JP2001001857A - Head crash protection air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assure the inflating performance of an air bag body even in a style where an occupant leans against the inside part of a vehicle. SOLUTION: An air bag body 16 is inflated along a shoulder belt part 26 of a seat belt 22 positioned at the vehicle outside head part 24B of an occupant 24 seated on a seat 17 to protect the head part 24B of the occupant 24. After the upper part is folded into the lower part of the air bag body so as to fold it into two parts in vertical direction, the air bag body 16 is folded down in bellows shape so that the tip part thereof comes on the outer side of the vehicle. Thus, at the beginning of the inflation, the air bag body can be inflated toward the forward diagonal outer side of the vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head protection airbag apparatus in which gas is ejected from an inflator and the gas is used to inflate and deploy a head protection airbag bag along a shoulder belt portion of a seat belt.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the head protection performance of an occupant sitting on a seat in a side impact and rollover of a vehicle,
An example of a head protection airbag device for inflating an airbag bag along a shoulder belt portion of a seat belt is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-64493.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 17, a seat belt 200 in this head protection airbag apparatus is equipped with an occupant 202.
A shoulder belt portion 204 extending obliquely downward from the shoulder portion 202A on the outside of the vehicle toward the other side, and a lap belt portion 206 extending from one left or right side of the waist portion 202B of the occupant 202 to the other side. And Further, the shoulder belt portion 204 is guided by a first anchor 208 and a second anchor 210, which are intermediate guides, respectively, so that the shoulder belt portion 204 fits well to the occupant 202. Also, in the event of a side collision,
As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 17, the shoulder belt portion 204 is expanded by the gas ejected from the inflator. At this time, the first anchor 2 of the shoulder belt portion 204
08A and the second anchor 210, the portion 204A greatly expands, so that the head 202C and the face of the occupant 202
Shoulder belt portion 20 expanded due to lateral acceleration
No. 4 portion 204A.

[0004]

However, in the head protection airbag device as described above, as shown in FIG.
12, a webbing 214, and a cover 216. The gas from the inflator passes through a gas passage formed in the buckle device 218 and the tongue plate 220 shown in FIG.
12 is filled instantaneously. That is, the shoulder belt portion 204 itself has a function of an airbag bag. For this reason, the shoulder belt part 204 itself becomes thick, and its flexibility is impaired.
Usability and wearing feeling of the shoulder belt portion 204 are deteriorated.

In order to improve this, the present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No.
-317822, an airbag body separate from the shoulder belt is slidably disposed on the shoulder belt portion located outside the vehicle of the head of the seated occupant. Although a device for inflating and deploying the bag along the shoulder belt has been proposed, in this head protection airbag device, although the usability and wearing feeling of the seatbelt can be improved, the occupant can use the side door glass or the like in the vehicle interior. There is room for improvement in the airbag bag deployability in the case of a posture leaning on the part.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a head protection airbag device capable of securing the deployment performance of an airbag body even when an occupant leans on the side of the passenger compartment. It is.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inflator built in a seat and a state in which the seat belt is folded along a shoulder belt portion of a seat belt fed out from an upper portion of a seat back on a side door side. And an airbag bag disposed therein, wherein the airbag bag deploys obliquely outward in front of the vehicle along the shoulder belt portion at an initial stage of deployment.

Accordingly, when the sensor detects a side collision or rollover of the vehicle, the inflator blows out gas. The gas inflates and deploys the airbag bag along the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt located outside the vehicle with respect to the occupant's head seated on the seat to protect the occupant's head. At this time, the airbag bag is deployed diagonally outward in front of the vehicle in the initial stage of deployment. As a result, even when the occupant leans on the side of the vehicle interior, the airbag body is inflated and deployed between the occupant and the side of the vehicle interior at the initial stage of deployment. Therefore, even when the occupant leans on the side of the vehicle interior, the airbag body can be reliably inflated and deployed between the head of the occupant and the side of the interior of the vehicle. Thus, the occupant's head can be reliably protected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head protecting airbag device according to the first aspect, the airbag bag is folded up and down so as to be bellowed such that a front end portion is on the outside of the vehicle. It is characterized by having.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in the first aspect, the airbag bag is inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle and obliquely outward in a state of being folded up and down at the beginning of deployment. Then
The airbag bag body is deployed upward and the airbag bag body has a final deployed shape. Therefore, even when the occupant leans on the vehicle interior side, the airbag bag can be more smoothly deployed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag apparatus according to the second aspect, the airbag bag is formed at a rear end of the airbag and connected to an inflator. An inflow portion, an inflation chamber covering a temporal portion of the occupant, and an airbag formed in the airbag body, extending substantially linearly forward from the gas inflow portion, and communicating with the inflation chamber at a front end thereof. And a communication section having a small cross section capable of supplying an inflation gas into the expansion chamber.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in the second aspect, the inflation gas ejected from the inflator is supplied to the communication section having a small cross section extending almost linearly from the gas inflow section at the forefront.
As a result, the communication portion expands and deploys toward the front and outside of the vehicle while the expansion chamber is folded vertically. Next, the inflation gas is supplied from the front end of the communication portion into the inflation chamber, and the airbag bag is inflated and deployed upward to have a final shape. Therefore, it is possible to quickly deploy the airbag bag to a position facing the temporal region of the occupant in the initial stage of deployment, and it is possible to further improve the performance of deploying the airbag bag.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head protecting airbag device according to the third aspect, the communicating portion having the small cross section is formed of any one of sewing, an inner tube, and a partition cloth. Features.

Therefore, the effects described in claim 3 can be achieved with a simple configuration. Further, the airbag deployment performance can be adjusted by adjusting the sewing range, the strength of the sewing thread, the diameter and length of the inner tube, the width and length of the partition cloth, and the like.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A head protection airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the drawings, an arrow FR indicates a vehicle forward direction, an arrow UP indicates a vehicle upward direction, and an arrow IN indicates a vehicle (vehicle width) inside direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, a head protection airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a sensor 12 for detecting a side collision state, an inflator 14 for ejecting gas when activated, and a head protection airbag device. And an airbag body 16 as main components. The sensor 12 is disposed near the lower end of a B pillar (center pillar) (not shown). The inflator 14 is fixed to a seat back frame (not shown) of a seat back 18 of the front seat 17 and is connected to the sensor 12 described above. Therefore, when the sensor 12 detects the side collision state, the inflator 14 is operated.

The seat 17 has a three-point seat belt 22.
Are arranged. The seat belt 22 is obliquely directed from the upper side 18A of the seat back 18 extending above the shoulder 24A on the side door side (outside of the vehicle) of the occupant 24 toward the other lower side 18B of the seat back 18. Belt portion 26 extending to the seat cushion frame 3 below the side door side upper portion 18A.
And a lap belt portion 28 extending from the side rear portion 30A toward the side lower portion 18B. A tongue plate 32 is slidably attached to a boundary between the shoulder belt portion 26 and the lap belt portion 28. The tongue plate 32 is detachably connected to a buckle device 34. The buckle device 34 is attached to the side rear portion 30B of the seat cushion frame 30, and the end 28A of the lap belt portion 28 is connected to the seat cushion frame 3 via a belt anchor 36.
0 is attached to the side rear portion 30A.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shoulder belt portion 26 of the seat belt 22 is extended into the upper portion 18A on the side door side of the seat back 18, and the extended portion 26A is connected to the retractor 38 (see FIG. 1). Has reached. In the seat back frame 40, a cylindrical belt guide 42 is attached along the seat width direction. In the upper side portion 18A of the seat back 18, the airbag body 16 is stored in a folded state. The airbag body 16 is provided with a notch 46 formed in the seat pad 44.
Seat cover 4 which is stored in
A slit 50 for inserting the shoulder belt portion 26 is formed along the sheet width direction in the portion 48A of No.8.

As shown in FIG. 1, a fragile portion 52 extending upward from the slit 50 is formed, and this fragile portion 52 is broken by the inflation and deployment pressure of the airbag bag 16 when the airbag bag is deployed. The part 48 of the seat skin 48
A is to expand. Also, inflator 1
4 and the gas inflow portion 16A of the airbag bag body 16 are connected by a gas supply hose 54, and the inflator 14
The gas ejected from the airbag is sent through the gas supply hose 54 into the airbag bag 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air bag 16
Are provided only on the upper surface side of the shoulder belt portion 26, and a plurality of airbags (in the present embodiment,
Two guides 56 made of a band-like cloth or the like are provided at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, these guides 56
Are arranged in a loop with the airbag bag body 16 and both end portions 5
6A and 56B are fixed to the airbag body 16 by sewing or the like, and the shoulder belt portion 26 is inserted into the loop of these guides 56.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the airbag bag 16 before being folded is a long bag extending in the front-rear direction. The inflow portion 16A protrudes rearward.

When folding the airbag body 16, first, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper part 16C of the airbag body 16 is folded into the lower part 16D. Next, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
Is folded in the vertical direction (the upper side is the inner side of the lower part in the vehicle width direction). Finally, as shown in FIG. 8, the airbag bag 16 is folded in a bellows shape so that the front end 16 </ b> E of the airbag bag 16 is located outside the vehicle in a state where the airbag bag 16 is attached to the seat, and the adhesive and the wrap are used. And the like, and hold it in a folded shape.

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

In this embodiment, when the sensor 12 detects a side collision of the vehicle, the inflator 14 ejects gas. Due to this gas, the airbag bag body 16 is inflated and deployed along a shoulder belt portion 26 located outside the vehicle with respect to the head 24B of the occupant 24 seated on the seat 17, as shown by a three-dot chain line in FIG. I do. At this time, the fragile portion 52 extending upward from the slit 50 is broken by the inflation pressure of the airbag bag body 16 at the portion 48 </ b> A of the seat skin 48 where the slit 50 is formed, and is deployed.

The air bag 16 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, because it is folded in the up and down direction,
The airbag body 16 is expanded forward rather than upward by the inflation gas sent from the inflator 14. Further, as shown in FIG.
Since the distal end portion 16E is folded in a bellows shape so as to be on the outside of the vehicle when attached to the seat, the airbag bag 16 is not inward of the vehicle but of the vehicle by the inflation gas sent from the inflator 14. Unfold toward you.
As a result, the airbag body 16 is deployed toward the front diagonally outside the vehicle (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) in the initial stage of deployment.

Therefore, even when the occupant 24 leans on the side of the vehicle interior such as the side door glass, the airbag bag body 16 folded up and down is positioned above the shoulder belt portion 26. The airbag 16 is quickly deployed between the head 24B of the occupant 24 and the vehicle interior side (for example, a door glass) by expanding toward the space existing beside the neck and then expanding upward. The head 24B of the occupant 24 can be reliably protected. In addition, the occupant 24 is provided by the airbag bag body 16.
Not only the head 24B but also the neck is restrained.
4B can be restrained from swinging greatly to the outside of the vehicle.
4 can also be protected.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the airbag bag body 16 is provided separately from the shoulder belt portion 26 and both are slidable relative to each other, the shoulder belt portion 2
6 itself can be thin and soft, and the shoulder belt portion 26
Usability and wearing feeling can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the seat 17 has a three-point seat belt 22, the inflator 14 is built in the seat back 18, and the airbag 16 is extended from the upper side 18A of the seat back 18 on the side door side. Since the head protection airbag device 10 is disposed along the shoulder belt portion 26, the head protection airbag device 10 can be configured only with the seat 17 side. That is, it is not necessary to dispose a part of the head protection airbag device 10 on the vehicle body side such as the B pillar. For this reason, the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment can be applied to a convertible vehicle. Further, by replacing the seat 17, the present invention can be easily applied to an existing vehicle.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the airbag bag 16 is folded in two in the up-down direction (the upper side is the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the lower part). In this case, the upper portion of the airbag body 16 may be folded into two portions on the lower side in the vehicle width direction. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the airbag bag 16 is folded in a bellows shape such that the distal end portion 16E of the airbag bag 16 is on the outside of the vehicle in the state of being attached to the seat.
When the airbag bag 16 is unnecessarily deployed outside the vehicle at the time of deployment, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear end portion 16B of the airbag bag 16 is attached to the seat inside the vehicle (vehicle width). (Inward in the direction), and then folded in a bellows shape, and further, so that the tip portion 16E is on the outside of the vehicle.
The airbag body 16 may be folded in a bellows shape.

Next, a second embodiment of the head protection airbag device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment,
A communication portion 16F extending substantially linearly forward from the gas inflow portion 16A is formed in the airbag bag body 16. The communication portion 16F is formed by sewing a lower portion of the airbag body 16 with a sewing thread 60. The communication portion 16F communicates with an inflation chamber 16H that covers the occupant's temporal region at a distal end portion 16G. ing. As shown in FIG. 11, the communication portion 16F has a smaller cross section than the expansion chamber 16H. The folded shape of the airbag bag 16 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

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

In the present embodiment, the inflation gas ejected from the inflator 14 is supplied to the communication section 16F having a small cross section extending almost linearly from the gas inflow section 16A. As a result, while the expansion chamber 16H is folded in the vertical direction, the communication portion 16F is positioned forward of the vehicle along the shoulder belt portion 26 located outside the vehicle from the head 24B of the occupant 24 seated on the seat 17. Expand and deploy outward. Next, the inflation gas is supplied to the front end 16G of the communication portion 16F.
Is supplied into the inflation chamber 16H from the air bag 1
6 expands and deploys upwards to the final shape. For this reason, the airbag bag 16 is attached to the head 2
4B can be quickly deployed to a position facing the outside (side head) of the vehicle, and the deployment performance of the airbag body can be further improved.

In this embodiment, the communication section 1 having a small cross section is used.
6F is formed by sewing the lower part of the airbag body 16 with sewing thread 60, so that the structure is simple and the airbag body deployment performance is adjusted by changing the sewing range and the strength of the sewing thread 60. it can.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the communication portion 16F is formed by sewing the lower portion of the airbag body 16 with a thread 60.
As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG.
A configuration in which the inner tube 62 is sewn with the sewing thread 60 at the lower portion inside the inner tube 62 may be employed. In this case, by changing the diameter R and the length L of the inner tube 62, the airbag deployment performance can be adjusted. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the diameter R of the inner tube 62 can be reduced by sewing thread 64 or tear seam.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the communication portion 16F is formed by sewing the lower portion of the airbag bag body 16 with a sewing thread 60. As shown in FIG. 16, the lower portion inside the airbag bag body 16 is partitioned by a partition cloth 66 so that the communicating portion 16 is formed.
F may be formed. In this case, by changing the width dimension W and the length L of the partition cloth 66, the airbag body deployment performance can be adjusted.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to a specific embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various other embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that is possible. For example, by adding a rollover detection sensor at the center of the floor, the airbag bag of the head protection airbag device can be deployed even when the vehicle rolls over. In each of the above embodiments, the seat 17 is provided with the three-point seat belt 22 (the retractor 38).
The head protection airbag device of the present invention has the retractor disposed below the B pillar (center pillar) and is folded back by a slip joint disposed above the B pillar. The three-point seat belt is passed through the upper portion 18A on the side door side of the seat back 18 in which the airbag bag is stored, and the upper portion 18A
It is good also as a structure which draws out from. The sewn portion of the airbag body 16 may be joined by another method such as adhesion. The present invention is also applicable to a rear seat and the like.

[0041]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the head protection airbag apparatus of the present invention is excellent in that the deployment performance of the airbag body can be ensured even when the occupant leans on the inside of the vehicle. Has an effect.

The head protection airbag device according to the second aspect of the present invention has an excellent effect that the airbag body can be more smoothly deployed in addition to the effect according to the first aspect.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, the head protection airbag device of the present invention has an excellent effect that the airbag bag can be quickly deployed to the occupant's head. Have.

The head protection airbag device of the present invention according to claim 4 has an excellent effect that, in addition to the effect of claim 3, the structure is simplified and the deployment performance of the airbag body can be adjusted. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat to which a head protection airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from a diagonally front outer side of a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state before the airbag body is folded in the head protection airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing how the airbag bag is folded in the head protection airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing how the airbag bag is folded in the head protection airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a folded state of the airbag bag in the head protection airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan sectional view showing a folded state of an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state before folding an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a deployed state of an airbag bag in a head protection airbag device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion along line 11-11 of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state before folding an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 12 showing an expanded state of an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 13 showing an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to another modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state before folding an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to another modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion along a line 16-16 in FIG. 15 showing an expanded state of an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to another modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. is there.

FIG. 17 is a schematic front view showing a conventional head protection airbag device.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the structure of a shoulder belt portion of a conventional head protection airbag device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Head protection airbag apparatus 12 Sensor 14 Inflator 16 Head protection airbag bag 16A Gas inflow part of airbag bag 16E Tip part of airbag bag 16F Communication part of airbag bag 16G Airbag bag communication Front end portion of communication portion 16H Inflation chamber of airbag bag 17 Front seat 18 Seat back 22 Seat belt 26 Shoulder belt portion 28 Lap belt portion 54 Gas supply hose 60 Sewing thread 62 Inner tube 66 Partition cloth

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An inflator built in a seat, and an airbag bag body disposed in a state of being folded along a shoulder belt portion of a seatbelt fed out from an upper side of a seatback on a side door, The head protection airbag device, wherein the airbag bag is deployed obliquely outward in front of the vehicle along the shoulder belt portion at an initial stage of deployment. 2. The head protection airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag bag body is folded up and down and bellows-folded so that a front end portion is on the outside of the vehicle. 3. The airbag bag, a gas inflow portion formed at a rear end of the airbag bag and connected to an inflator, an inflation chamber covering a side of an occupant, and the airbag bag. A communication section having a small cross-section formed in the body, extending substantially linearly forward from the gas inflow section, and communicating with the expansion chamber at a front end thereof and capable of supplying an expansion gas into the expansion chamber. The head protection airbag device according to claim 2, further comprising: 4. The head protection airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the communication section having the small cross section is formed of any one of sewing, an inner tube, and a partition cloth.