CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0044006 filed on Apr. 10, 2020 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 driver seat airbag apparatus, and more particularly, to a driver seat airbag apparatus capable of improving the coupling force between a mounting plate and a cover.

Discussion of the Background

In general, airbag systems for vehicles refer to devices that can instantaneously inflate an airbag in case of a vehicle collision, thereby reducing an injury caused by an impact.

Among the airbag systems, a driver seat airbag system installed at a driver seat instantaneously inflates an airbag between the driver seat and a steering wheel in case of a vehicle collision, thereby reducing an injury caused by an impact. The driver seat airbag apparatus is disposed in the steering wheel, and deploys the airbag using gas generated by a gas supply unit (inflator) installed therein in case of a vehicle accident, thereby protecting the driver seat.

Such a driver seat airbag apparatus is packaged on a mounting plate fixed to a coupling part (also referred to as a wheel armature) of the steering wheel, and a cover is coupled to the top of the mounting plate.

However, the conventional driver seat airbag apparatus has a complex structure to couple the mounting plate and the cover, and the cover could be separated from the mounting plate by a force which is generated when the airbag is deployed.

The related art of the present disclosure is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0387313 registered on Jun. 8, 2005 and entitled “Air Bag Housing Assembly for Vehicles”.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments are directed to a driver seat airbag apparatus which can improve the coupling force between a mounting plate and a cover, simplify the structure through reduction in the number of parts, and have a reduced volume so as to easily secure an installation space.

In an embodiment, a driver seat airbag apparatus may include: a mounting plate having a housing space formed at a front thereof; a cover having an insertion part and a pressing part, wherein the insertion part is formed at a rear of the cover and inserted into the housing space, and the pressing part is formed at a front of the insertion part; and a coupling part formed at each of the mounting plate and an outer surface of the insertion part, and constituted by a male portion and a female portion which are locked to each other when the insertion part is inserted into the housing space.

The coupling part may include: a locking hole formed at a circumferential surface of the mounting plate; and a locking protrusion protruding from an outer surface of the cover, and inserted into the corresponding locking hole when the insertion part is inserted into the housing space.

One end of the locking protrusion, located in an opposite direction to a coupling direction, may be locked to the locking hole, when the locking protrusion is inserted into the locking hole.

The coupling part may further include a deformable bending part formed through the mounting plate from an outer surface to an inner surface of the mounting plate, and the bending part may be bent and pressed against the outer surface of the cover, with the locking protrusion inserted into the locking hole.

The bending part may have cut holes formed on both sides of the locking hole, and the cut holes may be formed through the mounting plate from the outer surface to the inner surface of the mounting plate.

The locking protrusion may further have an inclined surface formed at one end thereof in the coupling direction, and the inclined surface may be inclined downward toward the cover in the coupling direction.

The cover may further have a seating groove formed at the outer surface thereof, such that the locking protrusion is located in an inner region of the seating groove, and the bending part may be bent and inserted into the corresponding seating groove, with the locking protrusion inserted into the locking hole.

The mounting plate may have an auxiliary coupling hole formed at a rear surface thereof along an edge thereof, and the cover may have an auxiliary coupling protrusion which is formed at a rear surface thereof and protruded and inserted into the corresponding auxiliary coupling hole when the cover is inserted into the housing space.

The mounting plate may be formed of a metallic material.

The driver seat airbag apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the coupling force between the mounting plate and the cover, simplify the structure through reduction in the number of parts, and have a reduce volume, thereby easily securing the installation space.

