JP2000272450A - Air bag for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To promote unfolding of an air bag in a peripheral direction by controlling a flow of gas almost in a fixed direction so that an occupant restraint surface can be quickly formed and an occupant can be effectively restrained even in the case of the occupant adjacent to the air bag, in the air bag interposing an intermediate panel between an inflater side panel and an occupant side panel. SOLUTION: A bag structural inner part is constituted to be partitioned into a first space 20 in an inflater side and a second space 22 in an occupant side by an intermediate panel 16, a flow path port 32 introducing gas of the first space 20 to the second space 22 is provided in the intermediate panel 16, an intermediate connection part 28 partially connecting the intermediate panel 16 and an inflater side panel 12 is provided in the first space 20, and a vent hole 30 exhausting gas of the second space 22 is provided in the intermediate connection part 28.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag for a vehicle airbag device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An airbag device is a device for inflating an airbag when a vehicle collides and restraining an occupant. The airbag device includes an inflator which is a gas generator, and an airbag which is inflated by gas supplied from the inflator. It is arranged in the center of the steering wheel of the vehicle, the instrument panel, and the like. Some airbags are formed by joining an inflator-side panel and an occupant-side panel at their peripheral edges and forming a three-dimensionally inflatable bag shape.

[0003] Such an airbag is disclosed in
No. 71052 discloses an airbag 100 having a structure shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). In the airbag 100, an intermediate panel 103 is interposed between an inflator-side panel 101 and an occupant-side panel 102 by sewn a peripheral portion together with the two panels 101 and 102, and a central portion of the inflator-side panel 101 is provided. The opening 104 is provided with an inflator 105, and a notch 106 is provided intermittently at the peripheral edge of the intermediate panel 103.
At the intermediate position between the inflator side panel 3 and the inflator side panel 101, a portion outside the notch 106 is sewn 107, and a vent hole 1 for discharging gas to the inflator side panel 101
08 is provided.

In this case, the gas generated by the inflator 105 is supplied to the inflator side panel 101 and the intermediate panel 103.
From the space 109 partitioned by the notch 10
6, the airbag 100 is supplied to a space 110 partitioned by the intermediate panel 103 and the occupant side panel 102, whereby the airbag 100 is inflated as a whole. However,
The vent hole 108 is directly formed in the inflator side panel 101.
Is provided so that gas is exhausted from the space 109 to which gas is supplied first.
There is a possibility that the gas is exhausted through the vent hole 108 from the initial stage of the development of 0, and it is difficult to obtain a gas flow in a substantially constant direction.

[0005] On the other hand, in EP0739784A2, FIG.
An airbag 120 having the structure shown in FIG. The airbag 120 includes an inflator-side panel 121,
It comprises an occupant side panel 122 and an intermediate panel 124 interposed between the panels 121 and 122 by suturing the peripheral edges with an outer peripheral sewn portion 123. The inflator-side panel 121 is provided with an inflator 125 at the center and a vent hole 126 for discharging gas around the inflator 125. The intermediate panel 124 is provided with an opening 127 at the center and a small hole 128 around the opening 127 to form a gas flow path. And
The inflator-side panel 121 and the intermediate panel 124 are sewn by the intermediate sewn portion 129 on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral sewn portion 123, and the occupant side panel 122 and the intermediate panel 124 are further sewn by the inner sewn portion 130 on the inner peripheral side thereof. I have.

In this case, the gas generated by the inflator 125 is transmitted to the inflator side panel 121 and the intermediate panel 124.
131 and a passenger side panel 122
Space 1 divided by the central part of the
32, and is supplied to the space 133 partitioned by the outer peripheral portion of the occupant side panel 122 and the intermediate panel 124 through the small hole 128. Therefore, in this structure, it is difficult to obtain a substantially constant flow as the gas flow.
Further, similarly to the structure shown in FIG. 4 described above, since the vent hole 126 is provided in the inflator side panel 121 as it is, there is a possibility that air is exhausted through the vent hole 126 from the initial stage of deployment of the airbag 120. .

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is directed to an airbag having an intermediate panel interposed between an inflator-side panel and an occupant-side panel. The gas is supplied from the space formed by the occupant side panel and the intermediate panel to the space formed by the occupant side panel and the intermediate panel, and the gas is further discharged therefrom toward the non-occupant side, thereby reducing the gas flow. By controlling the airbag in a substantially constant direction and promoting the deployment of the airbag in the circumferential direction, the occupant restraint surface can be quickly formed, and the occupant restraint performance can be improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle that can more effectively restrain an occupant even when the vehicle is close to the vehicle.

[0008]

A vehicle airbag according to the present invention includes an inflator-side panel, an occupant-side panel, and an intermediate panel interposed between the two panels. While being joined to each other by the joining portion, a bag structure that can be inflated into a three-dimensional shape is formed by the inflator-side panel and the occupant-side panel,
The inside of the bag structure is partitioned by an intermediate panel into a first space on the inflator side and a second space on the occupant side. The intermediate panel is used to guide gas in the first space into the second space. Is provided in the first space, and an intermediate joint formed by joining the intermediate panel and the inflator-side panel is provided in the first space. A vent hole for discharging the gas to the outside of the airbag is provided.

In this vehicle airbag, the first space formed by the inflator-side panel and the intermediate panel is first inflated by the gas supplied from the inflator,
Next, gas is supplied into the second space formed by the occupant side panel and the intermediate panel from the flow path port provided in the intermediate panel, the second space expands, and finally, the gas in the second space is expanded. Is discharged from a vent hole provided at an intermediate joint portion between the intermediate panel and the inflator side panel toward the non-occupant side. Thus, according to the vehicle airbag of the present invention,
By controlling the flow of gas in a substantially constant direction and promoting the deployment of the airbag in the circumferential direction, the occupant restraint surface can be formed quickly. Therefore, even when the occupant is close to the airbag device, the occupant can be more effectively restrained.

[0010] The above-mentioned joining is performed by sewing.
Examples include those obtained by sack weaving and those obtained by heat fusion.

In the above airbag for a vehicle, the passage opening of the intermediate panel may be arranged behind the intermediate joint with respect to the inflator mounting opening provided in the inflator-side panel.

In this case, the gas from the inflator bypasses the intermediate joint and reaches the flow path port, so that the gas can be effectively guided to the outermost periphery of the first space, and therefore, the first space Shows an expansion behavior in which the second space is expanded after the entirety is expanded.

In the above airbag for a vehicle, a plurality of the intermediate joints are provided around an inflator mounting opening provided on the inflator side panel, and the vent hole is formed in a part of the intermediate joints. May be provided, or the vent holes may be provided in all the intermediate joints.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle airbag according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle airbag 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the airbag 10 omitting an occupant side panel 14, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III.

The airbag 10 is a driver's seat airbag disposed in the center of a steering wheel of an automobile, and includes an inflator-side panel 12 and an occupant-side panel 14.
And the intermediate panel 1 interposed between the panels 12 and 14
6 is provided.

The panels 12, 14 and 16 are made of a flexible material such as a cloth, have a substantially circular shape, and have substantially the same diameter. These panels 12, 14, 16
The entire periphery is sewn together by an outer peripheral suturing portion 18. As a result, a bag structure that can be inflated into a three-dimensional shape is formed by the inflator-side panel 12 and the occupant-side panel 14, and an intermediate panel 16 is disposed inside the bag structure.
The inside of the bag structure has a first space 20 formed by the inflator-side panel 12 and the intermediate panel 16, and a second space 22 formed by the occupant-side panel 14 and the intermediate panel 16.
And a partition.

The inflator side panel 12 is provided with a circular mounting opening 24 in the center thereof into which the gas blowing section 9 of the inflator 8 is inserted.
A circular reinforcing cloth 26 is sewn.

The first space 20 is provided with a plurality of intermediate stitch portions 28 formed by stitching the intermediate panel 16 and the inflator side panel 12. That is, the intermediate suturing portion 2
8 is formed by partially stitching the intermediate panel 16 and the inflator-side panel 12 between the inflator mounting opening 24 and the outer peripheral stitching portion 18.

In this embodiment, the intermediate suturing portions 28 are provided around the mounting opening 24 in close proximity to the opening 24, and four of them are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, that is, in four directions rotationally symmetric about the opening 24. Are located in Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the shape is formed in a rounded and substantially triangular shape so that the width becomes wider toward the outside in the radial direction, and is sewn in a loop shape with one or a plurality of stitch lines. It is formed by that. With such an arrangement and shape, the gas G from the inflator 8 flows radially in the first space 20 through the space between the intermediate stitch portions 28, and easily reaches the outermost periphery of the first space 20. It has become.

A portion 28a of the intermediate stitching portion 28 has an intermediate panel 16 and an inflator-side panel 12 inside thereof.
And a circular vent hole 30 for discharging gas in the second space 22 to the outside of the airbag is provided. In this embodiment, a vent hole 30 is formed inside the loop-shaped stitch line in two intermediate stitching portions 28a facing each other across the mounting opening 24 among the four intermediate stitching portions 28. .

The intermediate panel 16 has a circular passage opening 3 for introducing gas in the first space 20 into the second space 22.
2 are provided. A total of four flow passage openings 32 are arranged on the back side of the intermediate stitching portion 28 with respect to the inflator 8. That is, the flow path port 32
Are arranged radially outward with respect to the intermediate stitching portion 28 and close to the stitching portion 28 so that gas from the inflator 8 does not flow directly.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a strap-shaped tether that connects the occupant side panel 14 and the intermediate panel 16 in the second space 22 and regulates the interval between the panels 14 and 16 so as not to exceed a predetermined length. A tether forming cloth 38 sewn to the center of the occupant side panel 14 and a tether forming cloth 42 sewn to the center of the intermediate panel 16 are sewn together with their strap-shaped legs. 44.

When manufacturing the airbag 10, first, the inflator-side panel 12 to which the reinforcing cloth 26 is sewn is sewn.
And the intermediate panel 16 in which the flow path port 32 is drilled, and the peripheral edges of both are sewn 18 together.
A part of the part 16 is sewn by the intermediate stitching part 28, and a vent hole 30 is formed in a part 28 a of the intermediate stitching part 28. Thereafter, the occupant side panel 14 is overlaid on the intermediate panel 16, and the tether forming cloth 38,
The tethers 34 may be formed by stitching the legs 42 together with each other, and then the occupant-side panel 14 may be stitched on the intermediate panel 16 by the outer circumferential stitching portion 18.

The airbag 10 according to the present embodiment as described above
In, the gas emitted from the central inflator 8 is:
First, it is supplied into the first space 20. At this time, since the gas flow path for guiding the gas G radially is formed in the first space 20 by the intermediate suturing portion 28, the first space 20 quickly expands radially outward and expands into a donut shape. . Thereafter, gas is supplied to the second space 22 from the flow path port 32 provided in the intermediate panel 16, and the second space 22 expands. Here, since the gas from the inflator 8 cannot reach the flow path port 32 without bypassing the intermediate stitching portion 28, the gas can be effectively guided to the outermost periphery of the first space 20. The expansion behavior of expanding the first space 20 as a whole and then expanding the second space 22 can be more reliably achieved. Finally, the gas in the second space 22 is discharged from the vent hole 30 provided in the intermediate stitching portion 28 toward the non-occupant side (vehicle front side).

As described above, according to the airbag 10 of the present embodiment, the gas flow G is transferred from the first space 20 to the second space 2.
2. By controlling the discharge from the second space 22 to the outside via the vent hole 30 and in a substantially constant direction, the first space 20 is expanded, then the second space 22 is expanded, and finally exhaust is performed. Since the inflation behavior can be obtained, the occupant side (vehicle rear side) in the initial stage of deployment of the airbag 10.
Thus, the expansion of the airbag 10 in the circumferential direction is promoted, and the occupant restraining surface can be quickly formed. Therefore, even when the occupant is close to the steering wheel, the occupant can be more effectively restrained.

Further, at the initial stage of deployment, gas is supplied over the entire circumference of the airbag, so that the change in inflation behavior due to the rotational position of the steering is small, and the above effects can be obtained.

Further, since the gas is exhausted to the outside from the second space 22 which expands with a delay, the gas is not exhausted from the initial stage of deployment, and the occupant can be more effectively restrained.

[0029]

According to the airbag for a vehicle of the present invention, the first space is first inflated by the gas from the inflator,
Next, gas is supplied into the second space from the flow path port provided in the intermediate panel, and the second space expands. Finally, the gas in the second space is directed from the vent hole provided in the intermediate joint portion to the non-occupant side. Is discharged. As described above, according to the vehicle airbag of the present invention, the airbag is deployed in the circumferential direction by keeping the gas flow constant from the first space to the second space and from the second space to the exhaust. And the occupant restraint surface can be quickly formed. Further, since the output of the inflator can be used effectively, the internal pressure can be maintained even in the initial stage of the deployment of the airbag, and the airbag can be deployed earlier. Further, with such a triple bag structure, inflation of the airbag toward the occupant in the initial stage of deployment can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle airbag according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the airbag, omitting an occupant-side panel.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a plan view of an airbag according to the related art, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an airbag according to another related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle airbag 12 ... Inflator side panel 14 ... Occupant side panel 16 ... Intermediate panel 18 ... Peripheral stitching part 20 ... 1st space 22 ... 2nd space 24 ... Inflator mounting opening 28 ... Intermediate stitching portion 28 a .. Part of the intermediate stitching portion 30 .. Vent hole 32.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuaki Bito 1-17-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. No. 18 Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3D054 AA02 AA13 CC04 CC10 CC11 CC15 CC30 CC34 CC38 CC41 CC42 CC43 DD11 FF20

Claims (3)

[Claims] An inflator-side panel, an occupant-side panel, and an intermediate panel interposed between the two panels, and these panels are joined to each other at an outer peripheral portion by an outer peripheral joint to form an inflator-side panel and an occupant. The side panel forms a three-dimensionally inflatable bag structure, and the inside of the bag structure is partitioned into a first space on the inflator side and a second space on the occupant side by an intermediate panel. The panel is provided with a flow path port for introducing gas in the first space into the second space, and the first space has an intermediate joint formed by joining the intermediate panel and the inflator-side panel. And a vent hole for passing gas in the second space to the outside of the airbag through the both panels in the intermediate joint portion. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a passage opening of the intermediate panel is disposed behind the intermediate joint with respect to an inflator mounting opening provided in the inflator-side panel. Airbag. 3. A plurality of intermediate joints are provided around an inflator mounting opening provided in the inflator-side panel, and the vent hole is provided in a part of the intermediate joints. The vehicle airbag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein