JP4899894B2 - Pedestrian airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention folds airbags that can cover the front sides of left and right front pillars of a vehicle when deployment and inflation are completed, respectively, to cowls on both the left and right sides near the rear end of the vehicle hood panel. The present invention relates to a stored pedestrian airbag apparatus.

  Conventionally, in a pedestrian airbag device, folded airbags are stored near the left and right sides of the cowl, respectively, and when each airbag completes inflation, the front side of the left and right front pillars of the vehicle, respectively. There is one configured so as to cover (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this pedestrian airbag device, the hood panel is configured to raise the rear end side so that, when the airbag is deployed and inflated, a protruding gap of the airbag can be formed between the cowl and the rear end of the hood panel. In addition to being configured, the front end side can be opened upward by a hinge mechanism provided near both left and right edges of the rear end during normal use.

Further, in the pedestrian airbag device, the hood panel is attached instead of the cowl, but the airbag covers the front side of the front pillar portion and the upper surface side of the rear end of the hood panel. There were also some (for example, patent document 2). In this pedestrian airbag device, the panel side inflating portion that covers the upper surface side of the hood panel in the airbag is folded inward so as not to float from the upper surface side of the hood panel when deployed and inflated. Then, the pillar-side inflating portion that covers the front side of the windshield and the front pillar and the airbag were folded together, and the airbag was stored in the storage portion on the lower surface of the rear end of the hood panel.
JP 2002-36986 A JP 2006-44289 A

  However, when the pedestrian airbag device is configured to cover the upper surface side of the hood panel with the cowl attached, the hood panel rises to form a protruding gap for the airbag. There is a possibility that a portion disposed so as to cover the upper surface side of the panel is likely to expand and expand on the lower surface side of the hood panel.

  In addition, when the airbag device for a pedestrian is attached to the cowl and the airbag covers the front pillar, the portion covering the front pillar suppresses interference (contact) with the hinge mechanism of the hood panel, It is desirable to expand and expand stably and smoothly and cover the front pillar. Furthermore, even if the front pillar is covered, there is a corner portion where the rear end of the hood panel intersects with the edge in the left-right direction immediately below the front pillar, and including the corner portion of the hood panel in the airbag. It is desirable that the portion covering the upper surface side expands and expands stably and smoothly.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and the airbag housed in the cowl is stably and smoothly deployed and inflated, near the rear end corner portion on the front side of the front pillar and the upper side of the hood panel. An object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian airbag apparatus capable of covering the pedestal.

The airbag device for a pedestrian according to the present invention is folded in the lower cowl on both sides in the left and right direction near the rear end of the hood panel of the vehicle, respectively, and the airbag is stored.
An upper inflatable portion that covers the upper surface of the left and right edge at the rear end of the hood panel when the airbag is inflated and inflated with the inflation gas flowing in, and a cowl below the rear end of the hood panel from the storage site A lower inflating portion that extends backward between the rear end of the hood panel and covers the front side of the front pillar, and
The hood panel is configured to raise the rear end side so that a protruding gap of the airbag can be formed between the cowl and the rear end of the hood panel when the airbag is deployed and inflated. A pedestrian airbag device arranged as a configuration that allows the front end side to be opened upward by a hinge mechanism provided in the vicinity of both left and right edges of the rear end,
The lower inflation part of the airbag is positioned at the front end side as a shape when inflation is completed, and a main part that is attached to the storage site, and a main body part that extends from the original part to the rear side and can cover the front side of the front pillar. With
The main body portion has a concave portion along the inner edge of the hinge mechanism on the base portion side, an end edge portion disposed on the rear side of the concave portion, and a rear extending portion extending to the rear side of the base portion. In addition to the configuration comprising, in the vicinity of the rear end of the rear end of the hood panel at the completion of expansion, an inflow port for the expansion gas to the upper expansion portion is arranged,
The upper inflating part of the airbag is configured as a position where the front end when the inflating is completed is located rearward from the storage part, and covers the upper part of the concave part of the lower inflating part to the vicinity of the left and right edge of the edge part Configured to arrange,
After the airbag is flatly deployed with the upper inflatable part placed above the lower inflatable part, the front end side of the upper inflatable part is folded up to the vicinity of the inflow port, and then folded in the front-rear direction. with the folds along, each upper expansion portion, the edge portion of the main body of the lower inflatable portion, placed on the rear extension, and, as to approach the rear end side of the air bag at the front end It is folded and stored in a storage part.

  In the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag into which the inflation gas is allowed to flow protrudes from the storage portion during operation, and the airbag protrusion gap between the rear end of the raised hood panel and the cowl is provided. After that, it expands and expands while eliminating the folding.

  At that time, the airbag is first unfolded so that the rear end of the airbag is separated from the front end, and the edge of the main body portion of the lower inflating portion extends rearward in an attempt to eliminate folding in a process substantially opposite to the folding process. The inlet of the lower expansion part is arranged near the rear end of the rear end of the hood panel, and the expansion gas flows from the lower expansion part to the upper expansion part via the inlet. To do. Then, the upper inflating part is folded by the outer roll fold wound up to the vicinity of the inflow port, and when the folding is released so as to unwind, the upper surface is in contact with the upper surface from the rear end of the hood panel. It is easy to unfold so that it rolls up, and it unfolds smoothly on the upper surface of the hood panel. In addition, the front end side of the upper inflating part has a short length from the inflow port so that it does not protrude forward from the position of the storage part even if the expansion and expansion are completed, and it is possible to prevent the outer roll folded part from becoming bulky. Thus, it is easy to dispose the outer roll folding core from the vicinity of the rear end of the rear end of the hood panel to the vicinity of the upper end, and the smooth development of the hood panel on the upper surface side can be secured.

  Furthermore, the lower inflating part is released from the rear extension part so that the end edge part is raised and the interference with the hinge mechanism is suppressed so that the end edge part is bypassed by the recessed part. Can be arranged close to the front pillar, and is provided with an edge portion that is located above (behind) the concave portion and is formed so as to project outward from the front surface of the front pillar in the left-right direction. The main body part of the inflating part can cover the front side of the front pillar widely and stably from the rear extension part located at the rear of the base part to the end edge part.

  And of course, the upper expansion part arranged on the upper surface side of the lower expansion part covers the upper surface of the rear end of the hood panel, covers the upper part of the recess of the lower expansion part, and covers the front upper part of the edge part, The corner of the rear end of the hood panel positioned in front of the front pillar can be covered smoothly.

  Therefore, in the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag housed in the cowl is stably and smoothly deployed and inflated, near the rear end corner portion on the front side of the front pillar and the upper surface side of the hood panel. Can be covered.

  And the lower inflated part of the airbag is the hood panel that has been raised when the air gap protruding gap is formed, with the thickness dimension in the vertical direction below the rear end of the hood panel when the inflation is completed without the hood panel. If it is configured to be larger than the distance between the rear end of the rear end and the cowl, when the lower inflating part completes the expansion in the vehicle mounted state, the rear end of the hood panel and the cowl As a result, the lower inflating portion can stably cover the front surface of the front pillar without shifting in the left-right direction, and the upper inflating portion protruding upward from the lower inflating portion is also displaced in the left-right direction. This prevents the pedestrian from being properly protected from the front pillar and the rear corner of the hood panel.

  In addition, as the airbag folds together with the upper inflatable portion, the end edge portion of the main body portion of the lower inflatable portion is placed on the rearward extending portion so that the rear end side of the airbag approaches the front end side. The area that extends beyond the area where the wiper is placed from the storage part when inflated is folded to form a bellows fold that folds in the front-rear direction, with the rear side of the bellows fold down and the rear end of the airbag down If the airbag is folded and stored in the storage part as a fold that forms the inner roll folding part that is wound on the side, the following actions and effects can be obtained.

  That is, when the airbag is deployed and inflated at the initial stage, the bellows fold portion folded by the bellows fold, which is quicker to eliminate the folding than the roll fold, is a large area of the airbag. It is possible to push out the inner roll folding portion that is folded backward beyond the wiper arrangement area. And when an inner roll folding part cancels | folds, it tries to expand | deploy along a windshield. If the outer roll folding part on the front end side of the upper expansion part appears near the rear end of the rear end of the hood panel when the folding is canceled, the front end side of the upper expansion part is smoothly separated from the inner roll folding part. The inner roll folding part of the lower inflating part continues to be developed along the windshield until the vicinity of the rear end of the airbag is deployed, and then the edge part is folded. The bottom inflatable part can complete the expansion by suppressing the lift from the windshield and the front pillar as much as possible. In other words, the airbag suppresses interference with the wiper of the lower inflatable part and the upper inflatable part, and the main body part of the lower inflatable part is prevented from rising from the windshield and the front pillar, and smoothly and quickly. It can be arranged on the front side.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A pedestrian airbag apparatus M according to an embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 in the left-right direction of a rear end 16 of a hood panel 13 of a vehicle V. The airbag 44, the inflator 38 for supplying the inflation gas to the airbag 44, the case 31 for storing the airbag 44 and the inflator 38, and the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 And a hinge mechanism 21 that supports the hood panel 13 and guides the pivoting movement of the hood panel 13.

  The hood panel 13 is made of sheet metal and is disposed so as to cover the upper part of the engine room ER in the vehicle V, and is disposed in the vicinity of the rear end 16 on both the left and right edges (left edge 18 and right edge 19). The hinge mechanism 21 is connected to the body 1 of the vehicle V so as to be openable and closable by a front opening as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 3 during normal use. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the rear end 16 side is lifted so that a protruding gap PS for the airbag 44 is formed between the cowl 10 and the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13. It is configured to be possible. When the rear end 16 is raised, the front end 17 side of the hood panel 13 is locked to the body 1 side so as to be openable and closable, and the rear end 16 side rises with the locked front end 17 side as the center of rotation. It becomes.

  The front bumper 7 of the vehicle V is provided with a sensor 8 capable of detecting a collision with a pedestrian as shown in FIG. When the circuit detects a collision with the pedestrian of the vehicle V based on the signal from the sensor 8, the actuator 29 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that raises the rear end 16 side of the inflator 38 and the hood panel 13 is operated. It is configured as follows.

  In this specification, the front-rear and up-and-down directions are based on the direction corresponding to the front-rear and up-and-down of the vehicle V, respectively, and the left and right directions are the left and right directions when the rear side is viewed from the front side of the vehicle V. Based on direction.

  Further, the components such as the airbag 44 arranged on the left and right of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 in the pedestrian airbag apparatus M are arranged symmetrically, and are arranged on the left side hereinafter. The pedestrian airbag device M will be described. However, the components arranged on the right side and the parts on the body 1 side near the mounting position are symmetrical with those on the left side unless otherwise specified. To do. Further, the left edge 18 and the right edge 19 which are the left and right edges of the hood panel 13 will be described as the edge 20 unless otherwise specified.

  2, 3 and 9, the hinge mechanism 21 includes a hinge base 22 fixed to the body 1 side of the vehicle V, a mounting bracket 26 fixed to the hood panel 13 side, and the hinge base 22 and the mounting bracket. 26, and a hinge arm 23 pivotally supported by 26.

  The hinge base 22 is made of sheet metal and has a L-shaped cross section including a horizontal wall portion 22a and a vertical wall portion 22b. The hinge base 22 is fixed to the body 1 side of the vehicle V. The rear end 16 is disposed so as to be located near the outer edge 20 in the left-right direction. The horizontal wall portion 22a is fixedly attached to the mounting flange 3 extending to the engine room ER side of the fender panel 2 on the body 1 side, and the vertical wall portion 22b is arranged to extend upward from the edge of the horizontal wall portion 22a on the engine room ER side. It is installed.

  The mounting bracket 26 is made of sheet metal and has a left-right cross-section including a horizontal wall portion 26a and a vertical wall portion 26b. The mounting bracket 26 is fixed to the hood panel 13 side. It is arranged in the area of the hood panel 13 on the side. The horizontal wall portion 26a is attached and fixed to the lower surface 15 near the edge 20 in the left-right direction of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13, and the vertical wall portion 26b is the edge side away from the engine room ER in the horizontal wall portion 26a, that is, the hood panel 13. It is arrange | positioned so that it may extend below from the edge 20 of the left-right direction.

  The hinge arm 23 is formed by bending an angle member having a horizontal wall portion 23a and a vertical wall portion 23b made of sheet metal, and is formed in an L shape when viewed from the left-right direction. Then, the hinge arm 23 uses the support shaft 21a in which the rear end 23c side of the vertical wall portion 23b is disposed in the axial direction along the left-right direction, and the engine room ER side of the vertical wall portion 22b of the hinge base 22 is used. The front end 23d side of the vertical wall portion 23b is supported on the engine room ER side of the vertical wall portion 26b of the mounting bracket 26 by using the support shaft 21b arranged in the axial direction along the left-right direction. I am letting. The shaft support portion pivotally supported on the hinge base 22 on the rear end 23c side is rotated normally when the front end 17 side of the hood panel 13 is lifted during normal use and when the protruding gap PS is formed. The shaft support portion that is supported by the mounting bracket 26 on the front end 23d side as the dynamic shaft support portion 24 is the push-up rotation shaft support portion 25 that can rotate only when the protruding gap PS is formed.

  The pivoting movement of the push-up pivot shaft support 25 is not performed during normal use of the hood panel 13 so as to penetrate the vertical wall 26b of the mounting bracket 26 and the vertical wall 23b of the hinge arm 23. A shear pin 27 as a coupling member that can be decoupled is attached. The shear pin 27 is coupled so that the mounting bracket 26 and the hinge arm 23 are integrated, and the hood panel 13 is formed by the push-up rod 29a of the actuator 29. As shown in FIG. 9, the shear pin 27 is sheared and the integration of the mounting bracket 26 and the hinge arm 23 is released, and the push-up rotation shaft support 25 is hinged to the mounting bracket 26 side. The arm 23 is configured to be rotatable.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 9, the actuator 29 includes a push-up rod 29a having an axial direction extending in the vertical direction. A micro gas generator is built in the actuator 29, and the micro gas generator is operated during operation. The push-up rod 29a is instantaneously moved upward by the combustion gas generated by the above. The actuator 29 is disposed on the lower surface 15 side in the vicinity of the edge 20 in the left-right direction of the hood panel 13 on the front side of the push-up rotation shaft support portion 25 of the hinge arm 23. In the case of the embodiment, the actuator 29 is fixed to the front side of the mounting flange 3 to which the hinge base 22 is fixed, and the push-up rod 29a abuts on a receiving seat 28 provided on the lower surface of the front end side of the lateral wall portion 26a of the mounting bracket 26. I am letting. It should be noted that the push-up rod 29a is not simply coupled to contact with the receiving seat 28 but is detached from the rising receiving seat 28 during normal use in which the front end 17 side of the hood panel 13 is raised.

  When the actuator 29 is activated and the push-up rod 29a moves upward, the front end 17 side of the hood panel 13 is moved through the receiving seat 28 on the side edge 20 in the left-right direction near the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13. The vicinity of the rear end 16 ascends as the center of rotation (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, see FIG. 9). At this time, the shear pin 27 is sheared so as to release the connection between the mounting bracket 26 and the hinge arm 23. 21. The hinge base 22 is attached to the hinge base 22 so that the hinge arm 23 is raised on the front end 23d side, which is the push-up turning shaft support 25 side, with the normal turning shaft support portion 24 and the push-up turning shaft support portion 25 as the turning center. Rotating with respect to the bracket 26, a protrusion gap PS for the airbag 44 is formed between the cowl 10 and the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13.

  It should be noted that the hinge base 22 and the hinge arm 23 are hinged when rotating upward on the front end 23d side of the hinge arm 23 with the normal rotation shaft support 24 as the rotation center during normal rotation or push-up rotation. Since the front end 23d side of the arm 23 protrudes upward from the fender panel 2, as shown in FIG. 2 as a planar shape from the rear to the front so as not to interfere with the edge 2a on the engine room ER side of the fender panel 2. The hinge arm 23 is offset together with the vertical wall portion 22b of the hinge base 22 so as to bend and bend toward the engine room ER side.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inflator 38 holds a cylinder-type columnar main body 39 arranged in the axial direction in the left-right direction and the main body 39, and attaches the main body 39 to the case 31 together with the airbag 44. And a retainer 40, and is housed in a base portion 46 of the lower inflating portion 45 of the airbag 44. The main body 39 includes a plurality of gas discharge ports 39 a that discharge the inflation gas on the edge 20 side of the hood panel 13. The retainer 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape capable of covering the main body 39, and is provided with an opening 40a in which the rear side of the gas discharge port 39a is cut into a half-cylindrical shape. The retainer 40 includes a holding portion 40b that can hold and hold the main body 39, and a bolt 41 that is arranged in parallel in the left-right direction is provided on the outer peripheral side of the portion that is shifted 90 degrees downward from the opening 40a. It is protruding. These bolts 41 pass through the attachment holes 46 a of the airbag 44 and are fixed to the nuts 42, so that the peripheral edges of the attachment holes 46 a of the airbag 44 are attached to the case 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 11, the case 31 that stores and holds the airbag 44 and the inflator 38 is made of a synthetic resin having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the left-right direction, and a rear wall 31 a is disposed obliquely rearward and upward. Thus, the rear wall 31a is an opening wall 32 that is opened when the airbag 44 is protruded. On the opening wall 32, a horizontally elongated rectangular plate-shaped door portion 33 that is pushed by an inflating airbag 44 is disposed. A hinge portion 33a made of an integral hinge is disposed on the upper edge side of the door portion 33, and a thin breakage planned portion 34 is disposed around the door portion 33 excluding the hinge portion 33a. At the time of expansion, the planned break portion 34 is broken, and the door portion 33 is opened upward with the hinge portion 33a as the rotation center. The case 31 is formed in a box shape by bending a predetermined synthetic resin plate that is flattened and using welding, bonding, bolts 41, or the like.

  In addition, a mounting wall portion 35 provided with mounting holes 35a through which the bolts 41 of the retainer 40 are inserted is disposed on the bottom wall 31c facing the front ceiling wall 31b connected to the rear wall 31a in the case 31. ing. The attachment wall portion 35 is a part attached to the cowl 10. In the embodiment, each bolt 41 of the retainer 40 attaches the airbag 44 and the inflator 38 to the case 31 and attaches the case 31 itself to the cowl 10. Playing a role. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 44 includes an edge attachment portion 49 that is separated from the inflator 38 toward the edge 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 9), and the airbag 44 is provided on the edge attachment portion 49. The case 31 and the cowl 10 are also attached by bolts (not shown) inserted into the attachment holes 49a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the case 31 is located in the left-right direction near the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 as viewed from above, on the front side of the hinge base 22 and on the rear side of the push-up rod 29 a of the actuator 29. The side wall 31d side on the outer side in the left-right direction is disposed on the edge 20 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cowl 10 to which the case 31 is attached is a part of a metal cowl panel 10b, and the case 31 is attached to the cowl panel 10b by using the support bracket 12 having an L-shaped cross section. 10b. Further, a reinforcing metal member (reinforcing plate) 11 for reinforcement is fixed to the fixing portion on the front side which is opposite to the protruding direction of the airbag 44. The cowl 10 has a cowl louver 10a made of a synthetic resin resin on the upper side of the cowl panel 10b. The cowl louver 10a faces the lower front side of the opening wall 32 of the case 31 from the upper surface side of the windshield 5 toward the front lower side. It arrange | positions so that it may continue moderately with respect to the bottom wall 31c. The cowl louver 10 a is cut out in the vicinity of the hinge base 22 so as not to interfere with the hinge arm 23.

  The air bag 44 has an end edge in the left-right direction at the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 at the time of completion of deployment as shown in a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and FIGS. 20 and a protruding gap PS formed between the cowl 10 below the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 and the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 from the case 31 serving as a storage part. And a lower inflating part 45 that extends rearward and covers the front side of the front pillar 6.

The lower inflating portion 45 of the airbag 44 includes a base portion 46 disposed on the case 31 side on the front end 45a side , and a front surface extending from the base portion 46 to the rear side to the vicinity of the intermediate portion in the vertical direction from the lower end of the front pillar 6. A substantially rectangular plate-like bag shape having a body portion 47 that can cover the side, a pedestrian side wall portion 55 that can receive a pedestrian on the upper surface side, and a windshield 5 and a front pillar 6 on the lower surface side. It is comprised as the vehicle body side wall part 56 which contacts (refer FIGS. 4-7). Further, the lower inflating portion 45 has an inner edge (an engine edge) of the hinge base 22 and the hinge arm 23 with the push-up turning shaft supporting portion 25 side raised on the base portion 46 side of the main body portion 47 as a shape when the expansion is completed. A recess 48 along the room ER side edge) is provided. Therefore, the main body portion 47 of the lower inflating portion 45 includes a rear extending portion 47 a that extends rearward from the base portion 46 and an end edge portion 47 b that is located on the rear side of the concave portion 48. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 9, mounting holes 46 a for projecting the bolts 41 of the inflator 38 are formed at two locations along the left-right direction in the vehicle body side wall portion 56 of the base portion 46. Further, an edge attachment portion 49 having an attachment hole 49a is formed on the periphery of the base portion 46 on the side of the edge 45c in the left-right direction of the lower expansion portion 45. The edge mounting portion 49 is arranged so that the side edge 45c side of the edge 47b itself of the lower inflating portion 45 enters the recess 48 in order to prevent the edge 45c from rising from the front pillar 6 as much as possible. The base portion 46 is disposed so as to protrude from the portion where the base portion 46 expands toward the edge 45 c, and is fixed to the mounting wall portion 35 of the case 31.

  Further, in the pedestrian side wall 55 of the rear extending portion 47a of the lower inflating portion 45, an inflating gas to the upper inflating portion 59 is provided in the vicinity of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 when the airbag 44 is inflated. Is provided (see FIGS. 9 and 10). In the case of the embodiment, two inflow ports 51 are arranged so as to be juxtaposed in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

Further, a thickness regulating portion 53 is provided on the lower inflatable portion 45 so that the pedestrian side wall portion 55 and the vehicle body side wall portion 56 are partially joined by sewing or the like so that the lower inflatable portion 45 can be inflated in a plate shape. Is formed.

A reinforcing cloth 57 is disposed on the periphery of the inflow port 51, and the reinforcing cloth 57 is disposed up to the regions of the thickness regulating portions 53 on the left and right sides of the inflow ports 51 and 51.

  The lower inflating portion 45 has a thickness in the vertical direction in the state where the front edge side peripheral portion 45d of the inflow ports 51, 51 located below the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 at the time of completion of the expansion is in the state without the hood panel 13. The length dimension VT is configured to be larger than the separation dimension SL between the rear end 16 of the raised hood panel 13 and the cowl 10 when the protruding gap PS of the airbag 44 is formed (see FIG. 11). .

  The upper inflating part 59 of the airbag 44 is arranged in a rectangular plate shape extending in the left-right direction when the inflation is completed, and is disposed so as to extend forward from the periphery of the inflow ports 51, 51. A front edge 59a is configured as an arrangement position from the case 31 as a storage part to the rear side (see FIGS. 10 and 12). In the embodiment, the upper inflating portion 59 is arranged so that the end edge 59c side in the left-right direction covers the upper portion of the recessed portion 48 of the lower inflating portion 45 to the vicinity of the end edge 45c in the left-right direction of the end edge portion 47b. In some cases, it is configured to overlap the edge 45c (see FIGS. 7 and 13).

  The upper inflating part 59 is also configured as a pedestrian side wall part 64 capable of receiving a pedestrian on the upper surface side, and as a vehicle body side wall part 65 joined to the periphery of the inflow ports 51 and 51 by sewing or the like on the lower surface side. In the vicinity of the center, a pedestrian side wall 64 and a vehicle body side wall 65 are joined by sewing or the like so as to extend in the left-right direction, and a thickness regulating portion 62 is formed so that the upper expansion portion 59 can be expanded in a plate shape. Has been.

  The pedestrian side wall portions 55 and 64 and the vehicle body side wall portions 56 and 65 of the lower inflating portion 45 and the upper inflating portion 59 are formed from a flexible woven fabric such as polyester or polyamide, and the reinforcing cloth 57 is arranged thereon. The pedestrian side wall portion 55 of the lower inflatable portion 45 and the vehicle body side wall portion 65 of the upper inflatable portion 59 are overlapped and joined together by sewing or the like at the periphery of the inflow ports 51, 51. The vehicle body side wall portion 56 is overlapped with each other, the outer peripheral edges are joined to each other by sewing or the like, the thickness regulating portion 53 is formed, and the lower inflating portion 45 is formed in a bag shape. If the pedestrian side wall part 64 is overlapped on the side wall part 65, the outer peripheral edges are joined together by sewing or the like, the thickness regulating part 62 is formed, and the upper inflating part 59 is formed in a bag shape, the airbag 44 is formed. Can be manufactured. In the case of the embodiment, the inflator 38 is housed inside the lower inflating portion 45 when forming the bag shape.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, folding when the airbag 44 is housed in the case 31 is performed with the pedestrian side wall portions 55, 64 and the upper inflatable portion 59 placed on the upper inflatable portion 45. The vehicle body side wall portions 56 and 65 are spread flat. Then, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the front end 59 a side of the upper expansion portion 59 is folded up to the vicinity of the inflow ports 51, 51 to form an outer roll folding portion 67. Next, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, a fold 68 is provided along the front-rear direction, and the end edge portion 47b of the main body portion 47 of the lower expansion portion 45 is connected to the rear extension portion 47a together with the upper expansion portion 59. Put it on top. And if it folds so that the rear end 44b side of the airbag 44 may approach the front end 44a side as shown to D and E of FIG. 8, folding will be completed.

  In the case of the embodiment, when the airbag 44 is folded so that the rear end 44b side approaches the front end 44a side, the airbag 44 is easily deployed along the upper surface of the windshield 5 when the airbag 44 is deployed and inflated. , D, the rear end (upper end) 44b side of the airbag 44 is roll-folded on the side of the lower vehicle body side wall portion 56 so as to be wound to form an inner roll folding portion 69. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8D and 8E, a bellows fold portion 70 is provided between the inner roll fold portion 69 and the front end 44a to fold and fold the bellows to complete the folding.

  The bellows-folded portion 71 has an inner roll folding portion 69 protruding from the case 31 when the airbag 44 is deployed and inflated. The pivot shaft portion 9a and the arm 9b of the wiper 9 (see A in FIGS. 2 and 9). It is set as the length dimension BL which can get over the arrangement area (see D in FIG. 8). When the airbag 44 is folded, the inflator 38 is housed in the lower inflating portion 45. When the folding is completed, the airbag 44 is wrapped in a wrapping material for preventing collapse and housed in the case 31. .

  In the pedestrian airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, during operation, the actuator 29 receives the receiving on the lower surface 15 side near the edge 20 in the left-right direction near the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13. The push-up rod 29 a abutted against the seat 28 is raised to raise the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13, and a protruding gap PS for the airbag 44 is formed between the cowl 10 and the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13. Form. At this time, the hinge mechanism 21 rotates the normal pivot shaft support portion 24 and the push-up rotation shaft support portion 25 with respect to the hinge base 22 and the mounting bracket 26 while the hinge arm 23 shears the shear pin 27. While being moved, the push-up turning shaft support portion 25 side on the front end 23d side is moved upward and obliquely upward from the normal turning shaft support portion 24 side on the rear end 23c side.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, the airbag 44 flows in the inflation gas G discharged from the gas discharge port 39 a (see FIG. 4) of the inflator 38, pushes the door 33 open, and opens the case 31. The air bag 44 protrudes rearward from the opening wall 32 and passes through a protruding gap PS of the airbag 44 between the rear end 16 of the raised hood panel 13 and the cowl 10, and then expands and inflates while eliminating folding.

  At that time, the airbag 44 is first unfolded so that the rear end 44b of the airbag 44 is separated from the front end 44a in an attempt to eliminate folding in a process substantially opposite to the folding process. As shown, the edge 47b of the main body 47 in the lower inflating portion 45 is disposed above the rear extending portion 47a, and the inlets 51, 51 of the lower inflating portion 45 are located behind the hood panel 13. The expansion gas G flows from the lower expansion portion 45 to the upper expansion portion 59 via the inlets 51, 51, being arranged near the rear of the end 16. Then, the upper inflating portion 59 is configured as an outer roll folding portion 67 that is folded by an outer roll fold wound on the upper side to the vicinity of the inflow ports 51, 51 on the front end 59a side, and the outer roll folding portion 67 unwinds. 9A and 10B and 10A and 10B, the hood panel 13 can be easily unfolded so as to roll on the upper surface 14 while being in contact with the upper surface 14 from the rear end 16 thereof. Then, the hood panel 13 is developed on the upper surface 14 side. Further, the front end 59a side of the upper inflating portion 59 has a short length from the inflow port 51 so that it does not protrude forward from the position of the case 31 as the storage portion even if the expansion and expansion are completed, and the outer roll folding portion 69 is restrained from being bulky, and it is easy to place the outer roll-folded winding core 69a (front end 59a) from the vicinity of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 to the vicinity of the upper portion thereof. Secure deployment.

  Further, as shown in A and B of FIG. 12 and A of FIG. 13, the lower inflating portion 45 cancels the folding so as to raise the end edge portion 47 b from the rear extending portion 47 a, and the end edge portion 47 b The interference with the hinge mechanism 21 is suppressed so as to be bypassed by the recess 48, and it can be disposed close to the front pillar 6 from directly below the front pillar 6, and the front is located above (rear) the recess 48. A main body portion 47 of the lower inflating portion 45 having an end edge portion 47b formed so as to project outward from the front surface 6a of the pillar 6 in the left-right direction is a rear extending portion 47a located behind the base portion 46. The front pillar 6 side of the front pillar 6 can be covered in a wide and stable manner from the edge 47b to the edge 47b.

  Of course, as shown in FIG. 13B, the upper inflating portion 59 disposed on the upper surface side of the lower inflating portion 45 covers the upper surface 14 of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 and the recess 48 of the lower inflating portion 45. Is covered up to the front upper side of the edge 47b, the corner 13a of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 positioned in front of the front pillar 6 can be smoothly covered. In the case of the vehicle V according to the embodiment, the inner edge 6b on the windshield 5 side of the front pillar 6 is arranged so as to continue to the end edge 30 of the hood panel 13 toward the front side according to a design requirement. Thus, the corner 13 a of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 is disposed in front of the front pillar 6.

  Therefore, in the pedestrian airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the airbag 44 housed in the cowl 10 is deployed and inflated stably and smoothly on the right edge 19 side of the hood panel 13 as well as on the left edge 18 side. The front pillar 6 side of the front pillar 6 and the vicinity of the corner 13a of the rear end 16 on the upper surface 14 side of the hood panel 13 can be covered.

  And in the case of embodiment, the thickness dimension of the up-down direction of the site | part 45d located in the downward direction of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 at the time of completion | finish of the lower expansion part 45 of the airbag 44 without the hood panel 13 is shown. VT is configured to be larger than the separation dimension SL between the rear end 16 of the raised hood panel 13 and the cowl 10 when the protruding gap PS of the airbag 44 is formed (see FIG. 11). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the lower inflating portion 45 completes inflating in the vehicle mounted state, it is sandwiched between the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 and the cowl 10, and The expansion part 45 can stably cover the front surface 6a of the front pillar 6 without shifting in the left-right direction, and the upper expansion part 59 protruding upward from the lower expansion part 45 can also shift in the left-right direction. This prevents the pedestrian from being accurately protected from the corner 13a of the front pillar 6 and the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13.

  Further, in the embodiment, for each upper inflating portion 59 of the airbag 44, the end edge portion 47b of the main body portion 47 of the lower inflating portion 45 is placed on the rear extending portion 47a, and the rear end 44b side of the airbag 44 is placed on the side. As the folding of the airbag 44 approaching the front end 44a side, an area (part) 71 corresponding to the length dimension BL exceeding the arrangement region of the wiper 9 from the case 31 as a storage part at the time of deployment and inflation in the airbag 44 is The airbag 44 is formed as a fold that forms a bellows fold 70 that folds in the direction, and a rear side of the accordion fold 70 is formed as an inner roll fold 69 that winds the rear end 44b of the airbag 44 downward. Is folded and stored in a case 31 as a storage part.

  Therefore, when the airbag 44 is initially deployed and inflated, the bellows fold portion 70 folded by the bellows fold is shown in FIG. 9, the inner roll fold 69 obtained by folding most of the region of the airbag 44 can be pushed backward beyond the region where the wiper 9 is disposed. Then, as shown in B of FIG. 9 and A and B of FIG. 10, when the inner roll folding part 69 cancels the folding, it tries to unfold along the windshield 5. If the outer roll folding portion 67 on the front end 59a side of the upper expansion portion 59 appears in the vicinity of the rear end of the rear end 16 of the hood panel 13 when the folding is eliminated, the front end 59a side of the upper expansion portion 59 is in the inner roll folding state. The windshield is unfolded smoothly so as to be detached from the portion 69, and the inner roll folding portion 69 of the lower inflating portion 45 is windshielded until the vicinity of the rear end 44b of the airbag 44 is unfolded. 5 and then, as shown in FIG. 9B and FIG. 10A and B, the folding of the edge portion 47b is canceled to lift the windshield 5 and the front pillar 6 as much as possible. In this way, the lower expansion portion 45 can complete the expansion and expansion. That is, the airbag 44 suppresses the interference with the wiper 9 of the lower inflating portion 45 and the upper inflating portion 59, and suppresses the body portion 47 of the lower inflating portion 45 from being lifted from the windshield 5 and the front pillar 6, The front pillar 6 can be smoothly and quickly disposed on the front surface 6a side.

  Of course, if the above point is not taken into consideration, the upper inflating portion 59 of the airbag 44 and the end edge portion 47b of the main body portion 47 of the lower inflating portion 45 are placed on the rear extending portion 47a. As a fold of the airbag 44 that brings the rear end 44b side closer to the front end 44a side, the whole may be folded bellows, or may be folded outside or inside.

It is a top view of the vehicle carrying the airbag apparatus for pedestrians which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged plan view of the vehicle carrying the airbag device for pedestrians of embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-back direction in the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the III-III site | part of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the airbag and inflator used for the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment. It is a top view of the airbag used for the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment. It is an end elevation which shows the expansion | swelling state by the single body of the airbag used for embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VI-VI site | part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the expansion | swelling state in the single body of the airbag used for embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VII-VII site | part of FIG. It is a figure explaining folding of the airbag used for an embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-back direction which shows the operation time of embodiment in order. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-back direction which shows the operation time of embodiment in order, and shows the state after FIG. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the airbag of embodiment expanded in the state without a food panel. It is a general | schematic fragmentary top view which shows the time of operation | movement of embodiment in order. It is a general | schematic fragmentary top view which shows the time of operation | movement of embodiment in order, and shows the state after FIG.

Explanation of symbols

6 ... The front pillar,
6a ... (front pillar) front,
9 ... Wiper,
10 ... Cowl,
13 ... food panel,
13a ... corner,
14 ... the upper surface (of the food panel),
15 ... underside of the hood panel
16 ... the rear edge (of the food panel),
17 ... the front edge (of the food panel)
18 ... Left edge (of food panel)
19 ... Right edge (of the food panel)
20 ... the edge of the hood panel (in the left-right direction),
21 ... Hinge mechanism,
31 ... (storage part) case,
44 ... Airbag,
44a ... (front of the airbag),
44b ... (the back of the airbag),
44c ... the edge of the airbag
45 ... Lower inflating part,
45a ... front end (of the lower expansion part),
45b ... the rear end (of the lower expansion part),
45c ... the edge (of the lower expansion part),
46 ...
47 ... body part,
47a ... rear extension part,
47b ... edge,
48 ... recess,
51 ... Inlet,
59 ... upper expansion part,
59a ... front end (of the upper expansion part),
67 ... Outer roll fold,
69 ... Inner roll folding part,
70 ... Bellows fold,
PS ... Gap for protrusion,
VT ... Thickness dimension (vertical direction below the rear end of the hood panel when the airbag is inflated)
SL ... Separation dimension (of protrusion gap)
V ... Vehicle,
M: Air bag device for pedestrians.

Claims (3)

The airbag is folded and stored in the lower cowl on both sides in the left-right direction near the rear end of the hood panel of the vehicle,
An upper inflatable portion that covers the upper surface of the left and right edge at the rear end of the hood panel when the airbag is inflated and inflated with the inflating gas flowing in, and the rear end of the hood panel from the storage site A lower inflating part that extends rearward between the lower cowl and the rear end of the hood panel and covers the front side of the front pillar, and
The hood panel is configured to raise the rear end side so that a protruding gap of the airbag can be formed between the cowl and the rear end of the hood panel when the airbag is deployed and inflated. The pedestrian airbag device is arranged in such a manner that the front end side can be opened upward by a hinge mechanism provided near the left and right edges of the rear end during normal use,
The lower inflating part of the airbag has a base part that is located on the front end side and attached to the storage site as a shape when the inflation is completed, and can extend from the base part to the rear side to cover the front side of the front pillar. A main body, and
The main body portion is provided with a concave portion along the inner edge of the hinge mechanism on the base portion side, an end edge portion disposed on the rear side of the concave portion, and a rear extension extending on the rear side of the base portion. And a configuration provided with an inflow port for an expansion gas to the upper expansion portion in the vicinity of the rear of the rear end of the hood panel at the time of completion of expansion.
The upper inflating portion of the airbag is configured as a position where the front end when the inflating is completed is arranged rearward from the storage part, and covers the upper portion of the concave portion to the vicinity of the edge in the left-right direction of the edge portion. Configured to arrange,
After the airbag is flatly deployed in a state where the upper inflatable portion is placed above the lower inflatable portion, the front end side of the upper inflatable portion is folded up to the vicinity of the inflow port, and then rolled outward. then, with the folds extending along the longitudinal direction, each of the on inflatable portion, the edge portion of the main body of the lower expansion section, placed on the rear extension, and, after the air bag A pedestrian airbag device, wherein the airbag device is folded in such a manner that the end side approaches the front end side and is stored in the storage portion.   The lower inflating portion of the airbag increases the vertical thickness dimension below the rear end of the hood panel when the inflation is completed without the hood panel when the air bag protruding gap is formed. 2. The pedestrian airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the pedestrian airbag device is configured to be larger than a distance between the rear end of the hood panel and the cowl. As the folding of the airbag, the upper edge portion of the main body portion of the lower inflation portion is placed on the rearward extending portion, and the rear end side of the airbag is brought closer to the front end side. An area corresponding to the length exceeding the wiper arrangement area from the storage portion during deployment of the airbag is a fold forming a bellows fold portion that folds in the front-rear direction, and the rear side of the bellows fold portion is 3. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is folded and stored in the storage portion as a fold that forms an inner roll folding portion that winds the rear end side of the airbag downward. The airbag apparatus for pedestrians of description.

Images