CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0135013, filed on Oct. 29, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

Field

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a cushion of an airbag apparatus, and more particularly, to a cushion of an airbag cushion, which can simplify a structure, and increase a protruding region when deployed, thereby not only quickly constraining a passenger, but also widening a passenger supporting region.

Discussion of the Background

In general, an airbag apparatus of a vehicle refers to a device that can momentarily inflate an airbag in case of a vehicle collision, and thus reduce an injury caused by an impact.

Such an airbag apparatus is mounted in a steering wheel of a driver seat or a passenger seat, and deploys a cushion using gas supplied from an inflator when an impact is applied to a vehicle, thereby reducing an injury to a passenger.

The cushion of the conventional airbag apparatus includes one main panel, a pair of side panels coupled to both sides of the main panel, respectively, and filling rooms formed in the main panel and the side panels. Each of the filling rooms includes a front tether for maintaining the shape of the cushion in a front-to-rear direction when the cushion is deployed, and a side tether for maintaining the shape of the cushion in a side-to-side direction when the cushion is deployed.

However, since the cushion of the conventional airbag apparatus has a complex structure and a large volume, there are difficulties in securing a storage space. Furthermore, since even a corner portion where the main panel and the side panels are coupled needs to be filled with gas, the inflation speed of the cushion is slowed, which makes it difficult to protect a passenger.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments are directed to a cushion of an airbag apparatus, which includes front and rear panels coupled to each other, and thus can reduce the manufacturing cost and weight thereof as well as the volume thereof because the number of parts is reduced, thereby making it easy to store the cushion.

Also, various embodiments are directed to a cushion of an airbag apparatus, which has protruding regions formed at the tops and bottoms of rear and front panels, and thus can not only quickly constrain a passenger by increasing a protruding region when the cushion is deployed at the initial stage, but also improve safety by increasing a passenger support region when the cushion is completely deployed.

In an embodiment, a cushion of an airbag apparatus may include: a rear panel having a gas inlet formed at a rear thereof, and a first connecting end formed along an edge thereof and deployed forward when gas is introduced into a primary filling room open to a front; and a front panel having a second connecting end formed along an edge thereof at a front of the rear panel and coupled to the first connecting end, and a passenger support region which is formed at a front thereof and deployed forward when gas is introduced into a secondary filling room open to a rear.

Both ends of the rear panel in a side-to-side direction may be divided into upper and lower parts by a pair of sewing lines based on a connection region, and the sewing lines may be sewed to each other in a widthwise direction thereof, and vertically connect both ends of the rear panel in the side-to-side direction.

The pair of sewing lines may be formed to correspond to left and right sides of the connection region.

The pair of sewing lines may be connected to both ends of the connection region in the side-to-side direction, respectively, while a gap between the pair of sewing lines gradually decreases toward the rear.

The gas inlet may be formed at a center position of the connection region.

The first connecting end may include a rear-side upper connection section formed at a top of the sewing line and a rear-side lower connection section formed at a bottom of the sewing line, and the second connecting end may include a front-side upper connection section sewed to the rear-side upper connection section and a front-side lower connection section sewed to the front-side upper connection section.

The rear-side upper connection section and the front-side upper connection section may have the same length.

The rear-side lower connection section and the front-side lower connection section may have the same length.

The rear-side upper connection section may protrude upward while having a curvature in the side-to-side direction, and the front-side upper connection section may include a first front-side coupling part having a length in the side-to-side direction such that a center thereof coincides with a center of the rear-side upper connection section, and a pair of second front-side coupling parts bent and extended downward from both ends of the first front-side coupling part in a longitudinal direction.

The rear-side lower connection section may include a pair of first rear-side coupling parts formed on left and right sides thereof, respectively, and having a length in the side-to-side direction, and a second rear-side coupling part connected to corresponding ends of the first rear-side coupling parts and protruding while having a curvature downward, and the front-side lower connection section may include a pair of third front-side coupling parts formed on left and right sides thereof, respectively, and protruding while having a curvature in directions facing each other, and a fourth front-side coupling part having a length in the side-to-side direction and both longitudinal ends connected to lower ends of the third front-side coupling parts, respectively.

The pair of third front-side coupling parts may have a side-to-side width larger than the pair of second front-side coupling parts.

In accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, the rear panel and the front panel may be coupled to each other, which makes it possible to simplify the structure and to reduce the number of parts. Therefore, since the manufacturing cost, weight and volume of the cushion can be reduced, the cushion may be easily stored.

Furthermore, the protruding regions may be formed at the tops and bottoms of the rear panel and the front panel, thereby widening the region which protrudes when the cushion is deployed at the initial stage. Thus, the cushion can quickly constrain a passenger, and widen the passenger support region when completely inflated, which makes it possible to improve the safety.

