JP2006219085A - Air bag device for protecting pedestrian or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like without a necessity of improving rigidity of a rear end part of a food nor reinforcing a base cloth of the air bag. <P>SOLUTION: Firstly, a first chamber 5a of the air bag 5 is expanded by gas of a first inflater 4a to move the hood 6 upward. Secondly, the whole of the air bag 5 is expanded by gas of a second inflater 4b to expand the air bag 5 backward. The amount of the gas of the first inflater 4a is enough to move the hood 6 upward, but less than the amount necessary to expand the whole of the air bag 5, the inner pressure of the air bag 5 is not too high, and the hood 6 is prevented from deformation when raising the rear end part of the hood 6, and the air bag 5 itself is prevented from damage. Consequently, it is unnecessary to improve rigidity of the rear end part of the hood 6 and to reinforce the base cloth of the air bag 5, and weight of the car body can be reduced and the air bag 5 manufacturing work can be simplified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a protective airbag device for pedestrians and the like.

  To prevent pedestrians, bicycles, and other occupants (hereinafter referred to as pedestrians) from directly colliding with the outer surface of the vehicle body such as a front window panel or front pillar when a car collides with a pedestrian, bicycle, or motorcycle Further, a protective airbag for a pedestrian or the like is housed in a folded state below the rear end of the hood of the vehicle body.

This type of air bag is inflated by gas from the inflator at the time of collision with a pedestrian or the like, but first, the rear end of the hood is lifted upward during the inflation. After that, the airbag is fully inflated and deployed rearward along the outer surface of the vehicle body such as the front window panel and front pillar, so as to protect pedestrians etc. when hitting the outer surface of the vehicle body such as the front window panel and front pillar. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-264146 A

  However, in such a conventional technique, since the inflator is supplied with a sufficient amount of gas that can fully inflate the airbag, and the rear end of the hood is lifted during the inflation, the internal pressure of the airbag When the rear end of the hood is raised, the hood may be deformed or the airbag itself may be damaged due to strong contact with the rear end of the hood. For this reason, conventionally, it has been necessary to increase the plate thickness at the rear end of the hood to increase the rigidity, or to superimpose a reinforcing cloth on the base fabric of the airbag. As a result, the weight of the vehicle body is increased and the manufacturing work of the airbag is complicated.

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the rear end portion of the hood or reinforce the base fabric of the airbag. A device is provided.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a hood whose rear end is supported so as to be movable upward, and is stored in a folded state below the rear end of the hood and moved rearward after the hood rear end is moved upward during expansion. A airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like comprising an airbag to be deployed and an inflator that supplies gas from the base end side into the airbag when a collision with a pedestrian or the like is detected or a state immediately before the collision is detected. The inflator includes at least a first inflator that generates gas in advance and a second inflator that generates gas behind the first inflator, and the amount of gas generated by the first inflator is The hood is more than the amount that allows the upward movement of the hood, and less than the amount that allows the total expansion of the airbag.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the first chamber on the proximal end side and the second chamber on the distal end side of the airbag are partitioned by a partition having a gas ventilation portion.

  The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the first chamber is folded in a bellows shape and the second chamber is folded in a roll shape.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the second chamber of the airbag is shaped to cover the lower edge of the front window panel and the front pillar when deployed.

  The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the first inflator and the second inflator are formed as a twin squib type inflator capable of jetting a time difference of gas by one.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the airbag is first inflated with the gas of the first inflator, and the hood is moved upward. Next, the airbag is fully inflated with the gas of the second inflator and deployed rearward. The gas amount of the first inflator can move the hood upward, but it is less than the amount that fully inflates the airbag, so the internal pressure of the airbag does not become too high, and the hood deforms when lifting the rear end of the hood. There is no risk of damaging the airbag itself with the hood. Accordingly, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the rear end portion of the hood, and it is not necessary to reinforce the airbag base fabric, so that the weight of the vehicle body can be reduced and the manufacturing operation of the airbag can be simplified.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the first chamber on the proximal end side of the airbag and the second chamber on the distal end side are separated by the partition wall, the gas of the first inflator is concentrated on the first chamber side. The first chamber can be expanded early. Therefore, the space for the rear end of the hood to move up early and the second chamber to inflate rearward is secured at an early stage, and the time until the airbag is fully inflated can be shortened. it can.

  According to invention of Claim 3, since the 1st chamber is folded by the bellows shape, it is easy to expand | swell upward. Since the second chamber is folded in a roll shape, the force for partitioning the first chamber is strong and promotes early expansion of the first chamber.

  According to invention of Claim 4, since the 2nd chamber of an airbag is a shape which covers a front window panel lower edge part and a front pillar at the time of expansion | deployment, a pedestrian etc. are made into a front window panel lower edge part and a front pillar. Can be protected from collisions.

  According to invention of Claim 5, since the 1st inflator and the 2nd inflator are formed as the twin squib type inflator which can perform the time difference jet of gas, the number of inflators installed in the airbag Can be reduced. Therefore, the installation work of the inflator can be facilitated and the weight can be reduced.

  For the purpose of providing a protective airbag device for pedestrians and the like that does not need to increase the rigidity of the rear end of the hood or reinforce the base fabric of the airbag, the rear end of the hood is supported so as to be movable upward. And when the airbag is stored in a folded state below the rear end of the hood and the rear end of the hood is moved upward during inflation and then deployed rearward, and when a collision with a pedestrian or the like is detected or a state immediately before the collision is detected. An airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like comprising an inflator that supplies gas into the airbag from its proximal end side, wherein the inflator first generates a gas, and the first inflator The second inflator that generates gas behind the inflator is configured at least, and the amount of gas generated by the first inflator is greater than the amount by which the hood can be moved upward, and the By less than full expansion possible amount of bags, was realized. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 5 are views showing a first embodiment of the present invention. An airbag module 2 is provided along the vehicle width direction on the outer surface of the vehicle body, which is the front side of the front window panel 1. The airbag module 2 mainly includes an upper open type case 3, an inflator 4, and an airbag 5. The airbag 5 is stored in the case 3 in a folded state.

  An engine room E is formed in front of the airbag module 2, and the upper part of the engine room E is covered with a hood 6. The hood 6 is capable of opening upward as a whole with support shafts (not shown) set on the left and right sides at the rear end. The support shaft (not shown) is normally restricted in its vertical position by a stopper mechanism, but the restriction is released when the inflator 4 is operated, and the rear end of the hood 6 is driven by a load from below. It can move upward.

  The airbag 5 is divided into a first chamber 5a on the proximal end side and a second chamber 5b on the distal end side by a partition wall 7 made of the same material as the base fabric constituting the airbag 5. The second chamber 5 b is shaped to cover the lower edge of the front window panel 1 and the front pillar 8. A plurality of hole-shaped gas ventilation portions 9 are formed at positions (parts on both sides in the vehicle width direction) corresponding to a portion of the partition wall 7 that covers the front pillar 8 of the second chamber 5b. The first chamber 5a is folded in a bellows shape, the second chamber 5b is folded in a roll shape, and the second chamber 5b is stacked on the first chamber 5a and stored in the case 3.

  The inflator 4 is fixed to the bottom surface of the case 3 while being installed in the first chamber 5a. Two inflators 4 are installed inside the first chamber 5a. One inflator 4 is a twin squib type composed of a first inflator 4a and a second inflator 4b. That is, in response to the electrical signal, the first inflator 4a is first ignited to eject gas, and then the second inflator 4b is ignited to inject gas. Since a single inflator 4 can eject the time difference of gas, the number of inflators 4 installed in the airbag 5 can be reduced, and the installation work of the inflator 4 can be facilitated and the weight can be reduced. it can.

  Next, the operation will be described. An electric signal is sent from the sensor to the inflator 4 when a collision with a pedestrian or the like is detected or a state immediately before the collision is detected. When receiving the signal, the inflator 4 first ignites the first inflator 4a to eject gas. The first chamber 5a of the airbag 5 is inflated by the gas ejected from the first inflator 4a, and the rear end of the hood 6 is moved upward.

  Since the first chamber 5a and the second chamber 5b are separated by the partition wall 7 for clarity, the gas in the first inflator 4a is concentrated on the first chamber 5a side, and the first chamber 5a is expanded quickly. Moreover, since the 1st chamber 5a is folded in the shape of a bellows, it is easy to expand upward. Furthermore, since the second chamber 5b is folded in a roll shape, the gas from the first inflator 4a is difficult to enter the second chamber 5b, and the force for partitioning the first chamber 5a is increased, so that the first chamber 5a has an early stage. Promotes expansion.

  The amount of gas ejected from the first inflator 4a is not less than the amount by which the first chamber 5a is inflated so that the rear end of the hood 6 can be moved upward, but the amount by which the airbag 5 is fully inflated. There is no.

  Accordingly, only the first chamber 5a is inflated as shown in FIG. 4 by the gas of the first inflator 4a and the rear end of the hood 6 can be moved upward reliably, but the internal pressure of the airbag 5 does not increase too much. There is no possibility that the hood 6 is deformed when the rear end portion of the hood 6 is lifted or that the airbag 5 itself is damaged by the strong contact with the rear end portion of the hood 6. Accordingly, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the rear end portion of the hood 6 and it is not necessary to reinforce the base fabric of the airbag 5, so that the vehicle body weight can be reduced and the airbag manufacturing operation can be simplified.

  After the ejection of gas from the first inflator 4a, the second inflator 4b is ignited to supply more gas to the first chamber 5a. The amount of gas supplied from the second inflator 4b is an amount capable of fully inflating the airbag 5.

  The gas from the second inflator 4b passes through the gas ventilation part 9 of the partition wall 7 and enters the second chamber 5b, and expands the second chamber 5b rearward as shown in FIG. As described above, due to the presence of the partition wall 7, the first chamber 5a expands early and moves the rear end of the hood 6 upward, so that the space for the second chamber 5b to expand rearward is also early. Thus, the time until the airbag 5 is fully inflated can be shortened.

  The airbag 5 deployed rearward has a shape in which the second chamber 5 b covers the lower edge of the front window panel 1 and the front pillar 8, so that a pedestrian or the like can be connected to the lower edge of the front window panel 1 and the front pillar 8. Can be reliably protected from collisions.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two sets of inflators 10 each composed of a first inflator 10a and a second inflator 10b of a general single squib type installed separately are provided. The first inflator 10a and the second inflator 10b each have a squib and are ignited with a time difference by an electrical signal. Since a general single squib type first inflator 10a and second inflator 10b are used, it is advantageous in terms of cost. Other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the combustion type (pyro type) inflators 4 and 10 that generate gas by igniting with a squib are used as an example. Inflator can be used.

  In addition, the shape of the second chamber 5b has been described as a shape that covers the lower edge portion of the front window panel 1 and the lower end portion of the front pillar 8, but not limited to this, all of the front window panel 1 and the front pillar 8 are all included. It may have any shape until it is covered.

1 is a perspective view of a front portion of an automobile showing a state where an airbag according to a first embodiment of the present invention is deployed. Sectional drawing which follows the SA-SA line | wire shown by the arrow in FIG. 1 which shows the state before the expansion | deployment of the airbag which concerns on FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the expansion | deployment state of the airbag which concerns on FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the inflated state of only the 1st chamber of the airbag which concerns on FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the whole inflation state of the airbag which concerns on FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a deployed state of the airbag according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front window panel 2 Air bag module 3 Case 4, 10 Inflator 4a, 10a 1st inflator 4b, 10b 2nd inflator 5 Air bag 5a 1st chamber 5b 2nd chamber 6 Hood 7 Bulkhead 8 Front pillar 9 Gas ventilation part E Engine The room

Claims (5)

A hood whose rear end is supported so as to be movable upward;
An airbag that is housed in a folded state below the rear end of the hood and that moves rearward from the rear end of the hood when inflated and then deployed rearward;
When detecting a collision with a pedestrian or the like or detecting a state immediately before a collision, an airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like provided with an inflator that supplies gas from the base end side into the airbag,
The inflator is composed of at least a first inflator that generates gas in advance and a second inflator that generates gas behind the first inflator, and
The amount of gas generated by the first inflator is not less than the amount by which the hood can be moved upward and less than the amount by which the airbag can be fully inflated. The airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like according to claim 1,
An airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like, characterized in that a first chamber on a proximal end side and a second chamber on a distal end side of an airbag are partitioned by a partition having a gas ventilation portion. The airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like according to claim 2,
An air bag apparatus for protecting a pedestrian or the like, wherein the first chamber is folded in a bellows shape and the second chamber is folded in a roll shape. A protective pedestrian airbag device according to claim 2 or claim 3,
An airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like, wherein the second chamber of the airbag is shaped to cover the lower edge of the front window panel and the front pillar when deployed. The airbag device for protecting a pedestrian or the like according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An air bag apparatus for protecting a pedestrian or the like, wherein the first inflator and the second inflator are formed as a twin squib type inflator capable of jetting a time difference of gas by one.

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