KR20100039085A - Overhead air bag system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An overhead air back system for a vehicle is provided to improve safety and reliability by rotating the cover and supplying an airbag with enough power, thereby preventing the air bag from being torn due to impact force. CONSTITUTION: An overhead air back system for a vehicle comprises a housing(10) and a cover(20). The housing is installed on a ceiling of the vehicle. The housing accepts the swelled airbag. The airbag is swelled through the opening of the housing. The cover is coupled with the housing to be rotated. The cover is rotated between an open position and a closed position.

Description

Overhead air bag system for vehicle

The present invention relates to a vehicle overhead airbag system, and more particularly to an automotive overhead airbag system having a structure that stably supports the airbag when the airbag installed in the overhead position of the vehicle is inflated. to provide.

Basically, the car is designed to have a refined design, but the safety and ride quality of the occupant should be considered most important in the design of the car. In particular, technology development on safety devices to protect occupants in the event of a car crash has continued. However, safety devices to protect the occupants, such as airbags, must be placed in the car along with other components necessary for comfortable driving and convenient functioning. It is not easy to arrange in harmony.

Various mounting structures have been developed for installing air bags in automobiles. Frontal impact air bag systems generally must be capable of absorbing shock directly in front of the occupant, so that airbags are placed in steering wheels or dashboards. However, when attempting to mount a front shock airbag system having such a mounting structure for the purpose of protecting passengers in the rear seat, the mounting structure was often very complicated or impossible to mount.

Conventional airbag systems incorporating airbags in the dashboard are not only desirable for the safety of passengers in the rear seats, but also for the placement of components inside the vehicle. In other words, since the dashboard is the most accessible space for passengers, various electronic devices and convenience facilities, including audio and video systems, can be installed on the dashboard. There was a difficulty in securing a separate space for installing convenience facilities.

As one of ways to solve these problems, techniques for installing an airbag system in an overhead position of a vehicle may be considered. When the airbag system is installed in the overhead position, the airbag is built in the space between the ceiling of the vehicle interior and the vehicle body. However, such a conventional overhead airbag system does not have a structure for supporting and guiding the airbag, so that an airbag installed in an overhead position simply expands from top to bottom when a crash occurs. As a result, unlike the case where the airbag is installed inside the dashboard, there is a problem that the shock cannot be sufficiently absorbed.

In addition, the airbag installed in the overhead position is inflated downward through the opening formed in the ceiling of the inside of the vehicle, the impact of the passenger is transmitted to the airbag there is a problem that the airbag is easily torn by the opening of the ceiling.

As a solution to this problem, US Pat. No. 7,152,873B2 used wing structures to support overhead airbags. However, such a wing structure has a structure that is too complicated to store in the space of the ceiling of the car. As a result, the wing structure not only increases the manufacturing cost of the airbag and the ceiling, but also reduces the volume of the airbag due to the space occupied by the wing structure. In addition, in order to limit the forward movement of the airbag, the wing structure is implemented by a trampoline-like structure, which causes the wing structure to be disposed at an angle so that the wing structure occupies a lot of space in the rear seat. For this reason, US Pat. No. 7,152,873B2 cannot be used in rear seats with less space than the front seats. In addition, in terms of passenger protection in the rear seat, an airbag disposed behind the front seat or an overhead airbag using the rear of the front seat as a support surface of the airbag has a problem in that the effect of passenger protection is not good.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an overhead airbag system for a vehicle in which an airbag is installed at an overhead position of the automobile.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an overhead airbag system for automobiles having improved safety and reliability.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an overhead airbag system for automobiles in which the inflated airbag is supported with sufficient force.

Another object of the present invention is to effectively protect the passengers in the back seat when a crash occurs.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an overhead airbag system for a vehicle that takes up a small volume and effectively performs a shock absorbing function.

The present invention provides an overhead airbag system for a vehicle that stably supports the airbag and occupies a small volume when the airbag installed at the overhead position of the vehicle is inflated.

An overhead airbag system for automobiles according to the present invention includes a housing mounted to a ceiling of a vehicle having an inflatable airbag therein and having an opening for inflating the airbag, a closed position covering the opening, and an open position for opening the opening. And a cover rotatably coupled to the housing so as to be rotatable therebetween.

In the present invention, the cover can be disposed facing downward when in the open position to support the airbag when the airbag is inflated.

In the present invention, the cover may have an area corresponding to the size of the airbag when the airbag is inflated so as to support the airbag in the open position.

In the present invention, the cover may extend a predetermined length in a direction away from the portion coupled to the housing to guide the movement of the inflated airbag.

In the present invention, the length of the cover extending from the portion coupled to the housing may correspond to the length in the vertical direction of the airbag when the airbag is inflated.

In the present invention, the housing may be formed in a rectangular shape, and the airbag may be formed in a hexahedral shape having a rectangular cross section corresponding to the housing.

In the present invention, the cover may be formed of a material containing at least one of metal, plastic, elastic material.

In the present invention, the cover may be hinged to the housing on the opposite side to support the airbag on the side opposite to the side facing the occupant of the airbag when the airbag is inflated.

In the present invention, a stopper may be provided on the outer side of the housing on the opposite side of the airbag to limit the rotation of the cover by contacting the outer side of the cover when the cover is in the open position.

In the present invention, the cover may be provided with reinforcing ribs in the vicinity of the portion in contact with the stopper.

In the present invention, the automotive overhead airbag system may further include an engagement retaining portion for holding the cover in the closed position.

In the present invention, the engagement retaining portion may include a protrusion formed in the housing and a recess formed in the cover corresponding to the protrusion.

In the present invention, the housing and the cover can be joined by a hinge assembly, and the hinge assembly can be provided with a rotation limiting portion to limit the rotation of the cover when the cover is in the open position.

In the present invention, when the cover is in the closed position, the surface of the cover may be connected to the surface on which the surface of the ceiling extends.

In the overhead airbag system for automobiles of the present invention as described above, the housing in which the airbag is embedded is installed in the overhead position of the vehicle, and when the airbag is inflated, the cover covering the opening of the housing rotates to support the airbag with sufficient force. can do. As a result, the inflated airbag can sufficiently absorb the shock delivered in the event of a crash, and the impact force transmitted does not easily break the airbag, thereby improving safety and reliability of the overhead airbag system. The overhead airbag system is installed in the vehicle's overhead position, effectively protecting passengers in the rear seats.

Hereinafter, with reference to the embodiments of the accompanying drawings, the configuration and operation of the overhead airbag system for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle overhead airbag system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view showing the housing of the overhead airbag system of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the overhead airbag system of Figure 1 4 is a perspective view showing the inside of the cover, and FIG. 4 is an operating state diagram showing a state when the airbag of the overhead airbag system of FIG. 1 is inflated. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which the overhead airbag system of FIG. 4 is mounted on a vehicle.

The overhead airbag system for automobiles according to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is a system for protecting passengers when the vehicle is suddenly decelerated due to a situation such as a collision, and is installed at an overhead position of the vehicle. . The overhead airbag system has a housing 10 in which the airbag 3 is embedded and a cover 20 for covering or opening the housing 10.

The airbag 3 is housed inside the housing 10 in a folded state so that the vehicle can inflate when a collision occurs. The airbag 3 is generally made of woven nylon and can be inflated with gas by an inflator (not shown). Pyrotechnic or stored inflators may be used for the inflator. The airbag 3 may prevent a collision between the occupant and the internal structure of the vehicle when a collision of the vehicle occurs.

Inside the housing 10, a chamber is formed that can accommodate the airbag 3 that is thinly folded to have a small volume. The housing 10 also has an opening 12 that guides the airbag 3 to inflate. Since the housing 10 is mounted between the headliner 2 of the ceiling of the vehicle and the vehicle body 4, the airbag 3 can be inflated downward from the upper side through the opening 12. The housing 10 may be formed in a square. The airbag 3 may have a hexahedron shape having a rectangular cross section corresponding to the housing 10.

The housing 10 can also be made of a rigid structure and function as a support structure for supporting the inflator. The housing 10 is made of a metallic material such as steel or aluminum, or a synthetic material such as glass filled nylon to perform this supporting function. The housing 10 is rotatable with a cover 20. Combined. The cover 20 is coupled to the housing 10 so as to be rotatable between a closed position covering the opening 12 of the housing 10 and an open position for opening the opening 12. The state shown in FIG. 1 is a state in which the cover 20 is in the closed position covering the opening 12. The cover 20 in the closed position is formed so as to be connected to a surface on which the surface of the ceiling of the interior of the vehicle extends, so that the cover 20 may form part of the interior of the vehicle in normal times.

The automotive overhead airbag system may further include engagement retaining portions 51, 52 to keep the cover 20 in a closed position covering the opening 12 of the housing 10. Engagement retaining portions 51 and 52 are formed on the front edge 23 of the cover 20 in correspondence with the protrusions 51 protruding from the front partition 14 of the housing 10 and the protrusions 51. It has a recess 52 to be. Since the protrusion 51 maintains the inserted state in the recess 52, the cover 20 may be stably maintained in the closed position.

In the closed position, the engaging force of the protrusion 51 and the recess 52 coupled to each other is weaker than the force generated by the inflated airbag 3. Thus, when the airbag 3 is inflated, the engagement of the protrusion 51 and the recess 52 is released by the inflating force of the airbag 3, so that the cover 20 can rotate relative to the housing 10. It becomes a state.

In the present embodiment, the engaging retaining portion for holding the cover 20 in the closed position is implemented in the configuration of the protrusion 51 and the recess 52, the present invention is not limited by the configuration of the engaging retaining portion. The engagement retainer may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the cover 20 is held in the closed position by a connection between the rim of the cover 20 and the head liner of the ceiling of the vehicle with silicon or a fabric material that can be easily torn. You can do that.

In the conventional overhead airbag system, the overall thickness of the housing of the overhead airbag system is made very thick because the structure for supporting the airbag is disposed inside the housing for receiving the airbag. In the overhead airbag system, the place where the housing is installed is limited to a narrow space between the interior ceiling of the vehicle and the vehicle body, and for this reason, the volume of the airbag was reduced. However, in the overhead airbag system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cover 20, which is a structure that guides and supports the movement of the airbag 3 when the airbag 3 embedded in the housing 10 is inflated, has a housing 10. Since it is installed on the outside of the), it is possible to greatly reduce the overall thickness of the housing 10 and to ensure sufficient space for installing the airbag (3).

When a collision occurs, the airbag 3 is inflated, and the cover 20 is rotated with respect to the housing 10 by the force of the airbag 3 being inflated, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, The opening 12 is opened.

The cover 20 can be disposed facing downward when in the open position to support the airbag 3 when the airbag 3 is inflated. The cover 20 serves to support the airbag 3 on the side 3b opposite the face 3a facing the occupant of the airbag 3 when the airbag 3 is inflated. To this end the cover 20 is hinged to the housing 10 by a hinge assembly 30 on the opposite side 3b of the airbag 3. The cover 20 may have an area corresponding to the size of the airbag 3 when the airbag 3 is inflated so that it can support the airbag 3 in the open position. Also preferably, the cover 20 may extend a predetermined length in a direction away from the portion coupled to the housing 10 to guide the movement of the inflated airbag 3. The length of the cover 20 may correspond to the length in the vertical direction of the airbag 3 when the airbag 3 is inflated.

The cover 20 may be formed of a material comprising at least one of an elastic material such as metal, plastic, or rubber to guide the inflated movement of the airbag 3 and to support the airbag 3 in an open position. have.

When the cover 20 is in the open position, the cover 20 is supported by a stopper 11 formed in the housing 10. The stopper 11 is formed on the outside of the rear partition 13 of the housing 10, so that when the cover 20 rotates with respect to the housing 10, the rear edge 21 of the outside of the cover 20 stops 11. ), Rotational movement of the cover 20 is prevented. In this way, since the cover 20 is firmly supported by the stopper 11 of the housing 10 in the open position, the cover 20 can stably support the airbag 3 even when a strong shock is transmitted to the airbag 3. have.

A plurality of reinforcement parts 11a are formed between the stopper 11 and the rear partition wall 13 of the housing 10 to reinforce the rigidity of the stopper 11. The reinforcement parts 11a enhance the rigidity of the stopper 11 so that the stopper 11 can more firmly support the cover 20.

The reinforcement rib 22 is provided in the periphery of the site | part which contacts the stopper 11 of the cover 20. As shown in FIG. The reinforcing rib 22 functions to make the structure in which the cover 20 is supported with respect to the stopper 11 becomes stable.

The housing 10 and the cover 20 may be rotatably coupled to each other by the hinge assembly 30. The hinge assembly 30 has a hinge axis 31 formed on the outer side of the side wall 15 of the housing 10 and a hinge guide 32 formed on the inner side of the side wall 24 of the cover 20. .

6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the components of the hinge assembly of the overhead airbag system of FIG. 1.

The side wall 15 of the housing 10 is formed with a cylindrical wall 15a into which the hinge shaft 31 is inserted. Since the hinge shaft 31 is inserted into the cylindrical wall 15a so as to be elastically supported by the spring 35, the hinge shaft 31 can slide along the axial direction of the cylindrical wall 15a.

Hinge assembly 30 may include a rotation limiter 37 to limit rotation of hinge shaft 31. The rotation limiting portion 37 is a cutout portion 33 formed by cutting a portion at the end of the hinge shaft 31 and a coupling formed on the hinge guide 32 to have a shape corresponding to the cross section of the cutout 33. The groove 34 is provided. When the cutout 33 at the end of the hinge shaft 31 is coupled to the coupling groove 34, the relative rotational movement of the rotary hinge shaft 31 and the hinge guide 32 is limited.

FIG. 7 is an operating state diagram showing a state in which the hinge assembly of FIG. 6 operates, and FIG. 8 is an operating state diagram showing a state in which the hinge assembly of FIG. 6 operates to limit rotation.

When the cover 20 rotates in the A direction, as shown in FIG. 7, the coupling groove 34 of the hinge guide 32 and the cutout 33 of the hinge shaft 31 coincide with each other to form a coupling state. do. Since the hinge shaft 31 is elastically supported and pressurized by the spring 35, the hinge shaft 31 moves in the hinge guide 32 direction so that the cutout portion 33 is coupled to the coupling groove ( 34). In this state, the cover 20 cannot rotate due to the action of the rotation limiting portion 37 which restricts the relative rotation of the hinge shaft 31 and the hinge guide 32. Therefore, even when an impact is transmitted from the inflated airbag 3, the cover 20 can more firmly support the airbag 3.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly of an overhead airbag system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

In the automotive overhead airbag system according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the hinge assembly 130 supports the hinge shaft 131 installed in the housing and the hinge shaft 131 and guides the rotational movement to guide the rotational movement. The hinge guide 132 is formed on. Since the coupling groove 133 is formed at the center of the hinge guide 132, the hinge shaft 131 may rotate while being inserted into the coupling groove 133.

The hinge assembly 130 has a rotation limiting portion 137 in which the hinge axis 131 restricts the relative rotation of the hinge guide 132. The rotation limiting part 137 protrudes inwardly from a part of the coupling groove 133 so as to limit the cutting surface 135 formed by removing a portion of the hinge shaft 131 and the rotation of the hinge shaft 131. And a stop surface 134.

When the cover and the housing rotate with each other, the position of the hinge shaft 131 with respect to the coupling groove 133 of the hinge guide 132 is in a state shown by a dotted line as shown in FIG. 9. In this state, since the cutting surface 135 of the hinge shaft 131 is in contact with the stop surface 134, the relative rotation of the hinge guide 132 and the hinge shaft 131 is limited. Thus, even when an impact is transmitted from the inflated airbag, the cover can more firmly support the airbag.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above-described embodiments, these are merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims.

1 is a perspective view of an overhead airbag system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the housing of the overhead airbag system of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a perspective view illustrating the inside of a cover of the overhead airbag system of FIG. 1.

4 is an operating state diagram showing a state when the airbag of the overhead airbag system of FIG. 1 is inflated.

5 is a side view illustrating a state in which the overhead airbag system of FIG. 4 is mounted on a vehicle.

6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the components of the hinge assembly of the overhead airbag system of FIG. 1.

7 is an operating state diagram illustrating a state in which the hinge assembly of FIG. 6 operates.

FIG. 8 is an operational state diagram illustrating a state in which the hinge assembly of FIG. 6 operates to limit rotation.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly of an overhead airbag system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

2: headliner 24: cover sidewall

3: airbag 23: front edge

4: body 33: incision

10: housing 35: spring

11a: reinforcement 51: protrusion

11: stopper 52: groove

12: opening part 51, 52: engagement holding part

13: rear bulkhead 134: stop

14: forward bulkhead 135: cutting surface

15a: cylindrical wall 30, 130: hinge assembly

15: housing side wall 31, 131: hinge axis

20: Cover 32, 132: Hinge guide

21: rear edge 34, 133: coupling groove

22: reinforcing rib 37, 137: rotation limit

Claims (14)

A housing accommodating the inflatable airbag therein, the housing having an opening to expand the airbag and mounted to a ceiling of the vehicle; And And a cover, rotatably coupled to the housing so as to be rotatable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position to open the opening. The method of claim 1, And the cover is disposed to face downwards when in the open position to support the airbag when the airbag is inflated. The method of claim 1, And the cover has an area corresponding to the size of the airbag when the airbag is inflated to support the airbag in the open position. The method of claim 1, And the cover extends a predetermined length away from the portion coupled to the housing to guide the movement of the inflated airbag. The method of claim 4, wherein The length of the cover extending from the portion coupled to the housing corresponds to the length in the vertical direction of the airbag when the airbag is inflated. The method of claim 1, Wherein said housing is of rectangular shape and said airbag is of hexahedron shape having a rectangular cross section corresponding to said housing. The method of claim 1, And the cover is hinged to the housing on the opposite side to support the airbag on the side opposite to the side facing the occupant of the airbag when the airbag is inflated. The method of claim 7, wherein On the outside of the housing on the opposite side of the airbag, an overhead airbag system for a vehicle is provided with a stopper for limiting rotation of the cover by contacting the outside of the cover when the cover is in the open position. . The method of claim 8, And the cover has a reinforcing rib around a portion in contact with the stopper. The method of claim 1, An overhead airbag system for a vehicle, further comprising an engagement retaining portion for holding the cover in the closed position. The method of claim 1, The engagement retaining portion includes a protrusion formed in the housing and a recess formed in the cover corresponding to the protrusion, wherein the overhead airbag system for a vehicle. The method of claim 7, wherein And the housing and the cover are joined by a hinge assembly, the hinge assembly having a rotation limiting portion to limit rotation of the cover when the cover is in the open position. The method of claim 1, The overhead airbag system of claim 1, wherein the surface of the cover is in contact with a surface from which the surface of the ceiling extends when the cover is in the closed position. The method of claim 1, The cover is formed of a material comprising at least one of metal, plastic, elastic material, automotive overhead airbag system.

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