JP2005329832A - Hose for introducing and distributing inflator gas and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hose for introducing inflator gas used for an airbag for side surface collision, capable of enhancing the storage property of the airbag for lateral collision, reducing a storage space, being advantageous in cost, and suppressing a permeation degree. <P>SOLUTION: The hose for introducing the inflator gas is a fabric hose arranged in an airbag device for the side surface collision, and has one or more distribution holes for introducing and distributing gas from an inflator into the airbag when the air bag is actuated. Fabric is sewed in a cylinder shape, and then resin is applied to that by a dipping method. Needle holes by sewing are coated by resin, thereby suppressing air flow from a sewing portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a side collision airbag device component that protects an occupant during a side collision of a vehicle, and more specifically, an inflator gas introduction / distribution hose that is optimal for introducing inflator gas into the airbag. It is about the method.

  An air bag device that inflates an air bag and protects an occupant at the time of a vehicle collision is mounted on a driver seat and a passenger seat. Such an airbag apparatus includes an inflator that is a gas generator, an airbag that is inflated with an inflator gas, an inflator gas introduction / distribution hose (hereinafter referred to as a hose) that introduces gas from the inflator into the airbag, and the like. It consists of an airbag case.

  In recent years, in addition to the frontal collision of the driver's seat and passenger's seat, there is an increasing demand for side impact airbag devices called curtain airbags, mainly for the purpose of protecting the head, in order to mitigate impacts during side impacts. . Such side collision airbags are folded and stored in the center pillar and the front pillar, and when the inflator gas is introduced into the airbag at the time of collision, the airbag is deployed between the door portion and the occupant, It reduces the impact from the side.

  As mentioned above, this side collision airbag is folded and stored in the center pillar and front pillar, so when considering the interior design of the vehicle, it is designed to be compactly stored so as not to take up as much space as possible. Important in design. In addition, the side impact airbag needs to be deployed instantly at the time of a collision, and the time until deployment is required to be shorter than that of the driver seat or passenger seat airbag. The inflator is often used, so the gas pressure tends to be very large at the portion of the airbag body where the inflator gas is introduced, and there is a problem that the function of the airbag cannot be performed due to the breakage or rupture of the portion. .

  As a remedy for the problem caused by such a partial pressure increase, there is a method of using a high-strength fiber such as a large-diameter fiber or an aramid fiber to increase the strength of the airbag as a whole. However, when the fibers are thickened, the bulk is increased, which causes a problem of storage properties and the interior design of the automobile is limited, and when high strength fibers are used, the cost increases and the practicality is lacking.

  Conventionally, with respect to the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose, a head protecting airbag device having a reinforcing liner tube for supplying gas from the downstream expansion chamber far from the inflator into the gas introduction passage to each expansion chamber, (Patent Literature 1), a head protection airbag device (Patent Literature 2) in which an inflating gas is guided from an inflator to an inflating portion and an inner tube is disposed on an inner peripheral portion of the gas inflow portion has been proposed.

  However, although these proposals are used as an auxiliary cloth for preventing the airbag body from being damaged by the high pressure gas from the inflator, and there are descriptions for controlling the gas flow, specifically, a hose (liner tube, No consideration is given to the properties relating to the inner tube. In particular, after being stored in the airbag, it is completely taken into consideration the characteristics of the storage performance when folded into the center pillar and the front pillar and stored, and the characteristics of the gas hole of the hose leading to the airbag inflating part. Absent.

  On the other hand, as a method for obtaining an inflator gas introduction / distribution hose, there is disclosed a method in which a resin is applied to a bag-like woven fabric woven by a cylindrical loom for weaving a fire hose or a needle loom for weaving a seat belt ( Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4). However, it is formed by bag weaving using a jacquard loom or the like, and the manufacturing process is complicated and the manufacturing cost is also increased.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-235965 (claims, etc.) JP 2002-29359 A (Claims etc.) JP 2003-127818 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127819

  Furthermore, it is technically possible to apply a coating to a fabric for an airbag, cut and sew it into a hose, but in this way, what is sewn after coating has air from the needle holes that are vacant at the time of sewing. When the air bag body for side impacts is easy to leak and the deployment completion time of the side collision is long, or when the gas distribution hole is made in the hose, and the gas from the inflator is distributed from the part to the inflating part of the airbag body The gas should be efficiently ejected from the hole and the airbag should be deployed uniformly and quickly. However, not only is there a problem that gas leakage from the sewing part increases and the airbag cannot be deployed as designed. The coating on the bag fabric is uneven at the edges, and a certain percentage of the base fabric cannot be used (Fig. 2). Resolution can be not.

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have paid attention to the fact that the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose has the largest air leakage from the sewing portion. An object of the present invention is to provide an inflator gas introduction / distribution hose for a side-impact air bag which has a reduced space, is advantageous in cost, and has a low air permeability.

That is, the present invention has the following configuration.
1. A fabric hose disposed in a side impact airbag device for introducing and distributing gas from the inflator into the airbag when the airbag is activated, and at least the outer sewn portion of the fabric is sewn in a resin Inflator gas introduction / distribution hose characterized by being given or taped.
2. 2. The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to 1 above, wherein a needle hole formed by sewing is covered with resin or tape.
3. 3. The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose as described in 1 or 2 above, wherein a resin is adhered between the ends of the fabric that has not been formed into a bag shape by sewing.
4). 4. The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to any one of 1 to 3 above, wherein the air permeability of the hose including the sewing portion is 3 L / cm ² / min or less.
5). 5. The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to any one of 1 to 4 above, wherein the resin is a thermosetting silicone resin.
6). This fabric hose is arranged in the side impact airbag device and introduces and distributes the gas from the inflator inside the airbag when the airbag is activated. After the fabric is sewn into a cylindrical shape, resin is applied by the dipping method. A method of manufacturing an inflator gas introduction / distribution hose characterized by comprising:

  The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose of the present invention can be used at a low cost because a plain woven fabric produced by a general loom can be used without waste, and a needle hole that is vacant at the time of sewing by performing resin processing after sewing. Can be filled with resin to suppress air leakage from the sewing part as much as possible.

  In the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose of the present invention, it is preferable that a resin is applied to the outer side of the fabric sewed into a cylindrical shape. An article having no resin on the outer side of the sewn cylindrical fabric is not preferable because the air permeability tends to increase, and the time required to complete the deployment of the airbag bag body for side collision becomes long. The resin-coated fabric may be sewn in a cylindrical shape with the resin surface on the inside, and then resin processed on the outside, but the hose tends to become hard and the cost increases, so resin is applied to the inner surface of the hose. The resin is preferably applied only to the outside of the hose.

  The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose of the present invention preferably has a needle hole formed by sewing covered with resin or tape. In order to suppress the melting of the base fabric due to the heat of the gas ejected from the inflator, the hose sewn with the resin surface of the resin-coated fabric on the inside has a needle hole that remains vacant at the time of sewing or the gas generated when the gas is ejected. Since there are almost no ventilation holes in the fabric main body, there is a tendency to concentrate on the sewing needle hole portion, so that there is a disadvantage that the sewing portion needle hole tends to be larger. On the other hand, when resin processing is performed after sewing as in the present invention, or when tape is applied, needle holes that are vacant at the time of sewing are filled with resin or tape, so that the amount of air leaking from the sewing portion is significantly suppressed. Can do.

  In the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose of the present invention, it is preferable that a resin is adhered between the fabric ends on the side that has not been formed into a bag shape by sewing. The cause of the increased air permeability was air leakage from the needle hole that was vacated during sewing, but one of the other causes was that air leaked from between the fabric of the sewing part. Since the main sewing is normally performed at a pitch of 2 to 3 mm, the fabric and the fabric have a free portion of 2 to 3 mm, and when air pressure is applied, air leaks from that portion. In the present invention, resin processing is performed after sewing, and the resin is also applied between the fabric at the fabric end portion on the side that has not been formed into a bag shape. If the resin is not attached, the air permeability tends to increase, which is not preferable.

In the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose of the present invention, the hose including the sewing portion preferably has an air permeability of 3 L / cm ² / min or less. When the air permeability exceeds 3 L / cm ² / min, it is not preferable because the time required to complete deployment of the side impact airbag bag body becomes long. More preferably, it is ² L / cm ² / min or less, and further more preferably 1.5 L / cm ² / min or less.

  In the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose of the present invention, the resin is preferably a thermosetting silicone resin. Examples of the rubber or synthetic resin that can be used for the resin include neoprene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, silicone rubber, polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyester elastomer, polyamide elastomer, and polyurethane elastomer. Among these, silicone rubber excellent in heat resistance is preferable, and more preferable specific examples include thermosetting addition-polymerized silicone rubber, two-component RTV (room temperature curable) silicone rubber, and the like.

  It is also effective to add an amino-based silane coupling agent, an epoxy-modified silane coupling agent, a vinyl-based silane coupling agent, a chloro-based silane coupling agent, etc. to the silicone rubber in order to improve adhesiveness. .

  Here, it is also effective to increase the flexibility of the silicone itself for the purpose of increasing the storage property which is a feature of the present invention. Specifically, by using low modulus type silicone rubber that has low stress at a certain elongation, the rigidity of the hose is suppressed as much as possible by the rigidity of the silicone, and the rebound of the silicone itself when the hose is bent and rounded. It is effective because it becomes possible to suppress the sex.

  Since this hose is to be mounted on a vehicle, it is preferable that the hose is made of a woven fabric from the viewpoint of weight reduction and storage. The fibers constituting the woven fabric are not particularly limited. For example, a polyamide fiber or a polyester fiber is used. It can be used, but not limited to this. The strength of the yarn composed of these fibers is 5 cN / dtex or more, preferably 6 cN / dtex or more, more preferably 7 cN / dtex or more in terms of the unwinding yarn strength. The unwinding yarn strength means the strength of the yarn measured after loosening the warp and weft constituting the hose and removing the rubber and resin adhering to the raw yarn.

  The total fineness of the yarn constituting the distribution hose is preferably 110 dtex or more and 1400 dtex or less. These yarns may be twisted yarns, processed yarns, or monofilaments, but the filaments constituting the yarns are preferably thin from the viewpoint of softness when folded, in order to reduce the air permeability. Is preferably used as a filament yarn. When twisted yarn or processed yarn is used, the fineness after twisting or processing is referred to as the total fineness of the yarn. More preferably, it is 167 dtex or more and 700 dtex or less. More preferably, it is 235 dtex or more and 585 dtex or less. Less than 110 dtex is not preferable because the strength of the hose becomes insufficient. Moreover, if the total fineness of the yarns constituting the hose exceeds 1400 dtex, the hose itself becomes bulky and the workability at the time of storing in the airbag body is deteriorated, and after storing, the airbag is folded and stored in the pillar. This is not preferable because the storage property at the time becomes worse.

  As a loom used for weaving the hose according to the present invention, a general-purpose loom such as a water jet loom or a rapier room can be used. What is necessary is just to obtain a wide fabric using the said general-purpose loom, cut this, and sew it into a desired shape and process it into a hose shape.

The weaving structure is not particularly limited, but plain weaving and twill weaving are preferable in view of excellent strength, low air permeability, and difficulty in misalignment. The woven fabric obtained at this time is generally used as an index of woven density, and the cover factor (CF) obtained from the following formula is preferably 900 or more in both the warp direction and the weft direction of the bag portion. More preferably, both the warp direction and the weft direction of the bag portion are 1100 or more.
CF = (total fineness of yarn (dtex)) ^1/2 × weave density (main / 2.54 cm)

The single yarn fineness of the hose constituting yarn is preferably 10 dtex or less. In particular, the single yarn fineness used in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the hose is preferably 5 dtex or less, more preferably 4 dtex, and still more preferably 3 dtex or less in order to obtain a flexible hose.
The value of the total fineness and the single yarn fineness here means the fineness at the time of unwinding from the hose.

To satisfy weight reduction is preferably the weight of the hose is 2000 g / m ² or less, more preferably 1500 g / m ^2, still more preferably 1000 g / m ² or less. The weight here refers to the weight per unit area in the hose state (bag shape), and the weight including the coat. In consideration of the bulkiness after storage, the thickness of the hose is preferably 2.0 mm or less, more preferably 1.5 mm or less, and still more preferably 1.0 mm or less.

  Further, the cover factor (CF) is preferably 900 or more in both the warp direction and the weft direction of the bag part, more preferably 1100 or more in both the warp direction and the weft direction of the bag part. In this case, it is preferable that both the warp direction and the weft direction of the bag portion are 2000 or less. When the CF is less than 900, the coating agent easily enters between the textures, and the coating amount increases, making it difficult to reduce the weight, or when the gas from the inflator passes through the fray around the gas distribution hole. Since it becomes easy to generate | occur | produce, it is not preferable.

  The inner diameter of the hose according to the present invention that is woven and sewn using the fiber and loom is preferably 2 cm or more and 6 cm or less. When the inner diameter of the hose is less than 2 cm, the pressure loss in the hose increases and partial breakage tends to occur. On the other hand, if the inner diameter of the hose exceeds 6 cm, it is not preferable because it is difficult to store the inside of the airbag device. More preferably, it is 3 cm or more and 5 cm or less.

  The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to the present invention does not necessarily have a distribution hole for introducing / dispersing the gas from the inflator into the airbag, but when the distance from the inflator to the airbag inflating portion is large. The hose preferably has one or more distribution holes.

  The amount of resin applied is preferable because it can be made flexible and the thickness can be reduced by reducing it as much as possible in consideration of storability. In the present invention, it is important that the resin application amount is 5 wt% or more and less than 150 wt% with respect to the hose weight before resin application. If it exceeds 150 wt%, the hose is unfavorable because the flexibility is lost and the thickness is increased, resulting in poor storage. If it is less than 5 wt%, it is difficult to sufficiently fill the needle hole, such being undesirable. More preferably, it is 10-100 wt%, Furthermore, it is 15-70 wt%.

  The method of applying the resin agent to the hose is not limited, and any application method such as a method of dipping (immersing) a woven hose directly into the resin agent or a method of applying to the hose surface with a brush or the like can be adopted. However, dipping is preferred from the standpoint of process simplicity and coating uniformity. There is also a method of coating with a knife, but the amount of resin tends to increase, so it is not preferable to employ it.

  In addition to the method of measuring the mass difference of the hose before and after application of the resin agent, the method for measuring the coating amount of the resin agent is not limited to the hose coated with the resin agent using a solvent that dissolves only the resin agent. Alternatively, after dissolving and removing only the synthetic resin, the fiber is removed from the resin-coated hose using a solvent that dissolves only the hose constituting fiber, or the mass of the rubber or synthetic fiber is measured. There is a way to do it.

As described above, after introducing the inflator gas into the hose coated with the resin agent, an inflator gas distribution hole serving as a port for efficiently introducing the inflator gas into the inflating portion of the airbag body is formed. Is also possible. The number of distribution holes is not limited, and may be determined as appropriate in consideration of the size of the airbag, the form of inflation, and the like. The size of the distribution hole, 0.25 cm ² or more, preferably 16cm ² or less, more preferably, 1 cm ² or more and 9cm ² or less. When the size of the distribution hole exceeds 16 cm ² , the flow rate of the inflator gas from the distribution hole portion increases, and the air is locally heated and breakage proceeds from that portion, and the inflation form of the airbag becomes non-uniform. There is a risk of destroying the bag body. On the other hand, if it is less than 0.25 cm ² , a large number of distribution holes must be formed in order to instantly deploy the airbag, which is not preferable because it takes processing effort and costs. The shape of the distribution hole is not particularly limited, and for example, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a shape having a curve, or the like is selected.

  In addition, the gas distribution holes are optimized in the number and position of the gas distribution holes, and the sizes of the gas distribution holes are close to and apart from the inflator so that the airbag body can be inflated uniformly. Is suitably adjusted. This is because the inflation form of the airbag during deployment can be controlled by doing so.

  When the high-pressure and high-temperature gas is ejected, the gas distribution hole may cause the fibers around the distribution hole to fray to enlarge the gas distribution hole itself, or cause the frayed fiber to cause poor deployment or rupture of the airbag. May occur. In order to prevent such a defect, a reinforcing portion may be provided around the gas distribution hole. The reinforcing part is (1) a method of melting and welding fibers around a distribution hole at the same time when providing a distribution hole by laser cutting, and (2) a heating body directly contacting a pre-formed gas distribution hole section. It can be formed by a method of bonding the fibers in the peripheral portion, and (3) a method of bonding the fibers of the portion using an adhesive.

  When forming the reinforced part using an adhesive, in addition to the method of directly applying the adhesive to the punched section of the gas distribution hole, within 1 cm from the gas distribution hole punching line on the outer surface and / or inner surface of the hose This part may be solidified by impregnating and adhering an adhesive. By doing in this way, the intensity | strength of a reinforcement part can be raised further. The adhesive used at this time is not particularly limited, but an adhesive that solidifies in a short time, such as an instantaneous adhesive, is preferable. Specifically, cyano is capable of developing adhesive properties in a short time and has excellent heat resistance. Examples thereof include acrylate adhesives (for example, 3000DX series manufactured by Cemedine).

  Further, in order to further improve the strength of the strengthened portion provided as described above, the heating body may be brought into contact with the gas distribution hole punching end surface and pressed into the front surface and the side surface by about 1 mm for reliable welding.

  In addition, the periphery of the gas distribution hole is subject to force when the high-pressure inflator gas passes through, so the surrounding yarn is likely to fray. In order to prevent the fraying, the weft structure around the gas distribution hole is warp and weft. Plain weaves that cross and restrain each other and are difficult to remove are preferred. On the other hand, it is effective to use a structure with few intersections in the warp and weft, such as satin weave and twill weave, in the place where it is folded when stored in the hose body, but the entire structure is plain weave It doesn't matter. In order to obtain a fraying prevention effect, it is preferable that a portion of 3 mm or more from the edge of each gas distribution hole to the hose body side is plain woven. More preferably, a portion of 5 mm or more is made into a plain weave. However, it is important to configure the plain weave part to the extent that it does not impair the storage capacity of the hose itself, and it is possible to achieve the present invention even if no plain weave part is provided, and the plain weave part is not necessarily required. Absent.

  Further, when the distance between the inflator position and the airbag is long, or when the distance from the hose inlet to the bag inflating portion is short, the hose body may not have a gas distribution hole.

  In general, an air bag is inflated by gas from an inflator and restrains and protects an occupant at the time of a vehicle collision. It is desirable to have strength and low impact to the occupant. From such a viewpoint, the airbag body is preferably a woven fabric using polyamide fiber, polyester fiber, or the like. Also, as with the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose, the surface may be coated with rubber or synthetic resin for the purpose of preventing gas leakage from the airbag and improving various properties such as strength. What was mentioned for the above-mentioned hose can be used similarly.

  The total fineness of the yarn constituting the main body of the side impact airbag is preferably 200 dtex or more and 600 dtex or less. When the total fineness exceeds 600 dtex, the storage property becomes a problem. On the other hand, when the total fineness is less than 200 dtex, even if the distribution of the gas of the inflator is controlled, there is a high possibility of bursting due to insufficient base fabric strength. More preferably, it is 300 dtex or more and 500 dtex or less.

  The single filament fineness of the multifilament constituting the main body of the side impact airbag is preferably 2 dtex or more and 10 dtex or less, more preferably 3 dtex or more and 6 dtex or less. When the single yarn fineness exceeds 10 dtex, the rigidity of the base fabric is increased and the storage property is lowered. On the other hand, if the single yarn fineness is less than 2 dtex, single yarn breakage or the like occurs during weaving, and the number of defects in the base fabric increases, which is not preferable.

  The manufacturing method of the said airbag main body is not limited, It can manufacture by a well-known weaving method.

  The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose obtained as described above is installed in the airbag body and then attached to the inflator. The airbag body and the inflator gas introduction / distribution hose may be integrated with the airbag body at the edge of the hose by means such as sewing or bonding, but the hose is particularly integrated because it is fixed to the inflator. You don't have to.

  The side impact airbag thus obtained is folded and stored in the center pillar or front pillar of the vehicle.

  Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. The measurement in an Example is based on the following measuring method.

  Thickness: According to JIS L1096 8.5.1

Bendability test:
Nylon 66 tubular woven fabric with a total width of 5-10 mm larger than the hose obtained in the experimental example and a length of 40 cm (using 350 dtex / 108f yarn, warp density 59 / 2.54 cm, weft density 59 / 2.54 cm), completely insert the hose obtained in each of the examples and comparative examples (length cut to 40 cm) in the direction perpendicular to the hose longitudinal direction (weft direction) Bend once at the center. Then, the bendability when it is bent once again at the center is confirmed.
A: Easily bent twice
B: It can be bent if it is impossible
C: Cannot be bent easily

Air permeability:
Measured under a differential pressure of 20 kPa using a high-pressure air permeability tester (manufactured by Kyoto Seiko Co., Ltd .: clamper diameter 100 mm). A sample obtained by cutting the anti-sewing side so that the sewn part of the tubular woven fabric comes to the center was used as a sample. (Unit: L / cm ² / min)

Airbag deployment evaluation:
In a state where a gas introduction / distribution hose having a gas distribution hole opened in accordance with the position of the bag portion is introduced into a curtain airbag having a volume of 20 L having five bag portions, and nitrogen gas is initially pressurized to a volume of 2 MPa and 5 liters, Nitrogen gas was introduced from the inlet and the development of the bag portion was visually observed.
A: It developed all at once.
B: Although there was a slight deviation, the whole developed almost without any problem.
C: The development timing was greatly shifted.

(Example 1)
After weaving in a water jet loom using polyamide 66 fiber with a strength of 8.1 cN / dtex, warp of 470 dtex / 72f and weft of 470 dtex / 72f, the weaving density was adjusted to 46 warps / direction in a normal scouring set. Finished to 2.54 cm and 46 weft / 2.54 cm in the weft direction. CF was 997 and 997 in the longitudinal direction and the weft direction, respectively. The base fabric is cut to 3m in length in the warp direction and 160mm in width. It is overlapped in the weft direction, 10mm from the end and surface-resin-finished at a distance of about 2.5mm, and 1st-way one-way stitching and cylinder. A woven fabric was obtained. A thermosetting solventless silicone resin was applied to the outside of the tubular woven fabric by a dipping method, and the resin application amount was 25.3 wt% from the weight of the original base fabric and the weight after drying. The obtained work cloth had perforations covered with resin, and the resin was also adhered between the fabrics at the sewing end. The hose was heat-cut to 200 cm in total length. The resulting hose had a total width of 80 mm and a length of 200 cm. After that, the gas distribution hole on the anti-sewing side is punched by 2 cm in the warp direction from the anti-sewing side to 1 cm so that it becomes 2 cm × 2 cm when deployed, so that the clearance between the punched portion and the cross section of the weft thread becomes zero And was welded at 500 ° C. for 8 seconds with a thermal iron. A total of five gas distribution holes were prepared at intervals suitable for the bag portion of the curtain airbag. An inflator gas introduction / distribution hose was obtained with the hose. This hose has excellent storability and can sufficiently withstand high-pressure inflator gas. In the airbag deployment evaluation, the hose was a highly reliable hose that was uniformly and quickly deployed. Detailed results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 2)
Example 1 was followed except that the fabric density was finished at 56 warps / 2.54 cm in the warp direction and 59 wefts / 2.54 cm in the weft direction, and the resin application amount was 45 wt%. This hose has excellent storability and can sufficiently withstand high-pressure inflator gas. In the airbag deployment evaluation, the hose was a highly reliable hose that was uniformly and quickly deployed. Detailed results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 3)
Example 1 was followed except that the resin application amount was 15 wt%. The obtained work cloth had perforations covered with resin, and the resin adhered between the cloths at the sewing end. This hose has excellent storability and can sufficiently withstand high-pressure inflator gas. In the airbag deployment evaluation, the hose was a highly reliable hose that was uniformly and quickly deployed. Detailed results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4
Example 1 was followed except that a commercially available seam sealing tape (sealing tape) was applied on both sides of the sewing part instead of the resin. This hose has excellent storability and can sufficiently withstand high-pressure inflator gas. In the airbag deployment evaluation, the hose was a highly reliable hose that was uniformly and quickly deployed. Detailed results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
The base fabric of Example 1 is coated with a resin so that the dry weight ratio is 30.3 wt%, and cut in the same manner as in Example 1 and is sewn under the conditions of Example 1 so that the resin surface is on the inside. did. After that, no resin processing was performed. The obtained processed cloth had no perforation covered with resin. Although this hose was excellent in stowability and was able to withstand high pressure inflator gas sufficiently, the entire airbag was not deployed evenly in the airbag deployment evaluation, and it was deployed in order from the vicinity of the inflator due to air leakage at the sewing part. . Detailed results are shown in Table 1.

(Reference Example 1)
The resin product of Example 1 was applied to the sewing product of Comparative Example 1. The air permeability was low, and in the airbag deployment evaluation, the hose was a highly reliable hose that was uniformly and quickly deployed, but it was stiff and difficult to fold.

  As is clear from (Table 1), the inflator gas distribution hoses of Examples 1 to 4 satisfying the prescribed requirements of the present invention are all excellent in storability and have gas distribution holes. It turns out that it is suitable as a reliable distribution hose having a gas distribution hole strength that can sufficiently withstand gas.

  On the other hand, in the hose of Comparative Example 1, the coating amount of the coating agent is sufficient, and the fiber around the gas distribution hole is melted and welded with a thermal iron to form a reinforced portion. However, since there was no application of resin to the sewn part, the air permeability was high, and the air bag was deployed in order from the vicinity of the inflator due to air leakage from the sewn part, and the whole was deployed uniformly. Without any significant reliability.

The schematic diagram of the inflator gas distribution hose of one Embodiment concerning this invention. A usable fabric portion when the coated fabric is cut and used.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Coat spot part 2 ... Usable area 3 ... Gas distribution hole 4 ... Sewing part

Claims (6)

  A fabric hose disposed in a side impact airbag device for introducing and distributing gas from the inflator into the airbag when the airbag is activated, and at least the outer sewn portion of the fabric is sewn in a resin Inflator gas introduction / distribution hose characterized by being given or taped.   The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to claim 1, wherein a needle hole formed by sewing is covered with resin or tape.   The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a resin is adhered between the end portions of the fabric that has not been formed into a bag shape by sewing. The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an air permeability of a hose including a sewing portion is 3 L / cm ² / min or less.   The inflator gas introduction / distribution hose according to claim 1, wherein the resin is a thermosetting silicone resin.   This fabric hose is arranged in the side impact airbag device and introduces and distributes the gas from the inflator inside the airbag when the airbag is activated. After the fabric is sewn into a cylindrical shape, resin is applied by the dipping method. A method of manufacturing an inflator gas introduction / distribution hose characterized by comprising:

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