JP2005186824A - Airbag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a curtain airbag to cover a window part at the side of a car body and further cover a C pillar at the side of a rear seat. <P>SOLUTION: In the airbag 1, a first inflation part 51 and a second inflation part 52 are provided on a rear protective part 34, a non-inflation part 55 which does not introduce gas is located on a rear upper side. When gas is introduced into the first inflation part 51 and the second inflation part 52 to be inflated, the second inflation part 52 is moved to turn backwardly while the area of the non-inflation part 55 is reduced. The non-inflation part 55 is formed of two inner sewing lines 45 and 46 continuous to an outer peripheral sewing part 36. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag that is deployed along, for example, a side window of an automobile.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an airbag apparatus including an airbag that inflates and deploys by introducing gas, a so-called curtain airbag that is deployed along a side window of an automobile is known. Before the operation, the airbag is folded and stored along the roof side rail of the automobile, and when subjected to an impact from the side, gas is introduced into the airbag, and downward along the window. Inflated and deployed.

In such an airbag, the rear end portion of the airbag is folded back to cover the large area on the side, and in particular to cover the area of the C pillar, also called the rear pillar, to protect the rear seat occupant. A configuration in which the airbag is folded and inflated and deployed toward the rear side is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). That is, the portion of the C pillar is covered with an interior material called garnish or the like, and it is difficult to arrange the airbag so as to be inflated and deployed downward. While being inflated and deployed downward, the inflated and deployed part is further inflated and deployed rearward.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-270413 (page 2 FIG. 6 to FIG. 12)

  However, as described above, in the configuration in which the rear end portion of the airbag is folded back to the front side, the folding operation is complicated and it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost, and the folded shape of the airbag in the folded portion Has the problem of becoming larger.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the airbag which can be developed so that a desired area | region may be protected.

  The airbag according to claim 1 is an airbag that is folded and stored and inflated and deployed by introducing gas, and has an inflatable portion that is inflated when gas is introduced and a non-inflatable portion that is not introduced with gas. The non-inflatable portion is provided in communication with an outer peripheral edge of the deploying portion, and the inflatable portion includes a first inflatable portion on the upstream side and a second downstream side formed by the non-inflatable portion. An inflating part is provided, and when the gas is introduced, the non-inflating part is deformed so as to shrink, and the second inflating part moves downstream.

  In this configuration, when the gas is introduced into the expanding portion, the gas is introduced from the first inflating portion on the upstream side to the non-inflating portion and introduced into the second inflating portion on the downstream side. The inflating part and the second inflating part are inflated. As the first and second inflating parts expand, the non-inflating part communicating with the outer peripheral edge is deformed so as to contract and the second inflating part moves so as to protrude downstream to protect it. The area is enlarged and the desired area is protected.

  The airbag according to claim 2 is the airbag according to claim 1, wherein the deploying portion is formed by stacking two base fabric portions, and the non-inflatable portion is configured such that the inner surface side of the base fabric portion opens outward. It is comprised by the inner side sewing line to sew, and an expansion part is formed with the outer side sewing line which sews the outer edge part of the said base fabric part.

  And in this structure, protection of a desired area | region is implement | achieved by the simple structure which sews two base fabric parts, and manufacturing cost is reduced.

  The airbag according to claim 3 is the airbag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deploying portion is disposed on a side of the rear seat of the vehicle, and the non-inflatable portion is located on the rear side of the first inflating portion. Are arranged.

  In this configuration, the airbag can be deployed and used as a protection region in the rear side region of the rear seat of the vehicle where the airbag is present and the airbag is difficult to deploy directly. There is no need to fold the airbag back so that it protrudes into this area, making it easier to reduce the ventilation resistance of the airbag, simplifying the work process and reducing manufacturing costs, and reducing the size of the airbag. It can be folded and stored in a small size.

  According to the airbag of the present invention, by introducing gas into the deployment portion, the non-inflatable portion is deformed so as to contract, and the second inflatable portion is moved so as to protrude downstream, thereby expanding the protection region, A desired area can be protected.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an airbag according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an airbag. As shown in FIG. 2, an airbag device 2 including the airbag 1 is disposed on a roof side portion 5 of a vehicle body 3 of a vehicle as a vehicle. Has been. The airbag 1 is also called a curtain airbag, a side impact airbag, a side airbag, an inflatable curtain, or a head protection airbag. It is developed in a planar shape on the side of the occupant to protect the occupant as a protected object. In FIG. 2, the rear seat occupant is indicated by a dummy D. In addition, hereinafter, directions such as the front-rear direction will be described according to the direction of the vehicle in a straight traveling state, and in each figure, the left side of the figure is the front side.

  The vehicle body 3 includes a front seat and a rear seat on which passengers can sit in a passenger compartment, and windows corresponding to the front seat and the rear seat respectively constitute predetermined surfaces that can be opened at the upper side (side windows). ) A door 8 with 7 is provided. Further, on both sides of the passenger compartment, an A pillar 11 also called a front pillar, a B pillar 12 also called a center pillar, a C pillar 13 also called a rear pillar, and a D pillar 14 are provided in order from the front side. , 12, 13 and 14 are provided with roof side rails 15 which are vehicle body panels constituting the mounted portion. A ceiling panel (not shown) is supported via the roof side rail 15. Further, a pillar garnish is attached to the passenger compartment side of each pillar 11, 12, 13, and 14, and a soft or deformable ceiling plate is provided on the passenger compartment side of the portion from the ceiling panel to the roof side rail 15. A headlining is installed. Further, an elastically deformable packing body made of a soft resin or the like is attached to the lower end portion of the roof side rail 15. Each seat is provided with a seat belt, and the center pillar is provided with a support portion for supporting these seat belts.

  The airbag device 2 is a so-called airbag for front and rear seats that can protect passengers in the front and rear seats, and is stored in an elongated state in a roof side portion 5 surrounded by a roof side rail 15 and a head lining. The airbag 1, an inflator that is stored above the rear seat and supplies gas to the airbag 1, a sleeve that is a cylindrical covering member that covers the folded airbag 1 and holds the shape, and the airbag 1. And a bracket for attaching to the roof side rail 15.

  The airbag 1 is formed by combining one or a plurality of base fabrics, and has an airbag main body portion 21 formed in a flat bag shape, and an attachment portion extending from a plurality of locations of the airbag main body portion 21. And a tension strap 23 connected to the front end of the airbag main body 21. The airbag main body portion 21 is a joint portion by overlapping an outer base fabric portion 24 as a base fabric portion disposed on the outside and an inner base fabric portion 25 as a base fabric portion disposed on the passenger compartment side. A bag-like bulge 27 that is inflated and deployed by inflow of gas, and a bulge 27 that is located at the upper rear end of the airbag body 21 and communicates with the outside. And a non-bulged portion 29 that does not allow gas to flow in and expand. In the present embodiment, the outer base fabric portion 24 and the inner base fabric portion 25 are integrally formed by folding a main panel, which is a single base fabric, at a fold line 30. Therefore, the non-bulged portion 29 located on the lower side of the center is provided by forming a hole 25a in the inner base fabric portion 25.

  Further, the bulging portion 27 is basically an air chamber that is a hollow portion, and a communication portion 32 that is located at an upper portion of a central portion in the longitudinal direction that is the front-rear direction of the airbag main body portion 21, and the communication portion 32. A front seat protection part (front seat protection area) 33 as a first bulge part communicating with the front side of the vehicle, and a rear seat as a development part as a second bulge part communicating with the rear side of the communication part 32 And a protection part (rear seat protection area) 34.

  In addition, the sewing part 26 includes an outer peripheral sewing part 36 that is an outer peripheral connection part that sews the outer periphery of the bulging part 27, and a restriction part 37 that restricts the width dimension when the protective parts 33 and 34 are deployed. . The restricting portion 37 is located at one or a plurality of locations of the bulging portion 27 and is formed integrally with or separately from the outer peripheral sewing portion 36. In other words, in the front seat protection section 33, the restricting sections 37 are each linear and are formed in parallel to each other along the gas flow direction. On the other hand, in the rear seat protection part 34, the restricting part 37 is composed of a first restricting part 41 and a second restricting part 42, and the first restricting part 41 has a gas flow direction (shown in FIG. 1). The second restricting portion 42 is formed along a main sewing line 44 formed substantially linearly along the gas flow direction (arrow G direction shown in FIG. 1). In addition, inner sewing lines 45 and 46 are provided which are connected to the upstream end of the main sewing line 44 and the outer peripheral sewing part 36 in the gas flow direction. The inner sewing line 45 positioned on the upper side smoothly continues to the outer periphery sewing portion 36 on the gas introduction port 28 side, and the inner sewing line 46 positioned on the lower side stitches the lower side of the rear seat protection portion 34. The inner sewing lines 45 and 46 are formed so as to extend smoothly from the base end portion of the main sewing line 44, which is smoothly continuous with the outer peripheral sewing part 36.

  In this way, the rear seat protection part 34 has a first inflating part 51 extending vertically along both sides of the first restricting part 41 and a lower end part downstream of the first inflating part 51. A second inflatable portion 52 that continuously extends rearward and further upward is formed, and the first inflatable portion 51 and the second inflatable portion 52 constitute an inflatable portion. Further, the rear seat protecting portion 34 is formed with a non-inflatable portion 55 that is located above the second inflatable portion 52 and surrounded by the inner sewing lines 45 and 46. The rear end portion of the non-inflatable portion 55 communicates with the outside from one side edge of the rear seat protecting portion 34, that is, the rear end edge, and a cell pattern is formed in which gas is not introduced into the non-inflatable portion 55. .

  In the present embodiment, an annular protective portion 37a is formed at the terminal portion of each restricting portion 37.

  Furthermore, between the outer base fabric portion 24 and the inner base fabric portion 25, as necessary, as a means for guiding the gas or regulating the width dimension of the bulging portion 27 during deployment, an inner pipe, A front partition body or a rear partition body is attached by sewing or the like.

  A plurality of attachment pieces 22 are formed at predetermined intervals on the upper edge of the airbag main body 21, and each is attached with a metal bracket. For example, each attachment piece 22 is formed integrally with a base fabric constituting the airbag main body 21, and is formed by overlapping and sewing an outer base fabric portion 24 and an inner base fabric portion 25.

  The airbag apparatus 2 is a slit in which the airbag main body portion 21 is folded into a predetermined elongated shape and inserted into a sleeve from the expanded state as shown in FIG. Pull out from the outside. The airbag body 21 can be folded in various ways. For example, the lower side part is folded in a roll shape to form an integrated part, and the upper part is formed from both sides. It can be folded as a parasol-shaped guide for wrapping. Next, a bracket is attached to each attachment piece 22, and each attachment piece 22 is fixed to the roof side rail 15 together with this bracket with a bolt. Further, the tension strap 23 led out from the front end side of the sleeve is fixed at a predetermined position on the front end side of the roof side rail 15.

  On the other hand, the inflator is held by a retainer and a pipe. Further, these retainers are fixedly attached to the roof side rail 15 with fastening parts, and the gas injection port is connected to the gas introduction port 28, and a harness is used. It is electrically connected to a control device (not shown).

  And the airbag apparatus 2 attached in this way is covered with a headlining, and the airbag apparatus 2 is attached to the roof side portion 5.

  In the airbag device 2, the inflator is operated by the control device in the case of a side collision that receives an impact from the side of the vehicle body 3, and the gas injected from the inflator is sent from the gas inlet 28 to the airbag. 1, the bulging portion 27 is inflated while breaking the sleeve, and the head lining is deformed to quickly protrude downward from the roof side portion 5, and the airbag 1 is inflated and deployed downward along the window portion 7. That is, the front and rear window portions 7 are covered in a curtain shape, and are deployed so as to protect the heads and chests of the passengers in the front seat and the rear seat.

  At this time, in the front seat protection part 33, the gas that has passed through the communication part 32 is guided to the end part by the restriction part 37, so that rapid deployment is achieved. The front seat protection portion 33 is inflated and deployed from the rear side portion of the front window portion 7 to a position covering the B pillar 12 in correspondence with the position of the head of the passenger in the front seat.

  On the other hand, in the rear seat protection part 34, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the gas introduced from the gas introduction port 28 is guided to the first restriction part 41 and along the first restriction part 41. The first inflating part 51 is inflated and deployed, and further wraps around from the lower side to the rear side to inflate and deploy the second inflating part 52. Here, when these inflatable parts 51 and 52 are filled with gas and pressure is applied in both directions, that is, the direction in which the base cloth parts 24 and 25 are separated from each other, the area seen from the surface direction of the base cloth parts 24 and 25, That is, a force is applied in a direction in which the area viewed from the side is reduced. In this state, as shown in FIG. 1B, the non-expanded portion 55 to which no pressure is applied is deformed so that the area is reduced at a larger rate than the portion to which pressure is applied. The height dimension of the portion decreases from L1 to L2. Then, since the lower part of the rear seat protection part 34 is pivotable back and forth without being connected to other members, the second inflating part 52 enters the part of the non-inflating part 55, The cell shape is deformed and rotated so as to warp the rear side, that is, in the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1, and the rear side portion of the second inflating portion 52 protrudes rearward by about 50 mm, for example. In this way, the rear seat protection part 34 is inflated and deployed from the rear side part of the rear window part 7 to the position covering the C pillar 13 corresponding to the position of the head of the passenger in the rear seat.

  As described above, since the non-inflatable portion 55 is set at a predetermined position of the cell pattern of the rear seat protecting portion 34 of the bulging portion 27 for the curtain airbag that is inflated and deployed in a planar shape, 55 contracts at a large rate, and the rear seat protection part 34 can be moved to a desired position.

  And according to this embodiment, since the non-inflatable part 55 is set on the rear upper side of the rear seat protection part 34, the rear seat protection part 34 is moved to a position covering the C pillar 13, so that an effective protection area is expanded. Thus, the occupant protection performance in the area of the C pillar 13 can be easily improved.

  That is, it is difficult to fold the C pillar 13 so that the garnish having a relatively large area is attached to the top and bottom and front and rear, and the airbag 1 is deployed directly downward, compared to other pillars. According to the embodiment, since the airbag 1 is inflated and deployed so as to rotate backward from below, a desired region covering the C pillar 13 can be easily covered with the airbag 1. Compared to the configuration in which the airbag folded back is expanded and deployed rearward, the folding work can be facilitated, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, the folding shape can be reduced, the weight can be reduced, and the ventilation resistance can be reduced. The air bag 1 can be made small, and quick inflation and deployment of the airbag 1 can be easily realized.

  Further, the non-expandable portion 55 can be easily formed by the two inner sewing lines 45 and 46 that are continuous to the outer peripheral sewing portion 36, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the airbag 1 has the front seat protection part 33 and the rear seat protection part 34 connected by the communication part 32 and the gas inlet 28 provided at the rear end. The present invention is not limited to this, and can take various forms. For example, a gas introduction port 28 that is located at the upper center of the airbag main body 21 and that communicates the bulging portion 27 with the outside can also be provided.

  Moreover, the airbag 1 is applicable about the structure expand | deployed planarly along a predetermined surface.

  The present invention is not limited to a configuration in which the vehicle is deployed from the upper side to the lower side and covers the side window portion of the automobile, and an airbag for an appropriate airbag device that needs to be inflated and deployed in a planar shape along a predetermined surface. Applicable to.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of an airbag according to the present invention, where (a) is before inflation and deployment, and (b) is after inflation and deployment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which attached the airbag apparatus provided with the airbag same as the above to the vehicle body. It is a top view which shows the state which expanded the airbag same as the above on the plane.

Explanation of symbols

1 Airbag
24 Outer base fabric as base fabric
25 Inner base fabric as base fabric
34 Rear seat protection section
45, 46 Inside sewing line
51 First inflatable part
52 Second expansion part
55 Non-expandable part

Claims (3)

An airbag that is folded and stored and inflated and deployed by introducing gas,
Comprising an inflating part that expands when gas is introduced and a non-inflating part that does not introduce gas;
The non-inflatable part is provided in communication with the outer peripheral edge of the development part,
The inflatable portion is provided with an upstream first inflatable portion and a downstream second inflatable portion formed by the non-inflatable portion,
The airbag is characterized in that when the gas is introduced, the non-inflatable portion is deformed so as to contract, and the second inflatable portion moves downstream. The unfolded part is a stack of two base fabric parts,
The non-inflatable part is composed of an inner sewing line that is sewn so that the inner surface side of the base cloth part opens to the outside,
The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable portion is formed by an outer sewing line that sews an outer edge portion of the base fabric portion. The airbag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deploying portion is disposed on a side of a rear seat of the vehicle, and the non-inflatable portion is disposed on the rear side of the first inflating portion.

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