CN116588028A

CN116588028A - Occupant protection device

Info

Publication number: CN116588028A
Application number: CN202310110606.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 折高早苗; 增田泰士; 柳泽利仁
Original assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd
Current assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-02-14
Filing date: 2023-02-14
Publication date: 2023-08-15
Also published as: JP2023118011A

Abstract

An occupant protection device (S) is mounted on a front seat (1) in a vehicle having seats arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, and comprises: an airbag (50) that is configured to be held by a holding band portion that is wrapped around the waist of an occupant in a folded state; and an inflator (20) which is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is disposed in a region on the lower side of the rear surface of the backrest part (2) of the front seat so that the axial direction is substantially in the left-right direction. The inflator is covered at least on the rear side by a cover (35) so as to prevent interference with the feet (RF) of a rear occupant (RP) seated on the rear side of the front seat.

Description

Occupant protection device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an occupant protection device configured to protect an occupant seated in a seat.

Background

Conventionally, as an occupant protection device, as shown in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2020-66425, there is a structure in which an inflator that supplies inflation gas to an airbag folded and stored around the waist of an occupant is disposed in a region on the lower side of the rear surface of the backrest portion of a seat in which the occupant sits (specifically, in a position below the rear end side of the seat portion).

However, the conventional occupant protection device is configured such that the inflator is attached to the seat side in an exposed state. Therefore, in the case of a vehicle having a front seat and a rear seat arranged side by side, when an impact force from the front acts on the vehicle, an occupant seated in the front seat is protected by the inflated airbag while suppressing forward movement, but there is a case where an inflator contacts with the foot of a rear occupant seated in a rear seat arranged behind the front seat, and there is room for improvement in suppressing contact between such an inflator and the rear occupant.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to provide an occupant protection device capable of suppressing contact between an inflator and a rear occupant seated in a rear seat disposed behind a front seat mounted thereon.

The present invention relates to an occupant protection apparatus of the following construction.

In a vehicle having seats arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, the vehicle is configured to be mounted on a front side seat and to protect an occupant seated on the front side seat,

the structure is provided with: an airbag configured to be inflated into a bag shape covering the front of an occupant and to be held in a folded state by a holding belt portion wound around the waist of the occupant; and

an inflator formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, disposed in a region on a lower side of a rear surface of a backrest portion of a front seat so that an axial direction thereof is substantially in a left-right direction, and connected to an airbag so that inflation gas can be supplied to the airbag,

the inflator is covered at least on the rear side by a cover so as to prevent interference with the feet of a rear occupant seated on a rear seat disposed on the rear side of the front seat.

In the occupant protection device of the present invention, in the front side seat, the inflator disposed in the region on the lower side of the rear surface of the backrest portion is covered at least on the rear side by the cover. Therefore, even if an impact force from the front acts on the vehicle in a state where an occupant (rear occupant) is seated in a rear seat disposed rearward of a front seat, the inflator can be reliably restrained from directly contacting the feet of the rear occupant.

Accordingly, with the occupant protection device of the present invention, contact between the inflator and the rear occupant seated in the rear seat disposed behind the front seat mounted thereon can be suppressed.

In the occupant protection device having the above-described configuration, if the cover is configured to be attached to the inflator, an attaching unit or an attaching work for attaching the cover to the attaching bracket is not required, and the occupant protection device can be configured simply, and the manufacturing man-hour and the cost can be reduced, which is preferable.

In the occupant protection device having the above-described configuration, if the cover is configured to cover the lower side of the inflator, the area on the lower surface side of the inflator can be prevented from contacting the foot of the rear occupant, and contact between the foot of the rear occupant and the inflator can be suppressed more reliably, which is preferable.

In the occupant protection device having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the cover further covers the rear side of the mounting bracket for mounting the inflator on the seat side, because the foot of the rear side occupant can be prevented from coming into contact with the mounting bracket.

In the occupant protection device having the above-described structure, the cover is preferably configured to have the following components:

a substantially plate-shaped cover body that covers at least a rear of the inflator; and

and a deformation scheduled portion which is arranged between the cover main body and the inflator, and which is capable of plastic deformation while maintaining a state of the cover main body covering the rear of the inflator when an impact force acts on the cover main body.

With such a configuration, when the foot of the rear occupant contacts the cover main body, the impact force generated by the contact can be absorbed by plastically deforming the deformation scheduled portion disposed between the cover main body and the inflator, and the cover main body maintains the state when the deformation scheduled portion is plastically deformed, so that the foot can be reliably received by the cover main body. In the occupant protection device having the above-described structure, even if the foot of the rear occupant is brought into contact with the cover main body and enters further toward the inflator side, the foot is prevented from being damaged by the inflator because the energy is absorbed by plastic deformation of the deformation scheduled portion disposed therebetween.

In the case where the occupant protection device is configured as described above, it is preferable that the cover is configured to be attached to the inflator by the deformation scheduled portion.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an oblique view of a seat in which an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the seat of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the seat of fig. 1, showing a state in which the seat belt is worn.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial rear view showing a region on the lower end side of the seat portion of the seat of fig. 1, showing a state before the inflator is mounted.

Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged rear view showing a region on the lower end side of the seat portion of the seat of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a placement portion of an inflator in the occupant protection device of the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the occupant protection apparatus according to the embodiment, showing the vicinity of the portion of the inflator, corresponding to the portion VII-VII of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a partially enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the occupant protection apparatus according to the embodiment, showing the vicinity of the portion of the inflator, corresponding to the portion VIII-VIII of fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a cover attached to an inflator in the occupant protection device of the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an airbag used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment is inflated as a single body.

Fig. 11 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a front view of the seat in a state in which inflation of the airbag is completed in the occupant protection device of the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a side view of a seat in a state in which inflation of an airbag is completed in the occupant protection device of the embodiment.

Detailed Description

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on a seat 1 of a vehicle. The vehicle has a structure in which seats are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, and the occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on the seat 1 as a sub-driver seat (front-side seat) disposed on the front side. The occupant protection device S is formed to have a structure of: a seat belt 7 that constitutes a retaining belt portion that retains the airbag 50; a balloon 50; an inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 50; a connection tube 30 connecting the airbag 50 and the inflator 20; and a cover 35 covering the rear side of the inflator 20.

The seat 1 has a backrest 2 and a seat 3. The seat 1 is mounted on the vehicle body side of the vehicle so as to be slidable back and forth relative to the floor (floor panel 4) of the vehicle by means of lower arms 5 (see fig. 4 and 5) extending downward from both left and right end sides of the seat portion 3 and a slide rail (not shown). Specifically, the seat 1 is configured such that the left and right sides of the area below the seat portion 3 are covered with a cover (reference numeral omitted) with substantially no gap, but is attached to the vehicle body side on the rear surface side of the seat portion 3 with a gap between the seat portion and the floor panel 4 (see fig. 2, 4, and 5). The attachment bracket 6 for attaching the inflator 20 is disposed on the rear end 3a side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 so as to extend downward. The mounting bracket 6 is mounted on the lower arm 5 at a predetermined position (not shown), is disposed in a region of the left half portion of the seat portion 3, which is the placement position of the inflator 20, substantially along the vertical direction and in a long plate shape having a large width in the lateral direction (see fig. 4, 7, and 8). In the attachment bracket 6, attachment holes 6a, which allow bolts 24b of the bracket 24 for inflator attachment to be inserted and to be fastened to nuts 6b fixed to the peripheral edge, are formed in 2 portions (see fig. 4, 6, 8) separated on the left-right direction side (the axial direction side of the inflator 20).

In the case of the embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1, and includes: a belt main body 8 for protecting an occupant MP seated in the seat 1; a tongue plate 12 attached to the belt body 8; and a buckle 13 for connecting the tongue plate 12. The belt body 8 is locked to an anchor member 14 having one end locked to a winding shaft (not shown) disposed in the backrest 2 and the other end disposed on the left side of the rear end 3a of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 (see fig. 1 and 2). Specifically, the belt main body 8 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper end left edge side of the backrest 2, and in the case of the embodiment, in the unseated state of the occupant MP, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the belt 10 as the holding belt portion for holding the airbag 50 is configured so as to be exposed to the front surface of the backrest 2. Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the belt 10 is exposed on the front surface of the backrest 2 substantially along the vertical direction on the left edge 2a side of the backrest 2 in the unseated state of the occupant MP. The belt main body 8 has a waist belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 accommodated in the backrest 2, and is configured to restrain a lower body MD (waist MW) of the occupant MP by the waist belt 10 disposed substantially in the left-right direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13 in a state in which the tongue plate 12 is coupled to the buckle 13 when the occupant sits, and to restrain an upper body MU (from the shoulder MS to the chest MB) of the occupant MP by the shoulder belt 9 extending from the left edge side of the upper end of the backrest 2 and disposed obliquely to the buckle 13 (see fig. 3). In the case of the embodiment, the belt 10 disposed in front of the waist portion MW of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1 and the cover 65 described later constitute a holding belt portion that accommodates and holds the folded airbag 25 when the occupant sits. In the seat belt 7, a retractor, not shown, disposed in the backrest portion 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

The inflator 20 is disposed in a region on the lower side of the rear surface of the backrest 2 of the seat 1, and in the case of the embodiment, is disposed at a position on the lower side of the rear end 3a side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1. The inflator 20 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is disposed so that the axial direction is substantially in the left-right direction, and is attached to the attachment bracket 6 extending from the lower arm 5 by a bracket 24 disposed on the outer peripheral side. The inflator 20 has a structure in which a gas discharge portion 21 that can discharge inflation gas is provided at one end (front end side in the case of the embodiment, left end 20a side) in the axial direction, and is disposed in a region of a left half portion of the lower portion side of the seat portion 3 so that the left end 20a side in which the gas discharge portion 21 is disposed substantially coincides with the left end 3b side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 (see fig. 5). The connector 22 connecting the lead 22a is connected to the other end (base end) side (right end 20b side) of the inflator 20 in the axial direction. The bracket 24 for mounting the inflator 20 to the mounting bracket 6 is formed to have a structure of: a retaining ring portion 24a having an outer shape formed in an approximately circular shape and capable of retaining the inflator 20; and a bolt 24b protruding from the retaining ring portion 24 a. The retainer ring portion 24a is configured to be swaged so as to be reduced in diameter and to retain the inflator 20. The brackets 24 are disposed at positions 2 apart from each other in the axial direction of the inflator 20, and the inflator 20 is held by the holding ring portions 24a, so that bolts 24b protruding from the holding ring portions 24a are inserted into mounting holes 6a formed in the mounting bracket 6 and fixed by nuts 6b, whereby the inflator 20 is mounted to the mounting bracket 6 (see fig. 6). In the case of the embodiment, in order to restrict the withdrawal of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7 accompanied by the expansion of the airbag 50, the inflator 20 is set so that the start of operation lags behind the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7.

The connection tube 30 connecting the airbag 50 and the inflator 20 is configured to be bent so as to extend from the left end 20a side of the inflator 20 to the left side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 so that the tip end 30a side is positioned at the left side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 (see fig. 2 and 5), and is configured to connect the tip end 30a and a conduit portion 60 of the airbag 50 (see fig. 2 and 5) by means of the clip 31.

In order to prevent interference with the foot RF of the rear passenger RP sitting in a rear seat, not shown, disposed at the rear side of the seat 1, the rear-cover 35 of the inflator 20 is disposed to cover the rear of the inflator 20, and in the case of the embodiment, is made of synthetic resin. Specifically, the cover 35 is made of a soft synthetic resin such as a polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer (TPO). As shown in fig. 5 to 9, the cover 35 includes: a cover main body 36; and a deformation scheduled portion 42 (energy absorbing deformation scheduled portion) disposed between the cover main body 36 and the inflator 20.

In the case of the embodiment, the cover main body 36 is configured to cover the right side of the inflator 20 from the rear to the lower side of the inflator 20. Specifically, the cover main body 36 has the following structure: a rear wall portion 37 that covers the rear of the inflator 20; a lower wall portion 38 extending forward from the lower end side of the rear wall portion 37; and a right wall portion 39 (inner wall portion) extending forward from a right end side (inner end side in the vehicle width direction) of the rear wall portion 37. The rear wall 37 has an outer shape of a substantially rectangular plate shape having a large width in the left-right direction, and is set to a size capable of covering the rear side of the inflator 20 over substantially the entire surface including the base portion 30b side of the connection pipe 30 disposed on the left end 20a side (see fig. 5 and 6). The rear wall 37 extends further in the vertical direction than the inflator 20, and covers a wide range in the vertical direction, not only the rear of the inflator 20, but also the front and rear. The lower wall portion 38 is disposed so as to extend forward from the lower end of the rear wall portion 37 so as to enter the gap between the inflator 20 and the floor panel 4 disposed below the inflator 20, and is configured so as to cover the area behind and below the inflator 20 and the mounting bracket 6 so that the front end 38a is located in the vicinity of the lower end of the mounting bracket 6 (see fig. 7 and 8). The right wall portion 39 (inner wall portion) is formed to extend forward from the right end of the rear wall portion 37 so as to cover the right side of the inflator 20 (inside the base end of the inflator 20) (see fig. 6).

The deformation schedule portion 42 has: a mounting portion 43 disposed in front of the rear wall portion 37 and formed to be curved so as to partially cover the outer peripheral side of the inflator 20, the mounting portion having an approximately circular arc-shaped cross section; and a connecting wall 44 disposed substantially in the front-rear direction so as to connect the mounting portion 43 and the rear wall 37. As shown in fig. 7, the connecting wall portions 44 are formed at 2 positions separated from each other vertically. The attachment portion 43 is formed so that the front end side thereof is opened and has a substantially C-shaped cross section, and the inflator 20 is inserted from the front side, whereby the cover 35 can be attached to the inflator 20 while being held on the outer peripheral side of the inflator 20. When an impact force T acts on the rear wall portion 37 (the cover main body 36) (when it comes into contact with the foot RF), the deformation target portion 42 maintains the shape of the cover main body 36 (specifically, the rear wall portion 37) covering the rear of the inflator 20, and the 2 coupling wall portions 44, 44 coupling the rear wall portion 37 and the mounting portion 43 are subjected to bending plastic deformation to absorb the impact force, as shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 7. The deformation scheduled portion 42 is configured to be disposed at a plurality of positions in the axial direction while being separated on the axial direction side of the inflator 20, and in the case of the embodiment, is disposed at 3 positions so as to be offset from the bracket 24 on the axial direction side (see fig. 6 and 9).

The airbag 50 is held by the lap belt 10 with the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 as a holding belt portion, and the airbag 50 is folded into an elongated shape and covered around by the cover 65, specifically, the surrounding is covered by the cover 65 and arranged in the area of the lap belt 10 so as to overlap the upper surface side of the lap belt 10 when the seat belt 7 is worn (see fig. 3). In other words, the airbag 50 is configured to fold and house the gap between the waistband 10 and the cover 65. In the unworn state shown in fig. 1, the airbag 50 is disposed on the back surface side (backrest 2 side) of the waist belt 10 exposed on the front surface of the backrest 2. The cover 65 is formed of a flexible seat body, and is configured to be capable of making an airbag main body 51 of the airbag 50, which will be described later, protrude by breaking a predetermined portion when the airbag 50 is deployed and inflated.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the airbag 50 includes: an airbag main body 51 that inflates in a manner that can protect the occupant MP; a duct portion 60 connected to the inflator 20 so that the inflation gas flows into the airbag main body 51; and an attachment portion 62 for holding the airbag main body 51 by the waist belt 10.

The airbag main body 51 is configured such that the outer shape at the time of inflation is formed in an approximately triangular prism shape having an approximately right-angled triangle shape having a hypotenuse at the front side when viewed from the left and right sides, and such that the inflated shape is formed in an approximately rectangular shape having a large vertical width when viewed from the front and rear sides (see fig. 12 and 13). As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the airbag main body 51 includes: a rear wall portion 53 that is disposed on the occupant MP side (rear side) when the inflation is completed; a front wall portion 52 arranged to face the rear wall portion 53 on the front-rear direction side; a lower wall 54 disposed on the lower end side when the expansion is completed; and left and right wall portions 55, 56 which are disposed so as to face each other in the left-right direction when the expansion is completed. When the inflation is completed, the airbag main body 51 is configured such that the occupant MP is received by the lower wall portion 38 and the thigh MT of the occupant MP is brought into contact with and supported by the thigh M when the rear wall portion 53 receives the upper body MU (see fig. 13). The airbag main body 51 has a structure in which a duct portion 60 is disposed on the lower surface side of the rear end 54a side of the lower wall portion 54, and inflation gas from the inflator 20 is caused to flow into the interior through the duct portion 60. In the region on the rear end 54a side of the lower wall 54, the communication holes 58 communicating with the duct 60 are opened in a circular shape, and in the case of the embodiment, 2 communication holes are arranged in parallel on the left-right direction side. The balloon main body 51 is connected to the catheter 60 at a peripheral portion of the communication hole 58.

The duct portion 60 is formed to extend leftward from the airbag main body 51, and is formed in a substantially tubular shape with a distal end 60a side thereof opened, and is connected to the connection tube 30 extending from the inflator 20. The duct portion 60 is configured to be disposed substantially in the left-right direction so as to substantially follow the waist belt 10 when the inflation of the airbag 50 is completed (see fig. 12 and 13). As described above, the duct portion 60 is configured to connect the distal end 60a side to the connection pipe 30 extending from the inflator 20 by the clip 31. As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the attachment portion 62 for attaching the airbag main body 51 to the waist belt 10 is sewn to the lower surface side of the duct portion 60. The attaching portion 62 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with both ends open so that the waistband 10 can be inserted. The waistband 10 is inserted into the attachment portion 62, and the airbag 50 is coupled to the waistband 10 and held by the waistband 10.

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the seat belt 7 is disposed on the seat 1 mounted on the vehicle and the occupant MP sits down, if the inflator 20 is operated, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 20 flows into the airbag main body 51 via the connection pipe 30 and the conduit portion 60, the airbag main body 51 of the airbag 50 protrudes upward and forward from the lap belt 10 as the holding belt portion, the cover 65 is broken, and the inflation is completed as shown in fig. 12 and 13.

In the occupant protection device S according to the embodiment, the inflator 20 disposed in the region of the seat 1 on the lower side of the rear surface of the backrest 2 (specifically, the lower side of the rear end 3a of the seat portion 3) is covered at least on the rear side by the cover 35. Therefore, even if an impact force from the front acts on the vehicle in a state where the occupant (rear-side occupant RP) is seated on a rear-side seat (not shown) disposed rearward of the seat 1, the inflator 20 can be reliably restrained from directly contacting the foot RF of the rear-side occupant RP.

Therefore, with the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, contact between the inflator 20 and the rear-side occupant RP seated in the rear seat disposed behind the mounted seat 1 can be suppressed.

In addition, since the occupant protection device S according to the embodiment is configured such that the cover 35 is attached to the inflator 20, an attaching unit or an attaching work for attaching the cover to the attaching bracket is not required, and the occupant protection device S can be configured simply, and the manufacturing man-hour and the cost can be reduced. In particular, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, since the attachment portion 43 of the cover 35 to the inflator 20 is formed to have a substantially C-shaped cross section and is elastically deformed to fit into the outer peripheral side of the inflator 20, if the cover 35 is simply moved forward from the rear side of the inflator 20 attached to the attachment bracket 6, the attachment portion 43 can be attached to the inflator 20, and the attachment operation of the cover 35 to the inflator 20 can be easily performed.

In the occupant protection device S according to the embodiment, the cover 35 is configured to cover the lower side of the inflator 20, so that even if the foot RF (toe) of the rear occupant RP is to enter between the inflator 20 and the floor panel 4 of the vehicle, the area on the lower surface side of the inflator 20 can be prevented from coming into contact with the foot RF of the rear occupant RP. Therefore, contact between the foot RF of the rear passenger RP and the inflator can be suppressed more reliably. In addition, with the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover main body 36 also has the right wall portion 39 (inner wall portion) that covers the right side of the inflator 20 (inside of the base end of the inflator 20), so it is also possible to reliably prevent the foot RF (toe) of the rear occupant RP from coming into contact with the region near the connector 22 of the inflator 20.

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover 35 is also configured to cover the rear side of the mounting bracket 6 for mounting the inflator 20 to the seat 1 side, so that the foot RF of the rear side occupant RP can be prevented from coming into contact with the mounting bracket 6.

In addition, with the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover 35 has: a cover main body 36; and a deformation scheduled portion 42 that is disposed between the cover main body 36 and the inflator 20 and is capable of undergoing plastic deformation when an impact force acts on the cover main body 36. The deformation scheduled portion 42 is configured to be capable of plastic deformation (buckling plastic deformation) while maintaining the shape of the cover main body 36 covering the rear of the inflator 20. Therefore, when the foot RF of the rear occupant RP contacts the cover main body 36, the deformation scheduled portion 42 (specifically, the connection wall portions 44, 44 of the deformation scheduled portion 42) disposed between the cover main body 36 and the inflator 20 is plastically deformed (see the two-dot chain line of fig. 7), and the impact force T generated by the contact can be absorbed, and the cover main body 36 maintains the shape at the time of plastic deformation of the deformation scheduled portion 42, so that the foot RF can be reliably received by the cover main body 36. In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, even if the foot RF of the rear occupant RP is brought into contact with the cover main body 36 and enters further toward the inflator 20 side, the foot RF is prevented from being damaged by the inflator 20 because the energy is absorbed by the plastic deformation of the deformation scheduled portion 42 disposed therebetween.

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover 35 is attached to the inflator 20 by the deformation scheduled portion 42. Specifically, with the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the deformation schedule portion 42 is formed to have a structure of: a mounting portion 43 mounted to the inflator 20; and 2 connecting wall portions 44, 44 which are disposed substantially along the front-rear direction so as to connect the mounting portion 43 and the rear wall portion 37 of the cover main body 36, and which are configured to plastically deform the connecting wall portions 44, 44 to absorb energy. That is, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the inflator 20 is attached to the portion of the attachment portion 43 disposed on the front end side of the planned deformation portion 42, and the portion (the connection wall portion 44) between the inflator 20 and the cover main body 36 of the planned deformation portion 42 is subjected to bending plastic deformation, so that energy absorption is performed while the attachment portion 43 is maintained in the attached state to the inflator 20, and therefore, when an impact force acts on the cover main body 36, the planned deformation portion 42 can be reliably subjected to plastic deformation in the region (the connection wall portion 44) between the inflator 20 and the cover main body 36. Further, if this is not taken into consideration, it may be formed to have a structure in which the cover portion is attached to the attachment portion of the inflator differently from the deformation scheduled portion (energy absorption scheduled portion).

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 is used as the retention belt portion for retaining the airbag 50, but the retention belt portion for retaining the airbag is not limited to the lap belt, and for example, a structure may be adopted in which a seat belt separate from the seat belt is disposed in front of the waist portion of an occupant seated in the seat, and the seat belt retains the airbag. In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 is configured to hold the airbag 50, but the inflator 20 is operated with a delay from the operation of the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7, so that the airbag 50 can be inflated while the seating state of the occupant MP with respect to the seat 1 is stably maintained by the seat belt 7, and the occupant MP can be stably protected by the airbag 50 and the seat belt.

The occupant protection device S of the embodiment is configured such that the seat belt 7 and the inflator 20 are mounted on the seat 1. Therefore, even when the seat 1 is used while being moved relative to the vehicle by largely sliding or rotating in the front-rear direction, the occupant MP seated in the seat 1 can be reliably protected by the airbag 50.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device (S) is provided in a vehicle having seats arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, and is configured to be mounted on a front seat (1) and to protect an occupant (MP) seated on the front seat,

the occupant protection device (S) is configured to have:

an airbag (50) that is configured to be capable of expanding into a bag shape that covers the front of the occupant and is held in a folded state by a holding belt portion (10) that is wrapped around the waist of the occupant; and

an inflator (20) which is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, is disposed in a region on the lower side of the rear surface of the backrest part (2) of the front seat so that the axial direction thereof is substantially in the left-right direction, and is connected to the airbag so that inflation gas can be supplied to the airbag,

the inflator is configured such that at least the rear side is covered by a cover (35) so as to be able to prevent interference with the feet (RF) of a Rear Passenger (RP) seated on a rear side seat disposed on the rear side of the front side seat.

2. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 1, wherein,

the cover (35) is configured to be attached to the inflator (20).

3. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 1, wherein,

the cover (35) is configured to cover the lower part of the inflator (20).

4. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 3, wherein,

the cover (35) is configured to cover the rear side of a mounting bracket (6) for mounting the inflator (20) to the front side seat (1).

5. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 3, wherein,

the cover (35) is configured to cover the inside of the base end of the inflator (20).

6. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 1, wherein,

the cover (35) is formed in a structure having:

a substantially plate-shaped cover body (36) that covers at least the rear of the inflator (20); and

and a deformation schedule portion (42) which is arranged between the cover main body and the inflator, wherein the deformation schedule portion (42) can perform plastic deformation while maintaining a state of the cover main body covering the rear of the inflator when an impact force acts on the cover main body.

7. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 6, wherein,

the cover (35) is attached to the inflator (20) by the deformation scheduled portion (42).

8. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 7, wherein,

the deformation schedule portion (42) has: a mounting portion (43) mounted to the inflator (20); and a connecting wall (44) connecting the mounting portion and the cover main body,

the attachment portion is formed so that a front end side thereof is opened and has a substantially C-shaped cross section, and is elastically deformed to be fitted into an outer peripheral side of the inflator.

9. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 1, wherein,

the retaining strap portion is constituted by a lap belt (10) of a seat belt (7).

10. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 9, wherein,

the inflator (20) is set so that the start of operation is delayed from the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt (7).

11. The occupant protection device (S) according to claim 9, wherein,

the seat belt (7) is mounted on the front seat (1).