Airbag apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9321420-B2
Application number	US-201414523997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2014
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

An airbag apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment includes: an airbag housing which accommodates an airbag; and an airbag cover which is coupled to the airbag housing while covering the airbag accommodated in the airbag housing, and has a tear line that is torn by expansive force of the airbag, in which the airbag cover is opened while being rotated about a portion between both ends of the tear line as a rotation center when the tear line is torn, and first notch portions, which are cut out in a direction in which the first notch portions cross both ends of the tear line, are formed at both ends of the tear line, respectively, thereby allowing the airbag to be deployed in accordance with design intention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airbag apparatus comprising:
an airbag housing which accommodates an airbag; and
an airbag cover which is coupled to the airbag housing while covering the airbag accommodated in the airbag housing, and has a tear line that is torn by expansive force of the airbag,
wherein the airbag cover is opened while being rotated about a portion between both ends of the tear line as a rotation center when the tear line is torn, and first notch portions, which are cut out in a direction in which the first notch portions cross both ends of the tear line, are formed at both ends of the tear line, respectively,
wherein a groove is further formed in the airbag cover by cutting out a portion between both the ends of the tear line,
wherein the airbag cover has a greater thickness at the outside thereof than at the inside thereof based on the groove.

2. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first notch portions are formed in a direction orthogonal to both the ends of the tear line.

3. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the groove has a wider width and a smaller depth than the tear line.

4. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the groove is disposed on a straight line that connects both the ends of the tear line.

5. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the groove includes a straight portion which is straightly formed, and round portions which are rounded at both ends of the straight portion, respectively.

6. An airbag apparatus comprising:
an airbag housing which accommodates an airbag; and
an airbag cover which is coupled to the airbag housing while covering the airbag accommodated in the airbag housing, and has a tear line that is torn by expansive force of the airbag,
wherein the airbag cover is opened while being rotated about a portion between both ends of the tear line as a rotation center when the tear line is torn, and first notch portions, which are cut out in a direction in which the first notch portions cross both ends of the tear line, are formed at both ends of the tear line, respectively,
wherein the tear line is formed as a plurality of tear lines including:
a first tear line which is formed leftward from a center of the airbag cover;
a second tear line which is formed rightward from the center;
a third tear line which is formed downward from the center;
a fourth tear line which is formed upward from the left side of the first tear line, and has an end that is curved rightward so as to form one end of the tear line;
a fifth tear line which is formed upward from the right side of the second tear line, and has an end that is curved leftward so as to form the other end of the tear line;
a sixth tear line which is formed downward from the left side of the first tear line, and forms one end of the tear line;
a seventh tear line which is formed leftward from the lower side of the third tear line, and forms the other end of the tear line;
an eighth tear line which is formed downward from the right side of the second tear line, and forms one end of the tear line; and
a ninth tear line which is formed rightward from the lower side of the third tear line, and forms the other end of the tear line.

7. An airbag apparatus comprising:
an airbag housing which accommodates an airbag; and
an airbag cover which is coupled to the airbag housing while covering the airbag accommodated in the airbag housing, and has a tear line that is torn by expansive force of the airbag,
wherein the airbag cover is opened while being rotated about a portion between both ends of the tear line as a rotation center when the tear line is torn, and first notch portions, which are cut out in a direction in which the first notch portions cross both the ends of the tear line, and second notch portions, which are spaced apart from the first notch portions and cut out in a direction in which the second notch portions cross both the ends of the tear line, are formed at both the ends of the tear line, respectively.

8. The airbag apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first notch portions and the second notch portions are formed to be parallel with each other.

9. The airbag apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first notch portions and the second notch portions are formed in a direction orthogonal to both the ends of the tear line.

10. The airbag apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a groove is further formed in the airbag cover by cutting out a portion between both the ends of the tear line.

11. The airbag apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the groove has a wider width and a smaller depth than the tear line.

12. The airbag apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the groove is disposed on a straight line that connects both the ends of the tear line.

13. The airbag apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the groove includes a straight portion which is straightly formed, and round portions which are rounded at both ends of the straight portion, respectively.

14. The airbag apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the airbag cover has a greater thickness at the outside thereof than at the inside thereof based on the groove.

15. The airbag apparatus of claim 10 , wherein an interval between the first notch portion and the groove is greater than an interval between the first notch portion and the second notch portion.

16. The airbag apparatus of claim 10 , wherein as thicknesses of the airbag cover, a thickness at a portion where the tear line is formed is formed as a first thickness, a thickness at a portion where an end of the tear line is formed becomes gradually greater from the first thickness to a second thickness, a thickness at a portion where the second notch portion is formed is formed as a third thickness that is smaller than the second thickness, a thickness at a portion between the second notch portion and the first notch portion is formed as a fourth thickness that is greater than the third thickness, a thickness at a portion where the first notch portion is formed is formed as a fifth thickness that is smaller than the fourth thickness, a thickness at a portion between the first notch portion and the groove is formed as a sixth thickness that is greater than the fifth thickness, and a thickness at a portion where the groove is formed is formed as a seventh thickness that is smaller than the sixth thickness.

17. The airbag apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first thickness, the third thickness, and the fifth thickness are equal to each other, the second thickness and the fourth thickness are equal to each other, the sixth thickness is greatest, and the seventh thickness is greater than the second thickness.

18. The airbag apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the tear line is formed as a plurality of tear lines including:
a first tear line which is formed leftward from a center of the airbag cover;
a second tear line which is formed rightward from the center;
a third tear line which is formed downward from the center;
a fourth tear line which is formed upward from the left side of the first tear line, and has an end that is curved rightward so as to form one end of the tear line;
a fifth tear line which is formed upward from the right side of the second tear line, and has an end that is curved leftward so as to form the other end of the tear line;
a sixth tear line which is formed downward from the left side of the first tear line, and forms one end of the tear line;
a seventh tear line which is formed leftward from the lower side of the third tear line, and forms the other end of the tear line;
an eighth tear line which is formed downward from the right side of the se

Assignees

• Hyundai Mobis Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Oh Koang

Classifications

• B60R21/21656 Primary

  Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers · CPC title

• B60R21/203

  in steering wheels or steering columns · CPC title

• B62D1/04 Primary

  Hand wheels · CPC title