CN113173138B - Distal balloon device - Google Patents

Distal balloon device Download PDF

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Publication number
CN113173138B
CN113173138B CN202110022779.7A CN202110022779A CN113173138B CN 113173138 B CN113173138 B CN 113173138B CN 202110022779 A CN202110022779 A CN 202110022779A CN 113173138 B CN113173138 B CN 113173138B
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China
Prior art keywords
inflation
main
sub
fabric
occupant
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CN202110022779.7A
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Chinese (zh)
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CN113173138A (en
Inventor
拉蒙·平克尔
松崎雄士
八田太伺
林丈树
铃木恭平
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Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd
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Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd
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Publication of CN113173138A publication Critical patent/CN113173138A/en
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
    • B60R21/23138—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration specially adapted for side protection
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/427—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
    • B60R21/207—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components in vehicle seats
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
    • B60R21/233—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/237—Inflatable members characterised by the way they are folded
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/26—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow
    • B60R21/264—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow using instantaneous generation of gas, e.g. pyrotechnic
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
    • B60R21/23138—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration specially adapted for side protection
    • B60R2021/23146—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration specially adapted for side protection seat mounted
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
    • B60R2021/23161—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/235—Inflatable members characterised by their material
    • B60R2021/23504—Inflatable members characterised by their material characterised by material
    • B60R2021/23509—Fabric
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
    • B60R21/235—Inflatable members characterised by their material
    • B60R2021/23533—Inflatable members characterised by their material characterised by the manufacturing process
    • B60R2021/23538—Sewing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/26—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow
    • B60R2021/26029—Ignitors

Abstract

The present invention provides a far-side airbag device adapted to a vehicle, in which a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in a width direction of the vehicle seats, and both side portions in the width direction are constituted by a pair of side wall portions. When an impact is applied to the specific side wall portion from the outside, or when it is predicted that an impact is to be applied, the distal air bag device supplies inflation gas to the air bag to deploy and inflate the air bag between the vehicle seats adjacent to each other, so that the upper body of the occupant is restrained and protected from the impact. The airbag includes: a main inflation portion configured to be deployed and inflated beside an upper body of an occupant; and a secondary inflation portion that is disposed closer to the occupant than the primary inflation portion. The auxiliary expansion part comprises: a secondary side inflating portion configured to be deployed and inflated between the primary inflating portion and a neck and a head of the occupant. The upper end of the sub inflation portion is located at a lower position in the state where deployment and inflation are completed than the upper end of the main inflation portion in the state where deployment and inflation are completed.

Description

Distal balloon device
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a far-side airbag device that protects an occupant seated in a vehicle seat located on a side away from a side wall portion with an airbag when an impact is applied to the side wall portion of a vehicle such as an automobile from the outside or when an impact is predicted to be applied to the automobile.
Background
The distal air bag device may be mounted on a vehicle in which a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction.
The airbag of this type of airbag device is fixed together with the inflator in a side portion of the vehicle seat closer to the adjacent vehicle seat.
The inflation gas is injected from the gas generator when an impact is applied from a lateral side or an oblique front side to a side wall portion such as a side door of the vehicle due to a side collision or the like, or when it is predicted that an impact will be applied. Due to the inflation gas, the airbag is inflated out from the side portion, and is deployed and inflated between the adjacent vehicle seats. The upper body of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat away from the side wall portion to which an impact is applied tends to move toward the lateral side or the oblique front side of the side wall portion due to inertia, and is received by the airbag and protected from the impact.
One form of the above-described distal balloon apparatus is described in, for example, JP-a-2009-67331. The airbag of the distal airbag device includes a lower bag body portion and an upper bag body portion. The bag body upper portion is deployed and inflated at a position higher than the shoulder portion of the seat back, thereby protecting the neck, head, and the like of the occupant from an impact. The bag body lower portion is deployed and inflated at a position lower than the shoulder of the seat back, thereby protecting the shoulder, arm, and the like of the occupant from impact.
The bag body upper portion is unfolded in the vehicle width direction and expanded to the vicinity of the inner end portion of the adjacent headrest. The lower portion of the airbag is deployed in the vehicle width direction and inflated to the vicinity of the inner end portion of the adjacent seat back. Thus, the airbag is deployed and inflated to have a shape corresponding to the vehicle width direction inner side profile of the occupant. Thus, the head, neck, shoulders, arms, etc. can be restrained and protected from impact at substantially the same time.
However, according to the distal side airbag device described in JP-a-2009-67331 in which the neck, the head, and the like are restrained and protected from impact by designing the shape of the airbag, even at a position other than the position beside the neck and beside the head, particularly at a position higher than the head, the vehicle width direction dimension of the airbag is unnecessarily increased, and thus the dimension of the entire airbag may be increased.
Disclosure of Invention
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a distal side airbag device capable of achieving downsizing of an airbag while maintaining an impact-free performance of protecting a neck and a head of an occupant.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a far-side airbag device applied to a vehicle, wherein a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in a width direction of the vehicle seats, and both side portions in the width direction are constituted by a pair of side wall portions, wherein: when one of the two side wall portions is referred to as a specific side wall portion and an impact is applied to the specific side wall portion from the outside, or when it is predicted that an impact is to be applied, the distal airbag apparatus supplies inflation gas to the airbag to deploy and inflate the airbag between the vehicle seats adjacent to each other, so that the upper body of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat on the side away from the specific side wall portion is restrained and protected from the impact; the airbag includes: a main inflation portion configured to be deployed and inflated beside an upper body of the occupant and at least beside a portion including a neck portion and a head portion; and a secondary inflation portion disposed closer to the occupant than the primary inflation portion; the secondary expansion portion includes: a secondary side inflating portion configured to be deployed and inflated between the primary inflating portion and the neck and head of the occupant; and an upper end of the secondary expansion portion is located at a lower position in the state where deployment and expansion are completed than an upper end of the primary expansion portion in the state where deployment and expansion are completed.
According to the above configuration, when an impact is laterally applied to the specific side wall portion of the vehicle, the upper body of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat that is away from the specific side wall portion among the adjacent vehicle seats tends to move laterally toward the specific side wall portion due to inertia. When an impact is applied to the specific side wall portion from an oblique front direction, the upper body of the occupant tends to move obliquely forward toward the specific side wall portion due to inertia.
Meanwhile, according to the far-side airbag device, when an impact is applied to a specific side wall portion from the side or diagonally forward, or when an impact is predicted to be applied, inflation gas is supplied to the airbag, and the airbag between the adjacent vehicle seats is deployed and inflated.
Here, the main inflation portion of the airbag (which constitutes a portion that is distant from the occupant in the width direction of the vehicle seat) is located beside or diagonally forward of the upper body of the occupant. Therefore, the upper body of the occupant is received by the main inflation portion, lateral movement or obliquely forward movement of the upper body is restrained, and the upper body is protected from impact.
The sub-inflating portion of the airbag (which constitutes a portion closer to the occupant in the width direction) is located between the main inflating portion and the head and neck portions of the occupant. Therefore, even if the neck and the head of the occupant tend to move laterally or obliquely forward toward the specific side wall portion due to inertia in a state where the upper body of the occupant is received by the main inflation portion, the neck and the head are received by the sub-side inflation portion. The lateral or diagonally forward movement of the secondary expansion portion is received by the primary expansion portion. The lateral or diagonal forward movement of the neck and head is constrained, i.e., the neck and head are constrained and protected from impact.
When the functions of the secondary inflation portion and the primary inflation portion are both achieved by the airbag including a single inflation portion, there is an excess portion over the portion exhibiting the function of the secondary inflation portion, the excess portion does not directly participate in protecting the neck and the head, and the inflated thickness of the airbag in the excess portion becomes larger than an appropriate value, which results in an increase in the size of the airbag.
To solve this problem, as in the above-described configuration, the airbag is constituted by two inflation portions including a main inflation portion and a sub inflation portion. When the upper end of the secondary inflation portion is located at a position lower than the upper end of the primary inflation portion, it is possible to exhibit the function of restraining the neck and head of the occupant and protecting it from impact while omitting the surplus portion above the secondary inflation portion. Due to this omission, the size of the airbag can be reduced.
In the above distal balloon device, preferably, the secondary inflation portion further includes: a sub front inflation portion that is connected in a communicated state with the sub side inflation portion, and that is configured to be deployed and inflated in front of the head of the occupant.
According to the above configuration, when an impact is applied to the specific side wall portion from diagonally forward, or when it is predicted that an impact is to be applied, the sub front inflation portion of the sub inflation portion is deployed and inflated forward of the head of the occupant.
Therefore, even when an impact is applied to the specific side wall portion from diagonally front and the head portion of the occupant tends to move diagonally forward toward the specific side wall portion due to inertia, the head portion slides forward on the sub-side expansion portion and is then received by the sub-front expansion portion. In this case, the sub front inflating portion exhibits a function of restraining the head from moving, and the sub side inflating portion exhibits a function of restraining the head from moving laterally while guiding the head to the sub front inflating portion. Therefore, the oblique forward movement of the head portion of the occupant is further restrained, and the performance of protecting the occupant from the impact is further improved, as compared with the case where the sub front inflating portion is not provided in the sub inflating portion.
In the above distal balloon device, it is preferable that: the auxiliary expansion part is only composed of an auxiliary side expansion part; the secondary expansion portion includes: a first secondary fabric portion adjacent to the primary expansion portion; and a second sub fabric portion disposed on an opposite side of the main expansion portion, the first sub fabric portion being interposed between the second sub fabric portion and the main expansion portion; forming a secondary side inflating portion by connecting a peripheral portion of the first secondary fabric portion and a peripheral portion of the second secondary fabric portion to each other at a secondary peripheral edge connecting portion; the main expansion portion and the first sub-fabric portion are connected by an annular connecting portion provided inside the sub-peripheral edge connecting portion; and the main inflation portion and the sub inflation portion communicate with each other through a communication hole portion formed in a region surrounded by the annular connection portion in the main inflation portion and the first sub fabric portion.
As described in the above configuration, the communication hole portions are provided in the first secondary fabric portion and the main inflation portion, and the first secondary fabric portion and the main inflation portion are connected by the annular connection portion surrounding the two communication hole portions. Further, the peripheral edge portions of the first and second secondary fabric portions are connected by a secondary peripheral edge portion connecting portion. In this way, the secondary expansion portion can be formed and can be connected to the primary expansion portion in a communicating state.
In this case, for example, when an impact is applied to a specific side wall portion from the outside and an inflation gas is supplied to the main inflation portion of the airbag, the main inflation portion starts to deploy and inflate beside the upper body of the occupant due to the inflation gas. In the middle of deployment and inflation of the main inflatable portion, a part of the inflation gas in the main inflatable portion is supplied to the sub-inflatable portion through the communication hole portions of the main inflatable portion and the communication hole portions of the first sub-fabric portion. The sub-inflating portion is deployed and inflated between the main inflating portion and the neck and head of the occupant by the inflation gas.
In the above distal balloon device, it is preferable that: the main expansion portion includes: a first main fabric portion; and a second main fabric portion disposed closer to the occupant than the first main fabric portion; the main inflation portion is formed by connecting a peripheral edge portion of the first main fabric portion and a peripheral edge portion of the second main fabric portion to each other at a main peripheral edge connecting portion; in a part of the second main fabric portion, the inflation portion is formed as a sub-inflation portion including only the sub-side inflation portion, the inflation portion being configured to be inflated to protrude more toward the head of the occupant than the remaining portion; the secondary expansion portion is formed by a pair of projecting wall portions; the second main fabric portion is divided into a first component fabric portion including one of the protruding wall portions and a second component fabric portion including the other of the protruding wall portions; and a second main fabric portion including a secondary side expansion portion is formed by connecting the peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component fabric portion and the second component fabric portion at the divided peripheral edge connecting portion.
According to the above configuration, when the second main fabric portion is formed, the peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component fabric portion and the second component fabric portion overlap each other. Then, the peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the two component fabric portions are connected to each other by the divided peripheral edge connecting portion. Due to this connection, the second main fabric portion including the secondary side inflating portion is formed.
Here, one projecting wall portion that constitutes a part of the secondary side expansion portion is formed as a part of the first component fabric portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to attach the one projecting wall portion to the first component fabric portion. The other projecting wall portion constituting the remaining portion of the secondary side inflating portion is formed as a part of the second component fabric portion. Therefore, there is no need to connect the other projecting wall portion to the second component fabric portion.
For example, when an impact is applied to a specific side wall portion from the outside and an inflation gas is supplied to the main inflation portion of the airbag, the main inflation portion starts to deploy and inflate beside the upper body of the occupant due to the inflation gas. A part of the inflation gas in the main inflation portion is supplied to the sub inflation portion in the middle of the deployment and inflation of the main inflation portion. The sub-inflation portion is deployed and inflated between the main inflation portion and the neck and head of the occupant due to the inflation gas.
According to the above-described distal side airbag device, the size of the airbag can be reduced while maintaining the performance of protecting the neck and head of the occupant from impact.
Drawings
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment, which is embodied in a vehicle distal side airbag apparatus, and is a partial plan view of a vehicle equipped with the distal side airbag apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the vehicle seat with the distal air bag apparatus disposed with the occupant and air bag of the first embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the vehicle seat, the air bag, the occupant, and the side wall portion of the first embodiment as viewed from the front side of the vehicle;
fig. 4A and 4B are partial plan sectional views showing the internal structure of a side portion of a seat back to which an airbag module is incorporated in the first embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a side view from the occupant side of the first embodiment with the airbag of the airbag module in a deflated, deployed state.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a state where the airbag of the first embodiment is deployed and inflated to protect the head of an occupant;
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a state where an airbag of the second embodiment implemented with a vehicle far-side airbag apparatus is deployed and inflated to protect the head of an occupant;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a side view from the side of an occupant in a third embodiment implemented as a vehicle distal side airbag device, with the airbag of the airbag module in a deflated, deployed state;
FIG. 11 is a side view of the deployed and inflated airbag of the third embodiment as viewed from the occupant side;
FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of a vehicle seat, an airbag, and an occupant of a third embodiment as viewed from the front side of the vehicle; and
fig. 13 is an exploded view showing the constitution of the airbag of the third embodiment.
Detailed Description
(first embodiment)
A first embodiment implemented by a vehicle far-side airbag device will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 7.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle is referred to as a front side, and the rearward direction is referred to as a rear side. The up-down direction refers to the up-down direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction refers to the vehicle width direction that coincides with the left-right direction when the vehicle moves forward. It is assumed that an occupant having the same body type as that of the crash test dummy is seated on the vehicle seat in a predetermined normal posture.
As shown in fig. 1, the left and right lateral sides of the vehicle 10 are constituted by side wall portions 11 and 12, which are constituted by doors, pillars, and the like. In the vehicle interior, the vehicle seats 13 and 65 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The vehicle seat 13 closer to the side wall portion 11 serves as a driver seat in which a passenger (driver) P1 is seated. The vehicle seat 65 closer to the side wall portion 12 serves as a passenger seat in which the occupant P2 is seated.
Both the vehicle seat 13 and the vehicle seat 65 are arranged in a posture in which the seat backs 15 and 66 (to be described below) face forward. The width direction of the vehicle seats 13 and 65 arranged in this way coincides with the left-right direction.
As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the vehicle seat 13 includes: a seat cushion 14; a seat back 15 rising from a rear side of the seat cushion 14, an inclination angle of the seat back 15 being adjustable; and a headrest 16 disposed above the seat back 15.
Fig. 4B shows the internal structure of the side portion 17 of the seatback 15 of the vehicle seat 13 on the vehicle seat 65 side. A seat frame forming a skeleton portion of the seat back 15 is arranged inside the seat back 15.
A side frame portion 18 constituting a part of the seat frame is arranged inside the side portion 17. The side frame portion 18 is formed by bending a metal plate or the like.
A seat cushion 19 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is disposed on the front side of the seat frame including the side frame portions 18. A rigid back plate 21 made of synthetic resin or the like is disposed on the rear side of the seat frame. Note that the seat cushion 19 is covered with a skin, the illustration of which is omitted in fig. 4B.
The seat cushion 19 is provided with a storage portion 22 at a position closer to the vehicle seat 65 side than the side frame portion 18. An airbag module ABM1, which is a main part of the distal airbag device, is incorporated in the housing portion 22.
The slit 23 extends obliquely forward from a corner of the front portion of the housing 22 toward the vehicle seat 65. A portion (a portion surrounded by a frame of a two-dot chain line in fig. 4B) interposed between the front corner 19c of the seat cushion 19 and the slit 23 constitutes a planned breaking portion 24 to be broken by the airbag 33.
The airbag module ABM1 includes an airbag 33 as a main component and a gas generator 25 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 33. Next, each of these components will be described.
< gas Generator 25>
The gas generator 25 includes an inflator 26 and a retainer 27 covering the inflator 26. Here, the inflator 26 is of a type called ignition type. The inflator 26 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates an inflation gas is contained in the inflator 26. The inflator 26 includes a gas ejection portion 26a at an upper end thereof. A wire harness (not shown) serving as an input wiring for inputting an operation signal to the inflator 26 is connected to a lower end portion of the inflator 26.
As the inflator 26, in addition to the ignition type using the gas generating agent as described above, a type (hybrid type) in which a partition wall of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with high-pressure gas is ruptured by an explosive or the like to discharge inflation gas may be used.
Meanwhile, the retainer 27 is a member that functions as a diffuser that controls the ejection direction of the inflation gas, and has a function of fastening the inflator 26 to the side frame portion 18 together with the airbag 33 and the like. Most of the holder 27 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. The bolts 28 extending in the direction away from the vehicle seat 65 are fixed at a plurality of positions (two positions) of the retainer 27 spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction as members for attaching the retainer 27 to the side frame portion 18, and the inflator 26 of the gas generator 25 and the retainer 27 may also be integrally formed.
< airbag 33>
Fig. 5 shows the airbag module ABM1 in a state where the airbag 33 is deployed in a planar shape without being filled with the inflation gas (hereinafter referred to as a "deflated deployment state"). Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional structure along line 6-6 of fig. 5. Fig. 7 shows the positional relationship of the airbag 33 and the head PH of the occupant P1.
As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the airbag 33 includes a main inflation portion 34 and a sub inflation portion 51.
The main expansion portion 34 is formed by: one piece of fabric (also referred to as a base fabric, a plate-like fabric, or the like) is folded in two forward along a folding line 35 set at the center of the piece of fabric, the pieces of fabric are overlapped in the left-right direction, and the overlapped portions are connected to form a bag shape. Here, in order to distinguish the two overlapping portions of the airbag 33 from each other, a portion located on the side away from the occupant P1 is referred to as a first main fabric portion 36, and a portion located on the side close to the occupant P1 is referred to as a second main fabric portion 37.
Although in the first embodiment, the fabric sheet is folded in half such that the folding line 35 is located at the rear end portion of the main expansion portion 34, the fabric sheet may be folded in half such that the folding line 35 is located at the other end portion, for example, a front end portion, an upper end portion, a lower end portion, or the like. The main expansion portion 34 may be formed by two pieces of fabric divided along the folding line 35. In this case, the main inflation portion 34 is formed by two fabric pieces being superposed in the left-right direction and connected over the entire circumference. Further, a configuration in which at least one of the first main fabric portion 36 and the second main fabric portion 37 is formed of two or more fabric pieces may also be employed.
The shapes of the first main fabric portion 36 and the second main fabric portion 37 of the main inflation portion 34 are line-symmetrical to each other about the folding line 35 as an axis of symmetry. As shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 2, the first main fabric portion 36 and the second main fabric portion 37 have a shape and a size capable of occupying most of the upper body of the occupant P1 (adjacent regions beside the portion from the chest PT to the head PH in the first embodiment) when the main inflation portion 34 completes deployment and inflation.
As shown in fig. 5 and 6, a fabric formed by using a material (e.g., a polyester yarn or a polyamide yarn) having high strength, not easily stretchable, and having flexibility to be easily folded is suitable as the first and second main fabric parts 36 and 37.
The connection of the first and second main fabric portions 36, 37 is made at a main peripheral edge connecting portion 38 provided along peripheral edge portions of the first and second main fabric portions 36, 37. The main peripheral edge connecting portion 38 is formed by sewing (with a sewing thread) portions of the peripheral edge portions of the first and second main fabric portions 36, 37 except for the rear end portion (the portion near the fold line 35).
Regarding the above-described sewing, the sewing portion is represented by two types of lines in fig. 5. The first type of wire is a thick wire of fixed length that is intermittently arranged. This line represents the state of the sewing thread viewed from the side (see main circumferential connecting portion 38 in fig. 5). The second type of line is a thin line (a type of dotted line) of fixed length (a length longer than a general dotted line) that is intermittently arranged. This line represents the state of the sewing thread which is located behind at least one of the first and second main fabric parts 36 and 37 and is not directly visible (hidden) (see the loop connecting part 57 in fig. 5). The divided peripheral edge bonding portions 46 and the sub-peripheral edge bonding portions 56 described below are also applicable.
The primary peripheral connecting portion 38 may also be formed by a method different from sewing using a sewing thread, for example, by adhesion using an adhesive. The split peripheral edge connecting portion 46, the sub-peripheral edge connecting portion 56, and the annular connecting portion 57 are also applicable.
The space between the first main fabric part 36 and the second main fabric part 37 surrounded by the main peripheral joint part 38 and the folding line 35 is unfolded and inflated by the inflation gas.
Bolt holes 39 are formed at a plurality of positions (two positions) in the rear lower portion of the second main fabric portion 37, the bolt holes 39 being configured such that bolts 28 of the gas generator 25 are inserted therein (see fig. 5).
As shown in fig. 5 and 6, in a state where the main inflation portion 34 is completely deployed and inflated, a communication hole portion 41 communicating the inside and outside of the main inflation portion 34 is formed at a position near the head PH of the occupant P1 in the upper portion of the second main cloth portion 37. The communication hole portion 41 may be formed by a single long hole or may be formed by a single slit. The communication hole portion 41 may also be formed by a plurality of holes. In the first embodiment, the communication hole portion 41 is formed by an elongated hole extending substantially in the front-rear direction.
An expansion thickness adjusting portion (not shown) is provided in the main expansion portion 34. The inflation thickness adjusting portion is configured to adjust the inflation thickness in the left-right direction of the main inflation portion 34, and may be, for example, a portion (also referred to as a tether) where a webbing is stretched between the first main fabric portion 36 and the second main fabric portion 37. The inflated thickness adjusting portion may also be configured by connecting the first main fabric portion 36 and the second main fabric portion 37 in an overlapped state. An inner pipe (not shown) is disposed at a rear lower portion of the main expansion portion 34. The inner tube extends in the vertical direction while surrounding the gas generator 25, and has a function of rectifying the expanded gas generated by the gas generator 25.
As shown in fig. 2 and 5, the lower end portions of the first and second main fabric parts 36 and 37 are not connected by the main peripheral connecting portion 38. These two unconnected portions constitute the insertion portion 42 of the gas generator 25. The insertion portion 42 also serves as a portion for pulling out the wire harness extending from the inflator 26 to the outside of the main inflation portion 34.
The peripheral portion of the bolt hole 39 in the main inflation portion 34 located above the vicinity of the insertion portion 42 constitutes a fixing portion 43 that fixes the airbag 33 to the side frame portion 18.
The gas generator 25 is inserted into the rear end portion of the main expansion portion 34 through the insertion portion 42. After the gas generator 25 is extended substantially in the vertical direction, each bolt 28 is inserted into the inner pipe and into each bolt hole 39 of the second main fabric portion 37. Due to this insertion, the gas generator 25 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the main inflation portion 34.
Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the sub inflation portion 51 is disposed closer to the occupant P1 than the main inflation portion 34. In the first embodiment, the sub inflation portion 51 includes only the sub side inflation portion 52 that is deployed and inflated between the main inflation portion 34 and the neck portion PN and the head PH of the occupant P1.
The secondary side inflating portion 52 includes a first secondary cloth portion 53 and a second secondary cloth portion 55, the first secondary cloth portion 53 being adjacent to the second primary inflating portion 37 of the primary inflating portion 34, the second secondary cloth portion 55 being disposed on the opposite side (occupant P1 side) from the primary inflating portion 34, the first secondary cloth portion 53 being interposed between the second secondary cloth portion 55 and the primary inflating portion 34. The first secondary fabric portion 53 is formed with a communication hole portion 54 that communicates between the inside and the outside of the secondary inflation portion 51. In the first embodiment, the communication hole portions 54 have the same shape as the communication hole portions 41 of the second main fabric portion 37, and are matched with the same communication hole portions 41. The communication hole portions 41 and 54 may also have different shapes. For example, a configuration may also be adopted in which one of the communication hole portions 41 and 54 is formed by a long hole, and the other is formed by a plurality of small-diameter holes arranged along the long hole. In short, this configuration is acceptable as long as one of the communication hole portions 41 and 54 at least partially overlaps the other.
The peripheral edge portion of the first sub-fabric portion 53 and the peripheral edge portion of the second sub-fabric portion 55 overlap each other. The two peripheral edge portions are connected by a sub-peripheral edge connecting portion 56.
The peripheral edge portions of the communication hole portions 41 of the second main cloth portion 37 and the peripheral edge portions of the communication hole portions 54 of the first sub cloth portion 53 overlap. The two peripheral edge portions are located on the inner side with respect to the sub-peripheral edge connecting portion 56, and are connected by an annular connecting portion 57 smaller than the sub-peripheral edge connecting portion 56.
In this way, the sub inflation portion 51 is connected to the main inflation portion 34. The main expansion portion 34 and the sub expansion portion 51 communicate with each other through the two communication hole portions 41 and 54.
Further, in the first embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the upper end 51t of the sub inflation portion 51 in the state of completion of deployment and inflation is located at a position lower than the upper end 34t of the main inflation portion 34 in the state of completion of deployment and inflation.
The airbag 33 in the deflated and deployed state shown in fig. 5 of the airbag module ABM1 (including the main components of the gas generator 25 and the airbag 33) is folded to become a compact storage state shown in fig. 4B. The airbag 33 of the airbag module ABM1 in the stored state is stored in the storage portion 22. A bolt 28 extending from the gas generator 25 is inserted into the side frame portion 18 from the adjacent vehicle seat 65 side, and a nut 29 is fastened to the bolt 28. Due to this fastening, the gas generator 25 is fixed to the side frame portion 18 together with the airbag 33 and the like.
The gas generator 25 may also be fixed to the side frame portions 18 by members other than the bolts 28 and the nuts 29. Further, the inflator 26 may be directly fixed to the side frame portion 18 without using the retainer 27.
Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the vehicle seat 65 has the same configuration as the vehicle seat 13. Therefore, the same components of the vehicle seat 65 as those of the vehicle seat 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Fig. 4A shows the internal structure of a side portion 67 of a seat back 66 of the vehicle seat 65 on the vehicle seat 13 side.
The vehicle seat 65 differs from the vehicle seat 13 in that a storage portion 68 corresponding to the storage portion 22 is provided in the seat cushion 19 of the seat back 66 at a position closer to the vehicle seat 13 than the side frame portion 18.
The housing portion 68 incorporates an airbag module ABM2, and the airbag module ABM2 includes an airbag 69 and a gas generator 71 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 69.
The airbag 69 has the same structure as the airbag 33. The airbag 69 in the deflated deployed state is folded in the same manner as the airbag 33 to become the housed state.
The gas generator 71 has the same configuration as the gas generator 25, and the gas generator 71 is disposed at the rear lower end portion of the main inflating portion 34 of the airbag 69 and is locked in the positioning state.
The airbag 69 of the airbag module ABM2 in the stored state is stored in the storage portion 68. Bolts 28 extending from the gas generator 71 are inserted into the side frame portion 18 from the adjacent vehicle seat 13 side, and nuts 29 are fastened to the bolts 28. Due to this fastening, the gas generator 71 is fixed to the side frame portion 18 together with the airbag 69 and the like.
As shown in fig. 2, in addition to the balloon modules ABM1, ABM2 described above, the distal balloon device comprises an impact sensor 75 and a control device 76. The impact sensor 75 is constituted by an acceleration sensor or the like, and is provided on the side wall parts 11, 12 or the like to detect an impact applied to the side wall parts 11, 12 from the outside. The control device 76 controls the operation of the gas generators 25, 71 based on the detection signal of the impact sensor 75. In the first embodiment, when the impact sensor 75 detects an impact applied from the outside to one of the pair of side wall portions 11, 12, the control device 76 outputs an operation signal to the gas generator 25, 71 to operate the gas generator 25, 71.
Further, the vehicle seat 13 in fig. 1 is provided with a side airbag device (not shown) that deploys and inflates an airbag between the side wall portion 11 and the vehicle seat 13 when an impact is applied to the side wall portion 11 from the outside, thereby restraining the occupant P1 and protecting the occupant P1 from the impact (also referred to as a near-side airbag device). The side portion of the vehicle seat 65 on the side of the side wall portion 12 in fig. 1 is also provided with the same near-side airbag device.
A seat belt apparatus (not shown) configured to restrain the occupant P1 sitting in the vehicle seat 13 to the vehicle seat 13 and a seat belt apparatus (not shown) configured to restrain the occupant P2 sitting in the vehicle seat 65 to the vehicle seat 65 are also provided in the vehicle interior.
Next, the operation of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. Effects caused by this operation will also be described.
In fig. 1 and 2, when the impact sensor 75 does not detect that an impact having a predetermined value or more is applied to the side wall portions 11 and 12 from the outside, the operation signal is not output from the control device 76 to the gas generators 25 and 71, and the inflation gas is not ejected. As shown in fig. 4B, the airbag 33 continues to be stored in the storage portion 22 in the stored state. As shown in fig. 4A, the airbag 69 also continues to be stored in the storage portion 68 in the stored state.
One of the side wall portions 11 and 12, for example, the side wall portion 12 is referred to as a specific side wall portion. When an impact caused by a side collision or the like is laterally applied to the side wall portion 12 as indicated by an arrow in fig. 1, the upper body of the occupant P1 on the side (driver seat side) away from the side wall portion 12 to which the impact is applied tends to fall toward the side wall portion 12 due to inertia. The head PH P1 of the occupant starts moving after about 70ms has elapsed after the collision occurs. Thereafter, the moving speed of the head PH increases.
Therefore, when the impact sensor 75 of fig. 2 detects that an impact having a predetermined value or more is applied to the side wall portion 12 from the outside, an operation signal is output from the control device 76 to the gas generator 25 in response to the detection signal. When inflation gas is ejected from the gas ejection portion 26a of the inflator 26 in response to an operation signal, the inflation gas is supplied to the main inflation portion 34 of the airbag 33 in the stored state.
Since the inflation gas is supplied to the main inflation portion 34, the internal pressure of the main inflation portion 34 increases. The main inflation portion 34 and the sub inflation portion 51 inflate when the fold is released, that is, when the fold is unfolded.
During the deployment and inflation, the main inflation portion 34 presses the seat cushion 19 near the housing portion 22 in fig. 4B with the sub inflation portion 51, and ruptures the planned rupture portion 24 of the seat cushion 19. Thereafter, the inflation gas is still continuously supplied, so that the main inflation portion 34 protrudes obliquely forward and upward from the housing portion 22 in a state where the fixing portion 43 and the peripheral portion thereof remain in the housing portion 22. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the main inflation portion 34 is deployed between the vehicle seats 13 and 65 and inflated forward and upward.
During the deployment and inflation of the main inflation portion 34, a part of the inflation gas is supplied to the sub inflation portion 51 through the communication hole portions 41 and 54 in fig. 6. Due to the inflation gas, the sub-inflation portion 51 deploys and inflates from the main inflation portion 34 toward the neck PN and the head PH of the occupant P1, as shown in fig. 7. The main inflating portion 34 (the portion constituting the airbag 33 that is away from the occupant P1) is located beside or diagonally forward of the upper body of the occupant P1. Therefore, the upper body of the occupant P1 is received by the main inflation portion 34, the lateral or diagonally forward movement of the upper body is restrained, and the upper body is protected from impact.
The sub-inflation portion 51 (the portion constituting the airbag 33 closer to the occupant P1) is located between the main inflation portion 34 and the head PH and neck PN of the occupant P1 at a timing earlier than the start of movement of the head PH of the occupant P1 after the collision occurs, that is, before the movement speed of the head PH increases. Therefore, even if the neck portion PN and the head portion PH of the occupant P1 tend to move laterally or diagonally forward toward the vehicle seat 65 due to inertia in a state where the upper body of the occupant P1 is received by the main inflation portion 34, the neck portion PN and the head portion PH are laterally received by the sub inflation portion 51 (sub-side inflation portion 52). The lateral or diagonally forward movement of the secondary expansion portion 51 (secondary side expansion portion 52) is received by the primary expansion portion 34. The lateral or oblique forward movement of the neck PN and the head PH is restricted, that is, the neck PN and the head PH are restricted and protected from impact.
An operation signal is output from the control device 76 to the gas generator 71 shown in fig. 4A in response to a detection signal from the impact sensor 75. In response to the operation signal, inflation gas is ejected from the gas ejection portion 26a of the inflator 26 and supplied to the airbag 6. The airbag 69 is deployed and inflated in the same manner as the airbag 33.
During deployment and inflation, the airbag 69 presses the seat cushion 19 near the storage portion 68 in fig. 4A, and breaks the planned breaking portion 24 of the seat cushion 19. The main inflation portion 34 of the airbag 69 projects obliquely forward and upward from the housing portion 68 in a state where the fixing portion 43 and the peripheral portion thereof are left in the housing portion 68. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the airbag 69 is deployed between the vehicle seats 65 and 13 and inflated forward and upward.
Therefore, in fig. 3, even if the airbag 33 receives an external force from the fallen occupant P1, the airbag 69 can generate a force (reaction force) in an early stage in a direction in which the external force is cancelled, so that the airbag 33 is less likely to move. The movement of the upper body of the occupant P1 toward the side wall portion 12 can be restrained by the airbags 33 and 69, and the performance of protecting the upper body from impact can be exhibited at an early stage.
Although the case where the side wall portion 11 in fig. 1 is used as a specific side wall portion and an impact is applied to the side wall portion 11 from the outside is not described, the same operation as described above is performed to protect the occupant P2 seated in the vehicle seat 65 from the impact.
Assuming that the functions of the main inflation portion 34 and the sub inflation portion 51 are both achieved by the airbag including a single inflation portion as in JP-a-2009-67331, there is an excess portion over the portion exhibiting the function of the sub inflation portion 51, which does not directly participate in the protection of the neck portion PN and the head portion PH, and the inflation thickness of the airbag becomes larger than an appropriate value in the excess portion, which results in an increase in the size of the airbag.
To solve this problem, in the first embodiment, the airbags 33 and 69 are constituted by two inflation portions (i.e., the main inflation portion 34 and the sub inflation portion 51 as shown in fig. 3). The upper end 51t of the sub expansion portion 51 is located at a position lower than the upper end 34t of the main expansion portion 34. Therefore, it is possible to exhibit the function of restraining the neck PN and the head PH of the occupant P1 and protecting them from impact while omitting the surplus portion above the sub-inflation portion 51. As a result of the omission, the sizes of the airbags 33 and 69 can be reduced.
If the upper end 51t of the sub inflation portion 51 is higher than the upper end 34t of the main inflation portion 34, the neck portion PN and the head PH of the occupant P1 may not be sufficiently received by the sub inflation portion 51 (sub side inflation portion 52). This is because since the main expansion portion 34 does not have any portion higher than the sub expansion portion 51, the portion of the sub expansion portion 51 higher than the main expansion portion 34 cannot be received.
(second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment implemented with a vehicle distal side airbag device will be described with reference to fig. 8 and 9.
In the second embodiment, the secondary expansion portion 51 includes the secondary front expansion portion 58 in addition to the secondary side expansion portion 52. In this regard, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, in the first embodiment, the sub front expansion portion 51 is constituted only by the sub side expansion portion 52. In a state where the sub front expansion portion 58 is in communication with the sub side expansion portion 52, the sub front expansion portion 58 is connected to a position satisfying the following condition. The condition is that the sub front swelling part 58 is located in front of the head PH when the sub swelling part 51 is completely unfolded and swollen.
The secondary inflation portion 51 includes a first secondary fabric portion 53 and a second secondary fabric portion 55, the first secondary fabric portion 53 being L-shaped in plan view, and the second secondary fabric portion 55 being similarly L-shaped in plan view and arranged above the first secondary fabric portion 53. The first secondary fabric portion 53 is formed with a communication hole portion 54 that communicates the inside and outside of the secondary inflation portion 51. In the second embodiment, the communication hole portion 54 still has the same shape as the communication hole portion 41 of the second main fabric portion 37, and still matches the communication hole portion 41.
The peripheral edge portions of the first sub-fabric portion 53 and the second sub-fabric portion 55 overlap each other, and are connected to each other by a sub-peripheral edge connecting portion 56 provided along the peripheral edge portions. In this way, the first sub textile portion 53 and the second sub textile portion 55 having the L shape are connected to each other by the sub peripheral edge connecting portion 56, thereby forming the sub inflation portion 51 of the second embodiment in which the sub side inflation portion 52 and the sub front inflation portion 58 are integrated.
The peripheral portions of the communication hole portions 41 of the second main woven fabric portion 37 and the peripheral portions of the communication hole portions 54 of the first sub woven fabric portion 53 overlap. The two peripheral portions are located inside with respect to the sub-peripheral connecting portion 56, and are connected by an annular connecting portion 57 smaller than the sub-peripheral connecting portion 56.
Thus, the sub expansion portion 51 is connected to the main expansion portion 34. The main expansion portion 34 and the sub expansion portion 51 communicate with each other through the two communication hole portions 41 and 54.
The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the upper end 51t of the sub inflation portion 51 is located at a lower position in the state where deployment and inflation are completed than the upper end 34t of the main inflation portion 34 in the state where deployment and inflation are completed. Therefore, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.
Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment are achieved. Further, when an impact is applied from the diagonally front side toward the side wall portion 12 and inflation gas is supplied from the main inflation portion 34 to the sub inflation portion 51, the sub front inflation portion 58 is deployed and inflated in front of the head PH of the occupant P1.
As a result, even when the side wall portion 12 in fig. 1 is referred to as a specific side wall portion, an impact is applied to the side wall portion 12 from diagonally front, and the head PH of the occupant P1 tends to move diagonally forward toward the side wall portion 12 due to inertia, the head PH slides forward on the sub-side expansion portion 52 and is then received by the sub-front expansion portion 58. In this case, the sub front expansion part 58 exhibits a function of restraining the movement of the head PH, and the sub side expansion part 52 exhibits a function of guiding the head PH to the sub front expansion part 58 while restraining the lateral movement of the head PH. Therefore, compared to the case where the sub front inflating portion 58 is not provided in the sub inflating portion 51, the movement of the head PH obliquely forward can be further restrained, and the performance of protecting the head PH from the impact can be further improved.
Although the case where the side wall portion 11 in fig. 1 is used as a specific side wall portion and an impact is applied to the side wall portion 11 from the oblique front side is not described, the same operation as described above is performed to protect the upper body, particularly the neck portion PN and the head portion PH of the occupant P2 seated in the vehicle seat 65 from the impact.
(third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment implemented with a vehicle distal side airbag device will be described with reference to fig. 10 to 13.
In the third embodiment, it is assumed that the far side airbag device is mounted only on the vehicle seat 13 constituting the driver seat.
In this case, when the main inflation portion 34 is pushed by the occupant P1 tending to move laterally toward the side wall portion 12, the main inflation portion 34 tends to tilt toward the adjacent vehicle seat 65 with the fixing portion 43 as a fulcrum. Assuming that the sub-inflating portion 51 is not provided in the airbag 33, the amount of movement of the occupant P1 toward the vehicle seat 65 increases.
In this regard, in the third embodiment, the size and shape of the main inflation portion 34 are set so as to satisfy the following conditions in the state of deployment and inflation completion. The conditions are as follows: as shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 12, when the main inflation portion 34 is pushed by the occupant P1 to tilt toward the adjacent vehicle seat 65, the main inflation portion 34 contacts a portion of the vehicle seat 65, for example, an upper corner portion of the seatback 66. When this condition is satisfied, the main inflation portion 34 is received by the seatback 66. The seat back 66 restrains the main expansion 34 from further tilting.
The secondary expansion portion 51 of the third embodiment is constituted only by the secondary side expansion portion 52, and the secondary side expansion portion 52 has a shape different from the secondary side expansion portion 52 in the first and second embodiments. That is, the secondary side expansion portion 52 of the third embodiment has such a length: this length allows the sub-side inflation portion 52 to extend from the main inflation portion 34 in the above-described tilted state, which is in contact with the adjacent vehicle seat 65, to the vicinity of the head PH of the occupant P1. The projection length of the sub inflation portions 51 in which the sub inflation portions 51 project from the main inflation portion 34 is set to be longer than in the first and second embodiments.
In the third embodiment, as shown in fig. 10, the sub-inflation portion 51 is formed by the second main fabric portion 37 constituting a part of the main inflation portion 34, which is different from the first embodiment in which the sub-inflation portion 51 is formed by using a pair of fabric portions (the first sub-fabric portion 53 and the second sub-fabric portion 55) separated from the main inflation portion 34 (the second main fabric portion 37).
More specifically, as shown in fig. 11 and 12, a sub-side inflated portion 52 inflated to protrude further toward the head PH of the occupant P1 than the remaining portion is formed at an upper portion of the second main cloth portion 37 as a sub-inflated portion 51. The secondary expansion portion 51 includes a protruding wall portion 44a and a protruding wall portion 45a, the protruding wall portion 44a constituting an upper portion of the secondary expansion portion 51 in a state of being expanded and completed, and the protruding wall portion 45a constituting a lower portion of the secondary expansion portion 51. As shown in fig. 11 and 13, the second main fabric portion 37 is divided into an upper first component fabric portion 44 including an upper protruding wall portion 44a and a lower second component fabric portion 45 including a lower protruding wall portion 45a.
In this way, the upper projecting wall portion 44a constituting the upper portion of the secondary expansion portion 51 is formed as a part of the first component woven fabric portion 44, and the lower projecting wall portion 45a constituting the lower portion of the secondary expansion portion 51 is formed as a part of the second component woven fabric portion 45.
The second main fabric portion 37 including the secondary expansion portion 51 is formed by connecting the peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component fabric portion 44 and the second component fabric portion 45 at the divided peripheral edge connecting portion 46.
In fig. 10 and 13, the expansion thickness adjusting portion, the inner pipe, and the like are not shown.
The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.
Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment are achieved. That is, when an impact is applied to the side wall portion 12 from the outside and the inflation gas is supplied to the main inflation portion 34 of the airbag 33, the main inflation portion 34 starts to deploy and inflate beside the upper body of the occupant P1 due to the inflation gas.
When the main inflation portion 34 is pushed by the occupant P1 tending to move laterally toward the side wall portion 12, and the pushing force is transmitted from the occupant P1 to the main inflation portion 34, the main inflation portion 34 tends to tilt toward the adjacent vehicle seat 65 with the fixing portion 43 as a fulcrum, as shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 12. The main inflation portion 34 becomes in contact with the upper corner portion of the seatback 66 of the vehicle seat 65. Due to this contact, the main inflation portion 34 is received by the seat back 66. The seat back 66 restrains the main inflation portion 34 from further tilting.
Further, during deployment and inflation of the main inflation portion 34, the inflation gas in the same main inflation portion 34 is supplied to the sub inflation portion 51. Due to the inflation gas, the sub-inflation portion 51 deploys and inflates from the main inflation portion 34 toward the neck PN and the head PH of the occupant P1.
The portion of the sub inflation portion 51 of the airbag 33 that constitutes closer to the occupant P1 is located between the main inflation portion 34 and the head PH and neck PN of the occupant P1. Therefore, even if the neck portion PN and the head portion PH of the occupant P1 tend to move laterally or diagonally forward due to inertia in a state where the upper body of the occupant P1 is received by the main inflation portion 34, the neck portion PN and the head portion PH are laterally received by the sub-side inflation portion 52. The lateral or diagonally forward movement of the secondary side expansion portion 52 is received by the primary expansion portion 34. The lateral or oblique forward movement of the neck PN and the head PH is restricted, that is, the neck PN and the head PH are restricted and protected from impact.
As described above, in the third embodiment, the occupant P1 is allowed to push the main inflation portion 34 and tilt the main inflation portion 34, and in a state where the main inflation portion 34 is tilted, the neck portion PN and the head portion PH of the occupant P1 can be received by the sub inflation portion 51 and protected from the impact.
According to the third embodiment, in addition to the above, the following operational effects are obtained.
In the first and second embodiments, in order to form the airbag 33, it is necessary to provide the first and second sub fabric portions 53 and 55 configured to form the sub inflation portion 51 in addition to the first and second main fabric portions 36 and 37 configured to form the main inflation portion 34. It is also necessary to provide a secondary peripheral connecting portion 56 configured to connect the first secondary textile portion 53 and the second secondary textile portion 55. Further, it is also necessary to provide an annular connecting portion 57 configured to connect the secondary expansion portion 51 and the primary expansion portion 34 in a communicating state.
In contrast, in the third embodiment, as shown in fig. 13, the projecting wall portion 44a constituting a part of the sub-inflation portion 51 is formed as a part of the first component fabric portion 44. Therefore, it is not necessary to attach the protruding wall portion 44A to the first component fabric portion 44. The projecting wall portion 45a constituting the remaining portion of the sub-inflation portion 51 is formed as a part of the second component fabric portion 45. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect the protruding wall portion 45a to the second partial woven fabric portion 45.
When the second main fabric portion 37 is formed, the peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component fabric portion 44 and the second component fabric portion 45 overlap each other. The peripheral portion also includes peripheral edge portions of the protruding wall portions 44a and 45a. At this time, the protruding wall portion 44a is constituted by a portion of the first component woven fabric portion 44, and the protruding wall portion 45a is constituted by a portion of the second component woven fabric portion 45. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the projecting wall portion 44a with respect to the first component fabric portion 44, and it is not necessary to position the projecting wall portion 45a with respect to the second component fabric portion 45.
The peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component web portion 44 and the second component web portion 45 overlapped as described above are connected to each other. Due to this connection, the second main fabric portion 37 including the secondary side inflating portions 52 is formed. At this time, since only the peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component woven fabric portion 44 and the second component woven fabric portion 45 exist, the length of the connection target position is short. Therefore, the connection can be easily performed.
Since the sub-side inflating portion 52 is formed by using the second main cloth portion 37 of the main inflating portion 34, the number of cloths used to form the entire airbag 33 is small. Therefore, the thickness of the airbag 33 when folded can be reduced, and therefore the airbag 33 can be easily stored in the storage portion 22.
The above-described embodiments may also be implemented as modifications as follows. The above-described embodiment and the following modifications may be implemented in combination with each other within a range consistent with the technology.
< airbags 33 and 69>
In addition, the fixing portions 43 of the airbags 33 and 69 may also be fixed not to the side frame portions 18 but to members that constitute the vehicle seats 13 and 65 that have the same rigidity as the side frame portions 18.
The air bags 33 and 69 may be substantially fully inflated as in the first to third embodiments, or may also partially include a deflated portion that is not supplied with inflation gas and is not inflated.
The secondary expansion portion 51 of the third embodiment may include a protruding wall portion constituting a front portion of the secondary expansion portion 51 in a state of deployment and completion of expansion, and a protruding wall portion constituting a rear portion of the secondary expansion portion 51.
In this case, the second main fabric portion 37 is divided into a front first component fabric portion including a front protruding wall portion and a rear second component fabric portion including a rear protruding wall portion.
Assuming that the main inflation portion 34 is deployed and inflated beside the upper body of the occupants P1 and P2 and at least beside the portion including the neck portion PN and the head portion PH, the main inflation portion 34 may also be modified to be deployed and inflated beside a portion of the upper body, which is different from the first to third embodiments.
< others >
The control device 76 may be modified to a specification that outputs an operation signal to the gas generators 25 and 71 when it is predicted that an impact will be applied to the side wall portions 11 and 12 from the lateral side or the oblique front side.
The distal airbag device may also be applied to such a vehicle 10: in which the postures of the plurality of vehicle seats 13 and 65 are arranged such that the seat backs 15 and 66 face a direction different from the forward direction of the vehicle 10, for example, a lateral direction. In this case, in the vehicle 10, a pair of wall portions that sandwich the vehicle seats 13 and 65 from both width direction sides correspond to a pair of side wall portions in the claims.
Although the vehicle seat 13 is a driver seat and the vehicle seat 65 is a passenger seat in the first to third embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. The vehicle seats 13 and 65 may also be rear seats of the vehicle (seats in the second and subsequent rows) as long as the vehicle seats 13 and 65 are independent.
The above-described distal airbag device may also be applied to a vehicle in which three or more vehicle seats are arranged side by side in the width direction. In this case, when an impact is applied to a specific side wall portion of the vehicle, or when it is predicted that an impact will be applied, the airbag is deployed and inflated between adjacent vehicle seats.
Vehicles to which the above-described distal airbag device is applied include not only private vehicles but also various industrial vehicles.
In addition, the above-described far-side airbag device may also be equipped in a vehicle other than an automobile, such as an airplane, a ship, or the like, to deploy and inflate an airbag between adjacent vehicle seats, thereby protecting an occupant seated on the vehicle seat away from the side wall portion that receives the impact.

Claims (4)

1. A far-side airbag device applied to a vehicle, wherein a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in a width direction of the vehicle seats, and both side portions in the width direction are constituted by a pair of side wall portions, wherein:
when one of the two side wall portions is referred to as a specific side wall portion and an impact is applied to the specific side wall portion from the outside, or when it is predicted that the impact is to be applied, the distal airbag device supplies inflation gas to the airbag to deploy and inflate the airbag between the vehicle seats adjacent to each other, so that an upper body of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat on a side away from the specific side wall portion is restrained and protected from the impact;
the airbag includes: a main inflation portion configured to be deployed and inflated beside an upper body of the occupant and at least beside a portion including a neck portion and a head portion; and a secondary inflation portion disposed closer to the occupant than the primary inflation portion;
the secondary expansion portion includes: a secondary side inflating portion configured to be deployed and inflated between the primary inflating portion and the neck and head of the occupant; and is
The upper end of the sub expansion portion is located at a lower position in a state where the deployment and expansion are completed than the upper end of the main expansion portion in the state where the deployment and expansion are completed.
2. The distal balloon apparatus according to claim 1,
the secondary expansion portion further includes: a sub front inflation portion that is connected in a communicated state with the sub side inflation portion, and that is configured to be deployed and inflated in front of the head of the occupant.
3. The distal balloon apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the secondary expansion portion is constituted only by the secondary side expansion portion;
the secondary side expansion portion includes: a first secondary fabric portion adjacent to the primary expansion portion; and a second sub fabric portion disposed on an opposite side of the main expansion portion, the first sub fabric portion being interposed between the second sub fabric portion and the main expansion portion;
the secondary side inflating portion is formed by connecting a peripheral edge portion of the first sub-fabric portion and a peripheral edge portion of the second sub-fabric portion to each other at a secondary peripheral edge connecting portion;
the main inflation portion and the first sub fabric portion are connected by an annular connecting portion provided inside the sub peripheral edge connecting portion; and is provided with
The main expansion portion and the sub expansion portion communicate with each other through a communication hole portion formed in an area surrounded by the annular connecting portion in the main expansion portion and the first sub fabric portion.
4. The distal balloon apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the main expansion portion includes: a first main fabric portion; and a second main fabric portion disposed closer to the occupant than the first main fabric portion;
the main inflation portion is formed by connecting a peripheral edge portion of the first main fabric portion and a peripheral edge portion of the second main fabric portion to each other at a main peripheral edge connecting portion;
in a part of the second main fabric portion, a inflation portion is formed as a sub-inflation portion including only a sub-side inflation portion configured to be inflated to protrude more toward the head of the occupant than the remaining portion;
the secondary-side expansion portion is formed by a pair of protruding wall portions;
the second main fabric portion is divided into a first component fabric portion including one of the protruding wall portions and a second component fabric portion including the other of the protruding wall portions; and is provided with
The second main woven fabric portion including the secondary side expansion portion is formed by connecting peripheral edge portions of the divided portions of the first component woven fabric portion and the second component woven fabric portion at divided peripheral edge connecting portions.
CN202110022779.7A 2020-01-08 2021-01-08 Distal balloon device Active CN113173138B (en)

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JP2020001283A JP7205500B2 (en) 2020-01-08 2020-01-08 Far side airbag device

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