JP2007203939A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device capable of improving expansion precision of the airbag even when a vehicle has a small space between a passenger and the interior surface of a door. <P>SOLUTION: The airbag 26 is folded in a roll shape so that a body side tip end 27c and a projection side tip end 28c come closer to a base end 26d mounted on a front sheet. Then, the upper part of the airbag 26 is folded back so as to be stored in the front sheet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed on the side of a passenger.

  Conventionally, as an airbag device that protects a passenger sitting on a seat near the side surface when there is a collision on the side surface of the vehicle, an airbag device that can protect from the waist to the shoulder of the passenger, In addition to this, there is known one equipped with an air bag that can also protect a passenger's head. The airbag of such an airbag device can be accommodated in an accommodating portion having a limited accommodating space when deployed, while being deployed at a size greater than a predetermined value to protect the passenger when deployed. It is desirable to fold as compactly as possible.

As a method for folding such an airbag, for example, there is a method of folding the bellows as in Patent Document 1. The airbag folded by the method of Patent Document 1 is quickly deployed at the time of a collision, and is folded compactly so as to be accommodated in the accommodating portion.
JP-A-2005-47471

  By the way, in a vehicle, the space between the body side part of a vehicle used as the deployment area | region of the airbag of a side airbag apparatus and a passenger is variously set by the magnitude | size of the said vehicle, a vehicle interior design, etc. For this reason, in a vehicle in which the space is set to be narrow, when an airbag that can protect the head as well as the shoulders of the occupant is mounted, each protection site defined in the airbag is inflated. You must consider the timing of deployment. More specifically, if the expansion and deployment of the head protection part that protects the head in advance is advanced in the same manner as the part that protects the shoulder from the waist, the head protection part becomes the body side part. It can be considered that it takes time for deployment to the vicinity of the head because it is caught between passengers and becomes resistance during deployment. Therefore, when an airbag having a head protecting part is mounted, it is desirable to accommodate the airbag in the accommodating part in consideration of the timing at which each part is inflated and deployed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when an airbag having a head protection part is mounted, the airbag having the head protection part can be quickly and reliably deployed. An object is to provide a side airbag device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the body side portion of the vehicle and the seat are accommodated by a gas which is accommodated in a seat disposed in a vehicle interior and is injected from a gas injection port of a gas generation source. A side airbag device provided with an airbag that inflates and deploys with a passenger seated on the head, wherein the airbag protects the head corresponding to the head of the passenger during deployment. A chest protection part that protects the chest corresponding to the chest protection part and the chest of the occupant so that the distal end side located in front of the vehicle during deployment is closer to the proximal side attached to the seat The gist is that after folding into a roll shape, the upper portion of the airbag serving as the head protecting portion is folded and accommodated in the sheet.

  According to this configuration, when the head protection part is located between the part from the occupant's lower back to the chest and the body side part at the time of deployment, it is difficult for the head protection part to expand by restricting the inflow of gas. Then, when the head protection part is unfolded and positioned between the passenger's head and the body side part, the head protection part starts to expand. As a result, the head protection part starts to expand later than the chest protection part, and is deployed without any resistance to the vicinity of the passenger's head without being sandwiched between the passenger and the body side part. It expands and expands in the vicinity. Therefore, the airbag having the head protection part can be quickly and reliably deployed.

The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in the side airbag device according to claim 1, the upper portion of the airbag is folded back toward the front of the vehicle.
According to this configuration, it becomes easier to quickly and easily deploy the head protection part toward the front of the vehicle by deploying the chest protection part.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the side airbag device according to the first or second aspect, the airbag is folded so that the roll-shaped folding is eliminated on the occupant side during the deployment. It is the gist.

  According to this configuration, when the airbag is unfolded, it is difficult to receive resistance due to interference of the roll-folded portion, and the airbag is easily deployed.

  In the side airbag device of the present invention, when an airbag having a head protection part is mounted, the airbag can be quickly and reliably deployed even if the head protection part is provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle will be described as the front (front of the vehicle), and the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear (rear of the vehicle). Unless otherwise specified, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the following description are the same as the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the vehicle traveling direction.

  FIG. 1 shows a left front seat 21 arranged in the vehicle compartment. The front seat 21 includes a seat portion 21a and a backrest portion 21b. A side airbag device 22 is embedded in the case 23 on the vehicle exterior side (left side) of the backrest 21 b of the front seat 21. The side airbag device 22 is disposed so as to correspond to the door 24 constituting a part of the body side portion of the vehicle. Although only the left front seat 21 is shown in the drawings, the same side airbag device 22 is embedded in the case 23 on the right side of the backrest portion on the right side of the right front seat. Has been.

  The side airbag device 22 includes an inflator 25 as a gas generation source fixed inside the case 23, and a bag-like airbag 26 that covers the inflator 25. A gas generating agent for deploying and inflating the airbag 26 is accommodated in the inflator 25. At the upper part of the inflator 25, a gas outlet 25a for ejecting a gas generated from the gas generating agent is formed. The inflator 25 is electrically connected to an impact sensor (not shown) for detecting an impact on the body side portion of the vehicle. That is, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion of the vehicle, gas is generated from the gas generating agent in the inflator 25 based on the detection signal from the sensor, and this gas is discharged from the gas outlet 25a to the airbag 26. The airbag 26 is expanded and inflated by being blown into the inside.

  Next, the configuration of the airbag 26 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 1, 2, and 6 show the state when deployed and inflated, and the airbag 26 in FIG. 3 shows a state in which the airbag 26 is deployed in a state where no gas is ejected. Show.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the airbag 26 is formed into a bag shape as a whole by sewing a pair of base fabrics 26 a and 26 b made of woven fabric or the like at their peripheral edges. Usually, it is accommodated in the case 23 in a folded state. A silicon resin coating is applied to the outer surfaces of the base fabrics 26 a and 26 b, that is, the outer surface of the airbag 26 in order to make it difficult to slip when in contact with the passenger P. Further, an outer peripheral seam 26c formed by sewing a pair of base fabrics 26a and 26b with sewing threads is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the airbag 26. The airbag 26 is formed by folding one base fabric 26d at the base end portion 26d so that both base fabrics 26a and 26b that are symmetrical with respect to the base end portion 26d as an axis overlap each other, and the outer peripheral seam 26c. Is not formed on the base end portion 26 d of the outer peripheral edge of the airbag 26.

  The airbag 26 includes an airbag body 27 and an airbag protrusion 28. The airbag main body 27 is configured to expand and inflate between the side of the occupant P, that is, between the interior side surface 24a of the vehicle door 24 and the portion of the occupant P from the waist to the head. Yes. The airbag protrusion 28 protrudes from the front end of the airbag body 27 and is inflated and deployed in front of the passenger P's head.

  In the airbag main body 27, a portion that is inflated and deployed below the upper end of the backrest portion 21b serves as a chest protection portion 27a that protects the portion from the waist to the chest of the passenger P, and is higher than the upper end of the backrest portion 21b. The part that is expanded and deployed at the above becomes a head protection part 27b that protects the part from the shoulder part of the passenger P to the head part. The chest protection part 27a is disposed on the lower side of the airbag 26 during deployment, and the head protection part 27b is disposed on the upper side of the airbag 26 during deployment. Further, the gas outlet 25a of the inflator 25 is provided so as to be located in the chest protection part 27a.

  A pair of expansion restriction tethers 31 are sewn at the center in the front-rear direction of the head protection portion 27b so as to connect the inner surfaces of both base fabrics 26a, 26b. The pair of expansion restriction tethers 31 are arranged extending in the vertical direction so as to be substantially parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. The pair of expansion restriction tethers 31 are configured to have the same width. The inflation restriction tether 31 regulates the amount of inflation of the head protection part 27b of the airbag 26.

  Further, an inflow restricting tether 32 is sewn between the chest protecting part 27a and the head protecting part 27b so as to connect the inner surfaces of both base cloths 26a and 26b. The inflow restricting tether 32 is not formed over the entire area between the chest protection part 27a and the head protection part 27b, and the chest protection part 27a and the head protection part 27b communicate with each other in front and rear thereof. is doing.

  The airbag protrusion 28 is integrally formed with the head protection part 27b at the front end of the head protection part 27b. A partition seam 33 extending in the vertical direction is provided between the head protection portion 27b and the airbag protrusion 28 by sewing and joining the base fabrics 26a and 26b to each other without any gap. In other words, the head protection part 27 b and the airbag protrusion 28 are partitioned by the partition seam 33. The inside of the head protection part 27 b and the inside of the airbag protrusion 28 are communicated with each other above and below the partition seam 33.

  The airbag protrusion 28 is integrally formed with the head protection portion 27 b, that is, the airbag main body 27. Accordingly, the base fabrics 26a and 26b forming the airbag 26 are woven so as to form a shape (in this embodiment, a reverse L shape in a side view) of the airbag main body 27 and the airbag protrusion 28. Each is formed by cutting a cloth or the like (see FIG. 3). And the said outer periphery seam 26c is continuously connected with what was formed on the airbag main-body part 27, and what was formed on the airbag protrusion part 28, and is formed in the shape of a single stroke ( (See FIG. 3). In the following description, an end portion of the airbag main body portion 27 located on the vehicle front side is referred to as a main body side tip portion 27c, and an end portion of the airbag protrusion portion 28 located on the vehicle front side is referred to as a protrusion side tip portion. 28c. Then, the front end portion of the airbag 26 located in front of the vehicle when the airbag 26 is deployed is formed by combining the main body side distal end portion 27c and the protruding side distal end portion 28c.

Next, the folding method of the airbag 26 of this embodiment is demonstrated based on FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the airbag 26 is first widened with the inflator 25 housed therein. Next, the protruding front end portion 28c of the airbag protruding portion 28 is folded in a roll shape toward the rear in FIG. 4A, that is, toward the base end portion 26d side. At this time, in the left seat in this embodiment, the roll is folded in the clockwise direction, that is, in the vehicle right direction (passenger P direction). On the other hand, in the right seat, the roll is folded in the counterclockwise direction, that is, in the left direction of the vehicle. Next, when the folding reaches the vicinity of the partition seam 33, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the main body side front end portion 27c of the airbag main body portion 27 is folded back in a roll shape together with the protruding side front end portion 28c. Thereby, the airbag 26 becomes cylindrical by roll folding. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the tubular airbag 26 is folded between the broken line A shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4A, that is, between the chest protection part 27a and the head protection part 27b. It folds back toward the front, and then folds back again so that the tip end and the base end of the folded back portion are in contact. In this state, two folded portions 34 are formed on the upper portion of the airbag 26.

Next, a mode in which the airbag 26 of the side airbag device 22 is inflated and deployed will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5A shows a state where the airbag 26 folded by the folding method shown in FIG. 4 is accommodated in the case 23 and attached to the backrest 21b. In this state, the airbag 26 is housed in the front seat 21. The airbag 26 is folded in such a manner that the upper portion of the airbag 26 faces the front of the vehicle, the upper portion of the airbag 26 faces upward of the front seat 21, and the lower portion of the airbag 26 is the front seat 21. It is accommodated in the case 23 so as to face downward. Moreover, the airbag 26 is accommodated in the case 23 so that a roll-like fold can be unwound on the passenger side when deployed.

  In the state shown in FIG. 5A, when an impact is applied to the body side portion of the vehicle, gas is generated from the gas generating agent in the inflator 25 based on the detection signal from the sensor, and this gas is discharged from the gas outlet. It is ejected from 25a toward the chest protection part 27a. And as shown in FIG.5 (b), the chest part protection part 27a of the airbag 26 is expand | deployed so that a roll-shaped folding may be released. On the other hand, the head protection part 27b is folded forward and the inflow of gas is regulated by the presence of the folded part 34. In addition, the inflow of gas in the head protection part 27 b is restricted by the inflow restriction tether 32. Accordingly, the head protection part 27b is difficult to eliminate the roll-like fold because the gas does not easily flow in by restricting the gas flow. That is, the head protection part 27b is difficult to expand in the gap L2 between the vehicle inner side surface 24a of the door 24 and the part from the waist part to the chest part of the passenger P shown in FIGS. For this reason, the start of expansion of the head protection part 27b is delayed as compared with the chest protection part 27a that starts expansion simultaneously with the ejection of the gas outlet 25a.

  And the chest protection part 27a expands with the increase in the amount of gas inflow, and the development of the roll-like fold is promoted and the development proceeds. Thus, the upper portion of the airbag 26 is unfolded by the folded portion 34 due to the momentum when the chest protection portion 27a is deployed, and the vehicle heads upward toward the head of the passenger (see FIG. 5B). Extruded in the direction indicated by C). As a result, the head protecting portion 27b is developed between the gap L1 between the vehicle inner side surface 24a of the door 24 and the head of the passenger P shown in FIGS. The gap L1 is wider than the width of the gap L2 in the left-right direction.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5C, the upper part of the airbag 26 where the folded portion 34 is unfolded is caused by the gas injected into the chest protection portion 27 a flowing in through the front and rear of the inflow regulating tether 32. The expansion of the head protection part 27b is delayed from the start of the expansion of the chest protection part 27a. Then, the head protection part 27b expands with an increase in the amount of inflow of gas, and the development of the roll-shaped fold is promoted and the development proceeds. As shown in FIG. 5 (d), the airbag 26 spreads to the side of the occupant P by the gas from the gas outlet 25a spreading to the chest protection part 27a, the head protection part 27b, and the airbag protruding part 28. Inflated and deployed to protect the passenger P.

The side airbag device 22 of the present embodiment described above has the following effects.
(1) The airbag 26 is formed in a roll shape so that a distal end (in the present embodiment, a distal end composed of a main body side distal end portion 27c and a protruding side distal end portion 28c) approaches the base end portion 26d when deployed. After the folding, the upper portion of the airbag 26 that becomes the head protecting portion 27b is folded back and accommodated in the case 23. Accordingly, when the head protection portion 27b is located between the portion from the waist to the chest of the passenger P and the vehicle interior side surface 24a of the door 24 at the time of deployment, it is difficult for the head protection portion 27b to expand due to the restriction of gas inflow. . Then, when the head protection portion 27b is unfolded and positioned between the head of the passenger P and the inner side surface 24a of the door 24, the head protection portion 27b starts to expand. As a result, the head protection part 27b starts to expand later than the chest protection part 27a, so that the head protection part 27b is deployed without any resistance to the vicinity of the head of the passenger P without being sandwiched between the passenger P and the vehicle interior side surface 24a. , Inflated and deployed near its head. Therefore, the airbag 26 having the head protecting portion 27b can be deployed quickly and reliably.

  (2) The side airbag device 22 of the present embodiment delays the expansion of the head protection part 27b, pushes the head protection part 27b forward of the vehicle with the momentum when the chest protection part 27a is inflated and deployed. The airbag 26 is folded and accommodated. Accordingly, the airbag 26 having the head protection portion 27b is quickly installed even when the airbag 26 is mounted on a vehicle in which the deployment area of the airbag 26 formed between the passenger P and the vehicle inner side surface 24a is set narrow. It is suitable for the side airbag device 22 mounted on the vehicle.

  (3) The upper portion of the airbag 26 is folded back toward the front of the vehicle after the airbag 26 is folded into a roll shape. For this reason, the deployment of the chest protection part 27a facilitates rapid and easy deployment of the head protection part 27b toward the front of the vehicle. Further, there is no obstacle between the backrest portion 21b of the front seat 21 and the steering wheel when the upper portion of the airbag 26 is folded and pushed out. Therefore, it is effective to fold the upper portion of the airbag 26 toward the front of the vehicle in order to quickly and surely push out the head protection portion 27b toward the front of the vehicle. In addition, as an obstacle when deploying the head protection part 27b, for example, a headrest attached to the upper end of the backrest 21b can be considered.

  (4) The airbag 26 is unfolded in a roll shape on the passenger P side. Therefore, when the folding of the airbag 26 is eliminated, it is difficult to receive resistance due to interference of the roll-folded portion, and it is easy to deploy. For example, when the folding is canceled on the vehicle inner side surface 24a side, it is conceivable that the vehicle inner surface 24a interferes and receives resistance. Further, it is conceivable that the door 24 is deformed so as to protrude toward the inside of the vehicle at the time of a collision with the side surface of the vehicle. For this reason, in order to reliably deploy the airbag 26 of the side airbag device 22 that protects the occupant P against a collision with the side surface of the vehicle, a portion that is roll-folded on the occupant P side is disposed, It is considered preferable to eliminate the folding.

  (5) An inflow restricting tether 32 that restricts the inflow of gas from the chest protection site 27a to the head protection site 27b is provided between the chest protection site 27a and the head protection site 27b. For this reason, by delaying the inflow of the gas to the head protection part 27b, the expansion of the head protection part 27b can be surely delayed. Therefore, it can further suppress that head protection part 27b expands between the part from passenger's P waist part to a chest, and vehicle interior side 24a.

The configuration of the side airbag device 22 described above may be changed as follows.
In the folding of the airbag 26, the upper portion of the airbag 26 is folded back toward the front of the vehicle. However, this may be changed so that the airbag 26 is folded back or sideward, for example.

-Although the structure which folds the airbag 26 so that it may be expand | deployed by the passenger | crew side was shown, you may change so that this may be folded so that it may be expand | deployed by the door 24 side.
-You may change into the structure which excluded the inflow control tether 32 from the airbag 26. FIG.

-Although the structure which turned up the upper part of the airbag 26 twice was shown, this may be 1 time and the frequency | count of folding is not limited.
The airbag 26 is configured to be formed into a bag shape by sewing one cloth, but may be configured by sewing two independent cloths.

Next, a technical idea that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and changes in the aspect will be described below.
(B) Air that is accommodated in a seat disposed in the passenger compartment and that expands and expands between the body side portion of the vehicle and a passenger seated on the seat by gas injected from a gas injection port of a gas generation source A method for folding a bag, wherein the airbag protects the chest corresponding to the head of the passenger corresponding to the head of the occupant when deployed and the chest corresponding to the chest of the occupant. The airbag has a chest protection part and is folded in a roll shape so that a distal end side positioned in front of the vehicle at the time of deployment approaches a proximal end side attached to the seat, and then the airbag serving as the head protection part A method for folding an airbag, characterized in that the upper part is folded.

(B) The airbag folding method according to the technical concept (a), wherein an upper portion of the airbag is folded toward the front of the vehicle.
(C) The air bag is folded so that the roll-like folding is eliminated on the occupant side at the time of deployment, according to the technical idea (A) or (B) How to fold an airbag.

The side view which shows the expansion | deployment inflation state of the airbag of this embodiment. End view of line BB in FIG. The end view which shows the expansion | deployment inflation state of the airbag of this embodiment. (A), (b), (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the folding method of the airbag of this implementation fatigue. (A), (b), (c), (d) is an operation | movement figure which shows the expansion | deployment aspect of the airbag of this embodiment. The front view which shows the expansion | deployment state of the airbag of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  P ... passenger, 22 ... side airbag device, 26 ... airbag, 26d ... proximal end, 27a ... chest protection part, 27b ... head protection part.

Claims (3)

An airbag that is accommodated in a seat disposed in a passenger compartment and inflated and deployed between a body side portion of the vehicle and a passenger seated on the seat by gas injected from a gas injection port of a gas generation source. A side airbag device,
The airbag has a head protection part for protecting the head corresponding to the head of the occupant during deployment and a chest protection part for protecting the chest corresponding to the chest of the occupant, The seat is folded in a roll shape so that the front end side located in front of the vehicle when approaching is closer to the base end side attached to the seat, and then the upper portion of the airbag serving as the head protection portion is folded back. A side airbag device that is housed in a bag.   The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the airbag is folded toward the front of the vehicle.   3. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is folded so that the roll-shaped folding is eliminated on the passenger side during the deployment. 4.

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