JP2008001141A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device which can easily adjust the pressure of the airbag and can make the pressure in the whole airbag uniform. <P>SOLUTION: The side airbag device 2 is provided in the seat-back 1a of a vehicle seat 1, and comprises the airbag 4 having expansible portions 8, 10, and an inflator 6 for expanding and developing the airbag by supplying gas to the airbag in the case of the side collision or the over-turning of a vehicle. The expansible portions of the airbag have an upper vent-hole 18 formed thereon and a lower vent-hole 20 formed thereunder so as to separate from the upper vent-hole when the expanded and developed state is viewed from the direction of the width of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device, and more particularly, to a side airbag device provided on a seat back of a vehicle seat.

  The side airbag device is for inflating and deploying gas to an airbag by an inflator and protecting the vehicle occupant when a vehicle side impacts or rolls over, and various types have been proposed in the past. ing.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228867 discloses a side collision in which an air bag whose interior is partitioned into a lower chamber and an upper chamber by a seam (seam) is installed on the lateral side of the seat back of the vehicle seat in the vehicle width direction. An airbag device is disclosed.
In this side-impact airbag device, when the vehicle side-impacts or rolls over, the gas generator (inflator) is activated, gas flows into the lower and upper chambers of the airbag, and each chamber inflates. The airbag is deployed along the window side of the seat.
In this side-impact airbag device, the lower chamber is supplied with a larger amount of gas than the upper chamber and at a higher pressure. The upper chamber expands at a lower internal pressure than the lower chamber, so that the upper body of the occupant can be received softly.
Furthermore, in the airbag apparatus for side collision of patent document 1, one vent hole is provided in the upper chamber.

Patent Document 2 also discloses a side airbag device, which also includes an upper airbag chamber that protects the chest and abdomen of an occupant and a lower airbag chamber that protects the waist. A sewing part is provided so that the pressure difference between the airbag chamber and the lower airbag chamber becomes a desired value.
Also in this side airbag device, the internal pressure of the lower airbag chamber is higher than the internal pressure of the upper airbag chamber, and the internal pressure of the lower airbag chamber is increased and early deployment is performed.
Furthermore, in the side airbag device of Patent Document 2, vent holes are provided in each of the upper airbag chamber and the lower airbag chamber.

  Patent Document 3 also discloses a side collision airbag device, and this side collision airbag device also includes an airbag that protects the chest and abdomen of an occupant. Two vent holes are provided in an upper portion of the airbag. Is provided.

JP 2005-41457 A JP 2005-196891 A JP-A-9-272394

  In the conventional side airbag devices disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, the upper chamber (upper airbag chamber) softly protects the chest and abdomen of the passenger, and the lower chamber (lower airbag chamber). ), It is an effective device in that it can be received while the occupant's waist is moved laterally and the entire side of the occupant's body is protected.

However, in the conventional side airbag device disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, one vent hole is provided in the upper chamber. However, if only one vent hole is provided, the airbag is inflated. The pressure of the part cannot be adjusted reliably.
Further, in the conventional side airbag device disclosed in Patent Document 2, a vent hole is provided in each of the upper airbag chamber and the lower airbag chamber, but one vent hole is provided in each airbag chamber. Therefore, the pressure adjustment in each chamber cannot be performed reliably.
Further, in the conventional side collision airbag device disclosed in Patent Document 3, two vent holes are provided in the upper portion of the airbag, but two vent holes are simply provided in the upper portion. It is difficult to make the pressure of the airbag uniform by itself.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art, and it is easy to adjust the pressure of the airbag, and the side airbag device capable of equalizing the pressure of the entire airbag. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a side airbag device provided in a seat back of a vehicle seat, the airbag having an inflating portion, and the airbag at the time of a side collision or rollover of the vehicle An inflator that inflates and deploys the airbag by supplying gas to the airbag. The inflated portion of the airbag has an upper vent hole formed in an upper portion of the inflated and deployed state as viewed from the vehicle width direction, and It is characterized by having a lower vent hole formed at a lower portion thereof apart from the upper vent hole.
In the present invention configured as described above, gas is supplied from the inflator to the airbag when the vehicle collides or rolls over, and the airbag is inflated and deployed to protect the occupant. In addition, since the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole, which are two vent holes, are formed apart from each other in the inflatable portion of the airbag, the pressure of the inflatable portion can be adjusted and the pressure of the entire inflatable portion is almost uniform. Can be

In the present invention, preferably, the inflating portion of the airbag includes a gas inflow port that is supplied from the inflator and introduces a gas flow, and further, the inflating portion has a gas flowing in from the gas inflow port at or near the upper vent hole. Is formed so as to flow through the lower vent hole.
In the present invention configured as described above, the gas from the inflator passes through the upper vent hole or its vicinity and flows into the lower vent hole, so that the upper part of the inflating part at the position of the chest of the occupant having a large protection requirement First, since the pressure can be increased, the protection performance of the passenger is improved. Furthermore, if the gas escapes from the upper vent hole too much, it is impossible to increase the pressure at the lower part of the expansion part, but since the amount of exhaust gas from the upper vent hole is reduced, the occurrence of such a problem can be prevented. .

In the present invention, the upper vent hole is preferably formed so that the amount of exhaust gas is smaller than that of the lower vent hole.
In the present invention configured as described above, the portion of the chest (including shoulders and heels) where the occupant's skin is highly exposed has a higher amount of exhaust gas outflow than the abdominal portion where the degree of exposure is low. This reduces the amount of discomfort to the occupant.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the inflatable portion has a portion corresponding to the upper arm portion of a predetermined occupant between the upper portion of the front edge portion and the lower portion of the front edge portion, or the vicinity thereof, as viewed from the vehicle width direction. A recess recessed backward is formed, and at least one of the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole is formed in the vicinity of the upper part of the front edge part or in the vicinity of the lower part of the front edge part.
In the present invention configured as described above, since the concave portion is formed in the inflatable portion of the airbag, it can be inflated and deployed with a small amount of gas by the amount of the concave portion, so even in the case of a large occupant, The required vertical length can be secured, and the passenger protection performance can be improved. Furthermore, since the recessed portion is provided in the inflating portion of the airbag, for example, in the case of a small passenger, the upper arm portion is pushed inward in the vehicle width direction by the inflating portion of the airbag when the airbag is deployed. This can be prevented. In the present invention, since at least one of the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole is formed in the vicinity of the upper part of the front edge part or in the vicinity of the lower part of the front edge part, gas is supplied from the front part of the inflating part of the airbag. In the vicinity of the upper part of the front edge part and the lower part of the front edge part, the thickness in the vehicle width direction is large at the time of expansion. Since either one is formed, it is possible to prevent the upper vent hole or the lower vent hole from being crushed and obstructing the gas at the time of side collision or rollover.

In the present invention, preferably, the inflatable portion is formed with a non-inflatable portion surrounded by an inflatable region at or near a portion corresponding to the upper arm portion of a predetermined occupant in the front portion, At least one of the lower vent holes is formed in the front upper part located above the non-expanding part or the front lower part located below.
In the present invention configured as described above, since the non-inflatable portion is formed in the inflatable portion of the airbag, the inflatable portion can be inflated and deployed with a small amount of gas corresponding to the non-inflatable portion. Even in the case of a large occupant, the necessary vertical length of the inflatable portion can be secured, and the protection performance of the occupant can be improved. Further, since the non-inflatable portion is provided in the inflatable portion of the airbag, for example, in the case of a small passenger, the upper arm portion is pushed inward in the vehicle width direction by the inflatable portion of the airbag when the airbag is deployed. Can be prevented. In the present invention, further, at least one of the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole is formed at the front upper part located above the non-inflatable part or the front lower part located below, so that Gas can be exhausted from the part, and the front upper part and the front lower part are parts where the vehicle width direction thickness is large at the time of expansion, and either one of the upper vent hole or the lower vent hole is located at the part where these thicknesses are large. Since it is formed, it is possible to prevent the upper vent hole or the lower vent hole from being crushed and obstructing the gas at the time of a side collision or rollover.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the inflatable portion of the airbag has a thoracoabdominal protection portion that inflates so as to protect the chest and abdomen of the occupant seated on the seat when the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the vehicle width direction. It includes a waist protection part that expands to protect the waist, and the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole are formed in the chest and abdominal protection part, and no vent hole is formed in the waist protection part. Are communicated mainly around the gas supply port of the inflator.
In the present invention configured as described above, the chest and abdominal protection part of the airbag is inflated and deployed to protect the occupant's chest and abdomen, and the waist protection part is inflated and deployed to push the occupant's waist laterally. Protect the occupant's waist. In addition, the waist protection part needs to be kept in a high pressure state in order to move the waist in the vehicle width direction, but the vent protection hole is not formed in the waist protection part, and the chest / abdominal protection part and the waist protection part are Since it communicates mainly around the gas inlet of the inflator, it is possible to keep the waist protection part in a high pressure state. Furthermore, since the amount of gas discharged from the upper vent hole formed in the chest / abdominal protection part is small, the upper vent hole of the waist protection part has little influence on the pressure increase of the waist protection part.

  According to the side airbag device of the present invention, the pressure of the airbag can be easily adjusted, and the pressure of the entire airbag can be made uniform.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the side airbag device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, a side airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a view seen from the vehicle width direction showing a state in which the side airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is deployed and inflated, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the airbag of the side airbag device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle seat 1 is attached to the interior of the vehicle, and the vehicle seat 1 includes a seat cushion 1 a on which an occupant is seated and a seat back 1 b that supports the back.
Here, there are various physiques of the occupants seated on the vehicle seat 1, but here, the case of the occupant A and the occupant B will be described as representative examples. Crew A is a federal regulatory standard of CRF49ch. 5 shows an occupant equivalent to an average occupant of an American adult male called AM50, while occupant B is 5% from the petite of an American adult female called AF05 in this US standard. The figure shows an occupant equivalent to an average occupant of a person.

  The side airbag device 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an airbag 4 that is inflated and deployed to protect an occupant, and an inflator 6 that supplies gas to the airbag 4, and the airbag 4 is folded. What is unitized together with the inflator 6 is provided inside the side portion of the seat back 1b of the vehicle seat 1 on the window side.

  Here, the side airbag device 2 predicts that the vehicle has tilted more than a predetermined angle when a sensor (not shown) detects a side collision of the vehicle and when the vehicle rolls over. When this occurs, gas is supplied from the inflator 6 to inflate and deploy the airbag 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the airbag 4 protects the chest and abdomen of the passengers A and B seated on the seat cushion 1 a of the vehicle seat 1 when the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the vehicle width direction. An inflating chest / abdominal protection part 8 and a waist protection part 10 inflating so as to protect the waists of the passengers A and B are provided. The chest and abdominal protection part 8 and the waist protection part 10 are specifically sewn parts 12 indicated by a broken line by sewing two cloths of the same shape positioned inside and outside in the vehicle width direction in the unfolded state. Is formed.
Further, the chest / abdominal protection part 8 and the waist protection part 10 are connected by a connecting part 12a which is a part of the sewing part 12, and are inflated and deployed integrally. Further, a non-expandable portion 12b, which is a part of the sewing portion 12, is formed at the rearmost end portion of the connecting portion 12a, and the strength is improved so that the portion does not break.
Here, the chest and abdominal protection part 8 and the waist protection part 10 communicate with each other in the communication region 13 at the upper part thereof, and a gas flow is present in the region of the waist protection part 10 located near the rear of the communication region 13. An inlet 14 is formed, and this gas inlet 14 is connected to a gas outlet (not shown) of the inflator 6.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a recess 16 that is an expansion suppression unit at or near a portion corresponding to the upper arm B1 of a small occupant (for example, the occupant B corresponding to AF05 described above) of the chest and abdominal protection unit 8. Is formed. More specifically, the concave portion 16 is formed in the front edge portion 8a of the chest / abdominal protection portion 8 so as to be recessed backward between the front edge portion upper portion 8b and the front edge portion lower portion 8c when viewed from the vehicle width direction, Further, the concave portion 16 is formed on the upper half side of the thoracoabdominal protection portion 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the waist protection unit 10 is connected to the chest and abdomen protection unit 8 and is deployed so as to be in contact with the seat surface of the seat cushion 1a of the vehicle seat 1 when the airbag is deployed. So that it is formed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the chest / abdominal protection part 8 has an inflated / deployed state in the vehicle width direction, in the upper part thereof, that is, in the vicinity of the front edge part upper part 8 b of the chest / abdominal protection part 8. The upper vent hole 18 is formed, and further, the lower vent hole 20 is formed in the lower portion thereof, that is, in the vicinity of the lower portion 8c of the front edge portion, separated from the upper vent hole 18 by a predetermined distance or more. The upper vent hole 18 is formed smaller than the lower vent hole 20 so that the amount of exhaust gas is smaller than that of the lower vent hole 20. Note that no vent hole is formed in the waist protection part 10.
In the present embodiment, it is preferable that both the upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 are formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of them may be formed.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 are both in the vicinity of the center portion and from the center portion to the window side (the vehicle outer side) when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. It is provided in the part which was displaced. Thereby, when the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4 is inflated and deployed, it does not come into contact with either the occupant or the door, so that it is not blocked and smooth exhaust is possible.

  Further, the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4 is formed such that the gas flowing in from the gas inlet 14 passes through the upper vent hole 18 or the vicinity thereof and flows into the lower vent hole 20.

  Next, a modification of the airbag 4 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this modification, a recessed non-inflatable portion 8g is formed in the front edge portion 8a of the chest / abdominal protection portion 8 of the airbag 4 so that the above-described concave portion 16 is formed.

Next, the effect of the side airbag apparatus by 1st Embodiment mentioned above is demonstrated. First, when a sensor (not shown) detects a side collision of the vehicle, or when the vehicle rolls over, more specifically, when it is predicted that the vehicle has tilted more than a predetermined angle, FIGS. As shown, the gas is supplied from the inflator 6, and the airbag 4 is inflated and deployed.
At this time, when the waist protection part 10 of the airbag 4 is inflated and deployed, the waist of the occupant A can be pushed sideways to protect the occupant's waist.

  Further, since the recess 16 is provided in the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4, the gas amount is not required by the volume of the recess 16, and the chest / abdominal protection part 8 can be inflated and deployed with a small amount of gas. it can. That is, the deployability of the airbag can be improved with a small amount of gas. As a result, even in the case of a large occupant A, the necessary vertical length of the chest width protection portion 8 can be secured, and the occupant protection performance can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4 is provided with a recess 16, in the case of a small occupant B, the upper arm part B1 is the chest / abdomen protection part of the airbag 4 when the airbag is deployed. 8 can prevent being pushed inward in the vehicle width direction.

Further, when the airbag is deployed, the waist protection portion 10 of the airbag 4 is deployed so as to contact the seat surface of the seat cushion 1a of the vehicle seat. At this time, since the waist protection part 10 is connected to the chest / abdomen protection part 8 by the connecting part 12a, the waist protection part 10 can be stably deployed and the deployment stability can be enhanced.
At this time, since the waist protection part 10 contacts the seat surface of the seat cushion 1 a and the airbag 4 is deployed, the chest / abdominal protection part 8 receives a reaction force from the seat cushion 1 a via the waist protection part 10. When the concave portion 16 is located at a position close to the seat cushion 1a when the airbag is inflated and deployed, stress concentration due to reaction force is likely to occur in the concave portion 16 and the deployability deteriorates. Since 16 is formed on the upper half side of the chest / abdominal protection part 10 and is located away from the seat cushion 1a, stress concentration can be suppressed, and the expandability of the chest / abdominal protection part 8 can be prevented from being lowered.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the airbag 4 is inflated, a stress acting upward from the waist protection portion 10 is generated, but this stress is concentrated in the concave portion 16, so that the upper portion of the chest / abdominal protection portion 8 Can be prevented from being displaced upward due to stress, and the airbag 4 can be appropriately deployed in accordance with the body shape of the occupant.

  In the present embodiment, as a second modification, as shown in FIG. 6, in the airbag 4, a non-connection portion 9 is formed between the waist protection portion 10 and the chest / abdominal protection portion 8 to protect the waist. The part 10 may be disconnected from the chest / abdominal protection part 8. In this case, the waist protector 10 cannot be deployed integrally with the chest and abdominal protector 8, so that the deployability is reduced accordingly. However, the waist protector 8 has the waist protector 10 seated on the seat cushion 1a. Even if it expands in contact with the body, it does not receive a reaction force from the seat cushion 1a via the waist protection part 10, so that the deployability of the chest / abdominal protection part 8 is improved.

  Next, in the present embodiment, since the upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 are provided apart from each other in the thoracoabdominal inflating portion 8 which is one inflating portion, these two vent holes make the chest It becomes possible to make the pressure of the whole abdominal inflation part 8 substantially uniform.

  Further, the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4 is formed so that the gas flowing in from the gas inlet 14 passes through the upper vent hole 18 or the vicinity thereof and flows into the lower vent hole 20. The upper part where the breast is located can be increased in pressure first, and the protection performance is improved.

Since the upper vent hole 18 is formed smaller than the lower vent hole 20 so that the amount of exhaust gas is smaller than that of the lower vent hole 20, the chest (shoulder Compared with the abdominal part where the degree of exposure is low, the part of (including the heel) reduces the outflow amount of the high-temperature exhaust gas, and can thereby suppress discomfort to the passenger.
Furthermore, in the chest / abdominal protection part 8, as described above, the gas passes through the upper vent hole 18 or the vicinity thereof and flows into the lower vent hole 20, so that if the gas escapes too much from the upper vent hole 18, the chest / abdominal protection part However, in this embodiment, since the amount of exhaust gas from the upper vent hole 18 is reduced, the occurrence of such a problem can be prevented.

  In the thoracoabdominal protection part 8, an upper vent hole 18 is formed in the vicinity of the front edge part upper part 8b of the thoracoabdominal protection part 8, and a lower vent hole 20 is formed in the vicinity of the front edge part lower part 8c. Therefore, gas can be exhausted from the front part of the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4, and the vicinity of the front edge part upper part 8b and the vicinity of the front edge part lower part 8c are thick in the vehicle width direction when inflated. Since the upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 are formed in these thick portions, the upper vent hole 18 or the lower vent hole 20 is crushed at the time of side collision or rollover, and gas is generated. It can be prevented from being inhibited.

  Furthermore, the waist protection unit 10 needs to be kept in a high pressure state in order to move the waist in the vehicle width direction, but the waist protection unit 10 is not formed with a vent hole, and the chest protection unit 8 Since the communication area 13 is formed in each upper part of the waist protection part 10 and the gas inflow port 14 is formed in the back vicinity of this communication area 13, it can be kept in a high pressure state. Furthermore, since the amount of gas discharged from the upper vent hole 18 formed in the chest / abdominal protection part 8 is small, the upper vent hole 18 of the waist protection part 10 has little influence on the high pressure of the waist protection part 10.

Next, a side airbag device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a view as seen from the vehicle width direction showing a state in which the side airbag device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is deployed and inflated, and FIG. 10 is a side view showing the airbag of the side airbag device of FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the airbag of the side airbag device shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 is a front view showing the airbag of the side airbag device shown in FIG.
Since the basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described below.

  In 1st Embodiment mentioned above, although the recessed part 16 was formed in the thoracoabdominal protection part 8, in 2nd Embodiment, instead of the recessed part 16, the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 is used as an expansion suppression part of the thoracoabdominal protection part 8. The non-inflatable portion 24 is formed by sewing a cloth at or near a portion corresponding to the upper arm B1 of the small occupant (for example, the occupant B corresponding to the AF05 described above). The non-inflatable part 24 is formed on the upper half side of the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 and on the front part. Furthermore, the non-expandable portion 24 is surrounded by the expansion region 8d at the periphery (entire circumference).

The upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 of the chest / abdominal protection part 8 are formed in the front upper part 8e and the front lower part 8f, respectively, located above the non-expanding part 24.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 are both in the thoracoabdominal protection portion 8 when the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the front-rear direction or the vertical direction of the vehicle. The surface of the surface of the surface is formed in a portion having a relatively large slope extending in the front-rear direction or the vertical direction (region outside the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10).
Note that only one of the upper vent hole 18 and the lower vent hole 20 may be formed.

  Also in the side airbag device according to the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the same operational effects as those of the above-described first embodiment can be obtained.

Next, a side airbag device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a first example of the shape of a vent hole according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a side view showing a second example of the shape of the vent hole according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 15 is a view from the vehicle width direction showing a state where the airbag according to the third embodiment of the present invention is deployed and inflated, FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the airbag of FIG. 15, and FIG. FIG. 18 is a front view showing the airbag of FIG. 14, and FIG. 18 is a view as seen from the vehicle width direction showing a state in which the airbag according to a modification of the third embodiment of the present invention is deployed and inflated.
Since the basic configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, only portions different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 13, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the thoracoabdominal protection part 10 is replaced with a slit-shaped upper portion in place of the round hole-shaped vent hole in the first and second embodiments. A vent hole 28 and a lower vent hole 30 are formed (FIG. 13 shows only the lower vent hole 30). In FIG. 13, the lower vent hole 20 having a round hole shape in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is indicated by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 13, the lower vent hole 30 is composed of a slit portion 30a and small-diameter portions 30b formed at both ends thereof. Similarly, the upper vent hole 28 includes a slit portion and small diameter portions formed at both ends thereof.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the thoracoabdominal protection part 10 is replaced with a round hole-shaped vent hole in the first and second embodiments. The upper vent hole 38 and the lower vent hole 40 may be formed (FIG. 14 shows only the lower vent hole 40). Here, in FIG. 15 as well, the lower vent hole 20 having a round hole shape in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is similarly indicated by a broken line.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, in the present embodiment, the upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 are in a state where the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the vehicle width direction, and the thoracoabdominal protection portion 8. The front edge portion upper portion 8b and the front edge portion lower portion 8c are positioned in the vicinity of each other, and are formed in a slit shape or a long hole shape so as to substantially follow the shape of the front edge portion 8a. Here, the lengths of the slit shape and the elongated hole shape of the upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 are 0.5 cm to 10 cm.

  The upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 are formed so that gas is discharged forward.

  Also in the present embodiment, similarly, the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4 includes the front edge upper part 8b and the front edge at or near the part corresponding to the upper arm part B1 of the predetermined small occupant B. A concave portion 16 is formed so as to be recessed rearward between the lower portions 8c. The upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 are formed in the vicinity of the front edge portion upper portion 8b and in the vicinity of the front edge portion lower portion 8c, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, at least one of the upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 may be formed.

  Here, as for the upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30, the line (extension line) along the longitudinal direction is substantially perpendicular or inclined with respect to the seat surface of the seat cushion 1a of the vehicle seat 1. It is formed to become.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 are both in the front-rear direction or the vertical direction on the surface of the chest-abdominal protection part 8 when the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the front-rear direction or the vertical direction of the vehicle. In the shape of the front edge 8a of the chest / abdominal protection part 8 in the part 32 (area outside the two-dot chain line in FIG. 15) of the surface that spreads out, that is, relative to the surface formed by the sewing part 12. It is formed in a slit shape or a long hole shape so as to be substantially along.

  Next, a modification of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, the chest / abdominal protection part 8 of the airbag 4 is surrounded by an inflating region 8d at or near the part corresponding to the upper arm part of a predetermined small passenger in the front part thereof. A non-expandable portion 24 is formed. On the premise of such a structure, in the present embodiment, further, the inflated and deployed state is located on the non-inflatable portion side of the thoracoabdominal inflatable portion 8 when viewed from the vehicle width direction, and the boundary with the non-inflatable portion 24 is A slit-shaped or elongated hole-shaped upper vent hole 48 is formed so as to substantially conform to the shape. The lower vent hole 50 is the same as the airbag 4 shown in FIG.

  In the modification of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 18 as well, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the upper vent hole 48 and the lower vent hole 50 are inflated and deployed when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. A slit shape or a portion 32 (region outside the two-dot chain line in FIG. 18) where the surface of the thoracoabdominal inflating portion 8 has a relatively large slope substantially conforms to the shape of the boundary with the thoracoabdominal protection portion 8. It is formed in a long hole shape.

  Also in the side airbag device according to the third embodiment of the present invention and the modification thereof configured as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above can be achieved. According to 3rd Embodiment and its modification, there exist the following effects by forming the upper vent holes 28 and 38 and the lower vent holes 30 and 40 by the slit shape or long hole shape mentioned above. Can do.

  First, in the side airbag device according to the third embodiment and its modification, the upper vent holes 28 and 38 and the lower vent holes 30 and 40 of the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 are formed in a slit shape or a long hole shape. When gas is supplied from 6 and the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 is inflated and deployed, when the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 is under high pressure, the opening cross-sectional areas of the upper vent holes 28 and 38 and the lower vent holes 30 and 40 increase. By discharging a large amount of gas in a short time, the shock absorption is improved. Next, when the chest / abdominal protection part 8 is deflated and the pressure is lowered, the upper vent holes 28 and 38 and the lower vent holes 30 and 40 Since the opening cross-sectional area is small, the amount of gas discharged is reduced, and a gentle protection over a relatively long time is possible.

  In the third embodiment, the upper vent hole 28 and the lower vent hole 30 are formed in a slit shape or a long hole shape, and the inflated / deployed state is viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Is formed so as to substantially conform to the shape of the front edge portion 8a of the thoracoabdominal protection portion 8 in the portion 32 having a relatively large surface inclination. Then, the amount of gas emission is reduced, and a gentle protection over a relatively long time is possible.

  Similarly, in the modified example of the third embodiment, the upper vent hole 38 and the lower vent hole 40 are formed in a slit shape or a long hole shape, and in addition, the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the vehicle width direction. Since it is located on the non-inflatable part side of the abdominal inflatable part 8 and is formed so as to substantially conform to the shape of the boundary with the non-inflatable part 24, the shock absorption is improved more effectively than the case described above. Next, the amount of gas discharged is reduced, and a gentle protection over a relatively long time is possible.

  In the third embodiment and its modifications, the upper vent holes 28 and 38 and the lower vent holes 30 and 40 of the thoracoabdominal protection part 8 are formed so that gas is discharged forward. The discharged high-temperature gas is not sprayed on the occupant, and the contact between the high-temperature gas and the occupant can be suppressed.

  Further, when the airbag 4 is deployed so as to contact the seating surface of the seat cushion 1a of the vehicle seat 1, the airbag 4 receives a reaction force from the seating surface of the seat cushion 1a. When the vent hole is formed in the same direction as the seat surface of the seat cushion 1a, the vent hole is crushed and gas cannot be exhausted. However, in the third embodiment and the modification thereof, the upper vent holes 28 and 38 and the lower vent holes 30 and 40 are both lines (extension lines) along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle seat 1. Since it is formed so as to be substantially perpendicular or inclined with respect to the seating surface of the cushion 1a, the above-mentioned problems can be prevented.

It is the figure seen from the vehicle width direction which shows the state which the side airbag apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention expand | deployed and inflated. It is a side view which shows the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a front view which shows the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a side view which shows the airbag by the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the airbag by the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure seen from the vehicle front which shows the state which the side airbag apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention expand | deployed when a large passenger | crew sat down. It is the figure seen from the vehicle front which shows the state which the side airbag apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention expand | deployed when a small passenger | crew sat down. It is the figure seen from the vehicle width direction which shows the state which the side airbag apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention expand | deployed and inflated. It is a side view which shows the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a front view which shows the airbag of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a side view which shows the 1st example of the shape of the vent hole by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the 2nd example of the shape of the vent hole by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure seen from the vehicle width direction which shows the state which the airbag by 3rd Embodiment of this invention expand | deployed and inflated. It is a top view which shows the airbag of FIG. It is a front view which shows the airbag of FIG. It is the figure seen from the vehicle width direction which shows the state which the airbag by the modification of 3rd Embodiment of this invention expand | deployed and inflated.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle seat 1a Seat cushion 1b Seat back 2 Side airbag apparatus 4 Air bag 6 Inflator 8 Thoracic abdominal protection part 8a Front edge part 8b Front edge part upper part 8c Front edge part lower part 8d Expansion area 8e Front upper part 8f Front lower part 8g Non-inflation Part 9 Non-continuous part 12 Sewing part 12a Connection part 12b Non-expansion part 13 Communication area 14 Gas inlet 16 Recess (Expansion suppression part)
18, 28, 38, 48 Upper vent hole 20, 30, 40, 50 Lower vent hole 24 Non-expandable part (expansion suppression part)
32 Parts with a large inclination A Large occupant B Small occupant

Claims (6)

A side airbag device provided in a seat back of a vehicle seat,
An airbag with an inflatable part;
An inflator that inflates and deploys the airbag by supplying gas to the airbag at the time of a side collision or rollover of the vehicle,
The inflatable portion of the airbag has an upper vent hole formed in an upper portion of the inflated and deployed state as viewed from the vehicle width direction, and a lower vent hole formed in a lower portion of the upper vent hole. A side airbag device comprising the side airbag device.   The inflatable part of the airbag includes a gas inlet that introduces a gas flow supplied from the inflator, and the inflatable part passes through the upper vent hole or the vicinity thereof through the gas flowing in from the gas inlet. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the side airbag device is formed to flow through the lower vent hole.   The side airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper vent hole is formed so that an amount of exhaust gas is smaller than that of the lower vent hole. The inflatable portion has a recess recessed rearward at a portion corresponding to the upper arm portion of a predetermined occupant or in the vicinity thereof between the upper portion of the front edge portion and the lower portion of the front edge portion when viewed from the vehicle width direction. Formed,
The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole is formed in the vicinity of the upper part of the front edge part or in the vicinity of the lower part of the front edge part.   The inflatable portion is formed with a non-inflatable portion surrounded by an inflatable region at or near a portion corresponding to the upper arm portion of a predetermined occupant in the front portion, and at least of the upper vent hole and the lower vent hole. 4. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein one side is formed at a front upper portion located above the non-inflatable portion or a front lower portion located below. 5.   The inflatable portion of the airbag is inflated so as to protect the chest and abdomen of the occupant seated on the seat when the inflated and deployed state is viewed from the vehicle width direction, and the occupant's waist is protected. The upper vent hole and the lower vent hole are formed in the chest and abdominal protection part, the vent protection part is not formed in the waist protection part, and the chest and abdominal protection part and the waist protection part include: The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the side airbag device communicates mainly around a gas inlet of the inflator.

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