Patent ID: 7354061

Claim:
An airbag apparatus for a vehicle comprising: an interior panel provided inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle; an airbag; an airbag case for accommodating the airbag in a folded condition; an inflater for supplying a gas to the airbag so as to inflate and deploy the airbag; a frame formed of a resin and supporting the airbag case behind the interior panel, the frame having a rectangular opening of an area required for inflation and deployment of the airbag, and an opening-side end portion of the frame being bonded to a reverse surface of the interior panel; and a pair of reinforcement members formed of a resin and reinforcing a fracture-opening section of the interior panel, the fracture-opening section facing the rectangular opening of the frame, wherein hinge motion restricting members are provided along a first pair of opposite sides of the rectangular opening of the frame in such a manner that the hinge motion restricting members project inward over a predetermined distance; a fracture groove is formed on the reverse surface of the fracture-opening section of the interior panel so as to enable the airbag to inflate and deploy toward the front side of the interior panel while rupturing the fracture-opening section, the fracture grove being composed of side fracture groove sections corresponding to a second pair of opposite sides of the rectangular opening, hinge-side fracture groove sections corresponding to ends of the hinge motion restricting members or locations offset from the ends of the hinge motion restricting members toward a central area of the opening, and a center fracture groove section connecting the side fracture groove sections; and each reinforcement member includes a support portion for coupling the reinforcement member with the frame, a reinforcement portion bonded to the reverse surface of the fracture-opening section surrounded by the hinge-side fracture groove sections, the side fracture groove sections, and the center fracture groove section, and a hinge portion facing the corresponding hinge motion restricting member and connecting the support portion and the reinforcement portion in a bendable manner.