JP2011051413A - Passenger's seat airbag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a passenger's seat airbag for improving the safety of an occupant. <P>SOLUTION: The passenger's seat airbag is installed inside the upper face of an instrument panel 104 in a vehicle room. It includes a gas flow path part 130 including the upper face of the passenger's seat airbag and an uneven-shape occupant contact face 180 on the passenger's seat side suitable to the uneven shape of the body of a regular occupant, for inflating in an approximately parabolic shape from the instrument panel 104 toward a passenger's seat 108 when gas is first supplied from an inflator 106 thereto, an auxiliary inflation part 140 for inflating and developing from the passenger's seat side to the instrument panel side when gas is supplied thereto via the gas flow path part 130, and a gas communication port 150 provided in the lower part of the occupant contact face for communicating the gas flow path part 130 with the auxiliary inflation part 140. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag for a passenger seat that protects a passenger in the passenger seat by inflating and deploying when an impact occurs in a vehicle.

  In recent years, as a safety device mounted on a vehicle, an airbag that protects an occupant from an impact at the time of a collision has become widespread. There are various types of airbags depending on the installation location and function of the vehicle. In the passenger seat space, a frontal airbag (passenger seat airbag) is provided inside the instrument panel (instrument panel), and the passenger in the passenger seat crashes into the instrument panel due to the impact of a collision accident, or faces the windshield. Protects you from jumping out.

  The airbag including the passenger seat airbag inflates and deploys the occupant by taking in the gas supplied from the inflator. The supply of gas from the inflator at this time is due to the explosion of explosive resulting from the detection of the impact by the sensor. These are airbags that enable instantaneous protection of the occupant when an impact occurs. However, the airbag is explosively inflated and deployed toward the occupant. ) Was overwhelmed.

  In order to solve the above problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, an airbag body and gas generated from the inflator are guided along the front windshield (windshield) into the airbag body. A passenger seat airbag having a gas guide cylinder is disclosed. According to this configuration, the first inflating and deploying of the passenger airbag is performed along the windshield, and then inflating and deploying toward the occupant. Not to give.

JP 2001-108834 A

  However, in the passenger seat airbag as described in Patent Document 1, it is considered that the impact given to the occupant when receiving the occupant is not small even if the occupant is not given the impact in the initial inflating process. Patent Document 1 does not mention how the airbag main body and the occupant directly contact each other when the occupant is received and what kind of action the occupant is subjected to by the contact. Originally, the airbag for a passenger seat described in Patent Document 1 is mainly intended to reduce the manufacturing cost and protect the base fabric of the airbag body. Therefore, in patent document 1, it does not consider to the reduction of the impact given to the passenger | crew which the airbag main body contacted.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag for a passenger seat with improved safety for passengers.

  Here, the inventors examined a means that can improve the safety of the airbag, and noticed that when the occupant contacts the airbag, an unbalanced load (uneven load) is generated on the airbag. did. And, it was thought that by distributing this uneven load, it was possible to prevent the impact from concentrating on a part of the occupant's body and to avoid the occurrence of injury. Further, among the various airbags, the passenger seat airbag having a large internal volume of about 80? Or more was examined as to what means to disperse the uneven load, and the present invention was completed.

  That is, in order to solve the above-described problems, a representative configuration of a passenger seat airbag according to the present invention is a passenger seat airbag installed inside an upper surface of an instrument panel in a vehicle compartment. It includes an upper surface of the bag and a concave-convex occupant contact surface on the passenger side that conforms to the standard occupant profile of the passenger, and receives the gas from the inflator first, and then the assistant from the instrument panel. A gas flow path section that expands in a substantially parabolic shape toward the seat, an auxiliary expansion section that expands and deploys from the passenger seat side toward the instrument panel side when gas is supplied through the gas flow path section, and an occupant A gas communication port that communicates the gas flow path portion and the auxiliary expansion portion at the lower portion of the contact surface is provided.

  According to the above-described configuration, by forming an uneven occupant contact surface, the time difference between each part of the occupant's body contacting the airbag is shortened, and the impact given to the occupant at the time of contact is not concentrated on a specific part. Can be dispersed. Thereby, the area which contacts a passenger | crew's body simultaneously becomes large, and generation | occurrence | production of an unbalanced load can be prevented.

  According to the said structure, since an unevenness | corrugation is formed in the gas flow path part to which gas is supplied initially with a small internal volume, an unevenness | corrugation can be formed at an early stage. In other words, it is possible to solve the problem that when the unevenness is formed on the outer surface of the passenger seat airbag including a single chamber having a large internal volume, the time until the expansion is increased and the formation of the unevenness is delayed. Moreover, the internal pressure of a convex part can be raised and the shape can be maintained. In this way, it is possible to provide a passenger seat airbag in which the completed unevenness is more reliably brought into contact with the occupant and safety for the occupant is improved.

  The occupant contact surface is formed in a concave shape by cutting out a certain range in the vertical direction in the center in the vehicle left-right direction, and is constrained on the left and right sides of the head restraint portion. It is good to have a shoulder part restraining part which becomes convex and restrains a passenger | crew's shoulder part.

  Usually, the occupant's body is heavier than the body, and comes into contact with the airbag first from the head (particularly the face) protruding forward. Since the outer surface of the inflated airbag is considerably strained, the occupant tends to injure the head. However, in the passenger seat airbag according to the present invention, the occupant's shoulder is received by the convex shoulder restraint portion formed by the gas flow passage portion having a high internal pressure, while the occupant's face is received by the gas flow passage portion. It is received by a concave head restraint that is a notch. The head restraint part is the outer surface of the auxiliary expansion part whose internal pressure is lower than that of the gas flow path part. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to further improve the safety of the passenger seat airbag by dispersing the impact applied to the head of the occupant to the shoulders and the like.

  The shoulder restraint section may be capable of setting and changing the range of the shoulder restraint section by changing the position and the outer circumference of the head restraint section. For example, in a vehicle model having a design in which an instrument panel (instrument panel) is curved toward a side wall surface in the vehicle, the passenger seat airbag may be installed in an inclined state with respect to the passenger. However, even in such a case, according to the present invention, it is possible to set the shoulder restraint portion to face the occupant's shoulder portion by changing the position and the outer circumference of the head restraint portion. it can. As a result, the safety of the passenger seat airbag can be improved.

  It is preferable that the occupant contact surface further includes a chest restraint portion that is convex and not cut out below the head restraint portion and restrains the occupant's chest. According to this configuration, the contact area with the occupant's body is further expanded by the chest restraint portion, and the safety of the passenger seat airbag can be further improved.

  The airbag for a passenger seat according to the present invention is installed inside the auxiliary inflatable portion, and one end is sewn to the lower part on the passenger seat side, and the other end is sewn to the upper part on the instrument panel side. It is preferable to further include a shape maintaining member for maintaining the above.

  According to the above configuration, in the passenger seat airbag, the gas flow passage portion becomes substantially parabolic from the instrument panel toward the passenger seat, and the inside of the gas flow passage portion curved in a substantially parabolic shape is auxiliary inflated by the shape maintaining member. It is possible to maintain a developed shape that fills the part.

  The passenger seat airbag according to the present invention may further include a predetermined number and shape of auxiliary communication ports that allow the gas flow path portion and the auxiliary inflating portion to communicate with each other at an arbitrary position.

  According to the said structure, the inflow direction and flow volume of the gas which flow in from a gas flow path part to an auxiliary | assistant expansion | swelling part can be easily set by changing the setting of the position, number, and shape of an auxiliary communicating port. As a result, the deployment behavior and the internal pressure of the passenger seat airbag can be set.

  It is preferable that the auxiliary inflatable portion has side exhaust ports that can control the internal pressure of the passenger airbag by discharging gas on the left and right side surfaces of the auxiliary inflatable portion.

  Even in an airbag that instantly inflates and deploys using the pressure due to the inflow of gas, excessive pressure increases the tension on the outer surface more than necessary and increases the impact on the occupant during contact. . In particular, in the passenger seat airbag according to the present invention, the auxiliary inflatable portion is a portion that receives the face of the occupant, so that flexibility is required. Therefore, the flexibility of the auxiliary expansion portion can be ensured by allowing gas to be discharged through the side exhaust port when in contact with the occupant. Therefore, the safety of the passenger seat airbag can be further improved.

  The gas flow path section may have at least one gas leakage prevention means selected from multiple sewing, coating, and use of a high-density fabric. With this configuration, the gas flow path portion can withstand the explosive supply of gas from the inflator, and can circulate gas to the auxiliary expansion portion while reliably expanding and deploying.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the passenger seat airbag which improved the safety | security with respect to a passenger | crew.

It is a figure which illustrates the installation position in the vehicle interior of the passenger seat airbag according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the passenger seat airbag of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the passenger seat airbag of FIG. 1. It is a figure explaining the airbag for passenger seats concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the airbag for passenger seats concerning 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the passenger seat airbag of FIG. 5. It is a figure explaining the other effect common to said 1st-3rd embodiment. It is a figure explaining the other effect common to said 1st-3rd embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an installation position in a vehicle compartment of a passenger seat airbag according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a passenger seat airbag (hereinafter simply referred to as “airbag 100”) according to the present embodiment is installed inside an upper surface of an instrument panel (instrument panel 104) of a vehicle 102. .

  The airbag 100 is formed as a bag body, for example, by sewing a base fabric that constitutes the surface of the airbag 100 on the front and back sides or by using OPW (One-Piece Woven).

  When an impact occurs in the vehicle 102 due to a collision accident or the like, a sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 102 first detects the impact, and an ignition signal is transmitted from the sensor to the inflator 106. Next, the explosive of the inflator 106 explodes and the generated gas is supplied to the airbag 100. The airbag 100 supplied with the gas starts to inflate and deploy, and inflates and deploys from the housing 114 to the space between the instrument panel 104 and the passenger 110 of the passenger seat 108. The occupant 110 is protected from crashing into the instrument panel 104 and jumping out toward the windshield 112.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the airbag 100 includes a gas flow path portion 130, an auxiliary inflation portion 140, a gas communication port 150, a shape maintaining member 160, and a side exhaust port 170.

  The gas flow path unit 130 is a flow path that first receives gas from the inflator 106 and distributes the gas to the auxiliary expansion unit 140. When gas supply is received, the gas flow path portion 130 expands in a substantially parabolic shape from the instrument panel 104 toward the passenger seat 108. The gas flow path unit 130 includes an upper surface of the airbag 100 and an occupant contact surface 180. The passenger contact surface 180 is an outer surface of the airbag 100 on the passenger seat 108 side, and is a surface that contacts the passenger 110 (receives the passenger 110) when a collision accident or the like occurs.

  The gas flow path portion 130 is provided with a connection portion 132 for connecting to the inflator 106 in the vehicle front direction (see FIG. 3). The connecting part 132 has a fixed hole 134 and a gas receiving port 136. The fixing hole 134 inserts a bolt or the like to fix the airbag 100 to the bottom surface of the housing 114, and the gas receiving port 136 is connected to the inflator 106 and receives gas supply.

  The gas flow path part 130 is provided with a gas leakage prevention means. By means of the gas leakage prevention means, the gas flow path unit 130 can withstand the pressure of the gas explosively supplied from the inflator 106 and can appropriately distribute the gas. In the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment, multiple sewing is performed at a sewing position between the base fabrics constituting the gas flow path portion 130 as a gas leakage preventing means (sewing portion 194 in FIG. 2). Other examples of the gas leakage prevention means include a coating of liquid resin (silicon or the like) on the base fabric constituting the gas flow path portion 130, and a high-density fabric having a high sealing property as the base fabric of the gas flow path portion 130. It can be used (not shown).

  The auxiliary inflating portion 140 is a portion that occupies most of the entire volume of the airbag 100 other than the gas flow path portion 130. When the gas is supplied via the gas flow path part 130, the auxiliary expansion part 140 expands and expands so as to fill the inside of the curved shape with respect to the substantially curved shape of the gas flow path part 130. To do. At this time, the expansion and expansion of the auxiliary expansion part 140 occurs from the passenger seat 108 side toward the instrument panel 104 side.

  The gas communication port 150 allows gas to communicate from the gas flow path unit 130 to the auxiliary expansion unit 140 at the lower part of the passenger contact surface 180. Since the gas communication port 150 is disposed below the passenger contact surface 180 on the passenger seat 108 side when viewed from the auxiliary inflatable portion 140, the auxiliary inflatable portion 140 is inflated and deployed from the passenger seat 108 side toward the instrument panel 104 side. can do. In addition, since the gas communication port 150 receives a considerable pressure when the gas passes, it is desirable that the gas communication port 150 is subjected to a reinforcement process such as multiple sewing.

  The shape maintaining member 160 is installed inside the auxiliary inflating unit 140 and maintains the shape of the airbag 100 after being inflated and deployed. The shape maintaining member 160 is made of cloth, and is sewn so that one end is the lower part on the passenger seat 108 side and the other end is the upper part on the instrument panel 104 side so as to sew the auxiliary expansion part 140 and the gas flow path part 130 together. (See FIG. 3). Due to the shape maintaining member 160, the airbag 100 has the gas flow path portion 130 that has a substantially parabolic shape from the instrument panel 104 toward the passenger seat 108, and the auxiliary inflatable portion 140 is disposed inside the gas flow path portion 130 curved in a substantially parabolic shape. It becomes possible to maintain the unfolded shape to be filled.

  In the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment, a total of two shape maintaining members 160 are installed on both sides in the vehicle left-right direction in the auxiliary inflating portion 140 (see FIG. 3). By installing in this way, the shape maintaining member 160 is prevented from obstructing the inflow of gas from the gas communication port 150.

  The side exhaust port 170 is opened by detecting a pressure increase in the airbag 100 and discharges gas (vent hole). Thereby, the side exhaust port 170 controls the internal pressure (pressure) of the airbag 100. Normally, an airbag is inflated and deployed instantaneously using the pressure caused by the inflow of gas. However, if excessive pressure is generated, the tension on the outer surface is increased more than necessary, and the impact applied to the occupant at the time of contact increases. Therefore, in the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment, gas is discharged by the side exhaust port 170 when the airbag 100 and the occupant 110 are in contact with each other, so that the outer surface has appropriate flexibility.

  The side exhaust ports 170 are disposed on the left and right side surfaces of the auxiliary expansion part 140. The auxiliary inflating part 140 in which the side exhaust port 170 is disposed is also a part that receives the face of the occupant 110 as described later, and thus is particularly required to be flexible. Therefore, the airbag 100 ensures the flexibility of the auxiliary inflation part 140 by discharging the gas in the auxiliary inflation part 140 when contacting the occupant 110 through the side exhaust port 170. As described above, the side exhaust port 170 improves the safety of the airbag 100.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the passenger seat airbag of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the occupant contact surface 180 is formed in a concavo-convex shape that matches a standard concavo-convex shape of a standard occupant body by being partially cut away. Thus, the occupant contact surface 180 shortens the time difference between each part of the body of the occupant 110 contacting the airbag 100 and disperses the impact applied to the occupant 110 without concentrating on a specific part.

  Since the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment has a small internal volume and the irregularities are formed by the gas channel portion 130 to which gas is first supplied, the irregularities can be formed at an early stage. In other words, the formation of irregularities on the outer surface of a passenger seat airbag consisting of a single chamber with a large internal volume solves the problem that the time until the inflation is increased and the formation of the irregularities is delayed. .

  In the present embodiment, the unevenness of the passenger contact surface 180 is formed as a head restraint 182, a shoulder restraint 184, and a chest restraint 186.

  The head restraint portion 182 is a concave portion of the occupant contact surface 180 and is a portion that restrains (receives) the head of the occupant 110. The concave head restraint portion 182 is formed by cutting out a certain range of the occupant contact surface 180 in the vertical direction at the center in the vehicle left-right direction. In the head restraint part 182, the outer surface of the auxiliary expansion part 140 is exposed as a concave bottom surface. Here, it can be said that the concave shape of the occupant contact surface 180 is formed by the notched gas flow path portion 130 and the occupant restraint portion 140 exposed from the notch. The convex shape of the occupant contact surface 180 is naturally formed in a region where the expansion is not limited other than the notched portion in the gas flow path portion 130.

  Usually, the occupant's body is heavier than the body, and comes into contact with the airbag first from the head (particularly the face) protruding forward. Since the outer surface of the inflated airbag is considerably strained, the occupant tends to injure the head (face). However, in the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment, the face of the occupant 110 is received by the head restraint portion 182 that uses the outer surface of the auxiliary inflatable portion 140 that has lower internal pressure and higher flexibility than the gas flow path portion 130. Can do. Therefore, since the airbag 100 can reduce the impact given to the face of the occupant 110 at the time of contact, the safety is improved.

  The shoulder restraint portion 184 is a portion that is convex on both the left and right sides of the head restraint portion 182, and is a portion that receives the shoulder portion of the occupant 110. When the shoulder restraining portion 184 receives a load from the shoulder of the occupant 110, the impact exerted on the face of the occupant 110 by the airbag 100 is further dispersed. Since the shoulder restraint part 184 is constituted by the gas flow path part 130 having a higher internal pressure than the auxiliary expansion part 140 constituting the head restraint part 182, the convex shape can be suitably maintained. As a result, the shoulder restraining portion 184 can reliably receive the occupant 110.

  The shoulder restraint 184 can change the setting of the range of the shoulder restraint 184 by changing the position and outer circumference of the head restraint 182. For example, in a vehicle model having a design in which the instrument panel is curved toward the side wall surface in the vehicle, the airbag may be installed in a state of being inclined with respect to an occupant. However, even in such a case, according to the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment, the shoulder restraining portion 184 is changed to the shoulder portion of the occupant 110 by changing the position and the outer circumference of the head restraining portion 182. It is possible to change the setting so that

  The chest restraint 186 is a portion that is located below the head restraint 182 on the occupant contact surface 180 and has a convex shape that restrains the chest of the occupant 110. The chest restraint 186 has a configuration in which the occupant contact surface 180 has a convex shape without being cut out. The chest restraint portion 186 further increases the contact area between the airbag 100 and the body of the occupant 110, so that the impact applied to the occupant 110 can be further dispersed.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the passenger seat airbag of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the gas flow path unit 130 includes a front cloth member 142, a rear cloth member 144, and a side cloth member 146.

  The front cloth member 142 constitutes the outer surface of the gas flow path portion 130 on the passenger contact surface 180 side. The front cloth member 142 is sewn so that the sewing part 190 and the sewing part 192, which are the sewing positions (separation allowances) between the base cloths, are located inside the bag body in order to prevent danger when contacting the occupant 110. Yes.

  The rear cloth member 144 constitutes an outer surface of the gas flow path portion 130 on the auxiliary expansion portion 140 side. The rear cloth member 144 has a sewing part 192 that is a seam allowance with the front cloth member 142 inside the bag body, but a sewing part 194 that is a seam allowance with the side surface cloth member 146 is outside the bag body. Have. The gas flow path portion 130 has the sewing portion 192 inside the bag body to take into consideration the danger prevention at the time of contact with the head restraint portion 182, while the gas flow path portion 130 has the sewing portion 194 outside the bag body. The portion 130 can be easily sewn. The sewing portion 194 is sewn together with the seam allowance of the auxiliary expansion portion 140.

  As described above, the airbag 100 according to the present embodiment forms the head restraint portion 182, the shoulder restraint portion 184, and the chest restraint portion 186 on the occupant contact surface 180, thereby causing the airbag 100 to have the head portion of the occupant 110. The time difference that occurs between the point of contact and the point of contact of the chest and shoulders is shortened. Therefore, the airbag 100 can disperse the impact at the time of contact given to the occupant 110 without concentrating on the protruding part like the head. Thus, since the airbag 100 can prevent generation | occurrence | production of an unbalanced load, safety | security is improving.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a passenger seat airbag according to the second embodiment. The airbag for the passenger seat (hereinafter simply referred to as “airbag 200”) is different from the airbag 100 according to the first embodiment in that it includes an auxiliary communication port 152. Note that elements similar in function and configuration to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the auxiliary communication port 152 allows the gas flow path unit 130 and the auxiliary expansion unit 140 to communicate with each other. The auxiliary communication port 152 can be installed in a predetermined number and shape at an arbitrary position where the gas flow path unit 130 and the auxiliary expansion unit 140 are adjacent to each other. The airbag 200 according to the present embodiment includes an auxiliary communication port 152 a and an auxiliary communication port 152 b as the auxiliary communication port 152.

  The auxiliary communication port 152 a communicates the gas flow path part 130 and the upper surface of the auxiliary expansion part 140. The auxiliary communication port 152a generates a flow from the upper side to the lower side as the gas inflow direction to the auxiliary expansion part 140. Therefore, the auxiliary inflating portion 140 can be inflated and deployed in the same direction as the occupant contact surface 180. Therefore, compared with the airbag 100 having only the gas communication port 150, the difference in the inflating and deploying direction between the auxiliary inflating portion 140 and the occupant contact surface 180 is reduced. Yes.

  The auxiliary communication port 152b communicates the shoulder restraining part 184 and the auxiliary inflating part 140. The shoulder restraining portion 184 is configured to easily catch the occupant's shoulder due to the high internal pressure, but an excessively high internal pressure increases the load applied to the shoulder. Therefore, by providing the auxiliary communication port 152b, the gas in the shoulder restraint portion 184 at the time of contact with the occupant 110 can be discharged, and the internal pressure can be reduced appropriately.

  As described above, the deployment behavior and the internal pressure of the airbag 200 can be changed by the auxiliary communication port 152. In addition, by making the shape of the auxiliary communication port 152 smaller in diameter than the gas communication port 150, the gas can be introduced into the auxiliary inflating portion 140 using the gas communication port 150 as a main route. Therefore, even if the auxiliary communication port 152 is provided, the auxiliary inflating part 140 can be inflated and deployed from the passenger seat 108 side toward the instrument panel 104 side.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a passenger seat airbag according to the third embodiment. A passenger airbag (hereinafter simply referred to as “airbag 300”) is different from the airbag 100 according to the first embodiment in that it does not have a chest restraint. Note that elements similar in function and configuration to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The airbag 300 is assumed to be used in combination with a seat belt (not shown), like a general passenger seat airbag. Since the chest of the occupant 114 is protected from a collision with the instrument panel 104 by the seat belt, the safety of the airbag 300 is not lowered even if the chest restraint 148 is omitted.

  Since the airbag 300 does not have the chest restraint portion 186, the airbag 300 has a smaller internal volume than the airbag 100 and is shorter in the vertical direction. Thus, the airbag 300 is smaller than the airbag 100 and is configured to be easily installed inside the instrument panel 104. Further, since the airbag 300 is small, the inflation and deployment can be completed more quickly than the airbag 100.

  6 is a perspective view of the passenger seat airbag of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 6, since the head restraint portion 382 is formed up to the lower portion of the passenger contact surface 380, the gas flow path portion 330 divides the shoulder restraint portion 384 on the passenger contact surface 380. It is composed. Therefore, in the airbag 300, the two gas communication ports 350 are disposed at the lower part of the occupant contact surface 380 which is divided into two. In addition, the shape maintaining member 360 illustrated in FIG. 5 has one end at the lower part on the passenger seat 108 side and between the gas communication terms 350 (the head) so as not to hinder the inflow of gas inside the auxiliary expansion portion 340. Can be sewn to the lower part of the restraining portion 382 (not shown in FIG. 6). At this time, unlike the airbag 100, only one shape maintaining member 360 is installed.

(Other effects)
7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining other effects common to the first to third embodiments. FIG. 7A illustrates a conventional passenger seat airbag 10, and FIG. 7B illustrates the airbag 100 of the first embodiment as a representative passenger seat airbag of the above embodiment. 7 and 8 exemplify a stopped vehicle. In addition, an infant 116 equivalent to a 6-year-old child is illustrated as an occupant in the vicinity of the passenger seat but not seated correctly in the passenger seat 112 (FIG. 1) (passenger in a regular outside seating condition).

  As illustrated in FIG. 7A, the vehicle 20 is provided with a conventional passenger seat airbag (hereinafter simply referred to as “airbag 10”) installed in front of the upper surface of the instrument panel 30. . When the infant 116 is in the vicinity of the passenger seat, a sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 20 may erroneously react to mischief of the infant 116 or the like. In such a case, the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed linearly from the front of the upper surface of the instrument panel 30 toward the infant 116 and comes into contact. Since the infant 116 is smaller than an adult, the infant 116 is easily affected by an impact at the time of contact.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7B, according to each embodiment of the present invention, even if the sensor detects an unexpected impact, the airbag 100 is inflated from the housing 114 toward the windshield 112 and then It expands and develops in a substantially parabolic path that expands toward the seat and comes into contact with the infant 116. Thus, since the airbag 100 does not linearly apply the explosive pressure at the initial stage of inflation and deployment to the infant 116, the impact applied to the infant 116 is reduced as compared with the conventional airbag 10. As described above, the airbag 100 according to the above-described embodiment is improved in safety for the infant 116 (an occupant under a regular outer seating condition).

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, when the infant 116 is positioned close to the instrument panel 104, the airbag 100 may be deployed toward the back of the infant 116 by contacting the infant 116 from above. obtain. However, even if the airbag 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is deployed as described above, the infant 116 comes into contact with the flexible inflatable portion 140 having a low internal pressure and flexibility, so that the impact applied to the infant 116 is small. It becomes. As described above, the airbag 100 according to the above-described embodiment has improved safety for the infant 116 (an occupant in a regular outer seating condition).

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described above are preferred examples of the present invention, and other embodiments can be implemented or performed in various ways. Can be carried out. The invention is not limited to the detailed shape, size, configuration, and the like of the components shown in the accompanying drawings unless otherwise specified in the present specification. In addition, expressions and terms used in the present specification are for the purpose of explanation, and are not limited thereto unless otherwise specified.

  Therefore, it is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

  Moreover, although the example which applied the passenger seat airbag concerning this invention to the motor vehicle was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is also possible to apply to an aircraft, a ship, etc. besides a motor vehicle, and obtains the same effect. be able to.

  Furthermore, the passenger seat airbag according to the present invention can be effectively used in a rear row seat other than the passenger seat.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an airbag for a passenger seat that protects a passenger in the passenger seat by inflating and deploying when an impact occurs in the vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Airbag 20 ... Vehicle 30 ... Instrument panel 100, 200, 300 ... Air bag 102 ... Vehicle 104 ... Instrument panel 106 ... Inflator 108 ... Passenger seat 110 ... Passenger 112 ... Windshield 114 ... Housing 116 ... Infant 130 ... Gas flow path part 132 ... Connection part 134 ... Fixed hole 140 ... Auxiliary expansion part 142 ... Front cloth member 144 ... Rear cloth member 146 ... Side cloth member 150 ... Gas communication port 152 ... Auxiliary communication port 152a ... Auxiliary communication port 152b ... Auxiliary communication port 160 ... Shape maintaining member 170 ... side exhaust port 180 ... occupant contact surface 182 ... head restraint part 184 ... shoulder restraint part 186 ... chest restraint part 190 ... sewing part 192 ... sewing part 330 ... gas flow path part 340 ... auxiliary expansion part 350 ... Gas communication port 380 ... Passenger contact surface 382 ... Head restraint 384 ... Shoulder restraint

Claims (8)

In the passenger seat airbag installed inside the upper surface of the instrument panel in the vehicle compartment,
Including an upper surface of the airbag for the passenger seat, and an occupant contact surface having a concavo-convex shape that conforms to the concavo-convex shape of a standard occupant on the passenger seat side, and is first supplied with gas from the inflator, A gas flow path section that expands in a substantially parabolic shape from the instrument panel toward the passenger seat;
When gas is supplied through the gas flow path section, an auxiliary expansion section that expands and expands from the passenger seat side toward the instrument panel side, and
A gas communication port for communicating the gas flow path portion and the auxiliary expansion portion at the lower part of the passenger contact surface;
An airbag for a passenger seat, comprising: The passenger contact surface is
A head restraint part that restrains the occupant's head by forming a concave shape by cutting a certain range in the vertical direction in the center of the vehicle left-right direction,
On both the left and right sides of the head restraint portion, a shoulder restraint portion that becomes a convex shape and restrains the shoulder portion of the occupant,
The passenger seat airbag according to claim 1, comprising:   3. The passenger seat according to claim 2, wherein the shoulder restraint portion is capable of setting and changing a range of the shoulder restraint portion by changing a position and an outer periphery size of the head restraint portion. Airbag.   4. The occupant contact surface further includes a chest restraint portion that is convex without being cut out and restrains the occupant's chest below the head restraint portion. Passenger airbag.   The passenger seat airbag is installed inside the auxiliary inflatable portion, and one end is sewn to the passenger seat side lower portion and the other end is sewn to the instrument panel side upper portion, thereby the passenger seat airbag. The airbag for a passenger seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a shape maintaining member that maintains the shape.   6. The front passenger seat airbag further includes a predetermined number and shape of auxiliary communication ports that allow the gas flow path portion and the auxiliary inflating portion to communicate with each other at an arbitrary position. An airbag for a passenger seat according to claim 1.   The said auxiliary | assistant expansion | swelling part has a side surface exhaust port which can control the internal pressure of the said passenger seat airbag by discharging | emitting gas on the right-and-left side surface of itself. An airbag for a passenger seat according to the item.   8. The passenger seat airbag according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow path portion has at least one gas leakage prevention means selected from multiple sewing, coating, and use of a high-density fabric. 9.

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