JP2008001221A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device capable of rapidly deploying the whole of an airbag in association with the action of an impact force on a vehicle side part. <P>SOLUTION: The side airbag device is equipped with the airbag 22 which is inflated and deployed between an occupant sitting on a seat in a cabin and a side wall part in the cabin in association with applying of the impact to a vehicle side part. A cylindrical inflator 21 to be a gas generating source for inflating and deploying the airbag is stored along a back rest side part of the seat with the airbag 22 in a mode having a gas jetting port 25 under the cylinder. This part of the airbag is provided with a seam 30 which is a part seamed for restricting the thickness when being inflated and developed, and an inclination part 31a for directing the gas jetted from the gas jetting port 25 to the cylinder root PB direction, that is, the portion above the airbag 22 on the part opposed to the gas jetting port 25 of the seam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device that inflates and deploys an airbag between a side portion of a vehicle and a passenger.

Conventionally, as this type of side airbag device, for example, there is a device described in Patent Document 1. In this apparatus, an inflator arranged so that the gas jet port is located on the lower side is provided in the airbag, and the gas jetted through the gas jet port of the inflator is supplied to the airbag. It has become. Therefore, when the inflator is activated in this device, the airbag starts to inflate from the lower portion thereof, and the gas flowing into the lower portion circulates in the airbag and reaches the upper portion thereof. The upper part of the swells. By inflating the airbag in this manner, the passenger's waist is first received by the lower part of the airbag, and then the passenger's chest is received by the middle part of the airbag with a slight delay. As a result, the impact on the chest of the passenger is reduced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-53465

  By the way, the ideal deployment mode of the airbag should be determined according to the structure of the vehicle on which the airbag is mounted, and depending on the vehicle, the entire airbag can be quickly deployed with the same priority. It is often requested. However, since the airbag used in the above-described side airbag device is normally stored in the back portion of the seat, there is a limitation on the storage space. Therefore, the inflator provided in the airbag is referred to as a gas jet. It must be arranged so that the outlet is located on either the upper or lower side of the airbag. For this reason, it is difficult to evenly flow the gas ejected from the inflator over the entire area of the airbag, and in the end, there is an unavoidable situation in which the timing of deployment between the portions of the airbag is inevitable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a side airbag device capable of quickly deploying the entire airbag in accordance with the action of an impact force on the side of the vehicle. It is in.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is inflated and deployed between an occupant seated on a seat in a vehicle interior and a side wall of the vehicle interior in accordance with application of an impact to the side of the vehicle. A cylindrical inflator provided with an airbag and serving as a gas generation source for inflating and deploying the airbag has a gas outlet on either the cylinder or below the cylinder. In the side airbag device housed along the side of the backrest portion, the airbag is provided with a seam that is a stitched portion for regulating the thickness during inflation and deployment, and the gas of the seam The gist of the present invention is that a portion facing the jet outlet is provided with an inclined portion for directing the gas jetted from the gas jet outlet in the direction of the cylinder of the inflator.

  When a gas outlet is provided on or under the cylinder of a cylindrical inflator housed along the side of the backrest portion of the seat together with the airbag, the gas normally ejected from the gas outlet Most of the gas flows in the direction in which the jet outlet is provided, that is, in the cylinder upward direction or the cylinder downward direction, and this gas directly flows into a portion located in the same direction even in the airbag. In addition, a considerable amount of gas is normally ejected from the gas ejection port to the side, specifically toward the front of the vehicle, and the gas ejected toward the front of the vehicle It comes into contact with the inclined portion provided in the seam. As described above, since the inclined portion is provided in such a manner that the gas hit in this way is directed in the cylinder base direction of the inflator, the gas hitting the upper portion of the airbag or the cylinder along the inclined portion is provided. It will be guided to the site | part on the opposite side to the site | part located in the downward direction. For this reason, on the airbag side, the gas ejected at an early stage flows into both the upper and lower parts, and as a result, the entire airbag is rapidly inflated and deployed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the side airbag device according to the first aspect, the inclined portion of the seam facing the gas jet port has an end located near the gas jet port of the cylinder of the inflator. The gist is that it is provided in a manner protruding in the direction opposite to the original direction.

  According to this configuration, the gas flow directing (guidance) function as the inclined portion can be obtained more reliably, and the flow rate of the gas divided in the vertical direction can be controlled through the degree of protrusion of the end portion. Thus, the airbag can be inflated and deployed in a more stable manner.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the side airbag device according to the first or second aspect, the inclined portion is a convex portion that is projected and formed with a predetermined curvature at a portion of the seam facing the gas ejection port. The gist is that it is provided as a part.

  When a seam is formed at a position opposite to the gas outlet, strong stress acts on the seam due to the gas jet pressure from the gas outlet, and in some cases, the thickness regulation structure by the seam cannot be maintained. There is also a risk that proper development will not be achieved. In this respect, as in the same configuration, by providing the inclined portion as a part of the protruding portion that is formed with a predetermined curvature, the stress acting on the seam is dispersed through the curvature of the protruding portion. It becomes possible to accurately maintain the thickness regulating structure. Further, by forming an inclined portion having the above function as a part of such a convex portion, the inclined portion can be easily formed.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seam is biased toward the gas outlet of the inflator in the entire region of the airbag. The gist is that it is provided at a position.

As in the same configuration, by providing the seam itself at a position biased toward the gas ejection port, the flow of the ejected gas can be controlled more easily and accurately.
Invention of Claim 5 is a side airbag apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-4. WHEREIN: The said inflator has the said gas outlet under the cylinder, and the said airbag, It is housed along the back portion side portion of the seat, and the inclined portion provided in the seam directs the gas ejected from the gas ejection port toward the upper portion of the airbag. To do.

  Many of the airbags used in the side airbag device are intended to protect a portion of the occupant seated on the seat from the waist to the chest. Usually, in such an airbag, the inflator often has a gas outlet under the cylinder (see the above-mentioned document). Therefore, by providing the seam having the inclined portion in such an airbag, the injected gas is caused to flow into the portion corresponding to the waist portion of the airbag and the portion corresponding to the chest portion at an early stage. And, in turn, it is easy to meet the demand to equally protect the occupant's lower back and chest.

  As described above, according to the side airbag device according to the present invention, the entire airbag can be rapidly deployed in accordance with the action of the impact force on the vehicle side portion.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front (vehicle front), and the reverse direction to the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear (vehicle rear). Further, in the following description, the vertical direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the horizontal direction is the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, which coincides with the horizontal direction during forward movement.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which an airbag of a side airbag device is inflated and deployed in a vehicle compartment together with a seat and a passenger seated on the seat. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure of the airbag along the line AA in FIG. 1 as seen from the front direction together with the seat and the passenger seated on the seat.

  As shown in these drawings, a seat 10 is provided in the vehicle interior, and a side airbag device 20 is housed and installed on the side portion of the backrest portion 10b of the seat 10. The side airbag device 20 is configured to eject gas from the inflator 21 into the airbag 22 in accordance with the application of an impact to the side portion 11 (FIG. 2) of the vehicle, and the occupant P seated on the seat 10 and the side wall portion. The airbag 22 is configured to be inflated and deployed with respect to 11a (FIG. 2). By inflating and deploying the airbag 22 in such a manner, the contact between the occupant P and the side wall portion 11a is suppressed, and the impact on the occupant P is also reduced. The seat 10 includes a seat portion 10a, a backrest portion 10b, and a headrest 10c. Hereinafter, the mounting state of the side airbag device 20 and a specific example including the relationship with the seat 10 will be described. The configuration will be described.

  As described above, the side airbag device 20 is stored with the airbag 22 on the side portion of the backrest portion 10b constituting the seat 10. Before the airbag 22 is inflated, the airbag 22 is folded and accommodated in the case 12 shown in FIG. 1, and when the airbag 22 is inflated, it jumps out of the case 12 and the backrest 10b in the manner shown in FIG. Deploy indoors. The airbag 22 is formed in a bag shape by stitching base fabrics 22a and 22b made of two woven fabrics along the outer peripheral edge.

  In addition, a cylindrical inflator 21 is accommodated in the case 12 in a bag-shaped airbag 22 and is covered with the base fabrics 22a and 22b. The inflator 21 ignites a gas generating agent provided therein based on detection of an impact on the side 11 (FIG. 2) of the vehicle by an impact detection sensor (not shown), and ejects the gas into the airbag 22. To do.

  Further, in the airbag 22, a seam 30, which is a portion where the base fabrics 22 a and 22 b are sewn, is provided at a portion facing the abdomen of the occupant P seated on the seat 10 when the airbag 22 is inflated. By providing the seam 30, as shown in FIG. 2, the thickness of the portion is regulated when the airbag 22 is inflated. The seam 30 is provided in a double state as shown in FIG. 1 and with a reinforcing cloth 23 sandwiched between the base cloths 22a and 22b as shown in FIG. The strength of the portion where the seam 30 is provided and the strength of the seam 30 itself are improved. This is to avoid a situation in which a large force acts when gas is ejected from the inflator 21 to this portion and the thickness regulating structure of the airbag 22 by the seam 30 cannot be maintained. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the side airbag apparatus is similarly provided in the seat of the left side of the compartment.

Next, a more detailed configuration of the inflator 21 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical inflator 21 has two mounting bolts 24 projecting from the side thereof, and the nuts in a state where the mounting bolts 24 pass through the airbag 22. For example, the inflator 21 itself is also fixed to the case 12. Further, a gas outlet 25 through which gas generated in the inflator 21 is jetted is provided under the cylinder of the inflator 21. A large number of ejection holes 25a are formed on the entire surface of the gas ejection port 25, and the generated gas is ejected through the ejection holes 25a in the cylinder downward direction and the circumferential direction of the inflator 21. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the inflator 21 includes the airbag 22 in such a manner that the gas outlet 25 is located below the cylinder base PB, that is, below the cylinder. Is placed inside.

Next, a more detailed configuration of the seam 30 formed on the airbag 22 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the seam 30 is formed in an elliptical shape that is partially deformed at a position biased toward the gas outlet 25 in the entire region of the airbag 22. That is, the portion on the gas ejection port 25 side indicated by a thick broken line in FIG. 4 is a convex portion 31 protruding with a predetermined curvature. The convex portion 31 has an inclined portion 31a located on the upper side with respect to the top portion, that is, at a position facing the gas ejection port 25 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). The inclined portion 31a has an lower end portion (the top portion of the convex portion 31) positioned below the gas outlet 25, that is, an axis L perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the inflator 21 at the tip of the gas outlet 25. The upper end (the boundary between the convex portion 31 and the other portion of the seam 30) is positioned above the gas outlet 25. In other words, the inclined portion 31a is formed in such a manner that an end portion located near the gas jet port 25 protrudes in a direction opposite to the cylinder PB direction of the inflator 21. In addition, the inclination of the inclined portion 31a is such that the gas that hits the inclined portion 31a is separated from the gas outlet 25 as it goes from the lower end portion to the upper end portion, that is, the cylinder base PB of the inflator 21. The direction, so to speak, is directed upward.

Next, the operation of the side airbag device 20 and its operation will be described.
Now, assuming that a collision detection sensor (not shown) has detected a collision, a control means (not shown) operates the inflator 21. As a result, high-pressure gas is ejected from the inflator 21 into the airbag 22 through the gas ejection port 25. Here, as described above, since the ejection holes 25a are formed over the entire circumference of the gas ejection port 25, the ejected gas flows from the gas ejection port 25 into the cylinder lower direction and the circumferential direction of the inflator 21. Go to (side). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, most of the gas ejected in this way flows into a portion located below the airbag 22, but the ejection hole 25 a is also formed on the side of the gas ejection port 25. Since it is formed, a considerable amount of the gas enters the portion of the airbag 22 that is located in the vehicle front direction. Of the gases ejected in this manner, the gas indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 4 is blocked from flowing forward by the inclined portion 31 a provided in the seam 30, and the cylinder base of the inflator 21. It is guided in the PB direction, that is, a portion located above the airbag 22. For this reason, the jetted gas flows into the airbag 22 not only from the lower part but also from the upper part to the upper part of the airbag 22 as a whole. The difference in expansion speed between the two is accurately mitigated.

As described above, according to the side airbag device according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The airbag 22 is provided with a seam 30 which is a stitched portion for regulating the thickness at the time of inflation and deployment, and a portion of the seam 30 facing the gas outlet 25 is provided with the gas outlet. An inclined portion 31a for directing the gas ejected from the cylinder 25 toward the cylinder base PB of the inflator 21 is provided. For this reason, even when the gas outlet 25 is provided under the cylinder of the cylindrical inflator 21 accommodated along the side of the backrest 10b of the seat 10, the gas outlet 25 is directed toward the front of the vehicle. The gas ejected in this manner can be actively guided in the direction of the cylinder PB of the inflator 21, that is, in a portion located above the airbag 22. That is, as a result, the gas ejected from both the upper and lower parts of the airbag 22 is quickly introduced into the airbag 22, and as a result, the entire airbag 22 is rapidly inflated and deployed. .
(2) About the said inclination part 31a, it decided to provide this in the aspect which the edge part located near the gas jet nozzle 25 protrudes contrary to the cylinder downward direction of the inflator 21. FIG. By providing the inclined portion 31a in such a manner, the above-described gas flow directing (guidance) function can be obtained more reliably. In addition, the flow rate of the gas fractionated in the vertical direction of the airbag 22 can be controlled through the degree of protrusion of the end portion, and the airbag 22 can be inflated and deployed in the above manner more stably. It becomes like this.
(3) Similarly, the inclined portion 31a is provided as a part of the convex portion 31 that is projected and formed with a predetermined curvature at a portion of the seam 30 that faces the gas outlet 25. In general, when the seam 30 is formed at a position facing the gas ejection port 25, a strong stress acts on the seam 30 due to the ejection pressure of the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 25. There is a possibility that proper deployment as the airbag 22 may not be achieved, such as being unable to maintain. In this respect, by providing the inclined portion 31a as a part of the convex portion 31 that is formed to protrude with the predetermined curvature, the stress acting on the seam 30 is dispersed through the curvature of the convex portion 31. It becomes possible to accurately maintain the thickness regulating structure. Further, by forming the inclined portion 31a having the above function as a part of the convex portion 31, the inclined portion 31a can be easily formed.
(4) In the entire region of the airbag 22, the seam 30 is provided at a position biased toward the gas outlet 25 of the inflator 21. As described above, by providing the seam 30 at a position biased toward the gas ejection port side, the gas flow ejected from the gas ejection port 25 can be controlled more easily and accurately.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.
-In above-mentioned embodiment, although the structure which flows in gas to the both upper and lower site | part from the early stage was shown about the airbag 22 of the side airbag apparatus 20 in which the gas jet nozzle 25 was provided under the cylinder of the inflator 21. The side airbag device to which this configuration can be applied is not limited to that of the present embodiment. For example, even in a side airbag device in which an inflator is provided in such a manner that a gas outlet is located on a cylinder, a seam having an inclined portion that directs the gas injected from the gas outlet in the direction of the cylinder PB By providing in an airbag, the effect similar to the side airbag apparatus mentioned above can be show | played.
The position where the seam 30 is provided in the airbag 22 does not necessarily have to be biased toward the gas outlet 25, and is a position where the gas ejected from the gas outlet 25 can be divided into both the upper and lower sides of the airbag 22. I just need it. In addition, it is only necessary that the inclined portion of the provided seam facing the gas jet port 25 is located at a position where the gas jetted from the gas jet port 25 directly hits.
In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the inclined portion 31a is provided as a part of the convex portion 31 that protrudes from the seam 30 with a predetermined curvature, but the periphery including the inclined portion is ejected from the gas outlet 25. In the case of having a structure capable of ensuring the strength that can withstand the stress caused by the gas ejection pressure, the inclined portion can be provided in any form.

The side view which shows the state which the airbag expanded and expanded in the vehicle interior about one Embodiment of the side airbag apparatus concerning this invention. Sectional drawing which mainly shows the cross-section of the airbag along the AA line in FIG. The side view which shows the specific structure of an inflator. The expanded side view which shows typically the inflow aspect of the gas with respect to the airbag of the state expand | deployed about the side airbag apparatus of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Seat, 10b ... Backrest part, 11 ... Side part, 20 ... Side airbag apparatus, 21 ... Inflator, 22 ... Air bag, 25 ... Gas outlet, 30 ... Seam, 31 ... Convex part, 31a ... Inclined part, P ... Crew.

Claims (5)

A gas generation source for inflating and deploying an airbag comprising an airbag that inflates and deploys between an occupant seated on a seat in the vehicle interior and a side wall of the vehicle interior when an impact is applied to the side of the vehicle In a side airbag device that is accommodated along the back portion side of the seat, together with the airbag, in a mode in which the cylindrical inflator has a gas outlet on either the cylinder or the cylinder below,
The air bag is provided with a seam that is a stitched portion for regulating the thickness at the time of inflation and deployment, and a portion of the seam that faces the gas jet port is a gas jetted from the gas jet port. A side airbag device characterized in that an inclined portion is provided that directs the inflator toward the tube base direction of the inflator. 2. The side according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion of the seam facing the gas ejection port is provided such that an end located near the gas ejection port protrudes in a direction opposite to a cylinder base direction of the inflator. Airbag device. 3. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion is provided as a part of a convex portion that is projected and formed with a predetermined curvature at a portion of the seam facing the gas outlet. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seam is provided in a position biased toward a gas outlet of the inflator in the entire region of the airbag. The inflator has the gas jet port under the cylinder and is housed along the back portion side of the seat together with the airbag, and the inclined portion provided in the seam includes the gas jet port. The side airbag apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-4 which orient | assigns the gas ejected from to the upper direction of the said airbag.

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