JP2003137052A - Air bag device of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag device of an automobile that can form a large surface on an occupant side and facilitates developing direction of an air bag in the initial time of the developing. SOLUTION: When length e of a front side belt 15 other than a part connected to a gas introducing port 14 is set one, length f of each of both end belt parts 21 of a back side belt 18 other than a part connected to the front side belt 15 is in the range of 0.8 to 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile airbag system, and more particularly to a passenger side airbag system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An airbag system on the passenger side of an automobile is
The instrument panel located below the front window panel has a structure in which the airbag is stored in a folded state. The airbag is inflated by the gas ejected from the inflator at the time of collision of an automobile,
It is deployed from the top of the instrument panel toward the inside of the passenger compartment to catch and protect the occupant who is leaning forward.

Inside the airbag used in this type of airbag device, for example, as known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-5505, it extends in the front-rear direction from the gas inlet of the airbag to the vicinity of its rear end. A tether belt is provided. This tether belt has a function to guide the flow of gas from the gas inlet to the rear end side of the airbag in the initial inflated state of the airbag and regulates the linear deployment of the airbag to the inside of the passenger compartment. There is a function to expand so as to spread in the vertical direction.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional technique, since the structure of one tether belt is used, it is difficult to form a wide surface for receiving the occupant on the occupant side of the airbag, and In the early stages of bag deployment,
There is a problem in that the inflating direction of the airbag is difficult to be determined due to complicated shaking caused by the rapid inflation of the airbag.

The present invention was made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and a wide surface can be formed on the occupant side.
(EN) Provided is an airbag device for an automobile, in which the direction of deployment of the airbag is easily determined in the initial stage of deployment.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a gas inlet for introducing gas from an inflator is provided in a front portion of a bag-shaped airbag, and the gas inlet and the airbag are provided. It is connected to the upper part of the vehicle by a tether belt, and the airbag is folded and installed inside the instrument panel. When the collision occurs, the airbag is inflated and deployed from the upper part of the instrument panel to the inside of the vehicle compartment. An automobile airbag device, wherein the tether belt comprises one front belt having a front end coupled to a gas inlet, and an upper portion of the airbag which is coupled to the upper side of the airbag with a patch portion having a predetermined area in the middle. From the two belts extending from the front side to the front side of the front belt, the rear side belt is connected to the rear end of the front side belt. The when the 1, length excluding the portion coupled to the front belt at each ends belt portion of the rear belt is in the range of respectively 0.8 to 2 of.

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the patch portion having a predetermined area is provided in the middle of the rear belt, it is easy to form a wide surface for receiving the occupant on the occupant side of the airbag. This surface is formed from the initial expansion stage before the tether belt is in tension, so even if the occupant is abnormally close to the instrument panel, the occupant will be received in a large area during the initial expansion stage. be able to.

Further, since the tether belt has a structure in which one front side belt is branched into two rear side belts, the gas introduction port connecting the front end of the front side belt becomes a "fulcrum", and the front side belt and the rear side belt are connected. The connection point becomes the "point of action". Since the distance between this fulcrum and the point of action is short, the vertical movement of the airbag itself is suppressed, and complicated swaying is unlikely to occur at the initial stage of deployment of the airbag. In particular, the ratio of the length of the front belt to the length of the rear belt is defined as in this section (1: 0.8 to 2) because the front belt becomes relatively longer than this ratio.
This is because there is a delay in the stability of the deployment direction of the airbag, and if the rear belt becomes relatively longer than this ratio, the timing to form the surface on the occupant side after the tension is applied to the front belt is delayed. This is because an excessive impact may be applied to the occupant (especially for the occupant who has approached abnormally).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the length of the front belt excluding the portion connected to the gas inlet is set to 1, the front belt is connected to the front belt at each end belt portion. The length excluding the portions is in the range of 1 to 1.5, respectively.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the ratio of the length of the front belt to the length of the rear belt is set in a more preferable range (1: 1 to 1.5), so that The stability is further improved, and the occupant side of the airbag can form the surface earlier.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rear belt 2
The angle formed by the belt portions at both ends is 30 degrees to 90 degrees
It is within the range of degrees.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the angle formed by the two end belt portions of the rear belt is 30
By defining the angle in the range of 90 degrees to 90 degrees, by setting the angle to 90 degrees or less, it is possible to prevent the vicinity of the center of the surface formed on the occupant side from protruding toward the occupant side, and the angle is 30 degrees or more. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the vertical dimension formed on the occupant side from becoming too small.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the lengths of the two end belt portions of the rear belt are substantially equal.

According to the invention described in claim 4, since the lengths of the two end belt portions of the rear belt are substantially equal,
The surface of the airbag formed on the occupant side can be directed to the occupant side in a flatter state.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 5, an instrument panel 2 is located below the front window panel 1 on the passenger side of the vehicle. A case 3 closed by a lid (not shown) is provided above the instrument panel 2, and a folded airbag 4 and an inflator for ejecting a gas for inflating the airbag 4 are provided in the case 3. 5 is stored.

The airbag 4 is uncoated and has a basis weight of 200.
Two upper base fabrics 6 made of nylon 66 woven fabric of g / m ²
And the lower base cloth 7. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper base cloth 6 and the lower base cloth 7 are both symmetrical, and the upper base cloth 6 has an upper portion 8 forming an upper surface portion of the inflated airbag 4. The lower base cloth 7 has a lower portion 9 that forms the lower surface of the inflated airbag 4. The upper portion 8 of the upper base cloth 6 and the lower portion 9 of the lower base cloth 7
Left and right sides of the rear side are formed with substantially triangular side portions 10 and 11 that form side surface portions of the inflated airbag 4, and rear portions 12 and 1 that form rear surface portions for receiving an occupant on the rear side.
3 are integrally provided. At the front end of the lower base cloth 7,
A rectangular gas inlet 14 is formed, and this gas inlet 1
Around the circumference of 4, the front end 16 of the front belt 15 having the same opening as the gas inlet 14 is sewn, and the front belt 15 itself extends from the rear edge of the gas inlet 14 toward the rear side. There is. The gas introduction port 14 is reinforced by stitching the front end 16 of the front belt 15 around it.

Further, exhaust holes 17 are formed on the left and right sides of the side portion 10 of the upper base cloth 6, respectively. The exhaust holes 17 are for exhausting excess gas when the airbag 4 is completely inflated. Further, the periphery of a rectangular patch portion 19 formed at the center of the rear belt 18 is sewn to the rear portion 12 of the upper base cloth 6.

The tether belt 20 of this embodiment has a front belt 15 whose front end 16 is connected to the gas inlet 14 as described above, and a patch portion 19 having a predetermined area at an intermediate portion thereof on the upper rear portion 12 of the airbag 4. Combined rear belt 1
And 8 are formed.

The length e of the front belt 15 excluding the front end 16 connected to the gas inlet 14 is 150 mm and the width is 1 as well.
It is 50 mm (see FIG. 2). The patch portion 19 of the rear belt 18 has a vertical width of 150 mm and a horizontal width of 160 mm, and two end belt portions 21 having the same length f are formed from the upper and lower edges of the patch portion 19 (FIG. 3). reference). This both-end belt portion 21 has a front belt 15 at the tip.
The connecting portion 22 is sewn to the rear end of the connecting portion 22.
The length f of both parts is 150 mm and the width is 150 mm.
mm. Therefore, the length f of the two end belt portions 21
Since the vertical width of the patch portion 19 is 150 mm, as shown in FIG.
The triangle formed when the front belt 15 is sewn to the rear end of the front belt 15 is an “equal triangle”, and the angle θ formed by the two end belt portions 21 is 60 degrees. Also, the front belt 15
The ratio of the length e of the above to the length f of the belt portions 21 at both ends is 1:
It becomes 1.

The lower base cloth 7 having the front belt 15 and the upper base cloth 6 having the rear belt 18 are firstly the back surface with the front belt 15 and the rear belt 18 positioned on the front surface side. The edge portions of the side portions 10 and 11 and the rear portions 12 and 13 that correspond to each other are sewn together in a state where they face each other. Next, the opposing peripheral edges of the lower base cloth 7 and the upper base cloth 6 are sewn together. Then, the lower base cloth 7 and the upper base cloth 6 which are sewn to each other are bent to bring the front belt 15 and the rear belt 18 close to each other, and in this state, the rear ends of the front belt 15 and the rear belt 18 located on the front and back sides. Both ends of belt 2
The tether belt 20 is formed by stitching together the connecting portion 22 of No. 1. Finally, when the lower base cloth 7 and the upper base cloth 6 are inverted from the gas introduction port 14, the tether belt 20 is located inside, and the airbag 4 in which the surrounding seams are not visible is completed. Inside the completed airbag 4, the gas introduction port 14 in the front portion of the lower base cloth 7 and the rear portion 12 of the upper base cloth 6 are connected by the tether belt 20.

The air bag 4 formed in this manner is stored in the case 3 above the instrument panel 2 in the folded state as described above, and the gas introduction port 14 is provided.
Is connected to the inflator 5. The length of the tether belt 20 provided inside the airbag 4 is set to be relatively short, and when the tether belt 20 is incorporated in the instrument panel 2,
Even if the tether belt 20 is extended horizontally to the rear side, the rear end (patch portion 19) is at a position just corresponding to the rear end of the instrument panel 2.

Next, the actual deployment behavior of the airbag 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the occupant M has approached the instrument panel 2 abnormally. When the vehicle collides in this state, the gas generated in the inflator 5 is ejected from the gas inlet 14 into the airbag 4, and the airbag 4 is inflated. Since the front side belt 15 of the tether belt 20 extends from the rear edge of the gas introduction port 14, the gas introduction port 14 is not blocked by the front side belt 15 and a smooth inflow of gas is performed from the gas introduction port 14. The deployment speed of will be faster.

As shown in FIG. 6, the inflated airbag 4 jumps out of the case 3, hits the front window panel 1, and then deploys rearward as initial inflation. At this time, the rear end of the tether belt 20 has a patch area 1 having a predetermined area.
Since it is connected to the upper base cloth 6 as 9, it is possible to form a wide surface for receiving the occupant M in a portion of the airbag 4 corresponding to the occupant M. This surface is tether belt 20
Since the vehicle is formed from the initial expansion stage before the tension state, even if the occupant M is abnormally close to the instrument panel 2, the occupant M is received in a large area at the initial expansion stage. be able to.

Further, since the tether belt 20 is branched from the one front belt 15 into the two end belt portions 21, the gas introduction port 14 connecting the front ends of the front belt 15 to each other.
Is the "fulcrum", and the connecting point between the front belt 15 and the rear belt 18 is the "action point". Since the distance between this fulcrum and the point of action is short, vertical movement of the airbag 4 itself is suppressed,
No complicated shaking occurs in the initial stage of deployment of the airbag 4. Moreover, since the ratio of the length e of the front belt 15 to the length of the belt portions f at both ends is 1: 1, the deploying direction of the airbag 4 is surely stable, and the airbag 4 is located on the occupant M side of the airbag 4. A wide surface can be formed early.

Further, since the angle formed by the two end belt portions 21 of the rear side belt 18 is set to 60 degrees, the upper and lower width of the surface for protecting the occupant M is sufficiently secured. It is possible to prevent the vicinity of the central portion of the surface from protruding toward the occupant M side. Further, since the two end belt portions 21 have the same length, the surface formed on the airbag 4 can be formed in a flatter state toward the occupant M side.

After the airbag 4 is initially inflated, as shown in FIG. 7, the airbag 4 is deployed downward and enters between the instrument panel 2 and the occupant M. As described above, the airbag 4 is deployed downward because the rear end of the tether belt 20 is connected to the upper base fabric 6 of the airbag 4, so that the rear end of the airbag 4 is below the tether belt 20. This is because the capacity is larger than the upper capacity, and the portion below the tether belt 20 expands exclusively.

After the airbag 4 is deployed downward,
As shown in FIG. 8, since it also deploys to the upper side, both the head and the torso of the occupant M can be reliably protected. When the airbag 4 is inflated, the exhaust holes 17 exhaust the air. Since the exhaust hole 17 is formed in the side portions 10 and 11 other than the region for receiving the occupant, the exhaust hole 17 is not likely to be blocked by the occupant M.

In the above embodiment, the front belt 15 is
The ratio of the length e of the rear belt 18 to the length f of the rear belt 18 is “1:”.
Although the example of "1" is shown, the same effect can be obtained within the range of "1: 0.8 to 2". Further, the angle θ formed by the two belt portions 21 at both ends is not limited to 60 degrees, and is 30 degrees to
Within the range of 90 degrees, the angle is set to 90 degrees or less to prevent the vicinity of the center of the surface formed on the occupant side from protruding toward the occupant side, and the angle to be 30 degrees or more. Thus, it is possible to prevent the vertical dimension formed on the occupant side from becoming too small. Also, the two end belts 2
The length f of 1 does not necessarily have to be equal, and the two end belt portions 2 of the two sheets are matched with each other according to the shape and the setting position of the airbag 4.
The length f of 1 may be different.

[0029]

According to the present invention, since the patch portion having a predetermined area is provided in the middle of the rear belt, it is easy to form a wide surface for receiving the occupant on the occupant side of the airbag.
This surface is formed from the initial expansion stage before the tether belt is in tension, so even if the occupant is abnormally close to the instrument panel, the occupant will be received in a large area during the initial expansion stage. be able to.

Further, since the tether belt has a structure in which one front side belt is branched into two rear side belts, the gas introduction port connecting the front end of the front side belt becomes a "fulcrum", and the front side belt and the rear side belt are connected. The connection point becomes the "point of action". Since the distance between this fulcrum and the point of action is short, the vertical movement of the airbag itself is suppressed, and complicated swaying is unlikely to occur at the initial stage of deployment of the airbag. In particular, the ratio of the length of the front belt to the length of the rear belt is defined as in this section (1: 0.8 to 2) because the front belt becomes relatively longer than this ratio.
This is because there is a delay in the stability of the deployment direction of the airbag, and if the rear belt becomes relatively longer than this ratio, the timing to form the surface on the occupant side after the tension is applied to the front belt is delayed. This is because an excessive impact may be applied to the occupant (especially for the occupant who has approached abnormally).

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a lower base cloth of the airbag of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an upper base cloth of the airbag shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a tether belt including a front belt and a rear belt of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the passenger compartment showing a state in which an occupant has approached the instrument panel abnormally.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the interior of the vehicle showing an initial inflated state of the airbag of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the interior of the vehicle showing a state where the airbag of FIG. 1 is deployed downward.

8 is a vehicle interior side view showing a final deployed state of the airbag of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Front window panel 2 Instrument panel 4 airbags 5 inflator 6 Upper base cloth 7 Lower base cloth 8 Upper part 9 Lower part 10, 11 Side part 12, 13 Rear part 14 gas inlet 15 front belt 18 Rear belt 19 patch section 20 tether belt 21 Belts on both ends 22 Connection e Front belt length f Length of belt on both ends θ Angle formed by belts at both ends M crew

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A front side portion of a bag-shaped airbag,
Provided with a gas inlet for introducing gas from the inflator,
A tether belt is connected between the gas inlet and the upper part of the airbag, the airbag is folded and installed inside the instrument panel, and the airbag is inflated at the time of a collision so that the upper part of the instrument panel is expanded. Is a vehicle airbag device that is deployed from the inside to the inside of the vehicle, wherein the tether belt is joined to the upper side of the airbag with a front belt having a front end coupled to the gas inlet and a middle portion as a patch portion having a predetermined area. And a rear belt formed by connecting two end belt portions extending from the upper and lower edges of the patch portion to the front side with the rear end of the front belt, and excluding the portion connected to the gas inlet of the front belt. When 1 is set to 1, the lengths of the respective belt portions at both ends of the rear belt, excluding the portions joined to the front belt, are each within the range of 0.8 to 2. Air bag of a motor vehicle to be. 2. The airbag device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein each of the two end belts of the rear side belt has a length of 1 excluding a portion connected to the gas inlet of the front side belt. An airbag device for an automobile, wherein lengths of the parts excluding a part connected to the front belt are in a range of 1 to 1.5, respectively. 3. The airbag device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by the two end belt portions of the rear side belt is within a range of 30 degrees to 90 degrees. An airbag device for an automobile characterized by: 4. The airbag apparatus for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the two belt portions at both ends of the rear belt have a length of
An airbag device for an automobile, which is characterized by being substantially equal.