JP2005239038A - Air bag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag capable of being compactly stored at a predetermined position of a vehicle body without being bulky and preventing a part of the body of an occupant from being moved to the outside of the vehicle when an upper half body of the occupant is shock-absorbed and supported to relax impact force applied to the human body. <P>SOLUTION: In the air bag (10), inflation parts (13, 14) inflatable/deployable to one area of a lower end of a gas introduction passage (12) forming a lengthy cylindrical shape and extending along an upper part near a window of the vehicle body; a lengthy cylindrical air chamber (20) extending in a longitudinal direction of the gas introduction passage (12) at lower ends of the inflation parts (13, 14); and extension parts (23, 23) abutting on a part of the vehicle body at the inner side of a cabin at the inflation/deployment state at each of front and rear end of the cylindrical air chamber (20) are formed so as to be communicated with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag that can inflate and deploy in the form of a curtain when a vehicle is subjected to a side collision or a roll-over impact caused by a large impact force that is greater than or equal to a predetermined level, and can stably cushion and support the upper body of an occupant. In particular, the present invention relates to an airbag that can prevent a part of the occupant's body from moving toward the outside of the vehicle when cushioning and supporting the upper body of the occupant to reduce the impact force applied to the human body.

  In recent years, various airbag devices have been widely used to ensure the safety of passengers. For example, in an automobile, it is becoming common to install an airbag device not only on the center of the steering wheel in front of the driver but also on the side of the driver's seat, in the vicinity of the passenger seat and the rear seat as standard equipment. Yes, the number of airbag installation sites has also increased significantly.

  As this type of airbag device, for example, an airbag is proposed in which an airbag is folded and accommodated so as to be inflatable and deployable across a vehicle side pillar and a roof side rail (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  In the airbag 100 of the airbag apparatus described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the front seat and the rear seat communicated with a partial region of the cylindrical gas introduction passage 101 that is long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The inflating parts 102 and 103 are extended corresponding to the head protection area 104. The inflating parts 102 and 103 are connected via a non-inflating part 105. The upper end portion of the airbag 100 is attached from the roof side rail along the quarter pillar. A front end portion of the front seat inflating portion 102 is connected to a lower portion of the front pillar via a tension cloth 106. An inflator disposed on the vehicle body is connected to the rear end portion of the gas introduction passage 101.

  Further, a plurality of pick-up portions 108 are extended to the respective inflating portions 102 and 103 so as to correspond to the outside part discharge prevention area 107 set between the lower end portion of the head protection area 104 and the door belt line. ing. Each pick-up part 108 is formed by joining the inner and outer bag base fabrics upward and downward from the lower end of the airbag 100 by bag weaving or sewing. Due to the presence of these pick-up parts 108, it becomes possible to give a balanced tension to the entire airbag 100 when it receives an impact caused by the rollover of the vehicle, and a part of the occupant's body is directed outwardly from the vehicle. The amount of movement can be suppressed.

When the conventional airbag 100 is housed, it is housed along the roof side rail and the quarter pillar in a state of being folded up and down in the vertical direction and is elastically deformable and covers the roof side rail. Covered by an elastically deformable quarter pillar garnish covering the headlining and quarter pillar. The tension cloth 106 is stored along the front pillar in a tightly folded state, and is covered by the lower edge of the elastically deformable front pillar garnish that covers the front pillar.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-321583

  By the way, the airbag 100 described in the above-mentioned patent document 1 joins the inner and outer bag base fabrics to each other by bag weaving or sewing upward from the lower ends of the front seat inflatable portion 102 and the rear seat inflatable portion 103. Thus, it is necessary to form a plurality of pick-up portions 108 that suppress the amount of movement of a part of the occupant's body in the vehicle exterior direction. For this reason, the sewing of the airbag 100 is complicated, and there are problems that complicated sewing processes increase and the sewing work cannot be performed smoothly, not only the work efficiency is lowered, but also the manufacturing cost is increased.

  In the conventional airbag 100, as described above, the inner and outer bag base fabrics at the lower end of the airbag 100 that is long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are joined to each other by bag weaving or sewing. For this reason, when the airbag is accommodated, the airbag 100 is evacuated and flattened, and then folded in a state of being closely overlapped and compressed in the vertical direction, and the folded airbag 100 is accommodated in the roof head lining. When trying to do so, there is a problem that the airbag 100 becomes bulky and cannot be accommodated.

  In order to cope with such a state, if an air bag accommodating space for the roof head lining is to be secured on the vehicle interior side, the roof head lining bulges toward the limited side space of the occupant. For this reason, the side space of the occupant is further narrowed, and there is a problem that the comfort in the passenger compartment is impaired.

  In general, it is desirable that the front seat inflating portion of the airbag be deployed over a wide range of the inner surface of the side door glass on the side of the passenger compartment. However, there is a limit to the storage capacity of the joint portion between the front pillar garnish disposed by bending the front seat inflating portion of the airbag obliquely downward from the front edge of the vehicle body direction.

  For this reason, if it is going to store the end part of the inflatable part for the front seat of the airbag across the joint part, the end part of the inflatable part for the front seat of the airbag will be bulky and may not be stored. Or, the complicated work process increases, the attachment work cannot be performed smoothly, and not only the work efficiency is lowered, but also the work cost is increased. In addition, the gas pressure introduced into the airbag is temporarily stopped at the joining portion, and the inflation on the front pillar garnish side tends to be delayed, and the inflation and deployment of the airbag may become unbalanced.

  As described above, the airbag 100 described in Patent Document 1 includes the tension cloth 106 that connects the front end portion of the front seat inflating portion 102 and the lower portion of the front pillar. For this reason, when the airbag 100 in a state in which the airbag 100 is alternately overlapped and compressed in the vertical direction and is compressed in the roof head lining when the airbag is accommodated, the end portion of the folded airbag 100 is attached to the front pillar. The tension cloth 106 that rotates about the lower part is drawn to the front pillar side, and the joint part between the front pillar and the roof side rail is exceeded.

  As a result, the end portion of the folded airbag 100 is accommodated across the front pillar. However, as described above, the storage capacity of the joint portion between the front pillar garnish and the roof head lining is not sufficient. There is a limit. For this reason, the end part of the airbag 100 in the folded state becomes bulky, and there is no change in the point that the entire airbag 100 in the folded state cannot be accommodated.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, and a specific object of the present invention is to accommodate the upper body of the occupant with a cushion while being compactly accommodated in a predetermined position of the vehicle body without being bulky. An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag capable of preventing a part of a passenger's body from moving outward from the vehicle when the impact force applied to the human body is reduced.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an airbag that is attached along the vicinity of a window of a vehicle body in a folded state when not inflated, and that inflates and deploys so as to cover the window when inflated. An inflatable portion that inflates and expands so as to cover the window surface, and an extending portion that abuts on a part near the vehicle body window in the inflated and deployed state communicates with a part of the outer peripheral edge of the inflatable portion. The airbag is characterized by being formed.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the airbag further comprises a gas introduction passage extending along the vicinity of the window, and a partial region of the gas introduction passage. Further, the inflating part is formed in communication with each other.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inflating portion has a cylindrical air chamber extending in a direction along the window surface in a direction intersecting with the expansion and deployment direction. In addition to being formed in communication, the extended portion is formed in communication with a part of the outer peripheral edge of the cylindrical air chamber, and further partitions the cylindrical air chamber from the expansion portion. A partition wall is formed, and a communication port for communicating the cylindrical air chamber and the expansion portion is formed in the partition wall.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the inflatable part is a non-inflatable part between a partial region of the gas introduction passage and a partial region of the cylindrical air chamber. It is characterized in that it is divided into an inflatable part for the front seat and an inflatable part for the rear seat on the front and rear sides.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4, wherein the non-expandable portion and the cylindrical air chamber are continuously moved forward and backward from the vicinity of the lower end portion of the gas introduction passage to the cylindrical air chamber. It is characterized in that a slit-shaped notch section is formed.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inflating portions are two or more expansion chambers in which opposing inner surfaces are locally coupled at one or more locations. It is characterized by having.

  The airbag of the present invention has the same configuration as a conventional airbag in that it includes an inflatable portion that can be expanded and deployed along the vicinity of the window surface of the vehicle body. However, the airbag according to the present invention is mainly formed by communicating an extended portion that contacts a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle interior side in an inflated and deployed state with a part of the outer peripheral edge of the inflatable part. It has a feature.

  The airbag of the present invention can be used, for example, for impact caused by side collision, frontal collision, rollover, and the like. Therefore, it can be effectively used as an airbag that inflates and deploys along all window surfaces on the vehicle interior side inner surface such as a vehicle windshield, rear glass, side door glass, and sunroof.

  When the vehicle receives an impact due to a large side collision or rollover exceeding a predetermined amount, a large amount of high-pressure gas generated from an inflator connected to one end of the inflating portion instantly enters the inflating portion by detecting the impact Then, the high-pressure gas that has entered the inflating portion can be suddenly released toward the extending portion. As a result, during the deployment process from the impact of the vehicle to the impact of the occupant, a strong inflation pressure is applied to the extended portion. Since the force acts locally on the extension part, the airbag corresponding to the extension part can be actively inflated with an internal pressure larger than that of the expansion part.

  Accordingly, when the upper body of the occupant is buffered and supported, the airbag corresponding to the extended portion is brought into contact with a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle interior side with appropriate rigidity and tension, so that the airbag is firmly Can be supported. In this way, when the upper body of the occupant is buffered and supported, the force to push the airbag out of the vehicle prevents the airbag from being moved outward, and the occupant's body part Release in the direction can be prevented. In addition, the form, size, number of installation, installation site, installation interval, etc. of the extension part are not particularly limited, and for example, depending on the size and length of the window part or the size and length of the airbag. Can be set appropriately.

  In the present invention, the airbag can be effectively used as an airbag that expands and deploys in one of the expansion and deployment directions such as the vehicle body upward direction and the vehicle body downward direction. For this reason, the airbag which can be inflated and deployed along the window surface from the vicinity of the window on the vehicle interior side can be accommodated in any part near the window on the vehicle interior side. As an airbag accommodation position, it can attach to the predetermined position of the vehicle interior side distribute | arranged to the side vicinity of a front seat, a back seat, the front part vicinity of a front seat, the rear part vicinity of a back seat, etc., for example.

  In the airbag of the present invention, similarly to the conventional airbag, the airbag includes a gas introduction passage extending along the vicinity of the window, and an inflating portion formed to communicate with a partial region of the gas introduction passage. Can do. Furthermore, the airbag of the present invention can be formed by communicating with the inflatable portion a cylindrical air chamber that extends in a direction that intersects with the expansion and deployment direction and along the window surface. The extending portion can be formed in communication with the outer peripheral edge of the air chamber. In addition to the configuration of the inflating portion, the tubular air chamber and the inflating portion are further partitioned by a partition, thereby forming a communication port for communicating the tubular air chamber and the inflating portion in the partition. can do.

  By providing the configuration of the inflating portion, the high-pressure gas introduced from the gas introduction passage at the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag is uniformly introduced into the cylindrical air chamber formed in communication with the inflating portion. Thus, the internal pressure of the cylindrical air chamber can be made larger than the internal pressure of the inflatable portion only at a predetermined moment in the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag.

  Thus, in the initial operation of the airbag inflation and deployment, the airbag can be firmly supported by bringing the extending portion of the cylindrical air chamber into contact with a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle interior side. , Moderate hardness and tension that can prevent a part of the occupant's body from being released to the outside of the vehicle, and maintaining an optimal cushioning property to alleviate the impact received by the occupant in the cylindrical air chamber Can do. In addition, the cylindrical air chamber can be formed in communication with the inflatable portion by simple sewing or the like, and it is possible to prevent the working efficiency from being lowered and the manufacturing cost from being raised. Here, examples of the part of the vehicle body include a front pillar portion, a quarter pillar portion, a center pillar portion, and a sunroof window frame.

  Now, when the vehicle receives an impact due to a large side collision or rollover exceeding a predetermined level, a large amount of high-pressure gas generated from an inflator connected to one end of the gas introduction passage is detected by detecting the impact. It penetrates in the length direction of the airbag through the passage. When the high-pressure gas is introduced into the gas introduction passage, the inflatable portion extending in the direction intersecting the gas flow direction can be instantaneously expanded and deployed, and the high-pressure gas that has entered the inflatable portion can be expanded. It can be rapidly discharged into the cylindrical air chamber. Thereby, a strong inflation pressure is applied to the entire length of the airbag corresponding to the cylindrical air chamber.

  In the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, the high-pressure gas that has entered from the gas introduction passage is uniformly introduced into the cylindrical air chamber so that the high-pressure gas is instantaneously directed toward the length of the cylindrical air chamber. Go around. When the high-pressure gas enters the cylindrical air chamber, the extending portion that extends to the cylindrical air chamber with an internal pressure larger than that of the expansion portion can be positively expanded and deployed. During the deployment process from the impact of the vehicle to the time of the occupant's impact, the entire length of the airbag corresponding to the cylindrical air chamber is placed at a predetermined position with appropriate rigidity and cushioning properties to alleviate the impact received by the occupant. It can be held securely.

  When cushioning and supporting the impact received by the occupant by the airbag, if the force to push the occupant out of the vehicle acts on the airbag, the extending portion of the cylindrical air chamber is shaped like a rod having high rigidity. The airbag can be reliably supported by being brought into contact with a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle interior side in a state in which the air bag is tensioned. As a result, as described above, the force to push the airbag out of the vehicle prevents the airbag from moving in the direction of the vehicle, and a part of the passenger's body is released to the direction of the vehicle. Can be prevented. In this way, the impact force applied to the human body by buffering and supporting the upper body of the occupant can be greatly reduced.

  In the airbag of the present invention, between the partial region of the gas introduction passage and the partial region of the cylindrical air chamber, either the inflating portion for the front seat or the rear seat is provided. However, by dividing the front seat inflatable portion and the rear seat inflatable portion before and after the non-inflatable portion, the side space of the passenger seated in the front seat and the rear seat seated Can be arranged. By arranging a pair of front and rear inflating portions sandwiching a non-inflating portion at a predetermined position along the upper portion in the vicinity of the vehicle body window, the airbag over a wide range in the left-right direction and the up-down direction in the space between the window and the occupant The bulging surface can be sufficiently obtained. For this reason, the safety | security of the passenger | crew seated in a front seat and a passenger | crew seated in a backseat can fully be ensured now.

  In the airbag according to the present invention, the non-inflated portion and the slit-shaped notch portion that divides the cylindrical air chamber forward and backward may be formed continuously from the vicinity of the lower end portion of the gas introduction passage to the cylindrical air chamber. it can. With this configuration, the high-pressure gas introduced from the common gas introduction passage can be uniformly introduced into each of the pair of front and rear cylindrical air chambers. By the presence of this notch, in the initial operation of the airbag inflating and deploying, without being interfered with the seat belt adjuster attached to the interior side of the portion corresponding to the non-inflating portion or the seat belt attached to the occupant, The extending portions extending to the front and rear end portions of the pair of front and rear cylindrical air chambers can be independently brought into contact with a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle interior side. Can be supported separately and firmly separately. In addition, the airbag can be inflated and deployed in a form in which the seat belt mounted on the occupant is sandwiched by the slit-shaped notch.

  By locally connecting the inner surfaces of the woven fabric of the airbag, when the airbag is inflated, it spreads with a wide inflated surface substantially parallel to the occupant and can secure the tension of the airbag. The inflatable part can be reliably deployed. For this reason, the high-pressure gas introduced from the gas introduction passage can be uniformly introduced into the cylindrical air chamber disposed in the expansion portion without being interfered by the vehicle body, and the window surface and The airbag can be smoothly and reliably deployed in a narrow space between the passenger and the passenger.

  Furthermore, in this invention, the said expansion part can be separately arrange | positioned to a some expansion chamber by couple | bonding the inner surfaces of the woven fabric of the said airbag locally in one or more places. The high-pressure gas introduced from the gas introduction passage is introduced into each of the expansion chambers, but when the airbag is inflated, the airbag is not increased when the airbag is inflated. The amount of gas required to inflate and deploy can be reduced, and the cylindrical air chamber can be expanded and deployed smoothly and quickly by shortening the time from the start to the end of expansion.

  In the present invention, as described above, at the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag, moderate tension and hardness can be given to a part of the airbag by the high-pressure gas. For this reason, the airbag is inflated at a predetermined position in the space portion between the window surface and the occupant without actively using a tensioning means such as a regulation string for holding the airbag at a predetermined position as in the prior art. Can be issued. In addition, the deployment behavior of the airbag can be stabilized, and an ideal deployment balance of the airbag can be obtained satisfactorily.

  On the other hand, when the airbag is accommodated, for example, it is not necessary to draw the airbag toward the front pillar by the tension means and accommodate the end of the airbag across the front pillar. For this reason, for example, the joint portion between the front pillar and the roof side rail can be removed and accommodated in the roof head lining in the vehicle compartment in a compact folded form without being bulky. As a result, the folding waveform and the folding height are made constant and can be easily attached to a predetermined position along the upper part in the vicinity of the vehicle body window.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing an example of a deployed state at the time of maximum inflation of an airbag according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a deployed state at the time of maximum inflation of the airbag. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram viewed from a portion corresponding to the section taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2.

  The airbag 10 of the present invention will be described by taking the airbag 10 for side collision disposed in the roof side rail portion R on the vehicle interior side as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. . The present invention, for example, as an airbag 10 used for impact caused by a frontal collision, a rearal collision, or a rollover, is along any window surface on the vehicle interior side such as a vehicle windshield, rear glass, side door glass, and sunroof. Thus, the airbag 10 can be effectively used.

  In the present invention, the airbag 10 can be effectively used as an airbag 10 that expands and deploys in one of the expansion and deployment directions such as the vehicle body upward direction, the vehicle body downward direction, the vehicle body forward direction, and the vehicle body rearward direction. it can. The storage position of the airbag 10 of the present invention is not limited to the roof side rail portion R on the vehicle interior side according to the illustrated example, but the airbag 10 can be inflated and deployed along the window surface from the vicinity of the window on the vehicle interior side. It can be accommodated in any part of the vehicle interior side near the window.

  As the airbag housing position, depending on the extending and deploying direction of the airbag 10, for example, an instrument panel disposed at the front portion of the front seat, a roof head lining region such as a roof head lining disposed above the front portion, and the rear It can be attached to a rear glass vicinity part such as a rear language arranged at the rear part of the seat or a roof head lining arranged above the rear part, a door frame or a door panel arranged near the side of the front seat or the rear seat.

  In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 schematically represents an airbag that is formed in a bag shape in which two independent base fabrics are opposed to each other and the outer peripheral edge portions thereof are fixed to each other by sewing or the like and formed in a bag shape. Show. An airbag 10 according to the illustrated example includes a long cylindrical gas introduction passage 12 having a gas introduction port 11 connected to an inflator (not shown) that generates inflation gas, and a first extending and deploying to the side of the front seat. A second inflating portion 14 extending and expanding to the side of the inflating portion 13 and the rear seat, and a plurality of mounting pieces 15 for mounting the vehicle body provided at the upper edge of the gas introduction passage 12. I have. Further, in the airbag 10 according to the illustrated example, an elongated cylindrical air chamber 20 having an extending portion 23 which is a main characteristic portion of the present invention extending in the longitudinal direction of the gas introduction passage 12 is provided for each of the inflating portions 13 and 14. It is formed in communication with the lower end.

  The airbag 10 has a base fabric on the passenger-facing side and a base fabric on the window-facing side. These base fabrics are composed of, for example, a woven fabric of nylon 66 yarn of 315 denier, and a resin such as rubber or silicone resin is applied to the surface. The intermediate portion of the base fabric on the passenger facing side of the airbag 10 is cut into a substantially rectangular shape, and the outer peripheral edge of the base fabric on the passenger facing side and the base fabric on the window facing side is sewn and integrated into a bag shape. Has been. An intermediate portion of the base fabric on the passenger-facing side and the base fabric on the window-facing side is composed of a single flat-plate-shaped cloth material on the window-facing side.

  The inflatable portions 13 and 14 of the airbag 10 communicate with a partial region of the gas introduction passage 12 and extend downward from the lower end edge of the gas introduction passage 12. As shown in FIG. 2, a space between the inflatable portions 13 and 14 is a non-inflatable portion 16 woven in a flat plate shape at a portion corresponding to the center pillar portion PC.

  The inner surfaces of the inflatable portions 13 and 14 are partially fixed to each other by sewing or the like, and the inflatable portions 13 and 14 are conveniently provided with five inflating chambers 17 so as to form a plurality of vertically elongated cylinders when the airbag is inflated. ,..., 17. In the illustrated example, the four connecting portions 18,..., 18 which are non-inflatable portions secure a portion of the inner surfaces of the inflatable portions 13, 14 in a line shape so as to secure the tension of the airbag 10. Is formed. For this reason, the expansion chambers 17 communicate with each other via the gas introduction passage 12 and the communication passage 19.

  By providing the above configuration, the expansion chambers 17 can have sufficient air permeability. As a result, when an external pressure is applied to the airbag 10 after inflating and deploying, it is possible to alleviate the impact received by the occupant without actively forming a vent hole for venting the high-pressure gas in the airbag 10. Proper cushioning can be obtained.

  The terminal portion of the connecting portion 18 is formed in a closed loop shape that surrounds in a circular shape, and ensures the bonding strength between the base fabrics of the airbag 10. These stitch lines are in contact with each other or double stitched. The coupling portion 18 has a function of regulating the thickness of the inflating portions 13 and 14. The presence of the connecting portion 18 makes it possible to reduce the amount of gas required to inflate and deploy the entire airbag 10 without increasing the bag volume when the airbag is inflated, and start the inflation of the airbag 10. The time from completion to completion can be shortened. In addition, as the said coupling | bond part 18, a part of inner surface of the structure base fabric in each expansion chamber 17 can be fixedly integrated by sewing, adhesion | attachment, etc. in the shape of a line densely.

  Further, by locally joining the inner surfaces of the base fabric of the airbag 10, tension can be secured to the airbag 10 at the time of inflation, and it has a wide inflation surface that is substantially parallel to the occupant. Each expansion chamber 17 can be reliably expanded downward. For this reason, the airbag 10 can be smoothly and reliably deployed in a narrow space between the window and the occupant without being interfered by the vehicle body. It is possible to effectively obtain an inflating / deploying speed and an inflating / deploying form that are ideal for alleviating the impact received by the passenger. Note that the arrangement position, the number of installed portions, the configuration, the size, and the like of the coupling portion 18 can be appropriately set according to the configuration, the size, and the like of the airbag 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the extending portion 23 of the cylindrical air chamber 20 constituting the main feature of the present invention is a part of the front pillar portion PF on the vehicle interior side at the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag. It has moderate tension, hardness, and cushioning properties that can abut a part of the quarter pillar portion (rear pillar portion) PR and support the lower end portion of the airbag 10 at both ends.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cylindrical air chamber 20 extends over the longitudinal direction of the airbag 10. The cylindrical air chamber 20 is formed in a bag shape by fixing the inner surfaces of the constituent base fabrics together by sewing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a part of the upper end of the cylindrical air chamber 20 is squeezed and communicates with each expansion chamber 17 except for the non-expandable portion 16. The bag thickness W of the cylindrical air chamber 20 is set to a thickness dimension substantially the same as the bag thickness W of the expansion chamber 17 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the boundary between the cylindrical air chamber 20 and each expansion chamber 17 is composed of a sewn portion and a non-sewn portion, and the sewn portion is formed as a partition wall 21. It is divided into top and bottom. One non-sewn portion can be formed as a communication port 22 that connects the cylindrical air chamber 20 and each expansion chamber 17. As shown in FIG. 2, the front and rear end portions of the cylindrical air chamber 20 are extended so as to come into contact with a part of the front pillar portion PF on the vehicle interior side and a portion of the quarter pillar portion PR in the inflated and deployed state. The extending portions 23 are formed as 23.

  The extending portion 23 is not limited to the illustrated example as long as it is formed to communicate with a part of the outer peripheral edge of the expanding portions 13 and 14. The form, size, installation number, installation site, installation interval, and the like of the extension portion 23 may be appropriately set according to the size and length of the window portion or the size and length of the airbag 10, for example. it can.

  As the partition wall 21, a part of the inner surfaces of the constituent base fabrics in the respective expansion chambers 17 can be firmly fixed and integrated in a line shape by sewing or adhesion, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the partition wall 21 can be formed by sewing the outer periphery of a flat and slender base cloth to the inner surfaces of the inflating portions 13 and 14. A required number of communication ports such as holes can be formed in the long base fabric. The communication port 22 of the partition wall 21 is not limited to the hole shape, the size, the number of installations, the installation site and the installation interval in the illustrated example, and is appropriately set according to the size and length of the airbag 10. be able to. Since the cylindrical air chamber 20 can be fixed and integrated by simple sewing or the like without requiring fixing by complicated sewing or the like, work efficiency can be reduced or high cost can be prevented.

  Now, when the vehicle receives an impact due to a large side collision or rollover exceeding a predetermined level, a large amount of high-pressure gas output from an inflator (not shown) upon detecting the impact is gas from a gas inlet 11 connected to the inflator. It enters through the introduction passage 12 in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 10. When the high-pressure gas is introduced into the gas introduction passage 12, each expansion chamber 17 extending in a direction intersecting with the gas flow direction is expanded and deployed instantaneously downward, and from each expansion chamber 17. It discharges rapidly toward the inside of the cylindrical air chamber 20 through the communication port 22 of the partition wall 21.

  Thereby, a strong expansion pressure acts over the entire length of the cylindrical air chamber 20. The force acts on a roof head lining made of a soft resin (not shown) that covers the roof side rail portion R. The inflating portions 13 and 14 of the airbag 10 expand and deploy downward while pushing the outside of the roof head lining, and instantly inflate in the vicinity of the door window surface. This state is schematically shown in FIG.

  In the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag, the high-pressure gas introduced from the gas introduction passage 12 is uniformly introduced into the cylindrical air chamber 20 so that the length of the cylindrical air chamber 20 is long. The extended portion 23 of the cylindrical air chamber 20 can be positively expanded and deployed with a larger internal pressure than each expansion chamber 17. During the deployment process from the impact of the vehicle to the time of the occupant's impact, the entire length of the constituent base fabric corresponding to the cylindrical air chamber 20 has high rigidity with appropriate rigidity and cushioning properties to alleviate the impact received by the occupant. It can be reliably held at a predetermined position in a tense state such as a rod shape.

  When the impact received by the occupant is buffered and supported by the airbag 10, a force that pushes the occupant out of the vehicle acts on the airbag 10. When the force to push out is applied, each of the extending portions 23 at the front and rear end portions of the cylindrical air chamber 20 is in tension with a part of the front pillar portion PF in a tensioned state like a rod having high rigidity. It can be brought into contact with a part of the quarter pillar portion PR, and the lower end portion of the airbag 10 can be reliably supported at both ends. Accordingly, a part of the airbag 10 is prevented from moving outwardly by a force for pushing the airbag 10 out of the vehicle, and a part of the occupant's body is prevented from being discharged outwardly. be able to.

  In the airbag 10, the tension of the airbag 10 is ensured as described above, so that when the airbag is inflated, each of the airbags 10 can be formed by the high pressure gas introduced from the gas introduction passage 12 without increasing the bag volume. The expansion chamber 17 can be surely and rapidly expanded downward. In addition to the configuration of the expansion portions 13 and 14, the cylindrical air chamber 20 and each expansion chamber 17 can be partitioned by the partition wall 21 and communicated via the communication port 23 of the partition wall 21. it can.

  By providing this configuration, the high-pressure gas introduced from the gas introduction passage 12 is communicated with the lower end portions of the respective expansion chambers 17 in the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag. Thus, the internal pressure of the cylindrical air chamber 20 can be made larger than the internal pressure of each expansion chamber 17 only at a predetermined moment in the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag. As a result, at the initial stage of the operation of inflating and deploying the airbag, at least the lower end portion of the airbag 10 can be firmly supported at both ends, and a part of the occupant's body extends outward from the vehicle over the entire length of the cylindrical air chamber 20. It is possible to maintain appropriate hardness, tension, and cushioning optimal for alleviating the impact received by the occupant in the cylindrical air chamber 20.

  In the initial stage of airbag inflation, moderate tension and hardness can be applied to the lower end of the airbag 10 as described above. For this reason, it becomes possible to stabilize the airbag deployment behavior, and there is no need to positively use tension means such as a regulation string for holding the airbag 10 in a predetermined position. Without actively using the tension means, the airbag 10 can be reliably inflated to a predetermined position in the space between the window and the occupant, and the ideal deployment balance of the airbag 10 is good. Is obtained.

  In the present invention, the arrangement position and the number of installed parts of the inflatable portions 13 and 14 of the airbag 10 are not limited to this embodiment. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the expansion portions 13 and 14 are arranged before and after the vicinity of the quarter pillar portion PR and the vicinity of the front pillar portion PF, and correspond to the center pillar portion PC of the vehicle. The non-expanding part 16 is arranged in the site | part to perform. Of course, the present invention can be applied to the airbag 10 having one inflating portion in the side space of either the front seat or the rear seat instead of the two inflating portions as in the illustrated example.

  By disposing the inflatable portions 13 and 14 at desired positions along the longitudinal direction of the roof side rail portion R as in the illustrated example, the airbag 10 extends over a wide range in the vertical and horizontal directions between the window and the occupant. The expansion surface can be enlarged. A limited and narrow airbag installation space can be utilized to the maximum, and the safety of the passenger seated in the front seat and the passenger seated in the rear seat can be sufficiently ensured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the deployed position of the extending portion 23 of the cylindrical air chamber 20 at the time of inflation is not limited to a portion that contacts a part of the front pillar portion PF and the quarter pillar portion PR. Depending on the arrangement position of 10, the expanded position of the extended portion 23 of the cylindrical air chamber 20 at the time of expansion is in contact with a part of the front pillar part PF and a part of the center pillar part PC, or the center pillar part PC It can be arranged in any part of the part that contacts a part of the quarter pillar part PR.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag 10 according to the illustrated example is disposed over the roof side rail portion R, and is tightly compressed into a required form in an airbag storage portion (not shown) formed in the roof side rail portion R. It is housed in the state. The expansion portions 13 and 14 are stored in a roof head lining (not shown) that covers the roof side rail portion R. A plurality of mounting pieces 15 for mounting the vehicle body provided at the upper edge of the gas introduction passage 12 are formed corresponding to the mounting portions of the roof side rail portion R, and mounting bolts, nuts, etc., not shown. It is attached via the fixing means.

  The folding form of the airbag 10 when the airbag is accommodated is not particularly limited, but the airbag 10 is, for example, a spiral bellows that is wound in a spiral shape or alternately overlapped in the vertical direction. Folded in a compressed state. A long strip-shaped tape material (not shown) is wound around a plurality of portions of the airbag 10 so as to be ruptured when the airbag is inflated and deployed, and the folded configuration of the airbag 10 is maintained.

  Moreover, the airbag 10 can give moderate tension and hardness to the lower end of the airbag 10 as described above. For this reason, when the airbag 10 is accommodated, it is necessary to accommodate the tension means that holds the airbag 10 in a predetermined position across the bent joint portion between the front pillar portion PF and the roof side rail portion R. Disappear. For this reason, the folded waveform and folding height of the airbag 10 are made constant, and the folded airbag 10 can be easily attached to a predetermined position of the roof side rail portion R.

  Moreover, the airbag 10 in a folded state in the roof side rail portion R can be attached while avoiding the joint portion without being pulled toward the front pillar side by the tension means. For this reason, the airbag 10 can be easily and smoothly accommodated in a compact folded form without being bulky in a roof head lining (not shown), and work efficiency is not reduced and work costs are not increased.

  Further, since the coupling portion 18 that secures the tension of the airbag 10 is provided, the protection range of the occupant can be expanded without increasing the bag volume when the airbag is inflated. For this reason, the supply amount of gas supplied from the inflator (not shown) into the airbag 10 is reduced, and it is not necessary to use a high-power inflator to obtain a predetermined inflation pressure. Therefore, an increase in manufacturing cost and an increase in the weight of the entire airbag device can be prevented without increasing the size of the entire airbag device.

  The formation of the airbag 10 is not particularly limited. In this first embodiment, the occupant-facing side fabric and the window-facing side fabric are composed of two separate woven fabrics, leaving the gas inlet 11 of the opposing fabric. The overlapped outer peripheral edge portion is fixed by sewing or the like to form a bag shape, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the base fabric on the passenger-facing side and the base fabric on the window-facing side It may consist of a piece of cloth that is connected to the top of and integrated. If it consists of one piece of cloth, the number of stitches can be shortened. In addition, it goes without saying that the outer peripheral edge portion of the base fabric on the passenger-facing side and the base fabric on the window-facing side may be fixed with an adhesive or the like instead of sewing.

  The formation of the non-inflatable portion 16 is not particularly limited. In this first embodiment, a partial region of the base fabric of the base fabric on the occupant-facing side is cut, and the opposing base fabrics are overlapped with each other and fixed and integrated by sewing or the like. Is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the base fabric on the occupant-facing side and the base fabric on the window-facing side are formed from a single constituent fabric, and the outer peripheral edge of the constituent fabric is at least one of the constituent fabrics. It can be formed by being sewn or the like to a portion where a partial region of the base fabric is cut.

  Next, another example of the airbag 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 schematically shows the airbag 10 as viewed from a portion corresponding to FIG. In the figure, members substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and member names. For this reason, the detailed description regarding these members is abbreviate | omitted.

  In FIG. 5, the difference from the first embodiment is that the airbag 10 and a seat belt adjuster (not shown) provided on the center pillar portion PC and a seat belt attached to the occupant are installed during the inflation and deployment of the airbag. In order to prevent interference, the non-expandable portion 16 and the cylindrical air chamber 20 are separated in the front-rear direction while leaving the vicinity of the lower end portion of the gas introduction passage 12.

  In the illustrated example, each of the pair of front and rear inflating portions 13 and 14 formed in communication with a part of the lower end portion of the gas introduction passage 12 is woven in a flat plate shape at a portion corresponding to the center pillar portion PC. The non-expandable portion 16 and the cylindrical air chamber 20 are formed separately, leaving the vicinity of the lower end portion of the gas introduction passage 12. A slit-like cutout 24 is formed in the non-expandable portion 16 continuously from the vicinity of the lower end of the gas introduction passage 12 to the cylindrical air chamber 20. The notch 24 is constituted by a notch that is linearly cut in a vertical direction at a portion corresponding to the seat belt adjuster or the seat belt. Since the notch 24 is formed by a notch, it can be easily formed.

  Each of the pair of front and rear cylindrical air chambers 20 can be expanded downward by the high-pressure gas introduced from the common gas introduction passage 12. When the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed, the notch 24 can prevent interference between the seat belt adjuster and the seat belt. Moreover, the airbag 10 can be extended and deployed downward with the seat belt adjuster and the seat belt sandwiched between the notches 24. Thereby, the airbag 10 can be inflated without difficulty.

  By providing the cutout portion 24, the extension extending to the front and rear end portions of the pair of front and rear cylindrical air chambers 20 without being interfered by a seat belt adjuster (not shown) or a seat belt provided in the center pillar portion PC. The installation portion 23 can be independently brought into contact with a part of the front pillar part PF and a part of the center pillar part PC, and a part of the center pillar part PC and a part of the quarter pillar part PR. . Thereby, both ends of each of the pair of front and rear inflating portions 13 and 14 can be firmly and independently supported.

  As is clear from the above description, in the airbag 10 of the present invention, the cylindrical air chamber 20 is formed in communication with the lower ends of the inflating portions 13 and 14, and the front and rear ends of the cylindrical air chamber 20 are formed. An extension portion 23 that is in contact with a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle interior side in the inflated and deployed state is formed in communication with each of the portions. As a result, at the initial operation of the airbag inflating and deploying, the lower end of the airbag 10 can be supported at least at both ends by a part of the vehicle body, and a part of the occupant's body can be prevented from being released outwardly. Thus, the airbag 10 unique to the present invention having a suitable hardness and tension can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, the inflator is arranged in the quarter pillar part PR. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the inflator can be arranged in the front pillar part PF. In addition, the gas inlet 11 can be formed in one of the expanding portions 13 and 14. In the present invention, for example, high-pressure gas from the gas inlet 11 connected to one expansion portion 13 can be introduced into each expansion chamber 17 through the gas introduction passage 12 and the communication passage 19, as a matter of course. The objective can be fully achieved. Therefore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made within the scope described in each claim.

It is a front view showing typically an example of the deployment state at the time of the maximum expansion of the air bag in the typical air bag device of the present invention. (First embodiment) It is the front view seen from the vehicle interior side which shows the deployment state at the time of the maximum expansion of the airbag. (First embodiment) It is explanatory drawing seen from the site | part corresponded to the III-III arrow line part of FIG. (First embodiment) It is a figure which shows roughly an example of a passenger | crew's shock absorption operation | movement. (First embodiment) It is a front view which shows typically another example of the airbag seen from the site | part corresponding to FIG. (Second embodiment) It is a figure which shows the deployment state at the time of the largest expansion | swelling of the conventional airbag.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Airbag 11 Gas introduction port 12 Gas introduction passages 13 and 14 Expansion part 15 Attachment piece part 16 Non-expansion part 17 Expansion chamber 18 Connection part 19 Communication passage 20 Cylindrical air chamber 21 Bulkhead 22 Communication port 23 Extension part 24 Notch PC Center pillar part PF Front pillar part PR Quarter pillar part R Roof side rail part

Claims (6)

An airbag that is attached along the vicinity of the window of the vehicle body in a folded state when not inflated, and that inflates and deploys so as to cover the window when inflated,
The airbag is
Comprising an inflating part that inflates and expands so as to cover the window surface when inflated;
An extending portion that contacts a part of the vicinity of the vehicle body window in the inflated and deployed state is formed in communication with a part of the outer peripheral edge of the inflating part.
An airbag characterized by that.   The airbag is further provided with a gas introduction passage extending along the vicinity of the window, and the inflating portion is formed in communication with a partial region of the gas introduction passage. The airbag according to 1. A cylindrical air chamber extending in the direction along the window surface in a direction intersecting the expansion and deployment direction is formed in communication with the inflating portion, and is formed on a part of the outer peripheral edge of the cylindrical air chamber. The extended portion is formed to communicate with each other,
Further, a partition wall that partitions the cylindrical air chamber and the expansion portion is formed, and a communication port that connects the cylindrical air chamber and the expansion portion is formed in the partition wall. The airbag according to claim 1 or 2.   The inflatable part includes a front-seat inflatable part and a rear-seat inflatable part in front of and behind the non-inflatable part between a partial area of the gas introduction passage and a partial area of the cylindrical air chamber. The airbag according to claim 3, wherein the airbag is divided into two parts.   The slit-shaped notch for separating the non-expandable portion and the cylindrical air chamber in the front-rear direction is formed continuously from the vicinity of the lower end of the gas introduction passage to the cylindrical air chamber. 4. The airbag according to 4.   The airbag according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inflatable portion has two or more inflatable chambers in which inner surfaces facing each other are locally coupled at one or more locations.

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