Airbag unit on a steering arrangement of a sit-on vehicle

Abstract

A sit-on vehicle having a steering arrangement is described. This steering arrangement comprises a left handle grip (32a) and a right handle grip (32b), a structural element (34) connecting the left handle grip (32a) and the right handle grip (32b), and an airbag unit being attached to the structural element (34). This airbag unit comprises an airbag (42), an inflator (44) being in fluid communication with the airbag (42), and an accommodation unit accommodating the airbag (42). The accommodation unit comprises a deployment opening (69) through which the airbag (42) deploys when filled by gas from the inflator (44), and a base element (50) at which the airbag (42) and the inflator (44) are held at least indirectly. The cover (62) comprises a door area (63) and a main area (66) surrounding said door area (63), wherein the door area (63) covers at least a part of the deployment opening (69), and a split-line (64) divides at least a part of the door area (63) from a part of the main area (66). The steering arrangement provides a good protection for the rider by the airbag and by the cover. Further, a good weather protection for the airbag is provided.

Description

[0001] Sit-on vehicle and steering arrangement for a sit-on vehicle

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a sit-on vehicle according to claim 1 and to a steering arrangement for such a sit-on vehicle according to claim 1 1 .

[0004] A sit-on vehicle of the generic type always comprises a first part carrying at least one rear wheel and a second part being attached to the first part in a swiveling manner and carrying at least one front wheel. The invention relates in the first place to scooter-type sit-on vehicles having a step-through design, but is not limited to such scooter type sit- on vehicles. In general, the application can be applied to all types of sit-on vehicles including trikes, quads, and “classic” motorcycles and could at least in principle also be applied to bicycles and e-bikes.

[0005] The second part of such a sit-on vehicle which is attached to the first part in a swiveling manner and which carries at least one front wheel always has a steering arrangement forming its upper end. This steering arrangement always comprises a left handle grip and a right handle grip being connected to one another by a structural element.

[0006] It has been proposed in the prior art to include an airbag arrangement in the steering arrangement in order to protect the driver during an accident, especially a frontal crash. Such an airbag arrangement always comprises an airbag, an inflator and an accommodation unit for the airbag, wherein this accommodation unit has a deployment opening.

[0007] Starting from this prior art, the invention sets itself the task to provide a sit-on vehicle with such a steering arrangement including an airbag unit in such a way that the steering arrangement is easy to manufacture, provides a good weather protection for the airbag unit, provides a good deployment behavior for the airbag and can be designed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This task is solved by a sit-on vehicle comprising a steering arrangement according to claim 1 .

[0008] A steering arrangement for such a sit-on vehicle is defined in claim 1 1 .

[0009] The basic idea is to provide an airbag arrangement being attached to the structural element and a cover covering this airbag arrangement, such that it is not visible from the rider’s position. The airbag arrangement comprises an airbag, an inflator being in fluid communication with this airbag and an accommodation unit accommodation the not deployed airbag and defining a deployment opening. The cover forms or is a part of a cover element which in turn is a part of an enclosing arrangement that encloses at least a part of the structural element and thus at least parts of the airbag arrangement such that it forms a protective barrier against environmental influences, especially water. In order to allow the airbag to deploy, the cover comprises a door area that covers at least a part of the deployment opening. Further, the cover has an upper wall section and a rear wall section; whose wall sections are under normal conditions visible by the rider. The cover extends in a transverse direction from a left end to a right end, wherein it is preferred that at least the upper wall section extends in this direction over a length that substantially exceeds the extension of the airbag arrangement in this direction, such that it provides a protective barrier between the usually very hard structural element (which usually consists of a metal, especially steel) and the rider, independently from the airbag of the airbag arrangement. Providing such an additional protective barrier can for example be relevant after the airbag has lost its pressure (double impact scenario). So, the cover has at least a double function: It is a part of the weather protection for the airbag arrangement and it provides an own protection for the rider.

[0010] So, the sit-on vehicle according to the invention comprises a first part carrying at least one rear wheel at least indirectly, and a second part being attached to the first part in a swiveling manner and carrying at least one front wheel. The second part comprises a steering arrangement forming the upper end of the second part and this steering arrangement comprises: a left handle grip and a right handle grip, a structural element connecting the left handle grip and the right handle grip, an enclosing arrangement enclosing at least a part of the structural element, said enclosing arrangement comprising a cover element having a cover extending from a left end to a right end and comprising an upper wall section and a rear wall section, an airbag arrangement being attached to the structural element and being covered by the cover of the cover element, said airbag arrangement comprising an airbag, an inflator being in fluid communication with the airbag, and an accommodation unit accommodating the airbag, said accommodation unit (50) comprising a deployment opening (56) through which the airbag (42) deploys when filled by gas from the inflator (44), said accommodation unit comprising a base element (50) at which the airbag (42) and the inflator (44) are held at least indirectly, wherein the cover comprises a door area and a main area surrounding said door area, wherein the door area covers at least a part of the deployment opening, and a split-line divides at least a part of the door area from a part of the main area.

[0011] The cover element is preferably a part that consists at least mainly - especially to at least 90% - of a plastic material.

[0012] In order to improve the water-tightness it is further preferred that at least the cover of the cover element is one-pieced (consist only of one part) in the sense that it has a uniform outer surface not showing any gaps along which parts of the cover are separated. But the cover may consist of a plurality of layers being in bonded connection. For example, the cover may have a plastic main part and an outer layer laminated onto this main part. But, although it will often be preferred that the cover consists only of one part, a cover being comprise of two or more parts (for example, a left part, a right part and a middle part) is possible

[0013] As has been mentioned, the cover, especially its upper wall section, serves as an additional protective barrier (in addition to the airbag). For this reason, it is preferred that at least the upper wall section of the cover extends along at least 70%, preferably over at least 80% of the distance between the left handle grip and the right handle grip.

[0014] In order to provide a lean and space-saving design, it can be preferred that the upper wall section is essentially flat and extends in a first plane, the rear wall section is essentially flat and extends in a second plane, and the first plane and the second plane enclose an angle between 80° and 130°. But in other embodiments, the surface of the covering structure may have a more curved or rounded shape.

[0015] It turned out that in many vehicle geometries, it can be preferred that the airbag deploys at least in a initial deployment stage upwards, meaning that the deployment opening has an essentially upward orientation and thus it can be preferred that major part of the deployment opening, especially more than 70%, faces the upper wall section. Often it can be even more preferred that the whole deployment opening faces the upper wall section.

[0016] In order to further improve the weather sealing, the cover can further comprise a front wall section extending from the upper wall section, such that at least a middle part of the cover has a U-shaped cross-section.

[0017] In order to ease the assembly process, the enclosing arrangement can be at least two- pieced and additionally comprises at least one lower covering element.

[0018] In one embodiment, the cover element has an additional function and is a part of the accommodation unit. In this case it additionally comprises an inner wall extending from the cover and being attached to the base element, such that the inner wall and the base element define the accommodation unit having the deployment opening. In this case, the cover element is (usually in addition to other attachments) attached to the structural element via the base element which can be desired for stability reasons. Another advantage can be that the airbag being housed in the accommodation unit is even better protected from environmental influences.

[0019] In an alternative embodiment, the base element is in form of a housing which accommodates the whole airbag, such that the housing-shaped base element defines the deployment opening. In this case, a connection between the base element and the cover element is only optional and embodiments without a connection between the base element and the cover element are possible. In some configurations, this may ease the assembly process and static overdetermination can be avoided. Especially in this case it can be preferred that the deployment opening defined by the housingshaped base element, is sealed with a tearable element, for example a foil.

[0020] Even though the inflator is usually located inside the enclosing arrangement, it can be preferred to additionally protect its connector plug and an ignition connector being plugged to this connector plug by a sealing cap.

[0021] The invention will now be described in more detail by means of preferred embodiments in view of the figures. The figures show:

[0022] Figure 1 a schematic side view onto a sit-on vehicle in form of a motor scooter,

[0023] Figure 2 a cross sectional representation of a sub-component of a steering arrangement of a sit-on vehicle, comprising a structural element and two handle grips being carried by this structural element,

[0024] Figure 3 parts of an airbag arrangement in a representation according to Figure 1 ,

[0025] Figure 4 a cover element in a representation according to Figure 3,

[0026] Figure 4a a side view onto the cover element from direction R1 in Figure 4,

[0027] Figure 4b a sectional view taken along plane A-A in Figure 4,

[0028] Figure 5 two lower covering elements in a representation according to Figure 4, Figure 5a a side view onto the right lower covering element of Figure 5 from direction R2 in Figure 6,

[0029] Figure 5b a bottom view onto the right lower covering element from direction R3 in Figure 5,

[0030] Figure 6 all parts being shown in Figures 3 and 4 in a non-assembled state,

[0031] Figure 7 the parts shown in Figure 6 in an assembled state,

[0032] Figure 8 the elements shown in Figures 2, 5, and 7 in an assembled state such that the completely assembled steering arrangement is shown,

[0033] Figure 9 a schematic perspective view onto the cover with hidden hinges and split lines of a door area of the cover being shown,

[0034] Figure 10 the complete steering arrangement in a more detailed representation in a view similar to the one of Figure 9, and

[0035] Figure 11 the steering arrangement of Figure 10 in a view essentially like seen from the driver with an alternative door area being shown.

[0036] The invention will now be described in detail by means of a steering arrangement being a part of a sit-on vehicle 5, namely a motor scooter as is shown in Figure 1 . Such a motor scooter is a preferred embodiment of the invention but not the only one conceivable. In principle, the invention can be applied to all kinds of vehicles having two handle grips.

[0037] Such a sit-on vehicle 5 (here the motor scooter) has a first part 10 which carries a rear wheel 12 at least indirectly and comprises a seat 14. A second part 20 is attached to the first part in a swiveling manner and carries a front wheel 22 and further comprises a steering arrangement 30. This steering arrangement 30 has two handle grips, wherein the left handle grip 32a is shown in Figure 1 . The sit-on vehicle extends (in terms of a forward driving direction) from a rear end to a front end. “Front” and “rear” are in the following used within this definition. Further, the terms “upper” and “lower” are used within their natural meaning with the sit-on vehicle standing on an essentially horizontal plane.

[0038] Embodiments of this steering arrangement 30 are now described in view of Figures 2 to 12 with most of the Figures being strictly schematic. By choosing a very schematic representation, it is believed that the inventive structure of this steering arrangement 30 can best be seen.

[0039] First, the components of this steering arrangement 30 according to a first embodiment are shown in Figure 2 to 5b and then, a complete steering arrangement assembled from those components is described.

[0040] Figure 2 shows a first component of the steering arrangement 30 that substantially forms the skeleton of the same. This component comprises a structural element 34 having a left handlebar section 35a carrying a left handle grip 32a and a right handlebar section 35b carrying a right handle grip 32b. Those two handle grips 32a and 32b are connected by a middle part comprising a mounting structure 36 for an airbag unit. A rod 38 being in a mounted state attached to the first part 10 of the sit-on vehicle 5 by means of a bearing (not shown) extends from the structural element 34.

[0041] Figure 3 shows parts of an airbag arrangement designed for being attached to mounting structure 36. Those parts comprise an airbag 42, a base element 50 and an inflator 44. Further, an ignition connector 49 that is to be connected to a connector plug of the inflator 44 and a sealing cap 48 for encapsulating those parts is shown.

[0042] In the assembled state, the airbag 42 is attached to the base element 50, for example by means of the inflator flange 45 as it is generally known in the field of airbag units. The airbag package can be enclosed by a tearable wrapping (not shown in the drawings).

[0043] The base element 50 comprises a bottom wall 52, which shows mounting sections 52a for attaching this base element 50 to the structural element 34, for example by means of screws or the like (not shown in details). Other types of mounting means for fastening the base element to the mounting structure could of course be provided, for example mounting studs extending in an axial direction from the bottom wall. Further, the base element 50 comprises a side wall 54 extending from the bottom wall 52. The side wall 54 is in this embodiment comprised of four sections, but other geometrical configurations are conceivable. In any case, the side wall 54 of the accommodation unit is open at its top end. Other embodiments might not have a side wall or only a very short one.

[0044] Figures 4 and 4a shows a cover element 60 of the airbag unit being designed for being attached to the base element 50 shown in Figure 3. This cover element 60 comprises a cover 62 having a rear wall section 62a, an upper wall section 62b and a front wall section 62c. In the schematic representation, those sections 62a to 62c are strictly planner and arranged in a perpendicular arrangement, but this is only to be understood as being schematic. As will be shown later, the cover element 60 comprises a door area 63 which is at least partially located in the upper wall section 62b. The door area 63 comprises at least one door which is openable by the deploying airbag and is surrounded by a main area 66 of the cover (see for example Figure 9). Further, the cover 62 comprises two side wall sections 62d, 62e, each having a recess R for receiving a section of a handlebar section. It is possible - and often preferred - to provide fastening means at the side wall sections 62d, 62e for fastening the cover element 60 to the structural element 34, especially its handlebar sections 35a, 35b. Although not shown in the embodiment of Figure 4, the upper wall section 62b and / or the rear wall section 62a and / or the front wall section 62c of the cover 62 may extend laterally over those side wall sections 60d, 60e.

[0045] The cover element 60 further comprises an inner wall 68 extending from the cover 62, mainly from its upper wall section 62b, and conforming essentially to the side wall 54 of the base element 50. Attachment means, for example attachment means of the snapping type, can be provided at the side wall 54 of the accommodation unit and the inner wall 68 of the cover element 60, but are not shown in Figures 3 and 4. In the embodiment shown, the lower section of the inner wall 68 of the cover element is located outside the side wall 54 of the base element 50, but the opposite is also possible. The inner wall 68 and the base element 50 define the accommodation unit for the airbag and the upper end of the inner wall defines its deployment opening 69. In the mounted state, the deployment opening 69 points upwards, mainly to the upper wall section 62b of the cover 62.

[0046] In the embodiment shown, the above mentioned door area also extends from the upper wall section 62b into the rear wall section 62a (this will be shown later) and for this reason, the inner wall 68 widens at its upper end towards this rear wall section 62a.

[0047] The cover element 60 is usually a one-pieced plastic part, wherein “one-pieced” includes the possibility that it has more than one layer being in adhesive bond.

[0048] Figures 5, 5a and 5b show lower covering elements 80, 80' also being designed for being attached to the structural element 34 in order to define an enclosing arrangement together with the cover 62. In the embodiment shown, the lower covering elements 80, 80' each comprise a bottom wall 82, 82' and a side wall 84, 84' each having a recess for receiving a part of a handlebar section or the rod 38. It is usually preferred that at least one lower covering element is present, such that this at least one lower covering element, the cladding element and the cover essentially define an enclosing arrangement in which the accommodation unit, the inflator and the airbag of the airbag unit are located.

[0049] It is possible to fasten both, the lower covering elements 80, 80’ and the cover element 60 to the structural element 34, or to fasten, for example, only the lower covering elements 80, 80’ to the structural element and to fasten the cover element 60 to the lower covering elements 80, 80’.

[0050] Usually connecting means acting between the elements of the enclosing arrangement and / or sealings between those elements are provided but not shown in detail in the drawings. The connecting means can especially be in form of snapping connections and / or can comprise screws, rivets or the like. If sealings are used, such a sealing could be pre-formed onto or attached to at least one of those elements, or it could be applied in a subsequent manufacturing step, for example by applying a silicone seal.

[0051] The assembly of the steering arrangement is now described by means of a possible assembly process. In a first initial step, the elements of the airbag assembly shown in Figure 6 are assembled to form the unit shown in Figure 7. The base element 50 and the inner wall

[0052] 68 of the cover element 60 form the accommodation unit whose deployment opening

[0053] 69 is initially closed by the cover 62, essentially by its door area.

[0054] After this assembly step, the unit 40 is completely assembled and can in this condition be mounted to the mounting structure 36 of the structural element 34.

[0055] Next, the lower covering elements 80 and 80' are mounted to the structural element 34. The mounting process of the steering arrangement is now finished and the outcome of this is schematically shown in Figure 8. As has already been mentioned, the lower covering elements 80 and 80' and the cover 62 of the cover element 60 form an enclosing arrangement.

[0056] As has already mentioned, the cover 62 of the cover element 60 comprises a door area 63 comprising at least one door 63a, 64b which covers at least a part of the deployment opening 69 of the accommodation unit 50. As can be seen for example from Figure 9, at least a part of this door area (usually its major part) is located in the upper wall section 62b of the cover 62, but it can often be preferred that the door arrangement also extends into the rear wall section 62a. The door area comprises of course at least one door 63a, 63b and a split line 64 encircling at least a part of this at least one door. Since it is usually preferred that the door does not separate completely from the remaining cover, at least one hinge 65 is also provided. Hinges and split lines are, as is generally known, usually embodied as grooves in the inner surface of the cover. In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the door arrangement 64 comprises two doors 64a and 64b. The door area 63 is completely encircled by a main area 66 of the cover

[0057] Figure 10 show still schematic, but a far more detailed view of a steering arrangement 30, wherein the transition between the upper wall section 62b and the rear wall section 62a of the cover62 is shown in a dotted line as in Figure 9. This transition does not need to be a hard edge; it can for example be rounded. Figure 11 shows the steering arrangement of Figure 13 with an alternative configuration of the door arrangement having four doors 63a to 63d.

[0058] Figure 12 shows an alternative embodiment in a representation according to Figure 8. Here, the base element 50 is in form of a housing which accommodates the whole airbag 42 such that the housing-shaped base element 50 defines the deployment opening 69. The side wall 54 of the base element 50 is relatively long and extends essentially up to the cover 62, especially its upper wall section 62b. In order to avoid wear and rattling noises, it is usually preferred to provide a small gap between the cover 62 and the upper end of the side wall 54. Also here, the door area is located in front of the deployment opening 69 and in this case, it can be larger than the deployment opening, which can be preferred. In order to fully enclose the airbag in its un-deployed state a closing element 56, for example in form of a tearable foil, can close the deployment opening 69. The optical appearance from the outside is identical to the first embodiment.

[0059] One can see that an easy to assemble steering arrangement is provided which gives the rider good protection by an airbag and a covering structure that covers the structural element.

[0060] List of reference numbers

[0061] 5 sit-on vehicle

[0062] 10 first part

[0063] 12 rear wheel

[0064] 14 seat

[0065] 20 second part

[0066] 22 front wheel

[0067] 30 steering arrangement

[0068] 32a left handle grip

[0069] 32b right handle grip

[0070] 34 structural element

[0071] 35a, b handlebar section

[0072] 36 mounting structure for airbag module

[0073] 38 rod

[0074] 40 airbag unit

[0075] 42 airbag

[0076] 44 inflator

[0077] 45 inflator flange

[0078] 46 mounting flange

[0079] 48 sealing cap

[0080] 49 connector plug

[0081] 50 base element

[0082] 52 bottom wall of base element

[0083] 54 side wall of base element

[0084] 56 tearable foil

[0085] 60 cover element

[0086] 62 cover

[0087] 62a rear wall section of cover

[0088] 62b upper wall section of cover

[0089] 62c front wall section of cover

[0090] 62d, e side wall section of cover

[0091] 63 door area

[0092] 63a - 63d door 64 split-line

[0093] 65 hinge

[0094] 66 main area

[0095] 68 inner wall

[0096] 69 deployment opening

[0097] 80, 80’ lower covering element

[0098] 82, 82’ bottom wall

[0099] 84, 84’ side wall

[0100] R recess in side wall section

Claims

Claims1 . A sit-on vehicle extending from a front end to a rear end, said sit-on vehicle comprising: a first part carrying at least one rear wheel at least indirectly, and a second part being attached to the first part in a swiveling manner and carrying at least one front wheel, said steering arrangement comprising a steering arrangement forming the upper end of the second part, said steering arrangement comprising: a left handle grip and a right handle grip a structural element connecting the left handle grip and the right handle grip, an enclosing arrangement enclosing at least a part of the structural element, said enclosing arrangement comprising a cover element having a cover extending from a left end to a right end and comprising an upper wall section and a rear wall section, an airbag arrangement being attached to the structural element and being covered by the cover of the cover element, said airbag arrangement comprising an airbag, an inflator being in fluid communication with the airbag, and an accommodation unit accommodating the airbag (42), said accommodation unit comprising a deployment opening (69) through which the airbag (42) deploys when filled by gas from the inflator (44), said accommodation unit comprising a base element (50) at which the airbag (42) and the inflator (44) are held at least indirectly, wherein the cover comprises a door area (63) and a main area (66) surrounding said door area (63), wherein the door area (63) covers at least a part of the deployment opening (69), anda split-line (64) divides at least a part of the door area (63) from a part of the main area (66)2. The sit-on vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the upper wall section of the cover extends along at least 60%, preferably along at least 80% of the distance between the left handle grip and the right handle grip.

3. The sit-on vehicle of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the upper wall section is essentially flat and extends in a first plane, the rear wall section is essentially flat and extends in a second plane, and the first plane and the second plane enclose an angle between 80° and 130°.

4. The sit-on vehicle of claim 1 , wherein at least the cover of the cover element is a one-pieced part.

5. The sit-on vehicle of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover further comprises a front wall section extending from the upper wall section, such that at least a middle part of the cover has a U-shaped cross-section.

6. The sit-on vehicle of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the major part of the deployment opening (69), preferable the whole deployment opening (69) faces the upper wall section (62b),7. The sit-on vehicle of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosing arrangement further comprises at least one lower covering element (80, 80’).

8. The sit-on vehicle of any one of the preceding claim, wherein the cover element (60) further comprises an inner wall (68) extending from the cover and being attached to the base element (50), such that the inner wall (68) and the base element (50) define the accommodation unit having the deployment opening.

9. The sit-on vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base element is in form of a housing which accommodates the whole airbag, such that the housingshaped base element defines the deployment opening.

10. The sit-on vehicle of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sit-on vehicle is a motor scooter having a step-through design and / or a sit-on vehicle comprising a foot-rest.1 1 . Steering arrangement for a sit-on vehicle of any one of the preceding claims.

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