Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an improvement in an airbag module removal structure. 
   RELATED ART STATEMENT 
   Conventionally, there has been known an airbag module structure for securing an airbag module to brackets such that the airbag module is sandwiched between the brackets extending from an instrument panel, and a plurality of hooks provided in the both sides of the airbag module is inserted into holes disposed in the brackets (reference to Japanese Patent Laid-Open 2001-206182). 
   Recently, there has been increasing demand for disassembling an airbag module in order to collect an inflator of the airbag module when a vehicle is disassembled. The conventional airbag module can be easily mounted onto the locking brackets of the resin lid portion of the instrument panel; however, it is hard to remove the airbag module from the instrument panel. 
   The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an airbag module removal structure capable of removing an airbag module easily from an instrument panel. 
   According to one embodiment of the present invention, an airbag module removal structure comprises a pair of brackets which extends from an instrument panel and is disposed with a space to sandwich an airbag module, a first hook member secured to one side of the airbag module and a second hook member secured to the other side of the airbag module, wherein each of the first and second hook members includes an engagement part capable of being inserted into a hole provided in each of the brackets, and a clearance between the brackets and sizes of the engagement parts of the first and second hook members are set such that the first hook member is removed from the hole corresponding to the first hook member, and then the second hook member is removed from the hole corresponding to the second hook member. 

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Hereinafter, an embodiment of an airbag module removal structure according to the present invention will be described with accompanying drawings. 
     FIGS. 1 to 5  are explanation views respectively illustrating an airbag module removal structure according to the present invention. In  FIGS. 1 to 5 , a reference numeral  1  denotes a steering member, a reference numeral  2  denotes a resin lid portion of an instrument panel, a reference numeral  2   a  denotes a fragile groove formed inside the resin lid portion  2 , a reference numeral  3  denotes an airbag module, and a reference numeral  4  denotes an inflator of the airbag module  3 . 
   The resin lid portion  2  is provided with a pair of locking brackets  5 ,  6  spacing in the front and back direction of the vehicle. The locking brackets  5 ,  6  are provided with engagement holes  5   a ,  6   a . A mounting bracket  7  is welded and secured to the steering member  1 . 
   A case body  3 A of the lower portion side of the airbag module  3  is provided with a mounted bracket  8 . The mounted bracket  8  is secured to the mounting bracket  7  by a fixing bolt  9 . A case body  3 B of the upper portion side of the airbag module  3  is provided with side walls  3 C,  3 D in the front and back direction of the vehicle. A pair of the hook members  10 ,  11  is disposed in the side walls  3 C,  3 D. The hook member  10  is engageable with an engagement hole  5   a , and the hook member  11  is engageable with an engagement hole  6   a.    
   The distance in the front and back direction of the vehicle between a pair of the locking brackets  5 ,  6  is formed slightly larger than a size in the front and back direction of the vehicle of the case body  3 B of the airbag module  3 , and the case body  3 B is located between a pair of the locking brackets  5 ,  6 . 
   The hook member  10  comprises a fixed part  10   a  secured to the case body  3 , a penetrating direction bending part  10   b  which is bended with respect to the fixed part  10   a  and extends in the direction penetrating the engagement hole  5   a , and an engagement bending part  10   c  which is bended downwardly with respect to the penetrating direction bending part  10   b  and engages with the lower portion wall  5   b  of the locking bracket  5 . 
   The hook member  11  comprises a fixed part  11   a  secured to the case body  3 B, a penetrating direction bending part  11   b  which is bended with respect to the fixed part  11   a  and extends in the direction penetrating the engagement hole  6   a , and an engagement bending part  11   c  which is bended downwardly with respect to the penetrating direction bending part  1   b  and engages with the lower portion wall  6   b  of the engagement bracket  6 . 
   As illustrated in an enlarged view of  FIG. 6 , a size L 1  in the up and down direction of the engagement hole  5   a  is about a size capable of removing the engagement bending part  10   c  from the engagement hole  5   a  when the airbag module  3  is lifted obliquely upward as shown by an arrow A 1 . A size L 2  in the up and down direction of the engagement hole  6   a  is about a size capable of removing the engagement bending part  11   c  from the engagement hole  6   a  when turning the airbag module  3  as described below. 
   The airbag module  3  is secured by the steering member  1  and a pair of locking brackets  5 ,  6  such that the side wall  3 C of the vehicle front side of the case body  3 B becomes the upside and the side wall  3 C of the vehicle back side of the case body  3 B becomes the downside. 
   A size L 3  of the penetrating direction bending part  11   b  is made to be larger than a size L 4  of the penetrating direction bending part  10   b , and a clearance H 1  between the fixed part  11   a  and the locking bracket  6  is structured to be larger than a clearance H 2  between the fixed part  10   b  and the locking bracket  5  with a state that the airbag module  3  is secured to the resin lid portion  2  of the instrument panel. 
   As shown in the partially enlarged view of  FIG. 7 , in the inner wall shape of the locking hole  5   a  of the locking bracket  5 , the lower portion side of the inner wall of the locking hole  5   a  is formed with a taper face  5   c  in the pulling out direction such that the engagement bending part  10   c  does not hook into the inner wall of the locking hole  5   a  when the airbag module  3  is lifted obliquely upward to pull out the engagement bending part  10   c  from the locking hole  5   a . In addition, the taper face  5   c  may be not only a liner inclined plane but also a curvature surface. 
   According to the airbag module removal structure, the fixing bolt  9  shown in  FIG. 1  is removed, the airbag module  3  is lifted in the direction shown by the arrow A 1  in  FIG. 1 , the airbag module  3  is shifted as shown by the arrow A 2  in  FIG. 2  such that the clearance H 1  between the airbag module  3  and the locking bracket  6  becomes small to release the engagement between the locking bracket  5  and the hook member  10 , the airbag module  3  is turned in the direction shown by the arrow A 3  while maintaining the engagement between the locking bracket  6  and the hook member  11  as shown in  FIG. 3 , and the hook member  11  is pulled out from the engagement hole  6   a  as shown by the arrow A 4  in  FIG. 4 . Ultimately, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the airbag module  3  can be easily removed from the vehicle by pulling out the airbag module  3  downwardly in the direction shown by the arrow A 5  from the clearance between the steering member  1  and the locking bracket  6 . 
   According to the above airbag module removal structure, the size of the penetrating direction bending part  11   b  of the hook member  11  of the vehicle back side is formed larger than the size of the penetrating direction bending part  10   b  of the hook member  10  of the vehicle front side, and the clearance H 1  between the fixed part  11   a  of the hook member  11  of the vehicle back side and the locking bracket  6  for locking the hook member  11  of the vehicle back side is structured to be larger than the clearance H 2  between the fixed part  10   a  of the hook member  10  of the vehicle front side and the locking bracket  5  for locking the hook member  10  of the vehicle front side, with a state that the airbag module  3  is secured to a pair of the locking brackets  5 ,  6 . Therefore, the airbag module  3  can be shifted to the side of the locking bracket  6 , which is the locking bracket  6  of the vehicle back side and is positioned lower than the locking bracket  5  of the vehicle front side, when releasing the engagement between the hook member  10  of the vehicle front side and the locking bracket  5  of the vehicle front side. Accordingly, the locking bracket  6  of the vehicle back side can receive the own weight of the airbag module  3  when releasing the engagement between the hook member  10  of the vehicle front side and the locking bracket  5  of the vehicle front side, so that an effort for removing the airbag module  3  can be reduced, and a facility of removing an airbag module can be further improved. 
   Moreover, in the above airbag module removal structure, when the airbag module  3  is shifted obliquely upward to pull out the hook member  10  of the vehicle front side from the locking hole  5   a  of the locking bracket  5  of the vehicle front side, the hook member  10  can be smoothly pulled out because the inner wall surface of the lower portion wall  5   b  constructing the engagement hole  5   a  is formed with the taper face  5   c , in order to prevent the engagement bending portion  10   c  of the hook member  10  from hooking into the inner wall surface constructing the locking hole  5   a  of the locking bracket  5  of the vehicle front side. 
   According to the above airbag module removal structure in one embodiment of the present invention, the airbag module can be easily removed from the instrument panel; thus, the airbag module can be easily disassembled. 
   The patent disclosure relates to subject matter contained in previous Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-152679, filed on May 24, 2004, the content of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1  is an explanation view illustrating one embodiment of an airbag module removal structure according to the present invention, and an explanation view showing a state that an airbag module is secured to a steering member and a locking bracket of a resin lid portion. 
     FIG. 2  is an explanation view illustrating a state that an engagement between a hook member of vehicle front side and an locking bracket of vehicle front side is released. 
     FIG. 3  is a view showing a state that an airbag module is downwardly turned while maintaining an engagement between a hook member of vehicle back side and a locking bracket of vehicle back side. 
     FIG. 4  is an explanation view showing a state just after the engagement between the hook portion of the vehicle back side and the locking bracket of the vehicle back side has released. 
     FIG. 5  is an explanation view illustrating a state that the airbag module is pulled out downwardly. 
     FIG. 6  is an enlarged explanation view showing a state that the airbag module shown in  FIG. 1  is secured to the steering member and the locking bracket of the resin lid portion. 
     FIG. 7  is a partially enlarged view of the lid portion shown in  FIG. 1 .

Technology Category: 7