JP2003335209A - Side air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side air bag device for effectively protecting an occupant even when a body side part largely and deformedly protrudes to an indoor side in a side collision. <P>SOLUTION: An air bag 16 forms an upper partition chamber 18 corresponding to the shoulder Ps of the occupant P in an unfolding-inflating state, a lower partition chamber 19 corresponding to the waist Ph, and an intermediate partition chamber 20 corresponding to the chest Pc. The air bag 16 is provided with a seam 17 for regulating the swelling of the intermediate partition chamber 20, and is constituted so that thicknesses of the upper partition chamber 18 and the lower partition chamber 19 get larger than the thickness of the intermediate partition chamber 20 by this seam 17 in unfolding-inflating the air bag 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body side portion and an airbag when the body side portion of the vehicle is impacted with a predetermined value or more due to a side collision of the vehicle (hereinafter, simply referred to as side collision). The present invention relates to a side airbag device adapted to be deployed and inflated between a seat arranged in a room. In particular, the present invention relates to an airbag device in which an airbag is greatly expanded and inflated vertically on the side of an occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As conventional side airbag devices of this type, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-177527 (first conventional structure), Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-280853 (second conventional structure), and US Pat. A structure as disclosed in No. 5112079 (third conventional structure) has been proposed.

In the first conventional construction, as shown in FIG. 16, a side airbag device 42 is mounted on the backrest portion 41a of the seat 41 in the vehicle compartment. A split seam 44 is provided in the airbag 43 of the side airbag device 42.
A first chamber 45 that is inflatable on the side of the rib cage Pc of the occupant P seated on the seat 41 and a second chamber 46 that is inflatable on the side of the waist Ph are partitioned and formed via the.

A front chamber 48 is defined on the peripheral side of a gas generator 47 for expanding and inflating the airbag 43. Pre-chamber 48 and the first and second
First chamber consisting of a plurality of small holes between the chambers 45 and 46
And second inflow openings 49 and 50 are provided, respectively, and the opening area of the first inflow opening 49 is smaller than the opening area of the second inflow opening 50.

When the body side portion receives an impact of a predetermined value or more due to a side collision of the vehicle, after the gas generated from the gas generator 47 is supplied to the front chamber 48,
First and second inflow openings 49 and 50 having different opening areas
Are introduced into the first and second chambers 45 and 46 with different inflow rates. Due to the difference in the gas inflow amount, both chambers 45 and 46 are expanded and inflated so that the internal pressure of the first chamber 45 becomes lower than the internal pressure of the second chamber 46.

In the second conventional structure, as shown in FIG. 17, the airbag 4 of the side airbag device 42 is provided.
3, a partition wall 51 is provided between the first expansion area 52 that is inflatable behind the arm portion Pa of the occupant P and a second expansion area 53 that is inflatable by contacting the arm portion Pa. ing.
Then, at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, the first expansion region 52 is immediately expanded and expanded from the lower side to the upper part by the gas generated from the gas generator 47, and then the second expansion region 53 is delayed and expanded and expanded from the lower side to the upper side. It is supposed to be done.

Further, in the third conventional configuration, there has been proposed a side airbag device having an airbag which greatly expands and inflates so as to integrally cover the head and waist of the occupant.

[0008]

In the first conventional construction described above, the first chamber 45 corresponding to the thoracic region Pc of the occupant P has a lower internal pressure than the second chamber corresponding to the lumbar region Ph as described above. It is designed to be expanded and inflated. Therefore, the rib cage Pc, which is relatively weak against impact, is softened and cushioned more than the waist Ph. Therefore, although the side airbag device of the first conventional configuration is configured so that the impact due to the side impact does not act on the rib cage Pc so much,
When the body side portion of the vehicle largely deforms and enters the interior side, the internal pressure of the first chamber 45 corresponding to the chest portion Pc is low, and thus there is concern about protecting the chest portion Pc.

Further, in the second conventional structure, the inside of the airbag 43 is vertically divided into the first and second expansion regions 52 and 53 as described above. 53 is designed to be expanded and inflated with substantially the same internal pressure and shape. Therefore, when the airbag 43 is inflated and inflated, the airbag P contacts the shoulder Ps and the waist Ph of the occupant P almost evenly, which is anxious about protecting the rib cage Pc as in the case of the first conventional configuration. Remain.

Furthermore, in the third conventional structure, the airbag is simply configured to expand and inflate in a wide area to expand the protection area, and the airbag is expanded according to the body part of the occupant. There is no disclosure of changing the morphology. Therefore, the effect of effectively protecting the occupant cannot be expected in consideration of the characteristics of the human body.

The present invention has been made based on the points of interest existing in such conventional techniques. It is an object of the present invention to provide a side airbag device that can effectively protect an occupant even when the body side portion largely deforms and enters the interior side during a side collision.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is arranged in a vehicle body and a vehicle interior when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the vehicle body side. In the side airbag device including an airbag that is deployed between the airbag and the seat, and a gas generation source that deploys and inflates the airbag, the airbag includes a shoulder portion of an occupant seated on the seat in the deployed and inflated state. An upper deployment portion corresponding to the occupant, a lower deployment portion corresponding to the occupant's waist, and an intermediate portion corresponding to the occupant's rib cage, and the thickness of the upper deployment portion and the lower deployment portion when the airbag is deployed and inflated. Is provided with a regulating means for regulating the bulging of the intermediate portion so as to be larger than the thickness of the intermediate portion.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, at the time of a side collision of a vehicle, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body, gas is generated from the gas generating source and the airbag is deployed. Is inflated. At this time, the thickness of the upper developed portion corresponding to the shoulder portion of the occupant and the lower developed portion corresponding to the waist portion is larger than the thickness of the intermediate portion corresponding to the rib cage. As a result, even if the body side portion largely deforms and enters the interior side, the shoulder and waist of the occupant, which is resistant to external impact, is pushed in advance to move the occupant to the interior side. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to effectively absorb the shock while protecting the entire body of the occupant including the thorax.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a guiding means is provided for guiding the gas supplied from the gas generating source to the upper developing portion and the lower developing portion substantially at the same time. It is characterized by.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the upper deploying portion and the lower deploying portion of the airbag are inflated and inflated substantially at the same time, and the shoulder portion and the lumbar portion of the occupant are pushed almost at the same time, so that the occupant is placed inside The protective effect can be further enhanced because it can be quickly moved to.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the restricting means comprises a seam that joins the base fabrics of the intermediate portion of the airbag. It is a thing.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent an exclusive part for the restricting means and prevent an increase in the number of parts. As a result, the structure is simplified. Thus, the airbag can be manufactured at a low cost.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the restricting means comprises a constricted portion formed at a side edge of an intermediate portion of the airbag. To do.

Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to obtain an operation substantially similar to that in the case of claim 3. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the restriction means is a restriction cloth provided around an intermediate portion of the airbag. .

Therefore, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the regulating cloth may be provided around the middle portion of the airbag. Therefore, the number of parts does not increase significantly,
The structure of the restricting means is simple, and the bulging of the intermediate portion can be surely restricted.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the guiding means is a seam that joins between base fabrics of the airbag. It is characterized by.

Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts because a dedicated part for the guiding means is unnecessary, and as a result, the structure is simplified. Thus, the airbag can be manufactured at a low cost.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the upper deployment portion of the airbag is formed to be wider than the lower deployment portion and the intermediate portion. Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 7, when the airbag is deployed and inflated, the wide upper deployment portion effectively contacts the shoulder portion of the occupant, and the occupant can be reliably moved to the inside of the vehicle. .

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1 to 3 show a left front seat 11 arranged in a vehicle compartment.
1 has a stool portion 11a and a backrest portion 11b. A side airbag device 13 is embedded in the case 14 inside a case 14 inside the left side of the backrest portion 11b of the front seat 11 so as to correspond to the door 12 forming a part of the body side portion. Although only the left front seat 11 is shown in the drawing, a similar airbag device is also installed inside the right front seat.

The side airbag device 13 is an inflator 1 fixed in the case 14 as a gas generating source.
5 and a bag-shaped airbag 16 mounted so as to cover the inflator 15. A gas generating agent (not shown) for deploying and inflating the airbag 16 is housed inside the case of the inflator 15, and a gas ejection port 15a as a gas ejection portion for ejecting gas is provided at a lower portion of the case of the inflator 15. Has been formed.

A sensor (not shown) for detecting an impact on the body side portion is electrically connected to the inflator 15. Then, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion due to a side collision of another vehicle with respect to the body side portion, the inflator 15 is driven via a control circuit (not shown) based on a detection signal from the sensor. Current is output. By the ignition based on the drive current, gas is generated from the gas generating agent in the inflator 15, and the gas is jetted and supplied into the airbag 16 from the gas jet port 15a.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the airbag 16 is formed by sewing a pair of base cloths 16a and 16b made of woven cloth or the like around their peripheral edges so as to form a bag shape as a whole. It is normally housed in the case 14 in a folded state.

When the inflator 15 is actuated to generate gas, the airbag 16 is expanded and inflated between the door 12 and the front seat 11 as shown in FIGS. The body of the occupant P seated at 11 is covered from the shoulder Ps to the waist Ph.

A substantially lateral U-shaped seam 17 formed by sewing both base cloths 16a and 16b together is formed in the center of the airbag 16 in the vertical direction.
7 constitutes the regulating means and the guiding means of the first embodiment. Inside the airbag 16, a seam 17 forms an upper compartment 18 as an upper deploying portion and a lower compartment 19 as a lower deploying portion. An intermediate compartment 20 as an intermediate portion is formed between the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 so as to open rearward of the vehicle. On the side opposite to the inflator 15, the airbag 1
A gas passage 21 is formed between the peripheral portion of 6 and the seam 17.

Then, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 15a of the inflator 15 is
It is introduced into the lower compartment 19 and is introduced from the lower compartment 19 along the outer periphery of the seam 17 into the upper compartment 18 through the gas passage 21. Then, the gas in the upper compartment 18 is introduced into the intermediate compartment 20 so as to bypass the upper edge of the seam 17. As a result, as is apparent from FIG. 4, the lower compartment 19 is inflated, and the waist Ph of the occupant P is reduced.
And at the same time as that, the upper compartment 18 is inflated to correspond to the shoulder Ps of the occupant P. Then, after that, the intermediate compartment 20 is inflated and arranged corresponding to the thoracic region Pc of the occupant P. The airbag 1
A part of 6 has a vent hole (not shown) for discharging the internal gas after expansion.

Further, in the airbag 16, the seam 17 is formed in a sideways substantially horizontal U-shape in a state where the vertical intermediate portions of the base fabrics 16a and 16b are tensioned. As a result, when the airbag 16 is deployed and inflated, the swelling of the intermediate compartment 20 is restricted by the seam 17, and as shown in FIG. 2, the upper compartment 18 corresponding to the shoulder Ps and the waist Ph of the occupant P and The thickness of the lower compartment 19 depends on the rib cage Pc.
The thickness of the intermediate compartment 20 is larger than that of the intermediate compartment 20. Here, various conditions such as the position of the seam 17 are set so that each of the compartments 18 to 20 has a thickness within the following range. That is, the upper and lower compartments 18,
The conditions are set such that the thickness of 19 is 150 to 200 mm and the thickness of the intermediate compartment 20 is 50 to 130 mm. In this case, the thickness of the intermediate compartment 20 is 4 times that of the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 when they are equal.
It is desirable to be 1/4 to 1/3, and the upper and lower compartments 1
If the thicknesses of 8 and 19 are different, the lower compartment 1
It is desirable that it is 1/4 to 3/4 of 8,19. The thickness values of these compartments 18 to 20 are values set under the condition of so-called static deployment under the condition that an external load such as a collision does not act on the airbag 16.

Next, the operation of the side airbag device 13 configured as described above will be described. When an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion due to a side impact of another vehicle with respect to the body side portion of the vehicle, a sensor (not shown) detects it and gas is generated from the inflator 15 based on the detection. It Then, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the gas is jetted and supplied from the gas ejection port 15 a of the inflator 15 to the lower compartment 19 of the airbag 16, and the upper compartment 18 via the gas passage 21.
And then to the intermediate compartment 20. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper compartment 18 corresponding to the shoulder Ps of the occupant P and the lower compartment 1 corresponding to the waist Ph.
9 and 9 are inflated almost at the same time, and then the intermediate compartment 20 corresponding to the rib cage Pc is inflated.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 are thicker than the intermediate compartment 20. Therefore, the intermediate compartment 20 and the passenger P
A space S is formed between the thoracic portion Pc and the chest portion Pc, and in this state, the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 push the shoulder Ps and the waist Ph of the occupant P toward the inside. This allows
The occupant P is moved to the indoor side, and the impact caused by the side collision is mitigated while protecting the rib cage Pc. Therefore, even when the body side portion largely deforms and enters the interior side, the occupant P is separated from the body side portion prior to the deformation and entering,
The occupant P can be protected, the impact on the rib cage Pc is suppressed, and the rib cage Pc can be effectively protected.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) In the side airbag device 13, the upper compartment 18 corresponding to the shoulder Ps of the occupant P, the lower compartment 19 corresponding to the waist Ph, and the rib cage Pc in the airbag 16 in the expanded and inflated state. And an intermediate compartment 20 corresponding thereto is formed. Then, when the airbag 16 is inflated and inflated, the intermediate compartments 2 are arranged such that the thicknesses of the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 become larger than the thickness of the intermediate compartment 20.
The bulge of 0 is regulated.

Therefore, even when the body side portion largely deforms and enters the interior of the vehicle at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, the shoulder portion Ps of the occupant P having resistance to an external impact is preceded by the deformation. Also, the occupant P can be moved to the indoor side by pushing the waist portion Ph. Therefore, it is possible to effectively protect the occupant P from an impact due to a side collision while sufficiently protecting the rib cage Pc.

(2) In the side airbag device 13, when the airbag 16 is deployed and inflated, the gas supplied from the inflator 15 is introduced into the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 almost at the same time. . Therefore, the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 are deployed and inflated almost at the same time, and the shoulder Ps and the waist Ph of the occupant P are pushed almost at the same time, and the occupant P can be quickly moved to the indoor side. Therefore, the effect of protecting the occupant P can be further enhanced.

(3) In the side airbag device 13, the swelling restricting structure and the gas guiding structure of the intermediate compartment 20 are formed by the seams 17 that join the base fabrics 16a and 16b of the airbag 16 by sewing. ing. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide dedicated parts for the regulation structure and the guiding structure,
It is possible to prevent the number of parts from increasing. Therefore, the structure is simplified and the airbag 16 can be manufactured at low cost.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on the points different from the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG.
And as shown in FIG. 6, a wide seam 17A between the base fabrics 16a and 16b in the substantially middle portion of the airbag 16 is formed.
Is provided by sewing and joining the base fabrics 16a and 16b, and the seam 17A allows the upper compartment 18 to be provided in the airbag 16.
And the lower compartment 19 are partitioned and formed. Further, the wide seam 17A constitutes a regulating means for regulating the bulging of the intermediate portion of the airbag 16 and a gas guiding means. Then, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 15a of the inflator 15 is introduced into the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 at substantially the same time.

As a result, when the airbag 16 is inflated and inflated, the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 are arranged corresponding to the shoulder Ps and the waist Ph of the occupant P, and the intermediate portions of the compartments 18 and 19 are arranged. The seam 17A is arranged corresponding to the rib cage Pc. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, since the thickness of both compartments 18 and 19 is larger than the thickness of the seam 17A, a space S is formed between the seam 17A and the thoracic region Pc of the occupant P. It Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the shoulder portion Ps and the waist portion Ph of the occupant P are
The parts are pushed almost at the same time, the occupant P is moved to the inside of the room, and the impact at the time of side collision can be mitigated while protecting the rib cage Pc.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described in (1) to (3) in the first embodiment. (4) In the side airbag device 13, the bulging restriction structure and the gas guiding structure of the intermediate portion are arranged at an intermediate position between the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 of the airbag 16 so that both base fabrics 16a, Only a wide seam 17A for sewing and joining 16b is provided.

Therefore, the production of the airbag 16 is facilitated and the production cost can be reduced. Further, when the airbag 16 is deployed and inflated, the wide seam 17A is extremely thin in the intermediate portion between the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 and is much thinner than the compartments 18 and 19 so that the occupant's rib cage is thickened. It corresponds to the section Pc. Therefore, the protective effect of the rib cage Pc can be further enhanced when the airbag 16 is deployed and inflated.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on parts different from the first embodiment.

Now, in this third embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
A seam 17 of books is provided at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction to form a base cloth 16a,
These two seams 1 are provided by stitching 16b
7, an upper compartment 18, a lower compartment 19 and an intermediate compartment 20 are formed in the airbag 16. The intermediate compartment 20 is formed between the two seams 17. In addition, in this third embodiment, two seams 17 are formed in a state in which the base fabrics 16a and 16b between them are vertically tensioned. This allows the airbag 1
At the time of expansion and expansion of No. 6, the thickness of the intermediate compartment 20 becomes thin, and the thickness of the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 becomes larger than the thickness of the intermediate compartment 20. A cover 24 is arranged on the peripheral side of the inflator 15.
4, an introduction chamber 25 is formed as a guiding means for introducing the gas jetted and supplied from the gas jet port 15a of the inflator 15.

A guide hole 26 as a guide means is provided in the cover 24 so as to correspond to each of the compartments 18, 19 and 20.
A, 26B, 26C are formed, and these guiding holes 26A
~ 26C from the introduction chamber 25 to each compartment 18,1
Gas is introduced into the inside of 9, 20. The total opening area of the guide holes 26A and 26B corresponding to the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 is formed to be larger than the total opening area of the guide holes 26C corresponding to the intermediate compartment 20. There is. As a result, the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 are simultaneously expanded and inflated, and the intermediate compartment 20 is expanded and inflated to be thinner than the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19.

Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the same effects as the effects (1) to (3) in the first embodiment can be obtained. (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on parts different from the first embodiment.

Now, in the fourth embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a seam 17 that constitutes a restricting means of the airbag 16 is formed in a side surface substantially in a G shape.
7, an upper compartment 18, a lower compartment 19 and an intermediate compartment 20 are formed in the airbag 16. The intermediate compartment 20 constituted by the seam 17 is regulated to be thinner than the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 in the expanded and expanded state. Further, the inflator 15 is formed with gas outlets 15a at upper and lower portions, and gas is ejected from these gas outlets 15a at the same time. Then, in the fourth embodiment, the seam 17 and the two gas jetting ports 15a are arranged to constitute a gas guiding means, whereby the upper compartment 18 is formed.
The intermediate compartment 20 is expanded after the lower compartment 19 and the lower compartment 19 are expanded at substantially the same time.

Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described in (1) to (3) in the first embodiment. (5) In the side airbag device 13, the gas guiding structure has an upper compartment 18 and a lower compartment 19.
The upper and lower gas ejection ports 15a are provided on the inflator 15 in correspondence with the above. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time difference between the expansion and development of the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on parts different from the first embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the opening 20a of the intermediate compartment 20 defined by the seam 17 constituting the restricting means faces the front of the vehicle on the opposite side of the inflator 15. The inflow guide portions 20b are formed on the upper and lower peripheral edges of the opening 20a. Furthermore, one of the base fabrics 1 of the intermediate compartment 20
A vent hole 22 that opens to the outside is formed in 6a or 16b. Due to the seam 17, the upper compartment 18 and the lower compartment 19 are expanded and deployed thicker than the intermediate compartment 20.

Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the following effects are exhibited in addition to the effects of the above-mentioned respective embodiments. (6) In the side airbag device 13, the gas from the inflator 15 flows around the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 and then flows into the intermediate compartment 20. For this reason,
After the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 expand and expand at substantially the same time, the intermediate compartment 20 expands and deploys with a slight delay, and the internal pressures of the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19 are made higher than the internal pressure of the intermediate compartment 20. be able to. Therefore, the rib cage P
c can be effectively protected.

(7) In the side airbag device 13, the inflow guide portion 20b of the intermediate compartment 20 makes the gas flow smoothly into the intermediate compartment 20 and the expansion and expansion of the intermediate compartment 20 is delayed too much. Can be prevented and the expansion and expansion can be performed at an appropriate timing.

(8) In the side airbag device 13, the gas in the intermediate compartment 20 is suitably discharged from the vent hole 22 and the internal pressure of the intermediate compartment 20 can be prevented from becoming unnecessarily high. It is effective in protecting the portion Pc.

(Sixth Embodiment) Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on parts different from the first embodiment.

In this sixth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the airbag 16 is formed in a substantially one-room state without partitioning the inside. The airbag 16 is inflated and inflated to form an upper deployment portion 27 corresponding to the shoulder Ps of the occupant P, a lower deployment portion 28 corresponding to the waist Ph, and an intermediate portion as an intermediate portion corresponding to the rib cage Pc. A developing unit 29 is provided.

A constricted portion 30 is formed at a side edge in the thickness direction of the intermediate deployment portion 29 of the airbag 16 so as to correspond to the thoracic portion Pc of the occupant P. The restriction means for restricting the bulging of the sheet is configured. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the width of the upper deployed portion 27 of the airbag 16 is formed to be wider than the width of the lower deployed portion 28 and the intermediate deployed portion 29. The constricted portion 30 can be realized, for example, by using a weft yarn having a poor stretchability as a portion of the weft yarn of the base fabric 16b on the occupant P side corresponding to the intermediate development portion 29. Therefore, in this case, the weft yarn having poor extensibility constitutes the regulating means.

As a result, when the airbag 16 is inflated and inflated, as shown in FIG. 11, the bulging of the intermediate inflatable portion 29 is restricted by the constricted portion 30, and the thickness of the upper inflatable portion 27 and the lower inflatable portion 28 is reduced. The thickness of the intermediate expansion portion 29 also increases.
At the same time, as shown in FIG. 10, the upper expanding portion 27 becomes wider than the lower expanding portion 28 and the intermediate expanding portion 29.
Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the passenger P
The shoulder Ps and the waist Ph of the passenger are pushed, and the occupant P
Is moved to the inside of the room, and the impact at the time of side collision is mitigated while protecting the rib cage Pc.

Therefore, according to the sixth embodiment, the following effect can be obtained in addition to the effect described in (1) in the first embodiment. (9) In the side airbag device 13, it is only necessary to form the constricted portion 30 on the side edge of the intermediate deployment portion 29 of the airbag 16. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated part as a bulging restriction structure of the intermediate expansion section 29, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts. Therefore, the structure is simplified and the airbag 16 can be manufactured at low cost.

(10) This side airbag device 13
In, the upper deployment portion 27 of the airbag 16 is formed to be wider than the lower deployment portion 28 and the intermediate deployment portion 29. Therefore, when the airbag 16 is inflated and inflated, the wide upper inflatable portion 27 effectively contacts the shoulder portion Ps of the occupant P, and the occupant P can be reliably moved to the indoor side.

(Seventh Embodiment) Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on the points different from the first embodiment.

In this seventh embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the airbag 16 is provided with an upper deploying portion 27, a lower deploying portion 28 and an intermediate deploying portion 29 similar to those in the sixth embodiment. Has been. A regulation cloth 31 made of a flame-retardant non-woven fabric or the like is sewn to the outer circumference or the inner circumference of the intermediate deployment portion 29 of the airbag 16.
A restriction means for restricting the expansion of the intermediate expansion portion 29 is configured.

As a result, when the airbag 16 is inflated and inflated, as shown in FIG. 13, the swelling of the intermediate inflating portion 29 is regulated by the regulating cloth 31, and the thickness of the upper inflating portion 27 and the lower inflating portion 28 is reduced. The thickness is larger than the thickness of the intermediate expansion portion 29.
Therefore, as in the case of the sixth embodiment, the occupant P is pushed to the inside of the room by pushing the shoulder Ps and the waist Ph, and the impact at the time of side collision is mitigated while protecting the rib cage Pc.

Therefore, also in the seventh embodiment, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effects as the effects of the sixth embodiment. (Modification) The present embodiment can be modified and embodied as follows.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the airbag 16, 16A, 16B is formed of, for example, a single woven fabric that is woven without being sewn to the pair of base fabrics 16a and 16b.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the airbag 16 may be formed by using other materials such as a non-woven fabric and a synthetic resin sheet in addition to the woven fabric. In the first and third to fifth embodiments, the internal pressure of the intermediate compartment 20 at the time of gas generation is lower than the internal pressure of the upper and lower compartments 18 and 19, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. To configure. For this purpose, for example, means such as reducing the cross-sectional area of the gas passage leading to the intermediate compartment 20 may be taken. Then, in this way, the external pressure on the thoracic region Pc of the occupant P can be reduced, and the occupant P
It is effective for protection of.

In the first and fourth embodiments, an inflow guide portion similar to that in the fifth embodiment is provided at the opening edge of the intermediate compartment 20. -In the said 1st-4th, 6th and 7th embodiment,
A vent hole similar to that of the fifth embodiment is provided in a portion corresponding to the intermediate compartment 20 or the intermediate expansion portion 29.

In the airbag 16 of the sixth and seventh embodiments, a plurality of seams 17B extending in the vertical direction are sewn between the base fabrics 16a and 16b as the restricting means, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. To form.

[0069]

As illustrated in the above embodiments, the present invention has an excellent effect that the occupant can be effectively protected even when the body side portion is largely deformed and enters the indoor side at the time of a side collision. Demonstrate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a side airbag device according to a first embodiment.

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

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing pressure changes during expansion and expansion of each compartment in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a side airbag device according to a second embodiment.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a side airbag device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a side airbag device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a side airbag device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a side airbag device according to a sixth embodiment.

11 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing a side airbag device according to a seventh embodiment.

13 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another structure of the airbag seam.

FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view showing still another structure of the airbag seam.

FIG. 16 is a side sectional view showing a conventional side airbag device.

FIG. 17 is a side sectional view showing another configuration of the conventional side airbag device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Front seat, 11b ... Backrest part, 12 ... Door which comprises the body side part of a vehicle, 13 ... Side airbag apparatus, 15 ... Inflator as a gas generation source,
15a ... Gas ejection port, 16 ... Air bag, 16a, 16
b ... Base cloth, 17, 17A, 17B ... Seams constituting the regulating means and the guiding means, 18 ... Upper compartment as upper deploying section, 19 ... Lower compartment as lower deploying section, 20 ... Intermediate as intermediate section Compartment room, 25 ... Introduction room, 26-26
C ... Guide hole forming guide means, 27 ... Upper deployment portion, 2
8 ... Lower development part, 29 ... Intermediate development part as an intermediate part,
30 ... Constriction part that constitutes the regulation means, 31 ... Regulation cloth that constitutes the regulation means, P ... Occupant, Ps ... Shoulder portion, Pc ... Thorax portion,
Ph ... waist.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takashi Koyama             Aichi Prefecture Kasuga-cho, Nishikasugai-gun Ochiai character Nagahata 1             Address: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3D054 AA02 AA03 AA07 AA21 CC04                       CC09 CC11 CC34 CC42 DD14                       DD28

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An airbag which is deployed between the body side portion of the vehicle and a seat arranged in the vehicle compartment when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion of the vehicle, and a gas generation which deploys and inflates the airbag. In the side airbag device including a source, the airbag includes an upper deployment portion corresponding to a shoulder portion of an occupant seated on the seat in a deployed and inflated state, a lower deployment portion corresponding to a waist portion of the occupant, and a chest of the occupant. And a middle part corresponding to the middle part, and restricts the bulge of the middle part so that the thickness of the upper and lower parts is larger than the thickness of the middle part when the airbag is expanded and inflated. A side airbag device characterized by being provided with. 2. The side airbag device according to claim 1, further comprising guide means for guiding the gas supplied from the gas generation source to the upper and lower expansion portions substantially at the same time. 3. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting means includes a seam that joins the base fabrics of the intermediate portion of the airbag. 4. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting means comprises a constricted portion formed on a side edge of an intermediate portion of the airbag. 5. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting means is composed of a restricting cloth provided around an intermediate portion of the airbag. 6. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guiding means is a seam that joins between base fabrics of the airbag. 7. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the upper deployment portion of the airbag is formed wider than the lower deployment portion and the intermediate portion. Side airbag device.