CN114802084A

CN114802084A - Side airbag device for vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN114802084A
Application number: CN202111373071.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 深渡濑修; 河村和浩; 太田悠登; 荒井佑太
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2021-01-19
Filing date: 2021-11-19
Publication date: 2022-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2041-11-19
Also published as: JP7512909B2; JP2022110958A; DE102021127465A1; CN114802084B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a side airbag device for a vehicle. The side airbag device for a vehicle is configured to house an airbag main body in a vehicle seat, and the airbag main body includes an upper chamber that covers a side of a head of an occupant in an inflated and expanded state, and a lower chamber that covers a side of the occupant from a shoulder to a waist in the inflated and expanded state. In addition, a vent hole is formed in the lower chamber. The inner tube is provided inside the lower chamber, and is configured to include a lower opening that opens downward in an inflated and expanded state of the airbag main body, and an upper opening that is formed above the vent hole and opens into the upper chamber.

Description

Side airbag device for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a side airbag device for a vehicle.

Background

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2006-008017 discloses an airbag that is divided into a lower air chamber for chest protection and an upper air chamber for head protection, and a vent hole is formed in a lower front end portion of the lower air chamber. In the airbag device of jp 2006-008017 a, a diffuser (inner tube (sock)) serving as a rectifying cloth is disposed in the lower chamber, and a communication hole for distributing gas from the inflator to the lower chamber is formed in the diffuser.

Disclosure of Invention

However, in a side airbag that protects a wide range from the head to the waist of an occupant, it is preferable to shorten the length of the inner tube from the viewpoint of suppressing an increase in cost and weight. However, if the inner tube is shortened, gas directed to the upper chamber of the protection head may be discharged from the vent hole.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device for a vehicle, which can reduce the length of an inner tube and can protect a head portion satisfactorily in a structure for protecting a wide range from the head portion to a waist portion of an occupant.

The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1 includes: an airbag main body that is housed inside a vehicle seat, that receives supply of gas from an inflator when a side collision is predicted or detected, that inflates and deploys laterally outward of a seat width direction of an occupant, that includes an upper chamber that covers a lateral side of a head of the occupant in an inflated and deployed state, and a lower chamber that covers a lateral side of the occupant from a shoulder to a waist in the inflated and deployed state, and that has a vent hole formed in the lower chamber; and an inner tube that is provided inside the lower chamber, flows gas from the inflator to the airbag main body, and includes a lower opening portion that opens downward in an inflated and deployed state of the airbag main body, and an upper opening portion that is formed above the vent hole and that opens to the upper chamber.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1, the airbag main body is configured to include an upper chamber that covers a side of a head of the occupant in the inflated and deployed state, and a lower chamber that covers a side of the occupant from a shoulder to a waist in the inflated and deployed state. This enables the side of the occupant to be restrained widely during a side collision of the vehicle. Further, a vent hole is formed in the lower chamber of the airbag main body. This can suppress the internal pressure of the lower chamber from becoming excessive.

Further, an inner tube is provided inside the lower chamber, and a lower opening portion and an upper opening portion are formed in the inner tube. Here, the lower opening is formed at a position lower than the upper opening and opens downward. This enables the waist to be restrained early, and initial restraining performance to be ensured. The upper opening is formed above the vent hole and opens to the upper chamber. This can prevent gas from flowing from the upper opening to the upper chamber from being discharged through the vent hole.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 2, according to claim 1, the lower opening portion is located below the vent hole in the inflated and deployed state of the airbag main body.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 2, since the lower opening portion is located below the vent hole, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the internal pressure of the waist portion that requires a restraining force.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle of claim 3, in claim 1 or 2, the inner tube is formed in a shape in which an opening area of the lower opening portion is larger than an opening area of the upper opening portion.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 3, since the opening area of the lower opening portion is larger than the opening area of the upper opening portion of the inner tube, more gas can be sent from the lower opening portion to the lower chamber at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag main body. This can quickly increase the internal pressure of the portion corresponding to the waist.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 4, in claim 3, the vent hole is formed in a front end portion of the lower chamber, and the inner tube is inclined such that the front end portion is located behind the seat with facing upward in a side view of the inflated and deployed state of the airbag main body.

In the side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 4, the inner tube is inclined in a direction away from the vent hole as it goes upward of the seat. This can effectively prevent the gas from being discharged from the vent hole to the outside from the upper opening toward the upper chamber.

As described above, according to the side airbag device for a vehicle of the present invention, in the structure for protecting a wide range from the head to the waist of the occupant, the length of the inner tube can be shortened, and the head can be protected well.

Drawings

Features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like symbols represent like elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 is a side view showing a vehicle seat to which a side airbag device for a vehicle according to an embodiment is applied, and shows a state in which a side airbag is inflated and deployed.

Fig. 2 is a front view showing a vehicle seat to which the side airbag device for a vehicle of the embodiment is applied, and shows a state in which the side airbag is inflated and deployed.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a side airbag device 12 for a vehicle including the side airbag 10 for a vehicle of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, arrows FR, UP, and RH indicate the seat front side, the seat upper side, and the seat right side of the vehicle seat 14 on which the vehicle side airbag 10 is mounted, respectively. When the description is given using the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, the front-rear direction of the seat, the left-right direction of the seat width direction, and the up-down direction of the seat are shown unless otherwise specified.

(vehicle seat 14)

As shown in fig. 1, a vehicle seat 14 on which a vehicle side airbag device 12 of the present embodiment is mounted is configured to include a seat cushion 16, a seat back 18, and a headrest 20. The side airbag device 12 of the present embodiment is configured to include a vehicle side airbag 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "side airbag 10") and an inflator 42. As an example, the vehicle seat 14 shown in fig. 1 and 2 is disposed in the driver seat on the left side of the vehicle, and the front of the seat coincides with the front of the vehicle. Further, the left and right in the seat width direction coincide with the left and right in the vehicle width direction.

In the vehicle seat 14 shown in fig. 1 and 2, a dummy P for a collision test is seated instead of an actual occupant. The Dummy P is, for example, AM50 (50 percentile of American adult males) of WorldSID (International Uniform Side Impact Dummy). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the dummy P will be referred to as an "occupant P".

The seat cushion 16 extends in the seat front-rear direction and the seat width direction, and is configured to support the hip and thigh of the occupant P. The seat back 18 is rotatably coupled to a rear end portion of the seat cushion 16 and extends in the seat up-down direction, and is configured to support a back portion of the occupant P. The headrest 20 is provided at an upper end portion of the seat back 18 and configured to be able to support the head H of the occupant P.

(seatbelt device 24)

As shown in fig. 2, the occupant P is restrained on the vehicle seat 14 by the seatbelt apparatus 24. The seat belt device 24 includes a seat belt 26, a tongue plate 30, a buckle 32, and an unillustrated retractor.

The seatbelt 26 is formed in a long belt shape, and includes a shoulder belt 26A that restrains the upper body of the occupant P to the seatback 18 in a fastened state, and a lap belt 26B that restrains the lap L of the occupant. The shoulder belt 26A extends obliquely from the shoulder S on the left side of the occupant P to the lumbar L on the right side. Further, the lower end portion of the shoulder belt 26A passes through the tongue plate 30.

The tongue plate 30 is inserted through the seat belt 26 and is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a buckle 32 provided on the right side of the seat. Then, the tongue plate 30 is attached to the buckle 32, whereby the occupant P is restrained by the seat belt 26.

The seatbelt 26 extends from the tongue plate 30 toward the seat left side, and the portion extending in the seat width direction constitutes a lap belt 26B. Therefore, the right end of the lap belt 26B is connected to the lower end of the shoulder belt 26A. The left end of the lap belt 26B is fixed to a belt anchor 34 provided on the base plate 40.

The upper end portion of the shoulder belt 26A is wound around a shoulder anchor, not shown, provided on the vehicle body. The end portion of the webbing 26 is wound around a retractor not shown. Here, when the webbing 26 is suddenly pulled out, the emergency locking mechanism of the retractor is operated to lock the pulling out of the webbing 26. The retractor is provided with a pretensioner mechanism that operates at the time of collision detection to forcibly wind up the seat belt 26.

(side airbag device 12)

As shown in fig. 1, the side airbag device 12 is configured to include an inflator 42 and a side airbag 10. The side airbag 10 includes an airbag main body 46 and an inner tube 48. The inner tube 48 is also referred to as a diffuser, a rectifying cloth, a pipe, an inner cylinder.

The inflator 42 is a cylinder-type gas generating device formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the axial direction thereof is along a side frame, not shown, constituting the framework of the seat back 18. Further, the lower end portion of the inflator 42 is connected to the connecting portion 46A of the side airbag 10. A gas ejection portion, not shown, is provided at a lower end portion of the inflator 42, and when a side collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected, gas is generated from the gas ejection portion and supplied to the side airbag 10.

The side airbag 10 is housed inside the seat back 18, and is inflated by being supplied with gas generated by the inflator 42, and the skin of the seat back 18 is broken by the inflation pressure of the side airbag 10, and is inflated and deployed toward the seat width direction outer side with respect to the occupant P.

Here, the bag main body 46 constituting the side airbag 10 is formed into a substantially bag shape by sewing two pieces of base cloth at a sewn portion SE of an outer peripheral end portion. Further, the airbag main body 46 is configured to include: a connecting portion 46A to which the inflator 42 is connected; an upper chamber 46B that covers the side of the head H of the occupant P in the inflated and deployed state; and a lower chamber 46C that covers the side of the occupant P from the shoulder S to the waist L in the inflated and deployed state.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper chamber 46B is configured to expand and deploy toward a space between the upper rear surface of the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20. As an example, the upper chamber 46B of the present embodiment is housed in the upper end portion of the seat back 18 in a state folded along the seat width direction. Then, by supplying the gas to the upper chamber 46B, the skin of the upper end portion of the seatback 18 is broken by the inflation pressure of the upper chamber 46B, and the upper chamber 46B is configured to inflate and expand toward the space between the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20.

As shown in fig. 1, the lower chamber 46C is disposed from the upper end to the lower end of the seat back 18 as viewed in the seat width direction, and the lower chamber 46C is formed in a substantially elliptical shape with the vertical center portion bulging toward the seat front side.

The connecting portion 46A is provided at the rear end portion of the lower chamber 46C, and is formed with an insertion hole into which the inflator 42 is inserted. Also, the lower end portion of the inflator 42 is inserted into the insertion hole.

Here, a vent hole 46D is formed in the lower chamber 46C. In the present embodiment, the vent hole 46D is formed by not sewing a part of the base fabric of the airbag main body 46, as an example. The vent hole 46D is located above the seat than the portion of the lower chamber 46C that restrains the waist L, and is formed at the front end portion of the lower chamber 46C.

An inner tube 48 is provided inside the lower chamber 46C. The inner tube 48 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is a member for causing the gas from the inflator 42 to flow to the bag main body 46. The inner tube 48 includes a lower opening 48A, an upper opening 48B, and a connecting portion 48C.

The lower opening 48A is provided at the lower end of the inner tube 48 in the inflated and expanded state of the airbag main body 46 and is located below the vent hole 46D. In addition, the inner tube 48 opens toward the seat lower side, i.e., the restraining portion of the lumbar region L in the lower chamber 46C. The opening area of the lower opening 48A is larger than the opening area of an upper opening 48B described later. Specifically, the lower opening 48A of the inner tube 48 is formed to have a front-rear length larger than a front-rear length of the upper opening 48B.

The inner tube 48 has a length in the front-rear direction that decreases from the lower opening 48A toward the seat upper side, and an upper opening 48B is provided at an upper end of the inner tube 48. The upper opening portion 48B is formed above the seat with respect to the breather hole 46D, and opens toward the upper chamber 46B.

The upper opening 48B is located below the upper chamber 46B. Specifically, the upper opening portion 48B is located slightly below the shoulder S of the occupant P, and the airbag main body 46 is sewn in a state of being opened to the upper chamber 46B.

As described above, the inner tube 48 is formed in a shape having an upper portion narrower than a lower portion in the front-rear width in a side view in the inflated and expanded state, and the front end portion of the inner tube 48 is inclined so as to be positioned behind the seat as the airbag main body 46 faces upward in the seat.

A connection portion 48C is provided at the rear end of the inner tube 48. The connecting portion 48C is formed in a shape corresponding to the connecting portion 46A of the airbag main body 46, and is fixed to a side frame (not shown) of the seatback 18 together with the connecting portion 46A. Further, the lower end portion of the inflator 42 is inserted into the connecting portion 48C. Namely, the following structure is provided: the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the inflator 42 is covered by the connecting portion 48C of the inner tube 48, and the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 48C is covered by the connecting portion 46A of the airbag main body 46. Therefore, the gas generated from the inflator 42 flows through the connection portion 48C of the inner tube 48, flows inside the inner tube 48, and flows from the lower opening portion 48A and the upper opening portion 48B to the lower chamber 46C and the upper chamber 46B.

(action)

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

In the side airbag device 12 of the present embodiment, an airbag main body 46 is housed inside the vehicle seat 14, and the airbag main body 46 receives supply of gas from the inflator 42 and inflates and deploys laterally of the occupant P when a side collision is predicted or detected. The airbag main body 46 includes an upper chamber 46B and a lower chamber 46C, and the upper chamber 46B covers the side of the head H of the occupant P, and the lower chamber 46C covers the side of the occupant P from the shoulder S to the waist L. This allows the side of the occupant P to be widely restrained at the time of a side collision.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the vent hole 46D is formed in the lower chamber 46C of the airbag main body 46, it is possible to suppress the internal pressure of the lower chamber 46C from becoming excessively large.

An inner tube 48 is provided in the lower chamber 46C, and a lower opening 48A and an upper opening 48B are formed in the inner tube 48. Here, the lower opening 48A is formed below the upper opening 48B and opens downward. This enables the waist L of the occupant P to be restrained early, and initial restraint performance to be ensured. On the other hand, the upper opening 48B is formed above the vent hole 46D and opens into the upper chamber. This can prevent the gas from the upper opening 48B toward the upper chamber 46B from being discharged from the vent hole 46D. As described above, in the side airbag 10 of the present embodiment, in the configuration for protecting a wide range from the head H to the waist L of the occupant P, the length of the inner tube 48 can be shortened, and the head H can be protected well.

In the present embodiment, the lower opening 48A of the inner tube 48 is located below the vent hole 46D, and therefore, a decrease in the internal pressure of the waist portion L that requires a restraining force can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the opening area of the lower opening 48A of the inner tube 48 is larger than the opening area of the upper opening 48B of the inner tube 48. Therefore, more gas can be fed from the lower opening portion 48A to the lower chamber 46C at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag main body 46. This can quickly increase the internal pressure of the portion corresponding to the waist L of the occupant P.

In the present embodiment, the front end portion of the inner tube 48 is inclined in a direction away from the vent hole 46D as it goes upward in the seat. This can effectively prevent the gas from the upper opening 48B toward the upper chamber 46B from being discharged to the outside through the vent hole 46D.

The side airbag 10 of the embodiment and the modification has been described above, but it goes without saying that the side airbag can be implemented in various ways within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the upper opening 48B of the inner tube 48 is located slightly below the shoulder S, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the following structure may be adopted: the inner tube 48 is extended to the position of the shoulder S of the occupant P, and the upper opening 48B is positioned at the shoulder S.

In the above embodiment, the vent hole 46D is formed at a position between the portion that restrains the chest portion of the occupant P and the portion that restrains the waist portion L, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the restraining force of the waist portion L can be sufficiently obtained, the vent hole 46D may be formed in the lower end portion of the lower chamber 46C. In addition, when the internal pressure of the portion that restrains the chest is to be reduced, the vent hole 46D may be formed in the portion that restrains the chest. Even in this case, if the upper opening 48B is formed at a position above the vent hole 46D, the gas discharged into the upper chamber 46B can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the inner tube 48 is formed in a shape in which the upper portion is shorter in the front-rear direction than the lower portion, but the shape is not limited thereto, and may be formed in another shape. In the above embodiment, the lower opening 48A is located above the waist L, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lower opening 48A may be located at the waist L.

The shapes of the upper chamber 46B and the lower chamber 46C constituting the airbag main body 46 are not particularly limited, and shapes other than the shapes shown in fig. 1 and 2 may be employed.

Claims

1. A side airbag device for a vehicle, wherein the side airbag device for a vehicle has:

an airbag main body that is housed inside a vehicle seat, that receives supply of gas from an inflator when a side collision is predicted or detected, and that inflates and deploys laterally outward of a seat width direction of an occupant, and that includes an upper chamber that covers a side of a head of the occupant in an inflated and deployed state, and a lower chamber that covers a side of the occupant from a shoulder to a waist in the inflated and deployed state, and that has a vent hole formed in the lower chamber; and

and an inner tube that is provided inside the lower chamber, flows gas from the inflator to the airbag main body, and includes a lower opening portion that opens downward in an inflated and deployed state of the airbag main body, and an upper opening portion that is formed above the vent hole and that opens to the upper chamber.

2. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1,

the lower opening portion is located below the vent hole in the inflated and deployed state of the airbag main body.

3. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,

the inner tube is formed in a shape in which an opening area of the lower opening is larger than an opening area of the upper opening.

4. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 3,

the vent hole is formed at a front end portion of the lower chamber,

the inner tube is inclined such that a front end portion thereof is positioned behind a seat with the front end portion facing upward in a side view of the inflated and deployed state of the airbag main body.