JP2006027418A - Seat belt device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seat belt device for a vehicle which enables a bag part on a seat belt to expand adequately and efficiently over its whole length at the time of collision or the like of the vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The back parts 6a, 7a expanded by filling air into them are provided in the longitudinal direction of a shoulder belt 6 or a wrap belt 7. Air sent by a blowing means is fed to the bag parts 6a, 7a through air supply passages 12, 15. A plurality of gas inlets through which gas is passed from the air supply passages 12, 15 into the bag parts 6a, 7a are provided in the longitudinal direction of the bag parts 6a, 7a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat belt device provided with a bag portion that is inflated when gas is supplied to a vehicle seat belt that protects an occupant.

Conventionally, various safety mechanisms for protecting an occupant from an impact or the like in a car collision have been proposed. As one of such safety mechanisms, conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below, a vehicle seat belt device including a gas belt that protects an occupant is known. This vehicle seat belt device is provided along the longitudinal direction of the seat belt, and a bag portion that is filled with a gas therein, a gas generator that generates a gas filled in the bag portion, and the gas generator A high-pressure gas from the gas generator through the gas supply passage portion from one end in the longitudinal direction of the bag portion to the inside of the bag portion. The seat belt is inflated by introducing gas into the seat.
JP 11-348720 A JP 2000-211141 A

  In the seat belt devices disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, when the vehicle is detected to be in a collision state, the gas generated by operating the gas generating device including the inflator is generated by the seat belt. Since the seat belt is inflated by supplying it from one end in the longitudinal direction into the bag portion, when the seat belt is properly inflated, the seat belt contracts in the longitudinal direction due to this expansion. In addition to restraining the occupant by the pretensioner effect, there is an advantage that a restraining force applied from the seat belt to the occupant can be dispersed over a wide range of the seat belt to prevent a large restraining force from acting locally.

  However, in the seat belt devices disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, gas is supplied into the bag portion of the seat belt from the gas introduction hole provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction. The bag portion must be sequentially expanded in the longitudinal direction from the other end side to the other end side. In order to uniformly expand the entire length of the bag portion, the bag portion needs to be expanded against a predetermined resistance. Therefore, when the gas pressure of the gas generated by the gas generator is low or the amount of gas supplied is small, there is a possibility that the bag portion cannot be inflated uniformly over its entire length. Moreover, in these seat belt devices, in order to protect the occupant from the impact at the time of the collision, it is required that the bag portion is inflated to some extent over the entire length in a relatively short time at the time of the collision. Since the gas introduction hole is provided only in one end side, the one end side provided with the gas introduction hole is expanded more than necessary at the time of collision, but the other end side may not be expanded yet. There was room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vehicle seat belt device capable of appropriately and efficiently inflating a bag portion provided on a seat belt at the time of a vehicle collision or the like over the entire length thereof. It is intended to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle seat belt device according to the present invention is provided along a longitudinal direction of a seat belt, and a bag portion that expands when gas is filled therein, and the bag portion is filled. In a vehicle seat belt apparatus comprising a gas delivery part for delivering a gas to be sent and a gas supply passage part for connecting the gas delivery part and the bag part, the gas is introduced into the bag part from the gas supply passage part. A plurality of gas introduction holes are provided along the longitudinal direction of the bag portion.

  According to the present invention, gas is introduced into the bag portion from the gas supply passage portion through each of the plurality of gas introduction holes provided along the longitudinal direction of the bag portion. In this way, the bag portion can be inflated substantially uniformly over substantially the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the bag portion at a relatively early stage. Therefore, the bag portion of the seat belt can be inflated efficiently relatively uniformly at an early stage. And a passenger | crew can be protected appropriately by the seatbelt provided with the bag part which expanded appropriately over substantially the whole length in this way.

  The arrangement mode of the gas supply passage portion with respect to the bag portion is not particularly limited, and may be a meandering shape or a diagonal shape with respect to the bag portion, The gas supply passage portion is preferably disposed along the longitudinal direction of the bag portion (claim 2).

  If comprised in this way, since a gas supply passage part is arrange | positioned in the longitudinal direction of a bag part, ie, the longitudinal direction of a seatbelt, the gas supply passage part corresponding to this bag part can be formed comparatively short. It is possible to expand the bag portion more efficiently by shortening the flow path of the gas supplied to the bag portion.

  In this case, the gas supply passage portion may be disposed outside the bag portion, but a portion corresponding to the bag portion is disposed inside the bag portion. Preferred (claim 3).

  If comprised in this way, it is not necessary to provide the space for arrange | positioning a gas supply channel | path part separately, and this invention can be applied, maintaining the width dimension of the whole seatbelt. In addition, the amount of gas supplied to the bag portion can be reduced by the amount of the volume of the entire bag portion where the gas supply passage portion is disposed, and the bag portion can be appropriately formed earlier by that amount. Can be inflated.

  Moreover, although the said gas supply passage part may be arrange | positioned in the width direction substantially center part etc. of the said bag part, the said gas supply passage part is arrange | positioned at the width direction both ends of the said bag part. It is preferable that gas introduction holes for introducing gas from each gas supply passage portion are provided on both sides in the width direction of the bag portion.

  If comprised in this way, a bag part can be expanded from the width direction both ends, and a bag part can be expanded appropriately comparatively early. Moreover, if a material having the same strength as the seat belt is employed as the gas supply passage portion, the gas supply passage portion also functions as a reinforcing material.

  The gas supply passage portion is not particularly limited in the shape of its cross section, and may be a known shape such as a circle, an ellipse, an oval, a semicircle, a rectangle, etc. It is preferable to adopt an elliptical, oval, semicircular, etc. shape having an arcuate cross section that protrudes toward the occupant side, and it is more preferable to adopt a substantially circular cross section including an ellipse and a true circle ( Claim 5).

  That is, if the gas supply passage portion has an arc-shaped cross section that protrudes toward the occupant side, the seat belt comfort for the occupant seated in the seat is improved, while the gas supply passage portion has a substantially circular cross section. For example, it is possible to reliably prevent a cut injury accident caused by the gas supply passage portion in an improper wearing state of the seat belt, and the passage portion based on the collapse of the gas supply passage portion when the seat belt is attached. It is possible to effectively prevent unexpected gas flow disturbance.

  The specific configuration of the gas delivery unit is not particularly limited. For example, an inflator that supplies a high-pressure gas only once may be used, but the gas delivery unit is configured to be able to repeatedly supply gas. In addition, it is preferable that the gas in the bag portion can be discharged (claim 6).

  If comprised in this way, after a bag part is inflated at the time of a vehicle collision, etc., and a passenger is appropriately restrained and protected by a seat belt, the gas in the bag part is discharged by the gas delivery part, and then necessary. Accordingly, the bag portion can be used many times by supplying the gas in the bag portion of the seat belt again from the gas delivery means.

  In the present invention, a vehicle collision prediction means for predicting a vehicle collision, and when a vehicle collision is predicted by the vehicle collision prediction means, the inside of the bag portion of the seat belt through the gas supply passage portion from the gas delivery portion. It is preferable to further comprise a gas supply control means for supplying a gas to the gas.

  If comprised in this way, the said collision can be predicted before the collision of a vehicle, the bag part of a seatbelt can be expanded from this prediction time point, and a bag part can be expanded more reliably over the full length of the longitudinal direction. This can better protect the occupant from collisions.

  The seat belt may be a so-called two-point belt or a competition belt composed of a plurality of shoulder belts or the like, but may also be a three-point belt or the like, a seat belt including a shoulder belt and a lap belt. Good. In addition, when the seat belt including a shoulder belt and a lap belt is employed, it is preferable that the bag portion is provided on any belt.

  Although the specific configuration of the bag portion is not particularly limited, the bag portion of the shoulder belt is configured such that the rate of increase in thickness is greater than the rate of increase in width dimension when gas is introduced. (Claim 9). In addition, the increase rate here means the ratio of the dimension before expansion | swelling and the dimension after expansion | swelling.

  If comprised in this way, since it will be in the expansion | swelling state which the thickness of this bag part increased by supplying gas in the bag part of a shoulder belt from a gas delivery part, a shoulder part of a passenger | crew, a chest part, etc. by the said shoulder belt Can be effectively restrained to properly protect the occupant.

  On the other hand, although the specific configuration of the lap belt is not particularly limited, the bag portion of the lap belt is configured such that the increase rate of the width dimension is larger than the increase rate of the thickness when the gas is introduced. (Claim 10).

  If comprised in this way, since it will be in the expansion | swelling state which the width dimension of this bag part increased by being supplied in the bag part of a lap belt from a gas delivery part, a passenger | crew's abdominal part, waist | hip | lumbar part, etc. are effective by the said lap belt. Protected.

  According to this invention, gas is supplied to the bag portion through the gas introduction hole provided along the longitudinal direction of the bag portion immediately after the gas supply portion starts supplying the gas to the bag portion of the seat belt. The bag portion can be uniformly inflated in the longitudinal direction at a relatively early stage, and the occupant can be more appropriately protected by the seat belt provided with the bag portion inflated substantially uniformly in the longitudinal direction. There is an advantage that can be.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of a vehicle seat belt device according to the present invention. The vehicle seat belt device includes a seat belt mechanism 2 that protects an occupant seated on a seat 1 and a blowing unit configured to repeatedly supply air to bag portions 6a and 7a provided on the seat belt as will be described later. 3 (gas delivery section) and a control unit 5 provided with an air supply control means 4 for controlling the operating state of the blower means 3.

  The seat belt mechanism 2 includes a seat belt provided with a shoulder belt 6 that restrains the shoulder and chest of the occupant and a lap belt 7 that restrains the abdomen and waist of the occupant, and a shoulder belt disposed at a lower rear portion of the seat 1. 6, a retractor 8 for supporting the shoulder belt 6 above the rear portion of the seat 1, a tongue 10 provided at the front end of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7, and the tongue 10 on the seat 1. It consists of a three-point seat belt mechanism having a buckle 11 that engages with the vehicle body at the side portion.

  The seat belt of the present embodiment is configured as a so-called continuous type in which the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 are formed by a single webbing. Although the length can be adjusted, a so-called separation type in which the end portions of the shoulder belt and the lap belt are respectively connected to the tongue and the belts are separated may be used.

  The shoulder belt 6 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of left and right bag portions 6a that are filled with air along the longitudinal direction thereof, and the pair of left and right bag portions 6a are connected to each other at an intermediate portion in the thickness direction. A connecting portion 6b is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the bag portion 6 a and the connecting portion 6 b are provided in a range from the tip portion where the tongue 10 is provided to the front of the support portion by the anchor 9. The connecting portion 6b may simply connect the bag portions 6a, but in this embodiment, when the bag portion 6a is filled with air and becomes a predetermined atmospheric pressure or higher, the bag portion 6a Air is supplied to the connecting portion 6b, and the connecting portion 6b is also expanded.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3C, the bag portion 6a and the connecting portion 6b are configured as an integral bag-like body in an inflated state, and the inner wall surface of the portion corresponding to the connecting portion 6b is bonded. The bag portion 6a is configured to peel when a predetermined atmospheric pressure is applied. Accordingly, the bag-like body constituting the bag portion 6a and the connecting portion 6b is supplied with air from the air supply passage portion 12 to the connecting portion 6b through the bag portion 6a and the bag portion 6a. As shown, it is configured to expand in stages. More specifically, the bag portion 6a and the connecting portion 6b are supplied from the contracted state as shown in FIG. 3 (a) to supply air into the bag portion 6a. 6a is in an expanded state, and when the air pressure in the bag portion 6a becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure, the inner surface of the connecting portion 6b is peeled off and the connecting portion 6b is also inflated as shown in FIG. Has been. That is, the bag-like body constituting the bag portion 6a and the connecting portion 6b is configured to expand exclusively in the thickness direction, and accordingly, the width dimension of the shoulder belt 6 is configured to be unchanged before and after the expansion. On the other hand, the thickness dimension of the shoulder belt 6 is increased by expansion.

  And supply of the air with respect to this bag part 6a is performed by the air supply channel | path part 12 introduced into the inside of a pair of right and left bag parts 6a. The air supply passage portion 12 is configured as a tubular member having a substantially circular cross section formed of a material having a predetermined tensile strength in the longitudinal direction (for example, reinforced rubber), and in a state where no air flows therethrough. Has a certain shape-retaining property. As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the air supply passage portion 12 has a portion corresponding to the bag portion 6a disposed inside the outer end portion of the bag portion 6a along the longitudinal direction thereof. Each air supply passage portion 12 has air introduction holes 12a for introducing air into the bag portion 6a at predetermined intervals (equal intervals in this embodiment) along the longitudinal direction of the air supply passage portion 12. A plurality (four in this embodiment) are formed along the circumferential direction, and the bag portion 6a is inflated at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction. The air introduction hole 12a is set in a state directed to the outside in the thickness direction, and the bag portion 6a is easily expanded (expanded) in the thickness direction by the jet flow from the introduction hole 12a.

  The air supply passage portion 12 is connected to the blowing means 3 and has an on-off valve 13 for opening and closing the passage. Further, in the vicinity of the anchor 9 installation portion, the shoulder belt 6 is driven to be pulled out in response to the shoulder belt 6 being pulled out from the retractor 8, and the shoulder belt 6 is pulled by the retractor 8. A retractor 14 for the air supply passage portion 12 is provided to drive the air supply passage portion 12 so as to wind up in response to the winding.

  Then, the air blowing means 3 is operated with the on-off valve 13 opened, and air is supplied into the bag portion 6a from the air introduction hole 12a formed in the peripheral surface of the air supply passage portion 12 at a predetermined pressure. Thus, the thickness of the bag portion 6a is increased and expanded as shown in FIG. 3 (b), and in this state, air is further supplied at a predetermined pressure, thereby peeling the inner wall surfaces of the connecting portion 6b. By expanding, the thickness of the connecting portion 6b is increased and expanded as shown in FIG. 3 (c). In this state, the on-off valve 13 is closed to maintain the expanded state shown in FIG. 3 (c). It has become. From the contracted state shown in FIG. 3A to the expanded state of only the bag portion 6a shown in FIG. 3B, the expansion volume of the bag portion 6a including the connecting portion 6b is inflated. Since it is relatively small compared to the above, it can be inflated at an early stage, and an attitude for appropriately protecting the occupant can be prepared at an early stage.

  The air blowing means 3 and the air supply passage portion 12 also have a function as air discharging means for discharging the air in the bag portion 6a to the outside through the air introduction public 12a, and the air is blown in a state where the on-off valve 13 is opened. By operating the means 3 and sucking the air in the bag portion 6a and the connecting portion 6b, the bag portion 6a and the like are returned to the contracted state shown in FIG. In this contracted state, the connecting portion 6b is configured such that the front and rear side walls are bonded again.

  The lap belt 7 is provided with a bag portion 7a that is filled with air along the longitudinal direction thereof at a portion that comes into contact with the abdomen and waist of the occupant. As shown in FIG. 5A, the bag portion 7a is in a contracted state in which the front and rear double-side walls are in close contact with each other and contracted in the width direction, and air is supplied from the contracted state. As shown in FIG. 5 (b), it is configured so as to be in an expanded state. An air supply passage portion 15 consisting of a pair of tubes is introduced into both ends of the bag portion 7a in the width direction, and a predetermined portion of the air supply passage portion 15 corresponding to the bag portion 7a is connected to the bag portion 7a. Arranged along the longitudinal direction. An air introduction hole for introducing air into the bag portion 7a at a predetermined interval (equal interval in the present embodiment) along the longitudinal direction in a portion corresponding to the bag portion 7a of each air supply passage portion 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the bag portion 7a is inflated at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction. The opening direction of the air introduction holes 15a is set so that the air introduction holes 15a provided in the air supply passages 15 provided at both ends in the belt width direction are opposed to each other. The bag part 7a is devised so that it can expand | swell in the width direction at an early stage with the jet flow of the air from. The air supply passage portion 15 is connected to the blower 3 in the same manner as the air supply passage portion 12 for the shoulder belt 6 and has an opening / closing valve 16 for opening and closing the passage portion.

  Then, the air blowing means 3 is operated with the opening / closing valve 16 opened, and air is supplied into the bag portion 7a from the air introduction hole 15a formed in the peripheral surface of the air supply passage portion 15 at a predetermined pressure. As a result, the width of the bag portion 7a is increased and deployed as shown in FIG. 5B, and the open / close valve 16 is closed in this state to maintain the developed state. Although the air is supplied, the bag portion 7a is also expanded in the thickness direction. In the present embodiment, the thickness at the time of expansion is configured to substantially match the diameter of the air supply passage portion 15. The air blowing means 3 and the air supply passage section 15 also have a function as air discharging means for discharging the air in the bag portion 7a to the outside, and operate the air blowing means 3 with the on-off valve 16 opened. The bag portion 7a is returned to the contracted state shown in FIG. 5A by sucking the air in the bag portion 7a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the retractor 8 supports the shoulder belt 6 so that the shoulder belt 6 can be pulled out, and applies a predetermined winding force by a spring force or the like, and the shoulder belt 6 is suddenly pulled out. An unillustrated road limiter that regulates the above and a pretensioner 18 that applies a predetermined tension by winding the shoulder belt 6 when a vehicle collision occurs are provided. The pretensioner 18 includes a pinion gear 19 connected to the drive shaft of the take-up reel 17, a rack gear 20 that rotationally drives the pinion gear 19, and an inflator 21 that drives the rack gear 20. When the vehicle collision occurs, the inflator 21 is operated to generate gas, and the rack gear 20 is moved from the lower standby position to the upper drive position according to the gas pressure, thereby rotating the pinion gear 19. The shoulder belt 6 is driven and rapidly wound up.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the blower 3 includes a blower drive source 22 including an electric blower that pressurizes and supplies air, an accumulator 23 that stores the pressurized air supplied from the blower drive source 22, and the above A switching valve 24 is provided for switching the air flow direction so that the blower drive source 22 or the accumulator 23 communicates with the air supply passages 12 and 15. Further, the switching valve 24 may be in a state in which the blower driving source 22 and the accumulator 23 are in communication with each other as necessary, and in a state in which communication between the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 is blocked. It is configured as possible.

  Then, in response to a control signal output from the air supply control means 4 of the control unit 5, when the switching valve 24 is switched to communicate the accumulator 23 with the air supply passage portions 12, 15, The stored high-pressure air is supplied to the bag portion 6a of the shoulder belt 6 and the bag portion 7a of the lap belt 7 through the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, respectively. Further, the air supply passage 22 is operated from the air supply source 22 by operating the air supply source 22 with the switching valve 24 switched so as to communicate the air supply source 22 with the air supply passages 12 and 15. Air is supplied to the bag portion 6a of the shoulder belt 6 and the bag portion 7a of the lap belt 7 through 12 and 15, respectively, and the supply pressure of the air is adjusted by changing the rotational speed of the blower drive source 22. It has come to be.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 5 includes a collision prediction means 25 for predicting a vehicle collision, a collision detection means 26 for detecting that the vehicle has entered a collision state, and the on-off valves 13 and 16. An opening / closing control means 27 for outputting an opening / closing command signal and a pretensioner control means 28 for outputting an operation command signal to the inflator 21 of the pretensioner 18 are provided.

  The collision prediction means 25 includes a front distance detection means 31, a rear distance detection means 32, and a side distance detection means 33, each of which includes an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, or a radar provided at the front, rear and left and right sides of the vehicle body. Whether or not the possibility of a collision accident is extremely high by measuring the relative distance and relative speed with other vehicles located in front of, behind or on the side of the vehicle according to the detection signal When it is determined that it is high, a collision prediction signal is output to the air supply control means 4 and the opening / closing control means 27. Further, the collision predicting means 25 predicts an impact force at the time of occurrence of a collision according to the relative distance to the other vehicle and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle and outputs the predicted value to the air supply control means 4. It is configured.

  The collision detection means 26 is used when it is confirmed that a large impact load is applied, for example, when the own vehicle collides with another vehicle in accordance with a detection signal of an acceleration sensor 34 provided at the front of the passenger compartment. The vehicle is determined to be in a collision state and a collision detection signal is output to the opening / closing control means 27 and the pretensioner control means 28.

  The opening / closing control means 27 outputs an opening command signal to the opening / closing valves 13 and 16 when the collision prediction signal is input from the collision prediction means 25 to open the opening / closing valves 13 and 16, and the air supply control. It is determined whether or not a preset supply time has elapsed after the supply of air from the means 4 to the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt is started, and when it is confirmed that the supply time has elapsed. The on / off valves 13 and 16 are configured to output a close command signal to execute the control for closing the on / off valves 13 and 16.

  The air supply control means 4 sends a switching command signal to the switching valve 24 for communicating the accumulator 23 of the blower means 3 with the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 when the collision prediction signal is input from the collision prediction means 25. By outputting, high pressure air is supplied from the accumulator 23 to the bag portion 6a of the shoulder belt 6 and the bag portion 7a of the lap belt 7 through the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, respectively. Even after 6a expands, air is continuously supplied, and when the supplied air exceeds a predetermined pressure, the inner surface of the connecting portion 6b of the shoulder belt 6 is peeled off to supply air to the connecting portion 6b. It is configured. Then, after the supply of the high-pressure air is started, when a preset predetermined time has elapsed, a switching signal for communicating the air blowing drive source 22 of the air blowing means 3 with the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 is sent to the switching valve. 24, an operation command signal for driving the air blowing drive source 22 to rotate forward, and an output value of the impact driving force at the time of occurrence of the collision output from the collision predicting means 25. Control for adjusting the operating state is executed in the air supply control means 4.

  In addition, when it is confirmed that the pressure of the air stored in the accumulator 23 has dropped below a certain value during normal driving of the vehicle, or at regular intervals, the air blowing drive source 22 and the accumulator 23 are connected to the air blowing means 3. In a state where the switching valve 24 is switched so as to communicate with each other, the blower driving source 22 is operated to supply high-pressure air into the accumulator 23, thereby preventing the pressure in the accumulator 23 from becoming a certain value or less. It is configured as follows.

  The pretensioner control means 28 outputs an operation command signal to the inflator 21 of the pretensioner 18 when a collision detection signal is output from the collision detection means 26 and it is confirmed that the vehicle is in a collision state. By actuating 21, the shoulder belt 6 is wound up and control is performed to restrain the occupant to the seat 1 with a predetermined force.

  Further, air is supplied to the seat belt (specifically, the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the shoulder belt 6) to the side portion of the seat 1 to bring the seat belt into a predetermined inflated state. A setting switch 35 is provided. The setting switch 35 is for inflating the seat belt based on the intention of the occupant, separately from the case of input from the collision prediction means 25 or the collision detection means 26. When the setting switch 35 is used to perform a setting operation for bringing the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the seat belt into a predetermined inflated state, the blowing drive source 22 of the blowing means 3 is connected to the air supply passage at that time. The air supply control means 4 executes a control for supplying a predetermined amount of air into the bag portions 6a, 7a, etc. of the seat belt by operating the air blowing drive source 22 in a state where it is communicated with the portions 12, 15. It has come to be. The setting switch 35 is configured to be able to change the air supply amount (supply time) stepwise. Based on the input from the setting switch 35, for example, the shoulder belt 6 is inflated only with the bag portion 6a. What can adjust the 1 expansion state (state shown in Drawing 3 (b)) and the 2nd expansion state (state shown in Drawing 3 (c)) which also expands connecting part 6b from this 1st expansion state It has been.

  A control operation executed in the control unit 5 of the vehicle seat belt apparatus configured as described above will be described based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. When the control operation starts, it is first determined whether or not a setting operation for setting the bag portions 6a, 7a and the connecting portion 6b to a predetermined inflated state has been performed using the setting switch 35 (step S1). If determined, in the state where the blower drive source 22 of the blower means 3 is in communication with the air supply passages 12 and 15, the blower drive source 22 is operated and inside the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt and necessary In response to this, by supplying a predetermined amount of air into the connecting portion 6b of the shoulder belt 6, the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connecting portion 6b are controlled to be in an inflated state in accordance with the setting operation of the occupant (step). S2). At this time, the bag portions 6a and 7a of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the bag portions 6a and 7a through the air introduction holes 12a and 15a provided along the longitudinal direction of the air supply passage portions 12 and 15. It expands substantially uniformly along. And about the shoulder belt 6, after the bag part 6a will be in a predetermined | prescribed expansion | swelling state, when the atmospheric | air pressure in the said bag part 6a increases and this atmospheric pressure becomes more than predetermined | prescribed atmospheric pressure, bag part 6a will be connected. As shown in FIG. 3C, not only the bag portion 6a but also the air in the bag portion 6a flows between the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the connecting portion 6b. The connecting portion 6b also expands.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a collision of the vehicle has been predicted by the collision prediction means 25 (step S3). If it is determined NO, the process proceeds to the following step S9.

  If it is determined YES in step S3 and it is confirmed that a vehicle collision has been predicted, the impact force at the time of the collision is predicted based on the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, the relative distance from the other vehicle, and the like ( Step S4). Further, a control signal for opening the on-off valves 13 and 16 is output from the on-off control means 27 to the on-off valves 13 and 16 (step S5), and the air blowing means 3 is operated to activate the seat belt portion 6a and the like. , 7a, 6b is controlled by the air supply control means 4 (step S6).

  Specifically, when the collision prediction signal is input from the collision prediction means 25, the switching valve 24 is switched so that the accumulator 23 of the blower means 3 communicates with the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, and the accumulator 23 After supplying high-pressure air to the seat belts 6a, 7a, 6b through the air supply passages 12, 15, the air blower 3 blows air when a preset supply time has passed. The switching valve 24 is switched so that the drive source 22 communicates with the air supply passages 12 and 15, and the air is driven at a rotational speed corresponding to the predicted value of the impact force output from the collision prediction means 25 when the collision occurs. The air supply control means 4 executes the control for supplying the air to the seat belts 6a, 7a, 6b by driving the power source 22 in the forward direction. That. At this time, the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the seat belt are inflated through a process similar to the process described in step S2.

  Next, whether or not the air supply stop condition is satisfied by determining whether or not a preset supply time has elapsed after the start of air supply to the bag portions 6a, 7a and 6b in the air supply control means 4 Is determined (step S7). When it is determined YES in step S7 and it is confirmed that a preset supply time has elapsed after the start of air supply, a command signal for closing the on-off valves 13 and 16 is output to output the on-off valve. 13 and 16 are closed (step S8). The above-described supply time is determined by operating the air blowing means 3 to supply a predetermined amount of air into the bag belt portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt and the connection portion 6b of the shoulder belt 6 so that the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connection portion 6b are properly operated. It is set according to the supply pressure of the air so that it can be in a proper expanded state.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the collision detection means 26 detects that the vehicle is in a collision state (step S9). If YES is determined, an operation command signal is sent to the inflator 21 of the pretensioner 18. By outputting, after performing the control which operates the said inflator 21 and winds up the shoulder belt 6 (step S10), control operation is complete | finished.

  If NO is determined in step S9, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the collision prediction means 25 has predicted the collision (step S11). The predetermined time is set to a time sufficient to determine whether or not the collision has been avoided after the prediction of the collision. If YES is determined in step S11, the opening and closing valves 13 and 16 are opened, and the air in the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the seat belt is discharged to the outside, thereby the bag portion 6a and the like. , 7a, 6b are controlled to return to the original state (step S12). That is, in a state where the switching valve 24 is switched so that the air blowing drive source 22 of the air blowing means 3 is communicated with the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, the air blowing drive source 22 is driven in reverse so that the seat belt portion 6a, The air supply control means 4 controls the internal pressure of the bag portions 6a, 7a and the connecting portion 6b to be the set pressure set by the setting switch 35 by discharging the air in the connecting portion 6b to the outside. Execute. At this time, the connecting portion 6b of the shoulder belt 6 is bonded such that the front and rear inner wall surfaces can be peeled again.

  Next, it is determined whether or not either a seat belt release operation or an ignition key switch (IG) OFF operation has been performed (step S13). If the determination is YES, the on-off valves 13 and 16 are turned on. After the air in the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt is discharged to the outside in the open state, control is performed to return the bag portions 6a and 7a to the initial state (step S12), and then the process returns. That is, in a state in which the switching valve 24 is switched so that the air blowing drive source 22 of the air blowing means 3 communicates with the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, the air blowing drive source 22 is driven in reverse to rotate the seat belt portion 6a, etc. 7a and the connecting part 6b are exhausted to return the bag parts 6a, 7a, 6b to the contracted state and then return.

  As described above, the bag portions 6a and 7a that are provided along the longitudinal direction of the seat belt including the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 and expand when the air is filled therein, and the bag portions 6a and 7a The air supply means 3 which sends out the air to fill, and the air supply passage parts 12 and 15 which connect this air supply means 3 and the said bag parts 6a and 7a are provided, and the bag parts 6a and 7a from the said air supply passage parts 12 and 15 are provided. Since a plurality of air introduction holes 12a and 15a for introducing air are provided along the longitudinal direction of the bag portions 6a and 7a, the bag portions 6a and 7a are started after the supply of air by the blowing means 3 is started. The bag portions 6a and 7a can be inflated substantially uniformly along the longitudinal direction until the bag reaches a predetermined inflated shape. Therefore, compared to the case where air is supplied from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the bag portion as in the conventional device, the bag portions 6a and 7a of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt can be securely connected to the bag portions 6a and 7a at an early stage. It can be inflated substantially uniformly over the entire length, thereby properly protecting the occupant.

  In particular, as in the present embodiment, when air is supplied by the air blowing means 3 that often has a lower gas delivery pressure than in the case of using an inflator, the air is supplied from one end of the bag portions 6a and 7a as in the conventional device. If supplied, since the gas delivery pressure is low, it is difficult to inflate the bag portion uniformly over its entire length, and the bag portion 6a is provided by the air supply passage portions 12, 15 in which the air supply passage is secured as in this embodiment. , 7a, air is sent along the longitudinal direction and introduced into the bag portions 6a, 7a through the air introduction holes 12a, 15a, so that the bag portions 6a, 7a are inflated early and substantially uniformly over substantially the entire length thereof. Is particularly effective.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the ventilation drive source 22 which consists of an electric blower etc. which pressurizes and blows air, and the accumulator 23 which stores the pressurized air were provided in the said ventilation means 3, and the collision of the vehicle was predicted. At this time, since the high-pressure air is supplied from the accumulator 23 to the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seal belt, the accumulator 23 is moved to the air at a time t1 when a vehicle collision is predicted as shown in FIG. By communicating with the supply passage portions 12 and 15, high-pressure air can be quickly supplied to the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seal belt. At time t2 when the bag portions 6a and 7a are inflated to some extent by the high-pressure air supplied from the accumulator 23, the air blowing drive source 22 is operated to increase the rotational speed thereof. Thus, air can be supplied into the bag portions 6a, 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the seat belt to inflate the bag portions 6a, 7a, 6b appropriately.

  In addition, when the vehicle collides unexpectedly early, in the conventional device, the supply of air is not in time, and there is a possibility that the bag part is inflated only at one end side in the longitudinal direction to which the air is supplied. In the apparatus of this embodiment, since the bag portion 6a is inflated to some extent over the entire length, a buffering effect due to the expansion of the bag portion 6a can be obtained.

  Further, since the bag portion 6a and the connecting portion 6b of the shoulder belt 6 are configured to expand stepwise, the connecting portion 6b is expanded after the bag portions 6a disposed on both sides of the belt width direction are expanded. It is possible to inflate, and thereby, it is possible to prepare a posture capable of appropriately protecting the occupant at an earlier stage.

  Furthermore, the collision prediction means 25 for predicting the collision of the vehicle, and the air blowing means configured to be able to repeatedly supply air to the bag portions 6a and 7a and to discharge the air supplied to the bag portions 6a and 7a. 3, the air supply passages 12 and 15 that connect the air blowing means 3 and the bag portions 6 a and 7 a, and the air prediction passage 25 from the air blowing means 3 when the vehicle collision is predicted by the collision prediction means 25. Since the air supply control means 4 for inflating the bag portions 6a, 7a, 6b by supplying air into the bag portions 6a, 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the seat belt via the portions 12, 15 is provided. There is an advantage that the passengers can be properly protected by inflating the parts 6a, 7a, 6b as many times as necessary.

  That is, when the vehicle collision is predicted, the air blowing means 3 is operated to supply air into the seat belt bag portions 6a, 7a and the connecting portion 6b, so that the seat belt bag portions 6a, 7a, 6b By inflating, the occupant can be restrained in a state where the seat belt comprising the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 is uniformly pressed over a wide range, so the occupant is seated by the seat belt in a state where the pressure contact force is dispersed over a wide range. Can be properly restrained and protected. When it is confirmed that the collision of the vehicle has been avoided after the prediction of the collision, the air supplied into the bag portions 6a, 7a and 6b is discharged to the outside to return to the original state. Therefore, the bag portion 6a, 7a, 6b can be inflated again by operating the air blowing means 3 when a vehicle collision is predicted thereafter.

  The vehicle seat belt apparatus described above is an embodiment of the apparatus to which the seat belt apparatus according to the present invention is applied, and the specific configuration of the apparatus does not depart from the gist of the present invention. In the following, a modification example will be described.

  (1) The specific shape of the seat belt is not limited to that of the above embodiment, and for example, the lap belt 7 may have the same configuration as the shoulder belt 6.

  Further, instead of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, with respect to the shoulder belt 56, the bag portion 56 a has a single bag shape like the bag portion 7 a provided on the lap belt 7 without providing the connecting portion 6 b. It may be configured as a body. Even in this case, as shown in FIG. 10, air may be supplied into the bag portion 56a from the air supply passage portions 12 disposed at both ends in the belt width direction, and the bag portion 56a may be inflated from both sides in the width direction. Therefore, the bag portion 56a can be formed in a predetermined inflated state at a relatively early stage, and can be inflated substantially uniformly over the entire length of the bag portion 56a as in the above embodiment.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the shape of a seat belt, for example, a shoulder belt, is configured such that the bag portion 106a forms an independent space in the inflated state at both ends in the belt width direction, and the bag portion 106a has a predetermined shape. A connecting portion 106b serving as a sub chamber, which is configured to expand after being inflated, may be provided between the bag portions 106a.

  That is, the shoulder belt 106 is provided with bag portions 106a into which air supply passage portions 112 are introduced at both sides in the belt width direction, and the bag portions 106a are connected by a connecting portion 106b having an independent space. . In this embodiment, unlike the above embodiment, the air supply passage portion 112 has an elliptical cross-sectional shape, and is provided with an air introduction hole 112a opened in the front-rear direction in the circumferential direction. .

  As shown in FIG. 11 (b), each bag portion 106a has one end in the longitudinal direction (the end on the tongue 10 side opposite to the anchor 9 side in the illustrated example) and is connected to the inside of the connecting portion 106b through the communication portion 109. Communicate. Therefore, when air is supplied from the blower 3 to the air supply passage 112 by the air supply controller 4, the air is introduced into the bag portion 106 a from each of the plurality of air introduction holes 112 a provided along the longitudinal direction. When the bag portion 106a is introduced, the bag portion 106a starts to swell substantially uniformly along the longitudinal direction. When the bag portion 106a is inflated to a predetermined size, the air in the bag portion 106a flows into the connecting portion 106b through the communicating portion 109, and the connecting portion 106b also starts to swell. The connecting portion 106b is supplied with air from each of the pair of bag portions 106a from one end side, that is, the side where the communicating portion 109 is provided, and starts to inflate from the communicating portion 109 side. Can be expanded relatively evenly and efficiently evenly.

  And a passenger | crew can be appropriately protected similarly to the said embodiment by the seatbelt in which the bag part 106a expanded appropriately over substantially full length was provided in this way.

  Further, the seat belt including the bag portion may be formed to be widened over a predetermined range.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the air supply passage portion is set to be a perfect circle or an ellipse, but the cross-sectional shape of the air supply passage portion is not particularly limited. You may form in well-known shapes, such as circular, a rectangle, and a triangle.

  However, if it is formed into a shape having an arc-shaped cross section that protrudes toward the occupant side, such as a circle, an ellipse, an oval, a semicircle, etc., the mounting comfort is improved in the occupant wearing the seat belt, and among these, By having a substantially circular cross section including a perfect circle and an ellipse as in each embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent a cut injury accident caused by this gas supply passage portion when the seat belt is improperly mounted. In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent a situation in which the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 are deformed when the seat belt is attached and the air flowability in the passage portions 12 and 15 is impaired.

  In addition, if a plurality of air introduction holes 12a and 15a provided in the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, the opening direction and the number of the air introduction holes 12a and 15a are specified. The specific configuration is not particularly limited. Accordingly, for example, a plurality of air introduction holes 12a of the air supply passage portion 12 disposed in the shoulder belt 6 are provided in the circumferential direction in the above embodiment, but only one may be provided, for example. The opening direction may be formed so as to open toward the center of the bag portion 6a, similarly to the air introduction hole 15a of the air supply passage portion 15 disposed in the lap belt 7.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the air introduction holes 12a and 15a are provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the air supply passage portions 12 and 15, but in the longitudinal direction in which the air introduction holes 12a and 15a are formed. The intervals along the line may be unequal intervals. For example, the intervals may be set narrower from the one end side close to the blowing means 3 toward the opposite side.

  (3) Instead of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, pressure detection means 6c, 7c comprising pressure sensors or the like are disposed in the bag portions 6a, 7a of the seat belt so that the seat belt can be After the supply of air to the bag portions 6a and 7a is started, when it is confirmed that the pressure in the bag portions 6a and 7a detected by the pressure detection means 6c and 7c has become the set pressure, the bag is opened and closed. The valves 13 and 16 may be closed. According to this configuration, after the vehicle collision is predicted, the air blowing unit 3 is operated to supply air into the bag portions 6a and 7a and the connecting portion 6b of the seat belt, and then the bag portions 6a, 7a, and 6b. By closing the on-off valves 13 and 16 when it is confirmed that the internal pressure becomes the set pressure and the seat belt is properly deployed, the seat belt bag portions 6a, 7a and 6b are closed. There is an advantage that it can be maintained in a stable expanded state. In this case, the set pressure of the bag portion 6a is set to a value higher than a predetermined pressure at which the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the connecting portion 6b peel off.

  (4) When the collision detection means 26 detects that the vehicle has entered a collision state after the supply of air to the seat belt bags 6a and 7a at the time of vehicle collision prediction, The on-off valves 13 and 16 may be closed. In such a configuration, when the vehicle is in a collision state and the seat bell is pressed against the occupant, the on-off valves 13 and 16 are closed, so that the seat belt bag is applied with a pressing force acting at the time of the collision. It is possible to prevent air from leaking out of the parts 6a and 7a. Therefore, there is an advantage that the passengers can be effectively protected by maintaining the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt in a stable unfolded state in the event of a vehicle collision.

  (5) Further, as shown in the above embodiment, the vehicle state at the time of vehicle collision prediction, for example, the impact force at the time of collision occurrence predicted according to the relative distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, etc. Accordingly, the air supply pressure to the bag portions 6a, 7a and the like can be adjusted by controlling the rotational speed of the air blowing drive source 22, and in such a case, at the time of vehicle collision prediction, There is an advantage that an occupant can be effectively protected by setting the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt to an inflated state corresponding to an impact force or the like acting when a collision occurs.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, the blower 3 is reversely driven while the on-off valves 13 and 16 provided in the air supply passages 12 and 15 are opened, thereby supplying the air to the seat belts 6a and 7a. In the above description, the air blower 3 and the air supply passage 15 are configured to function as the air discharge means, but the inside of the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt is described. A discharge passage for discharging the air to the outside and an opening / closing valve for opening / closing the discharge passage are provided separately, and the opening / closing valve is opened to discharge the air of the bag portions 6a, 7a to the outside from the discharge passage. You may comprise.

  (7) Further, instead of the above-described embodiment in which the second pretensioner 18 is provided in the retractor 8 of the shoulder belt 6, as shown in FIG. 13, when a vehicle collision is detected, the shoulder belt 6 An occupant restraining means comprising an inflator 41 that restrains the occupant by applying a predetermined tension to the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 by pulling down the buckle 11 provided with the tongue 10 provided at the tip of the belt 10 downward. It is good also as the structure provided. The lap belt 7 is supported so that it can be pulled out, and a first pretensioner 42 for the lap belt 7 comprising an electric motor for winding the lap belt 7 is driven, and the lap belt 7 is wrapped according to the winding operation. An air supply passage retractor 43 that winds and drives the air supply passage portion 15 for the belt 7 may be provided.

  (8) In the above-described embodiment, the seat belt is provided integrally with the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 at portions corresponding to the bag portions 6a and 7a, and the belts 6 and 7 and the air supply passage portions 12 and 15 are separately provided. The retractors 8 and 14 are configured to be drawn out and wound up. However, the seat belt is provided integrally with the air supply passage portion over its entire length, and the belt and the air supply passage portion are provided in a single unit. It may be configured so that it can be drawn out and wound by a retractor.

  (9) Regarding the bag portions 6a and 7a of the seat belt, a cover may be provided at the corresponding portion, and the strength required for the seat belt may be supplemented by the cover.

It is explanatory drawing which shows embodiment of the vehicle seatbelt apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the specific structure of a seatbelt mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific structure of a shoulder belt. It is a front view which shows typically the state which introduce | transduces air into the bag part of a seatbelt through an air introduction hole. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific structure of a lap belt. It is sectional drawing which shows the specific structure of an inflator. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific structure of a ventilation means. It is a flowchart which shows the first half part of control operation | movement of the vehicle seatbelt apparatus by a control unit. It is a flowchart which shows the second half part of control operation | movement of the vehicle seatbelt apparatus by a control unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a shoulder belt. It is sectional drawing which shows the other modification of a shoulder belt. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the map for air supply control. It is explanatory drawing which shows another embodiment of the vehicle seatbelt apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Seat belt mechanism 3 Blowing means 4 Air supply control means 6 Shoulder belt (seat belt)
7 Wrap belt (seat belt)
6a, 7a Bag part 6b Connecting part 12, 15 Air supply passage 26 Collision prediction means

Claims (10)

  A bag part that is provided along the longitudinal direction of the seat belt and expands when the inside is filled with gas, a gas delivery part that sends out the gas filled in the bag part, and the gas delivery part and the bag part. In the vehicle seat belt apparatus including the gas supply passage portion to be connected, a plurality of gas introduction holes for introducing gas from the gas supply passage portion into the bag portion are provided along the longitudinal direction of the bag portion. A vehicle seatbelt device.   The vehicle seat belt device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply passage portion is disposed along a longitudinal direction of the bag portion.   3. The vehicle seat belt device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the gas supply passage portion corresponding to the bag portion is disposed inside the bag portion.   The gas supply passage portion is disposed at both ends in the width direction of the bag portion, and gas introduction holes for introducing gas from the gas supply passage portions are provided on both sides in the width direction of the bag portion. The vehicle seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The vehicular seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gas supply passage portion has a substantially circular cross section.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gas delivery unit is configured to be able to repeatedly supply gas and to be capable of discharging the gas in the bag unit. Seat belt device.   Vehicle collision prediction means for predicting a vehicle collision, and when a vehicle collision is predicted by the vehicle collision prediction means, gas is supplied from the gas delivery portion into the bag portion of the seat belt via the gas supply passage portion. The vehicle seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising gas supply control means for performing the operation.   The vehicle seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the seat belt includes a shoulder belt and a lap belt, and the bag portion is provided on any of the belts. .   9. The vehicle seat belt according to claim 8, wherein the bag portion of the shoulder belt is configured such that the rate of increase in thickness is greater than the rate of increase in width when gas is introduced. apparatus.   The vehicle according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the bag portion of the lap belt is configured such that an increase rate of the width dimension becomes larger than an increase rate of the thickness when the gas is introduced. Seat belt device.

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