DE102018200650A1 - Motor vehicle with head and shoulder airbags - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle with a driver's seat and a laterally arranged passenger seat and with an airbag arrangement of one or more above the two seats in or on the vehicle roof mounted airbags, which are adapted to be in an accident laterally from headrests of the seats at least up to the height of the backrests of the seats vertically downwards respectively to a pillow block (1, 2, 3, 4) to unfold, having a horizontally extending shoulder support surface (5) and at least one vertically extending head support surface (6), each at least Extend 50 cm in the vehicle longitudinal direction. According to the invention, the motor vehicle also includes steering wheel and dashboard airbags and has a defined crash deformability also in the vertical, such that the vehicle center lifts in a frontal collision relative to the front and rear portions of the vehicle. In addition, the airbag assembly is adapted to not deploy in areas that lie in the direction of travel in front of the seats and their headrests.

Description

The invention relates to a motor vehicle with head / shoulder airbags, and more particularly to a motor vehicle having a driver's seat and a passenger seat laterally disposed therefrom with respect to the vehicle's longitudinal direction and having an airbag assembly of one or more airbags mounted above or above the two seats in or on the vehicle roof , which are adapted to unfold in an accident, especially in a frontal impact, laterally from the headrests of the seats at least up to the height of the backrests of the seats vertically downwards each to a pillow block, which has a horizontally extending shoulder support surface and a vertically extending head support surface each extending at least 50 cm in the vehicle longitudinal direction, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a motor vehicle is from the US Pat. No. 5,470,103 known. The roughly parallelepiped cushion blocks are connected to each other at the front by a traverse, so that the airbag arrangement is E-shaped in a horizontal section. The Traverse forms a curtain in front of the vehicle occupant, the head and possibly also restrains hull of vehicle occupants in a frontal impact. Usual steering wheel and dashboard airbags are not provided here and also not required ich.

The longer the nose of a motor vehicle, the longer its front impact crumple zone can be. In motor vehicles with a shorter bow can compensate for the lack of deformability in the vehicle longitudinal direction partly by the fact that can deform in an accident, the chassis in cooperation with the drive train in the vertical, the vehicle structure increases and in particular the vehicle center relative to the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction and behind it, sections of the vehicle ascends. The vertical deformation of the vehicle structure absorbs part of the impact energy.

In vehicles with vertical crash deformation and relatively low-lying roof, however, newer requirements for crash safety are difficult to meet. For example, in the US, it is required to provide some minimum crash safety even when vehicle occupants have not put on their harness.

If the vehicle floor rises in the event of an accident, vehicle occupants get a pulse upwards and push against the vehicle roof if they are not wearing a seatbelt. When the occupant's head touches the headliner or rooftop area above the windshield, this results in a force in the vehicle's longitudinal direction on the occupant's head, thus easily overstretching the neck.

Although there are head / shoulder airbags, which counteract touching the headliner, for. As a rollover protection, but ensure adequate protection only in conjunction with a seat belt. Without a seat belt, the head and neck would be at risk of injury, especially in motor vehicles with vertical crash deformation.

Another problem arises from the fact that it is desirable to be able to offer vehicles with roofs of different heights within a vehicle platform. If these vehicles also have to be designed for vertical crash deformation, very different restraint systems would have to be developed depending on the roof shape, which would considerably increase the development effort within a platform.

The invention is based on the object to provide a motor vehicle with an airbag assembly that provides sufficient protection, especially for head and neck of occupants even when not wearing belt and vertical crash deformation, largely regardless of whether the headliner higher or is the distance between the head of an occupant and the headliner.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a motor vehicle having the features of patent claim 1.

Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims

According to the invention, the motor vehicle as usual also includes steering wheel and dashboard airbags. In addition, it has a defined crash deformability not only in the vehicle longitudinal direction, but also in the vertical, namely such that the vehicle center lifts in a frontal collision relative to the vehicle longitudinal direction in front and behind sections of the vehicle. In this case, the airbag arrangement is adapted to not unfold into areas that lie in the direction of travel in front of the seats and their headrests.

Thus, the airbag assembly according to the invention does not hold the head or trunk of a vehicle occupant backward in a frontal impact, as in the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 5,470,103 but allows them freedom of movement towards the steering wheel and dashboard airbags from which they are collected.

In this way, a vehicle occupant who has not put on his belt, even in a frontal impact that deforms the vehicle in the vertical, virtually only a movement in the vehicle longitudinal direction forward towards the steering wheel or dashboard airbag, which in the impact be activated and catch the head and trunk completely, because the cushion blocks of the likewise activated airbag assembly and in particular their shoulder support surfaces by vertical deformation caused by a vertical pulse on the vehicle occupant and thereby caused by the movement of the vehicle occupant upwards and can reduce them to a minimum. Thus, the head of a non-belted vehicle occupant will not touch the headliner or the so-called Roof header in the rule, and overstretching his neck is avoided.

The airbag assembly according to the invention has the added benefit of simultaneously fulfilling the function of head airbags for side impact.

In preferred embodiments, each cushion block is approximately cuboidal and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction at least from an upper edge of a backrest (without the headrest, so from the transition between the backrest and headrest) horizontally forward to a vertically above the front edge or at least the center of the seat (in relation to the vehicle longitudinal direction) point.

In preferred embodiments, each pillow block is formed so that the shoulder support surface is approximately at the level of the shoulder of a standard dumbbell seated on the mating seat, such as a seat post. B. the so-called. 50-percent man runs.

In preferred embodiments, each pillow block is configured so that the or each head support surface extends from the height of the shoulder of a standard dumbbell seated on the mating seat close to its head, approximately vertically up to the vehicle roof.

Thus, the airbag assembly unfolds in a frontal impact both in the spaces between the heads of the occupants as well as in the spaces between the doors and the heads of the occupants and holds unbelted occupants by contact with their shoulders so in their seat back that At most passengers can move up a short distance, at least without bumping their head against the headliner, but can move forward practically unhindered, even if the vehicle deforms in the vertical impact.

In order to apply the required reaction force towards the vehicle floor in the direction of the vehicle floor, the air cushions deployed between the side windows and the occupants' heads and between the occupants themselves must establish an intensive contact with the shoulders of the occupants. In accordance with intensive contact performs an occupant in a head-on collision with increasing vehicle structure a pure horizontal movement without touching the head of the vehicle head, which would lead to a force in the horizontal direction on the occupant head and an overstretching of the neck.

The shoulder support surfaces include shoulder contact zones, which are preferably shorter in the vehicle longitudinal direction than the shoulder support surfaces themselves formed by the cushion blocks.

Preferably, the airbag assembly is comprised of three or four cushion blocks including the associated inflators, which cushion blocks are adapted to deploy to the left and right of the heads of vehicle occupants and / or standard dummies sitting on the seats.

The cushion blocks of the air bag assembly may be pneumatically separated from one another and each inflated by their own inflator, or may be pneumatically interconnected and inflated by one or more common inflators, preferably with the connections of the cushion blocks passing over the occupant heads.

The inflator or inflators of the airbag assembly may be fired whenever the steering wheel and dash airbags are fired. Alternatively, they are fired only under the additional condition that actual or anticipated vertical chassis deformation is detected. Alternatively, the gas generators of the airbag assembly can be ignited even if a side impact is detected.

In a further embodiment, the gas generators are ignited in the event of an accident optionally upon detection of a non-established seat belt.

• 1 eine Frontalansicht eines Fahrers und Beifahrers in einem Kraftfahrzeug mit einer Airbag-Anordnung in einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel;
• 2 eine Draufsicht auf Fahrer und Beifahrer in 1;
• 3 eine Frontalansicht eines Fahrers und Beifahrers in einem Kraftfahrzeug mit einer Airbag-Anordnung in einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel;
• 4 eine Draufsicht auf Fahrer und Beifahrer in 3;
• 5 eine Frontalansicht eines Fahrers und Beifahrers in einem Kraftfahrzeug mit einer Airbag-Anordnung in einem dritten Ausführungsbeispiel; und
• 6 eine Seitenansicht des Fahrers in den Ausführungsbeispielen von 1 bis 5.

The following is a description of embodiments with reference to the drawings. Show:

• 1 a front view of a driver and passenger in a motor vehicle with an airbag assembly in a first embodiment;
• 2 a top view of driver and passenger in 1 ;
• 3 a front view of a driver and passenger in a motor vehicle with an airbag assembly in a second embodiment;
• 4 a top view of driver and passenger in 3 ;
• 5 a front view of a driver and passenger in a motor vehicle with an airbag assembly in a third embodiment; and
• 6 a side view of the driver in the embodiments of 1 to 5 ,

As in 1 shown, a motor vehicle includes a driver's seat and a side-by-side passenger seat, which are occupied in the figures by a driver and a passenger, each by a standard dummy such. B. the so-called. 50-percent man represented.

The motor vehicle has an airbag assembly of four above the two seats mounted in or on the vehicle roof and hidden behind invisible openings in the headliner air cushion, which are shown in the figures in an inflated state, in which state they pillow blocks 1 . 2 . 3 and 4 forming vertically extending downwardly to the left and right of the heads of the occupants and laterally from the headrests of the seats to the occupant's shoulder height, which is generally substantially equal to the height of the seatbacks of the seats.

Every cushion block 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 is cuboid with rounded edges and has a horizontally extending shoulder support surface 5 and an adjacent vertically extending head support surface 6 on, each extending at least 50 cm in the vehicle longitudinal direction, as shown 2 can be seen, approximately horizontally from an upper edge of a backrest forward to a vertically above the leading edge or at least the center of the respective seats lying point.

By the shoulder support surfaces 5 the pillow blocks 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 lie approximately at the shoulder height of the occupants, they support the occupants in shoulder contact zones 7 when they are driven upwards by an accidental ascending vehicle floor. In particular, the pillow blocks practice 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 in the shoulder contact zones 7 Counterforce on the shoulders of the occupants towards the vehicle floor, which forces in the figures with arrows inside the cushion blocks 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 are shown.

How best 2 can be seen, unfold the pillow blocks 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 not in areas that lie in the direction of travel in front of the seats and their headrests. Thus, the occupant's head and torso can bounce and decelerate freely on the simultaneously deployed steering wheel and instrument panel airbags, even if the vehicle structure rises in an impact. The steering wheel and dashboard airbags are in 1 to 5 not shown, but is in 6 schematically a deployed steering wheel airbag 11 to recognize.

The head support surfaces 6 each extend from a side edge of each head support surface 5 approximately vertically up to the vehicle roof, so from the height of each shoulder of each occupant near the top of his head over, and thus protect even in a side impact.

This in 3 and 4 embodiment shown differs from the embodiment of 1 and 2 only in that in place of the two middle pillow blocks 2 and 3 a correspondingly large common middle cushion block 8th is provided and that the pillow blocks 1 . 8th and 4 by vertical over the heads of the occupants lying and hatched sections 9 pneumatically connected to each other.

The sections 9 allow air transport from one pad block to another and should be shallow enough not to hinder forward movement of the occupants' heads in the event of a collision. Along with the sections 9 For example, the airbag assembly is E-shaped in a vertical section through the vehicle.

This in 5 embodiment shown differs from the embodiment of 1 and 2 only in that in place of the two middle pillow blocks 2 and 3 a correspondingly large common middle cushion block 8th is provided and that the pillow blocks 1 . 8th and 4 each extensions 10 have, which extend past the shoulders of the occupants still some distance in the direction of the vehicle floor. This improves the side impact protection even more.

How out 6 it can be seen that the pillow blocks 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 or. 8th and their shoulder support surfaces 5 in the vehicle longitudinal direction longer than their effective shoulder contact zones 7 whose length is the range of motion of the occupants during a frontal impact in the direction of the steering wheel airbag 11 and corresponds to the dashboard airbag.

With reference to 1 . 3 and 5 should be the pillow blocks 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 or. 8th when activating from the upper corners or the middle of the vehicle, it is more towards the shoulders and only then to the heads deploy to the inmates to prevent head injuries. It should the head support surfaces 6 to exert little or no force on the heads of the inmates, so as not to obstruct their forward movement. Of course, these inflation processes should take place simultaneously and symmetrically with respect to the occupants.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 5470103 [0002, 0012]

Claims (7)

Motor vehicle with a driver's seat and a laterally arranged passenger seat and with an airbag arrangement of one or more above the two seats in or on the vehicle roof mounted airbags, which are adapted to be in an accident laterally from the headrests of the seats at least up to the height the seatbacks of the seats vertically downwards respectively to a pillow block (1, 2, 3, 4, 8) having a horizontally extending shoulder support surface (5) and at least one vertically extending head support surface (6), each at least 50 cm extend far in the vehicle longitudinal direction, characterized in that the motor vehicle also includes steering wheel and dashboard airbags and has a defined crash deformability in the vertical, such that the vehicle center in a frontal collision relative to the preceding and underlying sections of the Vehicle, and in that the airbag Anordnun g is designed not to unfold in areas that lie in the direction of travel in front of the seats and their headrests. Motor vehicle after Claim 1 characterized in that each pillow block (1, 2, 3, 4, 8) is approximately parallelepipedic and extends horizontally forward at least from an upper edge of a seat back to a point vertically above the leading edge or center of the associated seat surface in the vehicle longitudinal direction , Motor vehicle after Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that each pillow block (1, 2, 3, 4, 8) is formed so that the shoulder support surface (5) extends approximately at the level of the shoulder of a standard dumbbell seated on the mating seat. Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each pillow block (1, 2, 3, 4, 8) is formed so that the or each head support surface (6) of the height of the shoulder of a seated on the seat suitably adjusted standard - Dummies near the head over approximately vertically upwards to the vehicle roof. Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shoulder support surfaces (5) are longer in the vehicle longitudinal direction than therein shoulder contact zones (7). Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airbag arrangement consists of three or four cushion blocks (1, 2, 3, 4, 8) which are adapted to the left and right of the heads of sitting on the seat norm Unfold dummies. Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gas generators are ignited in the event of an accident optionally upon detection of a non-applied seat belt.

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