device that deploys the airbag from the rear end of the hood, comprising: a pair of hinge mechanisms that pivotably support the hood at both sides in the vehicle width direction near the rear end of the hood with respect to the vehicle body; and an airbag case provided at a location near the rear end of the lower surface of the hood for housing an airbag, wherein a reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction is provided below the rear end of the hood, and both ends of the reinforcement in the direction of extension are overlapped between the hinge mechanism and the lower surface of the hood and attached to the lower surface of the hood together with the hinge mechanism, and the airbag case is attached to the middle portion of the reinforcement in the direction of extension. Ori , The reinforcement has a front projection and a rear projection that protrude downward and extend in the vehicle width direction, spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction, and the airbag case is positioned in the recess formed between the front projection and the rear projection. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, While ensuring the rigidity of the reinforcement and compactly positioning the airbag vertically in the limited space below the hood, This allows the airbag to be reliably and stably deployed from the rear edge of the hood, which is advantageous in improving airbag deployment performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a bottom view of the hood to which the airbag of the airbag device according to the embodiment is attached, viewed from below. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the airbag of the airbag device according to the embodiment in an inflated and deployed state. [Figure 5] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the pop-up mechanism. [Figure 6] This is a side cross-section showing the state where the pop-up mechanism is activated and the rear end of the hood is raised. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of the airbag system in a modified example, corresponding to Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following diagrams, the symbol FR indicates the front of the vehicle, and the symbol UP indicates the area above the vehicle. As shown in Figure 4, the airbag device 10 of this embodiment inflates and deploys the airbag 16 from between the lower end of the windshield glass 12 and the rear end of the hood 14 to cover the rear of the upper surface of the hood 14. The hood 14 is a front-opening type, and the front end of the hood 14 is opened and closed by pivoting support at a point near the rear end of the hood 14 via a pair of hinge mechanisms 18 on both sides in the vehicle width direction, as shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6. As shown in Figure 3, the hood 14 is composed of an outer panel 20 and an inner panel 22. As shown in Figure 2, a bulge 24 is provided at the rear of the lower surface of the inner panel 22, which extends in the vehicle width direction and bulges downward.

[0009] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a reinforcement 26 is provided on the lower surface of the inner panel 22 at the rear of the vehicle, extending in the vehicle width direction below the bulging portion 24. When viewed from above, the trailing edges of the outer panel 20 and the inner panel 22 are curved, and the contour of the reinforcement 26 also exhibits a curved shape that follows this curved shape. As shown in Figure 5, both ends 26A of the reinforcement 26 in the extending direction are superimposed on the mounting plate 4402 of the upper bracket 44 which constitutes the hinge mechanism 18 described later, and are attached to the lower surface of the inner panel 22 together with the mounting plate 4402. In other words, both ends 26A of the reinforcement 26 in the extending direction are overlapped between the hinge mechanism 18 and the lower surface of the hood 14 and are attached to the lower surface of the hood 18 together with the hinge mechanism 18. As shown in Figure 2, in the intermediate portion 26B of the reinforcement 26 in the extending direction, an upwardly recessed recess 2602 is provided in the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction to accommodate approximately the upper half of the airbag case 28, and as shown in Figure 1, a mounting surface 2604 for attaching the airbag case 28 is provided around the recess 2602. As shown in Figure 2, the mounting surface 2604 of the recess 2602 located at the front of the vehicle is the reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30, and the mounting surface 2604 of the recess 2602 located at the rear of the vehicle is the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32. The reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32 is located at a position displaced above the reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30. Furthermore, the portion of the reinforcement 26 located at the front of the vehicle on the reinforcement side front mounting portion 30 is a front vertical wall 34 rising from the reinforcement side front mounting portion 30, and the portion of the reinforcement 26 located at the rear of the vehicle on the reinforcement side rear mounting portion 32 is a rear vertical wall 36 rising from the reinforcement side rear mounting portion 32. The upper end of the front vertical wall 34 is joined to the inner panel 22 in front of the bulging section 24, and the upper end of the rear vertical wall 36 is joined to the rear inclined wall 2402 of the bulging section 24. In other words, the reinforcement 26 has a front projection 30A and a rear projection 32A that are formed to protrude downward and extend in the vehicle width direction, and are provided with a gap between them in the front and rear directions. The airbag case 28 is positioned in the recessed portion 2602A formed between the front protruding portion 30A and the rear protruding portion 32A. The reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30 is provided on the lower surface of the front protrusion portion 30A, and the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32 is provided on the lower surface of the rear protrusion portion 32A. In the reinforcement 26, the lower surface of the rear protrusion 32A is set to be higher than the lower surface of the front protrusion 30A.

[0010] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the hinge mechanism 18 is composed of a lower bracket 38, a first swing arm 40, a second swing arm 42, and an upper bracket 44. The lower bracket 38 is attached to a vehicle body side member 46, such as an upper frame, located on both sides in the vehicle width direction in the front space of the vehicle below the hood 14, in front of the dash panel. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rear end of the first swing arm 40 is rotatably connected to the lower bracket 38 via the first pin P1, and the front end of the first swing arm 40 is rotatably connected to the upper bracket 44 via the second pin P2. The rear end of the second swing arm 42 is rotatably connected to the upper bracket 44 via the third pin P3, and the front end of the second swing arm 42 is rotatably connected to the front portion of the first swing arm 40 via the fourth pin P4. Note that the third pin P3 is formed such that the portion supported by the first swing arm 40 and the portion supported by the second swing arm 42 and the upper bracket 44 can be broken when the pop-up mechanism 48 described later operates. That is, when the hood 14 is opened and closed, as shown in FIG. 5, with the first pin P1 as a fulcrum, the first swing arm 40, the upper bracket 44, and the hood 14 swing up and down integrally, and the front end of the hood 14 is opened and closed. Also, when a collision is detected or a collision prediction is detected, as shown in FIG. 6, when the rod 4802 of the pop-up mechanism 48 protrudes by control by an airbag ECU (not shown) to push up the rear portion of the hood 14, since the front end of the hood 14 is supported on the vehicle body side by a latch mechanism (not shown), the third pin P3 breaks, the first swing arm 40 is displaced upward with the first pin P1 as a fulcrum, and the second swing arm 42 swings upward with the fourth pin P4 as a fulcrum. As a result, the rear end of the hood 14 rises, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a space S for the airbag 16 to bulge and deploy is formed between the rear end of the hood 14 and the lower end of the windshield glass 12, and the airbag 16 expands and deploys to the rear portion of the upper surface of the hood 14 through this space S.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag device 10 is provided at the intermediate portion 26B in the extending direction of the reinforcement 26. The airbag device 10 includes a pop-up mechanism 48 shown in FIG. 3, an airbag case 28, an airbag 16 that is housed in the airbag case 28 shown in FIG. 2 and expands and deploys, and an inflater 50. The pop-up mechanism 48 includes an actuator in which a rod 4802 protrudes upward due to working gas supplied from a gas generator (not shown). In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the pop-up mechanism 48 is configured such that the rod 4802 pushes upward on the vehicle at the point where both ends 26A of the reinforcement 26 and the mounting plate 4402 of the upper bracket 44 constituting the hinge mechanism 18 overlap, thereby lifting the rear end of the hood 14.

[0012] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the airbag case 28 consists of an upper case 2802 and a lower case 2804, and has a storage chamber 52 for accommodating the folded airbag 16 and inflator 50. The flanges 2810 on the outer perimeter of the upper case 2802 and lower case 2804 surrounding the containment chamber 52 are attached to the mounting surface 2604 of the reinforcement 26 via bolts and nuts B. As shown in Figure 2, the outer flange 2810 located at the front of the vehicle of the storage chamber 52 is the front mounting portion 54 on the case side, and the outer flange 2810 located at the rear of the vehicle of the storage chamber 52 is the rear mounting portion 56 on the case side. The case-side front mounting portion 54 is attached to the reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30 via bolts and nuts B, and the case-side rear mounting portion 56 is attached to the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32, which is located at a position displaced above the reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30, via bolts and nuts B.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, a tear line 2812 is provided on the upper part of the lower case 2804, and more specifically, the tear line 2812 is provided near the lower part of the rear mounting portion 56 on the case side of the airbag 16. As shown in Figure 4, when the lower case 2804 ruptures at the tear line 2812 during the inflation of the airbag 16, the rear part of the lower case 2804 swings downward, forming a large opening 52A that opens the storage chamber 52. The inflator 50 is supported within the airbag case 28 via a bracket (not shown) and is activated by an activation signal supplied from the airbag ECU, supplying inflation gas into the airbag 16.

[0014] Next, the operation of the airbag system 10 will be explained. When a collision is detected or a collision is predicted, the pop-up mechanism 48 is activated by an activation signal supplied from the airbag ECU, causing the rear end of the hood 14 to rise upwards on the vehicle, as shown in Figure 6, and creating a space S between the rear end of the hood 14 and the lower end of the windshield glass 12. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the airbag 16 inflates when inflation gas is supplied from the inflator 50, which is activated by an activation signal from the airbag ECU. This causes the airbag case 28 to detach from the tearline 2812, and the lower case 2804 to swing downward, opening the housing chamber 52 and forming an opening 52A. The airbag 16 then inflates and deploys along the upper surface of the hood 14 via this opening 52A and the space S.

[0015] According to this embodiment, a reinforcement 26 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided below the rear end of the hood 14. Both ends 26A of the reinforcement 26 in the direction of extension are attached to the lower surface of the hood 14, overlapping between the hinge mechanism 18 and the lower surface of the hood 14. An airbag case 28 is attached to the middle portion 26B of the reinforcement 26 in the direction of extension. Therefore, the reinforcement 26 increases the strength and rigidity of the rear end of the hood 14 where the hinge mechanism 18 is attached, and the entire widthwise region of the rear end of the hood 14 including this rear end. This is advantageous in suppressing downward bending of the center of the rear of the hood 14 in the widthwise direction due to the load applied when the rear end of the hood 14 is raised by the pair of pop-up mechanisms 48 on both sides in the widthwise direction of the vehicle during collision detection or collision prediction detection. Therefore, the airbag 16 can be reliably and stably deployed along the upper surface of the hood 14, which is advantageous in improving the deployment performance of the airbag 16.

[0016] In this embodiment, the reinforcement 26 has a front projection 30A and a rear projection 32A that protrude downward and extend in the vehicle width direction, spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction, and the airbag case 28 is positioned in a recessed portion 2602A formed between the front projection 30A and the rear projection 32A. Therefore, the provision of the front and rear protrusions 30A and 32A is advantageous in ensuring the rigidity of the reinforcement 26, which is advantageous in suppressing downward bending of the rear center of the hood 14 in the vehicle width direction due to the load applied when the rear end of the hood 14 is raised, and is advantageous in ensuring that the airbag 16 is deployed reliably and stably along the upper surface of the hood 14, thereby improving the deployment performance of the airbag 16. Furthermore, since the airbag case 28 is positioned in the recessed portion 2602A, it is advantageous for compactly arranging the airbag device 10 in the limited space below the hood 14 in the vertical direction.

[0017] In this embodiment, the airbag case 28 is provided with a front mounting portion 54 and a rear mounting portion 56 on the front and rear of the case, respectively. The reinforcement 28 includes a front mounting portion 30 to which the front mounting portion 54 is attached, and a rear mounting portion 32 to which the rear mounting portion 56 is attached. The front mounting portion 30 is provided on the lower surface of the front protrusion portion 30A, and the rear mounting portion 32 is provided on the lower surface of the rear protrusion portion 32A. Therefore, the front convex portion 30A and the rear convex portion 32A are advantageous in ensuring the seating surface rigidity of the reinforcement side front mounting portion 30 and the reinforcement side rear mounting portion 32, and are advantageous in improving the mounting strength of the airbag case 28 to the reinforcement 26.

[0018] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a tear line 2812 is formed near the lower part of the rear mounting portion 56 on the case side of the airbag 16, and the lower surface of the rear protrusion 32A of the reinforcement 26 is set to be higher than the lower surface of the front protrusion 30A. Therefore, when a collision is detected or a collision is predicted, the tear line 2812 is ruptured by the inflation of the airbag 16, and the airbag case 28 is opened. As the airbag 16 inflates and deploys towards the rear of the vehicle through the space S, a large opening 52A is formed in the airbag case 28 that opens the storage chamber 52. This is advantageous in suppressing interference between the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32 and the inflating and deploying airbag 16. Therefore, this is advantageous in ensuring that the airbag 16 is reliably and stably deployed along the upper surface of the hood 14, and is advantageous in improving the deployment performance of the airbag 16.

[0019] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when viewed from above, the contour of the reinforcement 26 exhibits a curved shape that follows the curved shape of the trailing edge of the hood 14. This is advantageous in reinforcing the strength and rigidity of the rear end portion of the hood 14 with the reinforcement 26 compared to the case where it extends in a straight line. Therefore, it is more advantageous in suppressing downward bending of the rear center of the hood 14 in the vehicle width direction due to the load applied when the rear end of the hood 14 is raised by the pair of pop-up mechanisms 48 on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and is more advantageous in improving the deployment performance of the airbag 16.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear end of the hood 14 is configured to be able to be raised upward on the vehicle by a pop-up mechanism 48. The pop-up mechanism 48 lifts the hood 14 by pushing upward on the vehicle at a point where the reinforcement 26 and the hinge mechanism 18 are superimposed to ensure strength and rigidity. Therefore, when the rear end of the hood 14 is raised by the pop-up mechanism 48 during collision detection or collision prediction detection, it is more advantageous in suppressing downward bending of the rear center of the hood 14 in the vehicle width direction due to the load applied, and is more advantageous in improving the deployment performance of the airbag 16.

[0021] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the upper end of the front vertical wall 34 rising from the reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30 is joined to the front inner panel 22 of the bulging portion 24, and the rear vertical wall 36 rising from the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32 is joined to the rear inclined wall 2402 of the bulging portion 24. However, as shown in the modified example in Figure 7, the upper ends of the front vertical wall 34 and the rear vertical wall 36 may be separated from the inner panel 22, in other words, the reinforcement-side front mounting portion 30 and the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion 32 may be separated from the inner panel 22 (hood 14), and in this case as well, the same effects as in this embodiment will be achieved.

[0022] In this embodiment, an airbag device 10 in which the airbag 16 deploys from the rear end of the hood 14 toward the front to cover the upper surface of the hood 14 has been described. However, the present invention aims to improve the deployment performance of the airbag 16, and the direction and orientation of the deployment of the airbag 16 are not limited, such as an airbag device in which the airbag 16 deploys from the rear end of the hood 14 to cover the lower part of the windshield glass 12 and the lower part of the A-pillar. The present invention is broadly applicable to airbag devices in which the airbag 16 deploys from the rear end of the hood 14. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0023] 10. Airbag system 12 Windshield 14 Food 16 airbags 18. Hinge mechanism 20 Outer Panels 22 Inner Panel 24 Bulge 2402 Rear slope wall 26 Reinforce 26A Both ends 26B Middle part 2602 recess 2602A Concave section 2604 Mounting surface 28 Airbag Cases 2802 Upper case 2804 Lower case 2810 Flange 2812 Tearline 30 Reinforcement side front mounting section 30A Front protrusion 32 Reinforcement side rear mounting section 32A Rear protrusion 34 Front vertical wall 36 Rear vertical wall 38 Lower bracket 40 First oscillating arm 42 Second oscillating arm 44 Upper bracket 4402 Mounting plate 46 Body side members 48 Pop-up mechanism 4802 Rod 50 Inflator 52 Confinement Rooms 52A Open part 54 Front mounting section on the case side 56 Rear mounting section on the case side P1 1st pin P2 2nd pin P3 3rd pin P4 4th pin B Bolts and nuts S space

Claims

1. A pair of hinge mechanisms that pivotably support the hood at both ends in the vehicle width direction near the rear end, The hood is provided with an airbag case located near the rear end of the underside of the hood, which houses the airbag. An airbag device that deploys the airbag from the rear end of the hood, A reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction is provided below the rear end of the hood. The extensional ends of the reinforcement are overlapped between the hinge mechanism and the lower surface of the hood and attached together with the hinge mechanism to the lower surface of the hood. The airbag case is attached to the intermediate portion of the reinforcement in the extending direction. The reinforcement has a front projection and a rear projection, which are formed to protrude downward and extend in the vehicle width direction, and are provided with a gap between them in the front and rear directions. The airbag case is positioned in the recessed portion formed between the front protrusion and the rear protrusion. An airbag device characterized by the following features.

2. The front and rear of the airbag case are provided with a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion, respectively. The reinforcement comprises a reinforcement-side front mounting portion to which the case-side front mounting portion is attached, and a reinforcement-side rear mounting portion to which the case-side rear mounting portion is attached. The reinforcement-side front mounting portion is provided on the lower surface of the front protrusion, and the reinforcement-side rear mounting portion is provided on the lower surface of the rear protrusion. The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a feature of the present invention.

3. A tear line is formed near the lower part of the rear mounting portion on the case side of the airbag. The reinforcement is configured such that the lower surface of the rear protrusion is positioned higher than the lower surface of the front protrusion. The airbag device according to claim 2, characterized in that it is a feature of the present invention.

4. When viewed from above, the contour of the reinforcement exhibits a curved shape that follows the curved shape of the trailing edge of the hood. An airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the features described herein.

5. The aforementioned hood is configured so that its rear end can be raised upwards on the vehicle by a pop-up mechanism. The pop-up mechanism lifts the hood by pushing upwards on the vehicle at the point where the reinforcement and the hinge mechanism overlap. The airbag device according to feature 1.

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