JP2006273040A - Airbag system for pedestrian - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag system for a pedestrian capable of preventing a pedestrian from being caught in by quickly blocking a space between a vehicle front end and a road surface. <P>SOLUTION: This airbag system S for pedestrian is mounted on the underside of a vehicle body on the front side of a front wheel 6 of a vehicle V, and includes an airbag 10 and a case 32 having an opening 32a for projection capable of projecting an airbag toward a road surface GL during airbag deployment. The airbag 10 includes a font wall portion 17 and a rear wall portion 18, which are expanded so as to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction. The front/rear wall portions are individually connected by a tether 20, which extends lower edges 17b, 18b toward the road surface GL in the initial stage of deployment of the airbag where the front/rear wall portions are projected out of a case by flowing inflation gas thereinto, so that a distance between the front/rear wall portions can be approached and connected upon the deployment completion of the airbag. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is mounted on the lower surface side of the vehicle body on the front side of the front wheel of the vehicle and accommodates an inflatable airbag so that it can be prevented from being caught from the front side of the pedestrian during operation. It is related with the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the structure which arrange | positions the inflated airbag between.

  Conventionally, in a pedestrian airbag device mounted on a vehicle, the airbag is folded and stored in a bumper or the like at the front end of the vehicle body, and when in operation, an inflation gas is caused to flow into the airbag to store the airbag. It is made to protrude from the front side of the vehicle body (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In some cases, an inflated airbag is disposed between the vehicle body and the road surface (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
JP-A-6-239198 JP-A-9-164906 JP 7-277114 A

  However, in the conventional pedestrian airbag device in which the inflated airbag is disposed on the front side of the vehicle body, the inflated airbag is separated from the road surface so that the lower surface of the inflated airbag is lifted, and there is a gap between the airbag and the road surface. If this occurs, there is a risk that a pedestrian who has fallen may enter the vehicle body from the gap. Therefore, in order to prevent the pedestrian from getting caught on the lower surface side (front wheel side) of the front end of the vehicle body, There was room.

  In order to deal with this problem, as described in Patent Document 3, it is conceivable that a configuration in which an inflated airbag is disposed between the vehicle body lower surface on the rear wheel side and the road surface is made to correspond to the front wheel side.

  However, even if it is configured such that an inflated airbag is disposed between the lower surface of the front end portion of the vehicle body and the road surface, the gap between the front end portion of the vehicle body and the road surface is large in a truck or the like equipped with a large tire. The volume of the air bag for closing the gap is inevitably increased, and a problem arises in that the gap between the front end of the vehicle body and the road surface is quickly closed.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and provides a pedestrian airbag apparatus that can quickly close the space between the front end of the vehicle body and the road surface with an airbag and prevent the pedestrian from being caught. For the purpose.

In the airbag device for a walking vehicle according to the present invention, it is mounted on the lower surface side of the vehicle body on the front side of the front wheel of the vehicle,
An airbag that inflates so as to close the space between the lower surface of the front end of the vehicle body and the road surface so as to prevent entrainment from the front side of the pedestrian during inflow of the inflation gas;
A case having a projecting opening on the lower surface side capable of storing and holding a folded airbag and projecting the airbag when inflated to the road surface side;
A pedestrian airbag device comprising:
The airbag-shaped peripheral wall of the airbag is configured to include a front wall portion and a rear wall portion that swell away from each other in the front-rear direction,
The front wall portion and the rear wall portion are inflated with each other so that the lower end extends to the road surface side at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag that protrudes from the case with inflow of inflation gas. It is connected by connecting means that connects closer than time,
The connecting means is set so as to release the connection between the front wall portion and the rear wall portion when the internal pressure of the airbag is increased after the lower ends of the front wall portion and the rear wall portion are extended to the road surface side. It is characterized by being.

  In the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention, during operation, when the inflation gas flows into the airbag and the airbag protrudes from the projection opening of the case, the airbag is thickened by the connecting means. The front wall portion and the rear wall portion are connected so as to reduce the thickness, thereby reducing the volume. Therefore, even if the inflow amount of the inflation gas is small, the airbag can easily extend between the lower surface of the front end of the vehicle body and the road surface so as to be in contact with the road surface. it can. And even if the pedestrian tries to enter below the front end of the vehicle body at the beginning of the operation of the airbag device for the pedestrian, that is, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, the airbag receives the pedestrian and It becomes possible to prevent entrainment in the.

  And, of course, if the airbag further inflates and increases the internal pressure, the connecting means releases the connection between the front wall portion and the rear wall portion of the airbag. Increase the thickness of to complete the expansion. Therefore, a pedestrian who intends to enter the lower part of the front end of the vehicle body is received by the airbag with good cushioning properties and is prevented from being caught on the lower surface side (front wheel side) of the front end part of the vehicle body.

  Therefore, in the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention, the space between the front end of the vehicle body and the road surface can be quickly closed with the airbag, and the pedestrian can be prevented from being caught.

  When the airbag is configured to extend the lower end side of the front wall portion and the rear wall portion to the road surface side at the front edge side of the opening for protrusion of the case at the initial stage of the expansion projecting from the case, Since the bag closes the region up to the road surface side at the front side of the lower surface side of the front end portion of the vehicle body at the initial stage of inflation, it is possible to prevent the pedestrian from being involved more quickly.

  In this case, the vertical film length from the attachment position to the case on the upper side of the rear wall portion to the connection position with the connecting means of the rear wall portion is determined from the attachment position to the case on the upper side of the front wall portion. If the connecting means is connected to the front wall portion and the rear wall portion so as to be longer than the film length in the vertical direction to the connecting position with the connecting means, the adjustment of the connecting position of the connecting means Thus, the airbag can be closed between the front end portion of the vehicle body and the road surface on the front side of the lower surface side of the front end portion of the vehicle body at the initial stage of inflation in which the airbag protrudes from the case.

  Because, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag protruding from the case, the upper part of the front / rear wall part is inflated from the connecting position with the connecting means, and in the swollen part, the membrane length in the vertical direction on the rear wall side is It becomes longer than the film length on the front wall side, the connection position of the front wall part with the connecting means is arranged on the front side, and the part of the front wall part below the connection position located on the front side Will swell. For this reason, the front wall portion swells by being arranged on the front side as compared with the case where the connecting position with the connecting means is set to the same height as the connecting position of the rear wall portion.

  And since said structure can be comprised only by adjustment of the connection position to the front and rear wall part of a connection means, the operation | movement which the airbag at the time of the initial stage of expansion protrudes from a case in the position of the front side more. Can be obtained easily.

  If the adjustment of the connecting position of the connecting means to the front and rear wall portions is not taken into account, for example, the direction of the gas outlet of the inflator that supplies the inflation gas and the flow of the gas arranged in the airbag are controlled. Using a rectifying cloth, etc., the inflation gas in the airbag is directed diagonally forward and downward so that the front wall portion of the airbag protrudes downward on the front edge side of the lower surface of the front end of the vehicle body. It may be configured. Of course, you may use together these structures and the adjustment of the connection position to the front and rear wall part of a connection means.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A pedestrian airbag apparatus S according to the embodiment is mounted on a truck V as a vehicle, as shown in FIGS. It is mounted on the lower surface side of the front end 1a of the vehicle body (body) 1 on the front side of the front wheels 6,6. These front wheels 6 and 6 are disposed so that they can be braked and steered. 1 and 2 are a front bumper, and a member 8 is a spoiler. These members are attached to the frame 2 on the body 1 side using a bracket (not shown). .

  Further, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions in this specification are made to correspond to the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions of the vehicle V, with the straight direction of the vehicle V being the forward direction. Yes.

  1 to 7, the pedestrian airbag device S includes an airbag 10, an inflator 42 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 10, and a case 32 that stores and holds the folded airbag 10 and the inflator 42. And the cover 40 which covers the lower surface side of the folded airbag 10 is comprised.

  Note that the frame 2 of the vehicle V is formed of two parallel rigid metal members disposed along the front-rear direction at the connection portion of the airbag apparatus S, and each of the cases of the airbag apparatus S. 32 is fixed to the bolt 4 and the nut 3 to fix the airbag device S.

  The pedestrian airbag device S has a sensor (not shown) for detecting the approach of the pedestrian disposed at a predetermined position of the bumper 7, and a control device (not shown) to which a signal from the sensor is input is provided by the pedestrian. When a collision with the vehicle V is predicted, the inflator 42 is operated to supply the inflation gas to the airbag 10.

  In the case of the embodiment, a plurality (five in the embodiment) of inflators 42 are used and arranged along the left-right direction. Each inflator 42 includes a columnar main body portion 42a having a plurality of gas discharge ports 42b on the lower end side, and a substantially square plate-like flange portion 42c projects from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 42a. Each flange portion 42c is formed with an attachment hole 42d through which each bolt 26a of the retainer 26 is inserted at each of the four corners.

  The case 32 is made of a box-shaped sheet metal having an opening at the bottom, a ceiling wall portion 33 disposed substantially in the horizontal direction, and a cylindrical side wall extending downward from the entire outer periphery of the ceiling wall portion 33. And a unit 38. The opening on the lower surface side of the case 32 surrounded by the side wall portion 38 is a projecting opening 32a from which the airbag 10 is inflated.

  The planar shape of the ceiling wall 33 includes a rectangular central portion 33a extending in the left-right direction, and rectangular left and right side portions 33b and 33c extending diagonally rearward from the left and right sides of the central portion 33a. It is prepared for. A connecting hole 37 penetrating in the vertical direction is disposed in front of and behind the boundary between the left and right side portions 33b and 33c in the central portion 33a. Bolts 4 for connecting and fixing the case 32 to the frame 2 are inserted through these connection holes 37.

  In addition, a plurality (five in the case of the embodiment) of insertion holes 34 that are opened in a circular shape are arranged in the center portion 33a of the ceiling wall portion 33 along the left-right direction. A cylindrical main body 42a of the inflator 42 is inserted into each insertion hole 34 from above. At the periphery of each insertion hole 34, four mounting holes 35 are vertically penetrated. Each inflator 42 is attached to these attachment holes 35 from the upper surface side of the ceiling wall portion 33, and the attachment wall portion 13 of the airbag 10 having the opening 14 is attached from the lower surface side of the ceiling wall portion 33. Each bolt 26a of the retainer 26 is inserted.

  Each retainer 26 is configured as a substantially square ring having a hole through which the main body 42a of the inflator 42 can be inserted, and is provided with bolts 26a extending upward at the four corners. And the retainer 26 fixes the mounting wall part 13 and the inflator 42 of the airbag 10 to the ceiling wall part 33 as mentioned above using the volt | bolt 26a and the nut 27 fastened to the volt | bolt 26a. Playing a role.

  Further, a plurality of attachment holes 36 for fixing the attachment reinforcing portion 16 of the airbag 10 to the lower surface side of the ceiling wall portion 33 are formed on the front edge side of the ceiling wall portion 33. Bolts 29 are inserted into the respective mounting holes 36 together with the respective mounting holes 16a of the mounting reinforcing portion 16, and the nuts 30 are fastened to the bolts 29, so that the mounting reinforcing portion 16 of the airbag 10 becomes the airbag. It is attached and fixed to the ceiling wall 33 in a state of being arranged at a position on the front side from the attachment hole 15F on the front edge side of the ten openings 14.

  The reason why the attachment reinforcing portion 16 of the airbag 10 is attached and fixed to the ceiling wall portion 33 in a state where the attachment reinforcing portion 16 is arranged at a position on the front side from the attachment hole 15F on the front edge side of each opening 14 of the airbag 10 is as follows. This is to prevent gas leakage from the periphery of the opening 14 when the airbag device S is in operation. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, when the airbag 10 that has been inflated has its lower ends 17b and 18b in contact with the road surface GL and the track V is moving forward in this state, the airbag 10 Due to the frictional resistance with GL, the lower ends 17b and 18b are pulled rearward. At this time, if there is no attachment reinforcing portion 16 as an attachment portion to the ceiling wall portion 33, a tensile force T toward the rear side of the airbag 10 is obtained. (Refer to FIG. 9) directly acts on the peripheral portion of the mounting hole 15F on the front edge side of the opening 14 of the mounting wall 13 and breaks or stretches the portion to cause gas leakage from the vicinity of the mounting hole 15F. There is a risk of causing it. However, if the attachment portion to the ceiling wall portion 33 of the airbag 10, that is, the attachment reinforcing portion 16 is disposed on the front side of each attachment hole 15 </ b> F, the rear side due to the frictional resistance with the road surface GL in the airbag 10. The attachment reinforcing portion 16 secured by the bolt 29 can counter the tensile force T to the side, and gas leakage from the vicinity of the attachment hole 15F can be prevented. Of course, the attachment reinforcing portion 16 itself is not a part that inflates when inflating gas is introduced, so that no gas leakage occurs even if the peripheral edge of the attachment hole 16a extends or breaks.

  Incidentally, such a tensile force T that pulls the front edge side of the opening 14 of the airbag 10 rearward also interferes with a pedestrian after the airbag 10 is completely inflated, even when the front wall portion 17 of the airbag 10 is engaged. This can occur because tension is generated on the surface of the film.

  Further, a flange portion 38a that extends outward in a substantially horizontal direction is formed at the lower end of the side wall portion 38 of the case 32, and a fixing means such as a clip or a bolt (not shown) is used for the flange portion 38a. The cover 40 is fixed.

  The cover 40 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like, and is disposed so as to cover the projecting opening 32a surrounded by the side wall portion 38 on the lower end side of the case 32, and the airbag 10 accommodated in the case 32 is disposed below. In order to be able to expand and protrude toward the road surface GL side, the airbag 10 is pushed and broken, and is disposed so as to open on both sides in the front-rear direction. In addition, you may comprise the cover 40 so that it may be opened by one opening not only on both sides but on the back side or the front side.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the airbag 10 includes a main body 11 that inflates when inflated, and a tether 20 as a connecting means disposed in the main body 11.

  The bag-like peripheral wall 12 of the main body 11 covers the front side of the left and right front wheels 6 and 6 of the track V when expansion is completed, and closes the region from the lower surface side of the vehicle body front end 1a to the road surface GL. It is configured as a cylindrical shape extending substantially along the direction. Specifically, when the airbag 10 at the time of completion of inflation is viewed from above, the main body 11 has a larger outer shape than the ceiling wall 33 of the case 32 and is substantially similar to the ceiling wall 33. It has a shape including a central portion 11c along the left-right direction and left and right side portions 11d and 11e extending diagonally rearward from the left and right sides of the central portion 11c (see FIG. 4).

  And the surrounding wall 12 of the main-body part 11 is made into the longitudinal cross-sectional shape along the front-back direction at the time of expansion completion, the attachment wall part 13 attached to the lower surface side of the ceiling wall part 33 of the case 32, and the front edge side of the attachment wall part 13 A front wall portion 17 extending downward from the rear wall portion 18 and a rear wall portion 18 extending downward from the rear edge side of the mounting wall portion 13 so that the lower ends 17b and 18b of the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 are in contact with the road surface GL. And are connected to each other.

  The mounting wall portion 13 is formed with a plurality of (in the embodiment, five) gas inflow openings 14 into which the main body portion 42a of each inflator 42 can be inserted, and each retainer is provided at the periphery of each opening 14. Four mounting holes 15 through which the 26 bolts 26a are inserted are vertically penetrated. Further, on the front edge side of the mounting wall portion 13, there is disposed a mounting reinforcing portion 16 that protrudes forward and extends along the left-right direction and has a plurality of mounting holes 16 a.

  The airbag 10 according to the embodiment is a coupling type airbag that is formed by joining the outer peripheral edges of a predetermined cloth material using sewing or the like, and further, the coupling portion does not contact the road surface GL. ,It is configured. That is, the constituent material of the bag-shaped peripheral wall 12 of the main body 11 is formed of two cloth materials 12a and 12b woven using polyester yarn, polyamide yarn or the like. These cloth materials 12a and 12b are arranged in an up-and-down shape in substantially the same shape, and the outer peripheral edges of the upper cloth material 12a and the lower cloth material 12b are joined using stitching or adhesion, etc. Part 11 is formed. And the part 12d of the front edge side of the peripheral part 12c used as the mutual allowance for the upper and lower fabrics 12a and 12b constitutes the attachment reinforcing part 16, and the attachment reinforcing part 16 has the same as described above. An attachment hole 16a through which the bolt 29 is inserted is formed so as to be attached to the case ceiling wall portion 33. And the opening for gas inflow which inserts the main-body part 42a of each inflator 42 toward the front edge part 12d side of the upper cloth 12a so that the rear edge side of the peripheral part 12c may not contact the road surface GL when the expansion is completed. 14 is formed, and a mounting hole 15 is formed around the opening 14.

  The tether 20 as the connecting means is once separated from the front wall 17 and the rear wall 18 at a distance shorter than the distance between the front wall 17 and the rear wall 18 when the airbag 10 is completely inflated. In the case of the embodiment, it is arranged at a plurality of places (in the case of the embodiment, five places) along the left-right direction. Each tether 20 is formed from the same cloth material as the upper and lower cloths 12a and 12b, and the front end 21 and the rear end 22 are respectively connected to the inner side surfaces of the front wall part 17 and the rear wall part 18 respectively. , Using suturing or bonding. Furthermore, the airbag 10 protrudes from the case 32 and passes through the intermediate portion between the front and rear ends 21 and 22 after the initial stage of inflation when the lower ends 17b and 18b are in contact with the road surface GL. When the main body portion 11 continues to increase the internal pressure to a predetermined value or more, a breakage planned portion 23 is formed so that the front and rear ends 21 and 22 are separated from each other. In the case of the embodiment, the planned fracture portion 23 is formed by providing slits and notches 24.

  Further, in the case of the embodiment, the lower end 17b of the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 is formed on the side of the front edge 32b of the protrusion opening 32a of the case 32 when the airbag 10 is initially inflated to protrude from the case 32. -It is comprised so that the 18b side may be extended to the road surface GL side. Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the connection position 18 c from the attachment position 18 a to the ceiling wall 33 of the case 32 on the upper side of the rear wall 18 to the tether 20 of the rear wall 18. The film length LB in the up and down direction is the film length in the up and down direction from the attachment position 17a of the case 32 to the ceiling wall part 33 on the upper side of the front wall part 17 to the connection position 17c of the front wall part 17 with the tether 20 The tether 20 is connected to the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 so as to be shorter than LF.

  In addition, in the case of the embodiment, the connection position of the tether 20 to the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 and the restriction distance in the front-rear direction of the wall portions 17 and 18 are the initial values when the airbag 10 protrudes from the case 32. The lower ends 17b and 18b of the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 are set so as to be in pressure contact with the road surface GL in a state where the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 are connected to each other by the tether 20. ing.

  Further, the airbag 10 is configured so that the lower ends 17b and 18b of the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 are pressed against the road surface GL even when the inflation is completed.

  The internal pressure of the airbag 10 when it is pressed against the road surface GL at the initial stage of inflation or at the completion of inflation is set to an internal pressure that does not affect the steering and braking operations of the front wheels 6 and 6.

  In the pedestrian airbag device S of this embodiment, when a collision with the pedestrian on the track V is predicted, a control device (not shown) outputs an operation signal to the inflator 42, and thus the gas discharge port 42 b of the inflator 42. An expansion gas is discharged from the nozzle. Therefore, the airbag 10 accommodated in the case 32 is inflated as shown by two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 to push open the cover 40 and downward from the projecting opening 32a of the case 32. And the expansion is completed, the space between the road surface GL and the lower surface of the front end 1a of the vehicle body 1 on the front side of the front wheels 6 and 6 is closed, and the lower ends 17b and 18b are pressed against the road surface GL.

  And in the airbag apparatus S for pedestrians of embodiment, the gas 10 for expansion | swelling flows into the airbag 10, and the airbag 10 is the initial stage of the expansion | swelling from which the airbag 10 protrudes from the opening 32a for protrusion of the case 32, The tether 20 connects the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 so as to reduce the thickness in the front-rear direction, thereby reducing the volume. Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 8 and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the airbag 10 can be easily brought into contact with the road surface GL at the lower ends 17 b and 18 b even if the inflow amount of the inflation gas G is small. The side can be extended downward to block the space between the lower surface of the vehicle front end 1a and the road surface GL. When the pedestrian airbag device S is activated, that is, when the airbag 10 is initially inflated, the airbag 10 receives the pedestrian and walks even if the pedestrian attempts to enter the lower part of the vehicle body front end 1a. It is possible to prevent the person from getting caught on the front wheels 6 and 6 side.

  And, of course, if the airbag 10 further flows in the inflation gas G to increase the internal pressure, each tether 20 breaks the planned fracture portion 23, and the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall of the airbag 10. Since the connection with the portion 18 is released, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8 and the solid line in FIG. Therefore, a pedestrian who intends to enter the lower side of the front end portion 1a of the vehicle body is received by the airbag 10 with good cushioning properties and is prevented from being caught on the lower surface side (front wheel 6 side) of the front end portion 1a of the vehicle body.

  Therefore, in the pedestrian airbag device S of the embodiment, the space between the front end 1a of the vehicle body and the road surface GL can be quickly closed with the airbag 10, and the pedestrian can be prevented from being caught.

  In the airbag 10 of the embodiment, the membrane length LB in the vertical direction from the attachment position 18a to the case 32 on the upper side of the rear wall 18 to the connection position 18c with the tether 20 of the rear wall 18 is the front wall. The tether 20 is connected to the front wall portion 17 so as to be longer than the vertical film length LF from the attachment position 17a to the case 32 on the upper side of the portion 17 to the connection position 17c of the front wall portion 17 with the tether 20. It is connected to the rear wall 18. Therefore, when the airbag 10 protruding from the case 32 is initially inflated, the upper and lower portions 11a of the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 above the connecting positions 17c and 18c of the tether 20 inflate, and the inflated portion 11a has a rear wall. The film length LB in the vertical direction on the part 18 side is longer than the film length LF on the front wall part 17 side, and the connection position 17c of the front wall part 17 with the tether 20 is disposed on the front side. The part 11b of the lower front wall portion 17 swells from the connecting position 17c located on the front side. Therefore, the front wall portion 17 is arranged on the front side and inflated as compared with the case where the connecting position 17c with the tether 20 is set to the same height as the connecting position 18c of the rear wall portion 18, and as a result, the airbag 10 is inflated. Is the front edge 32b side of the opening 32a for protrusion of the case 32 at the initial stage of expansion protruding from the case 32, so that the lower ends 17b and 18b of the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 are extended to the road surface GL side. Will expand.

  In such a configuration, at the initial stage of inflation, the airbag 10 closes the area from the lower surface side of the front end 1a of the vehicle body to the road surface GL side, thereby preventing pedestrians from getting in more quickly. it can.

  And in embodiment, since it can comprise only by height adjustment of the connection position 17c * 18c to the front and rear wall parts 17 * 18 of the tether 20, the airbag 10 at the time of the initial stage of inflation is a position of the front side. Thus, the action protruding from the case 32 can be easily obtained.

  If the height adjustment of the connecting positions 17c and 18c to the front and rear wall portions 17 and 18 of the tether 20 is not taken into account, for example, the direction of the gas discharge port 42b of the inflator 42 that supplies the inflation gas and the airbag By using a rectifying cloth or the like that controls the flow of gas disposed in the air bag 10, the inflating gas G in the air bag 10 is directed diagonally forward and downward, and the front wall 17 side of the air bag 10 is You may comprise so that it may protrude below by the front edge 32b side in the lower surface of the vehicle body front end part 1a. Of course, you may use together these structures and height adjustment of the connection position 17c * 18c to the front / rear wall part 17 * 18 of the tether 20 like embodiment.

  Further, in the embodiment, the tether 20 is exemplified as the connecting means for connecting the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 of the airbag 10 so as to be disengageable. The wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 may be directly connected. Incidentally, even in the tether 20 of the embodiment, the strength of the wall portions 17 and 18 is considered in consideration of the binding strength of the suture thread and the adhesive used for the connection portion to the wall portions 17 and 18 without providing the planned fracture portion 23. You may comprise so that connection cancellation | release may be performed in the connection site | part 21 * 22 itself.

  Furthermore, connecting means such as a tether 20 for connecting the front wall portion 17 and the rear wall portion 18 are provided at a plurality of locations along the left-right direction of the airbag 10 or at a plurality of locations along the vertical direction. It may be provided.

1 is a schematic partial side view of a vehicle on which a pedestrian airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. It is a schematic front view of the vehicle by which the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment is mounted. It is a general | schematic fragmentary top view of the vehicle by which the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment is mounted. It is a general | schematic partial bottom view of the vehicle by which the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment is mounted. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VV site | part of FIG. It is a general | schematic disassembled perspective view of the flame | frame, case, inflator, and retainer utilized for the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment. It is the top view which expanded the airbag used for the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment in the state (expansion initial state) which does not fracture | rupture a tether. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag used for the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VIII-VIII site | part of FIG. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the time of the action | operation of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... (Body) Body,
1a ... front end,
6 ... Front wheels,
10 ... Airbag,
12 ...
17 ... Front wall,
17a, 18a ... installation position,
17c, 18c ... connection position,
18 ... rear wall,
20 (connection means) tether,
32 ... Case,
32a ... projecting opening,
32b ... the leading edge,
V ... Vehicle,
GL ... road surface,
S: Air bag device for pedestrians.

Claims (3)

It is mounted on the underside of the vehicle body on the front side of the front wheels of the vehicle,
An airbag that inflates so as to close a space between the lower surface of the front end of the vehicle body and the road surface so as to prevent entrainment from the front side of the pedestrian during inflow of the inflation gas;
A case having a projecting opening on the lower surface side capable of storing and holding the folded airbag and projecting the airbag when inflated to the road surface side;
A pedestrian airbag device comprising:
The airbag-shaped peripheral wall of the airbag is configured to include a front wall portion and a rear wall portion that swell away from each other in the front-rear direction,
The front wall portion and the rear wall portion each have a mutual separation distance so that the lower end side extends to the road surface side in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag that flows in the inflation gas and protrudes from the case. Connected by connecting means for connecting closer to the completion of inflation of the airbag,
The connection means releases the connection between the front wall portion and the rear wall portion when the internal pressure of the airbag increases after the lower ends of the front wall portion and the rear wall portion are extended to the road surface side. A pedestrian airbag device characterized by being set as described above.   The airbag is configured to extend the lower end side of the front wall portion and the rear wall portion to the road surface side at the front edge side of the opening for protrusion of the case at the initial stage of the inflation projecting from the case. The pedestrian airbag device according to claim 1. The film length in the vertical direction from the attachment position to the case on the upper side of the rear wall portion to the connection position with the connection means of the rear wall portion is the attachment position to the case on the upper side of the front wall portion. From the length of the film in the vertical direction from the front wall portion to the connection position with the connection means,
The pedestrian airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the connecting means is connected to the front wall portion and the rear wall portion.

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