JP2008137406A - Occupant protection device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an occupant protection device provided with an airbag inflating in a seat part of a seat mounted in a vehicle to restrain an occupant on the seat satisfactorily while preventing abrupt inflation of the airbag. <P>SOLUTION: This occupant protection device of the vehicle is provided with the airbag to be inflated by the gas generated from a gas generation source in the seat part of the seat mounted in the vehicle. In this occupant protection device, gas blowout speed (indicated by a solid line B in Fig. 5 (a)) becomes a speed S1 because a predetermined number and size of gas blowout holes in the gas generation source are formed so that deployment speed of the airbag in the direction of height becomes a predetermined speed or less to prevent the occupant from rising excessively when the airbag is inflated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device including an airbag that is inflated by gas generated from a gas generation source at a seat portion of a seat mounted on the vehicle.

  The seat belt device includes a shoulder belt section that is bridged from the occupant's shoulder diagonally in front of the chest and to the side of the waist, and from one side of the waist to the horizontal in front of the waist. Some have a lap belt portion that extends across the side. Such a seat belt device is used in such a manner that the lap belt portion is disposed at an appropriate position of the waist (the front side of the pelvis).

  When the vehicle collides with the front, the occupant moving forward due to inertia is retained on the seat by the holding action of the seat belt device. However, when the occupant is in an easy posture, for example, a so-called submarine phenomenon may occur in which the occupant's lower back passes through the lap belt. Therefore, for example, in the occupant protection devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 5, an airbag stored in the seat portion of the seat is provided, and the occupant is pushed up by the airbag or restrained on the backrest side of the seat. By doing so, the submarine phenomenon is prevented.

  In the occupant protection device described in Patent Literature 1, the gas discharged from the inflator body in the airbag is supplied from the front to the rear with reference to the traveling direction of the vehicle via the diffuser, so that the airbag is rearward. In this way, the occupant is restrained on the backrest side behind the seat.

  The occupant protection device described in Patent Document 2 includes an airbag that is disposed on the front side of the seat portion of the seat with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle and inflates long in the left-right direction. And since this airbag is surrounded by the bag envelope body except for the left and right end portions, when gas is ejected from the gas generator, only the central portion of the airbag does not inflate much, The part also expands sufficiently. Thus, the occupant's thighs located on the left and right sides of the seat are sufficiently pushed up from below.

  The occupant protection device described in Patent Literature 3 also includes an airbag that is inflated long in the left-right direction on the front side of the seat portion of the seat. A plurality of chambers are formed inside the airbag by being partitioned by a partition panel extending in the left-right direction. The first chamber among the plurality of chambers is long in the left-right direction in the airbag and communicates with other chambers. The gas generated by the gas generator is first supplied to the first chamber, and then supplied to the other chambers through the first chamber. Thereby, it is comprised so that each part of the longitudinal direction of an airbag may expand | swell substantially simultaneously.

  In the occupant protection device described in Patent Document 4, by covering the upper surface of the airbag inflated at the seat portion of the seat with a metal mesh seat, the overall rigidity of the surface when the airbag is inflated is improved. Thus, the restraining force of the occupant due to the inflation of the airbag is improved.

In the occupant protection device described in Patent Literature 5, the seat pad is pushed upward when the airbag is inflated, because the trim cover on the front end side of the seat cushion is cut or inflated by the deployment pressure of the airbag. The occupant is prevented from sliding forward.
JP 2002-79861 A JP 2004-359207 A JP 2005-255148 A Special table 2006-143002 gazette Japanese Patent No. 3285129

  By the way, since the airbag that inflates at the seat portion of the seat described above normally inflates suddenly at the time of a vehicle collision or the like, there is a possibility that the occupant jumps up above the seat with this rapid inflation. In particular, an occupant having a relatively light weight, such as a tall occupant or a child, has a possibility that the head may come into contact with the ceiling when jumping up. However, the conventional occupant protection devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 5 do not take into account such rapid inflation of the airbag, and thus include an airbag that inflates in the seat portion of the seat. There is still room for improvement in passenger protection devices. In the case where the size of the airbag is simply reduced, the restraint on the passenger's seat, which is the original purpose of the airbag, cannot be achieved, and a submarine phenomenon may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an occupant protection device capable of restraining an occupant suitably on a seat while suppressing rapid inflation of an airbag that is inflated at a seat portion of the seat. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle occupant protection device including an airbag that is inflated by gas generated from a gas generation source at a seat portion of a seat mounted on the vehicle, the gas generation source comprising: The gist of the invention is to provide deployment speed regulating means for regulating the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag to a predetermined speed or less in order to suppress an excessive rise of the occupant when the airbag is inflated.

  When the airbag is inflated, the gas generated from the gas generation source is usually rapidly supplied into the airbag, and thereby the airbag is rapidly expanded in the height direction. In this regard, according to the above configuration, since the deployment speed regulating means is provided, the deployment speed of the airbag is regulated to a predetermined speed or less in order to suppress an excessive rise of the occupant when the airbag is inflated. . Therefore, when the air bag is inflated, the air bag gradually inflates without suddenly inflating, and the occupant jumps above the vehicle due to the inflation of the air bag, or the head contacts the ceiling due to the jumping up. Can be suppressed. The deployment speed regulating means regulates the deployment speed of the airbag, but does not limit the size of the airbag itself that is finally inflated and deployed. Therefore, the occupant can be preferably restrained to the seat by the airbag, and the submarine phenomenon can be suitably suppressed.

  In order to suppress an excessive rise of the occupant, it is preferable to set the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag to, for example, 20 [m / sec] or less. That is, in this case, the predetermined speed is 20 [m / sec]. Further, the deployment speed is preferably set to 10 [m / sec] or more so that the airbag can be quickly inflated to exhibit its original function. That is, in order to ensure that the airbag is inflated while suppressing an excessive rise of the occupant, for example, it is preferable to set the deployment speed to 10 to 20 [m / Sec].

  Specifically, according to the invention described in claim 2, the deployment speed regulating means includes a gas generating agent accommodated in the gas generation source so that the deployment speed of the airbag is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. It is possible to employ an aspect in which ignition means for sequentially igniting is provided.

  That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, not all the gas generating agents of the gas generating source are ignited at once and the gas supplied into the airbag is not rapidly discharged. Since the gas generating agents are sequentially ignited, the gas is sequentially discharged, so that the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag can be set to a predetermined speed or less.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle occupant protection device including an airbag that is inflated by gas generated from a gas generation source at a seat portion of a seat mounted on the vehicle, and the airbag is inflated. A tether for restricting the height of the airbag is provided so as to be joined to the upper and lower portions of the airbag so that the height of the head of the passenger is lower than the ceiling of the vehicle. It is said.

  According to said structure, since the height of the said airbag is restrict | limited to the height of the said tether, it can suppress that an airbag expand | swells rapidly toward upper direction. Thereby, it can suppress that a passenger | crew jumps up above a vehicle by expansion | swelling of this airbag, and, thereby, a head contacts a ceiling.

  In addition, the height of this tether is set to 80-120 mm, for example. Thereby, while it is possible to suppress the rapid inflation of the airbag upward, it is possible to reliably push up the occupant above the seat, so that the occupant can be reliably restrained to the seat by the seat belt, Suppression of the submarine phenomenon, which is the original purpose of this airbag, can also be suitably performed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a gas flow direction is set in the airbag so that the gas of the gas generation source is supplied in a horizontal direction. The gist is that a direction regulating means for regulating is provided.

  According to said structure, the gas supplied in an airbag from a gas generation source flows in a horizontal direction by a direction control means. That is, since the gas supplied from the gas generation source into the airbag can be prevented from flowing suddenly upward in the airbag, the airbag can be rapidly expanded upward. Can be suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress more reliably that a passenger | crew jumps upwards or a head contacts a vehicle ceiling by this jumping.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the airbag spreads at least substantially in the front half with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle in the seat portion of the seat. The gist is to expand.

  In the above configuration, when the occupant is an adult with a standard physique, the substantially front half of the seat part where the airbag is inflated is a position corresponding to the center of the thigh from the vicinity of the knee, and the airbag is The seat does not necessarily have to be fully deployed from the front end to the center. The airbag pushes up the occupant's knees by a portion that expands in front of the seat to suppress the front slip of the occupant, and pushes up the occupant's thigh by a portion that expands in the center of the seat. Thus, the passenger is preferably restrained by the seat belt. In addition, since the airbag is inflated and deployed over a relatively wide range in the seat portion, the occupant can be reliably restrained on the seat regardless of the physique of the occupant.

  According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, since the airbag can be appropriately inflated while suppressing rapid inflation of the airbag inflated at the seat portion of the seat, the occupant can inflate the airbag. As a result, it is possible to suppress jumping upward of the vehicle, and it is possible to suitably restrain the occupant to the seat.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the front-rear direction is the forward / backward direction of the vehicle, the forward direction is the forward direction of the vehicle, and the rear direction is the reverse direction of the vehicle. The right side is the right side when viewed in the forward direction of the vehicle, and the left side is the left side when viewed in the forward direction of the vehicle.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle traveling direction in a vehicle seat provided with the vehicle occupant protection device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along a direction perpendicular to the vehicle traveling direction of the seat portion of the seat, and FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the seat portion of the seat in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a seat 11 mounted on a vehicle (not shown) includes a seat portion 12, a backrest portion 13 that can be tilt-adjusted on the rear end side of the seat portion 12, and a backrest portion 13. And a headrest 14 provided at the upper end of the head. Further, the seat 11 is provided with a seat belt device 15 for restraining the occupant P seated on the seat 11. This seat belt device 15 is a three-point fixed seat belt device, and includes a lap belt portion 151 that is stretched horizontally from one side of the waist of the occupant P to the other side in front of the waist. And a shoulder belt 152 that is bridged to the side of the lower back through the front of the chest of the occupant P.

The seat portion 12 of the seat 11 includes a metal frame 16, a seat cushion 33, and a tension spring 32 for the seat cushion.
The metal frame 16 includes a pair of left and right side frames 17 and 18 extending in the front-rear direction of the seat 12 and a bottom provided on the front half of the seat 12 and erected on the front half of the side frames 17 and 18. A frame 19 and a rod-shaped rear frame 20 provided between the side frames 17 and 18 on the rear end side of the side frames 17 and 18 are provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the bottom frame 19 is formed by integrally forming a substantially flat plate portion 19 a and a groove-like recess portion 19 b that is long in the left-right direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the recess 19 b is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which the upper side is larger than the lower side in a side view.

  Further, the tension spring 32 described above is stretched between the rear end of the bottom frame 19 and the rear frame 20 in the seat portion 12 in order to improve sitting comfort. A seat cushion 33 is provided so as to cover the frame 16 and the tension spring 32 from above. Further, the seat cushion 33 is covered with a cover 331 made of cloth or leather.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an occupant protection device 31 is disposed between the seat cushion 33 and the bottom frame 19 as a feature of the present embodiment. The occupant protection device 31 includes an inflator 24 that is a gas generation source, and a cloth airbag 25 that is inflated by gas generated from the inflator 24. The occupant protection device 31 further includes a diffuser 28 for distributing the gas generated in the inflator 24 into the airbag.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the inflator 24 and the diffuser 28. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 4, the inflator 24 is formed in an elongated cylindrical shape, and the diffuser 28 is formed in a slightly larger cylindrical shape than the inflator 24. Contained. A pair of screws 27 are fixed to the peripheral surface of the inflator 24. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the screws 27 penetrate the diffuser 28 and the airbag 25 from the inside to the outside. And penetrates the bottom wall 26 of the recess 19b from top to bottom. A nut 29 is screwed into a screw 27 protruding downward from the bottom wall 26. By tightening the nut 29, the inflator 24 and the diffuser 28 are fixed to the bottom wall 26, and the airbag 25 is connected to the inflator. 24.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inflator 24 is provided with a gas discharge part 30 for discharging a gas generated in the inflator 24 at one end in the axial direction of the cylindrical shape. A predetermined number of gas discharge holes 30a are formed in a predetermined size. The number and size of the gas discharge holes 30a are determined so that the deployment speed of the airbag 25 in the height direction is suppressed in order to suppress an excessive rise of the occupant P when the airbag 25 is inflated, as will be described in detail later. Are formed in a predetermined number and size such that the speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. In other words, in the present embodiment, the plurality of gas discharge holes 30a constitute a deployment speed regulating means. The diffuser 28 has a plurality of supply holes 28a arranged in a line in the axial direction on the upper side of the cylindrical side surface. With such a configuration, the gas generated in the inflator 24 is discharged from the gas discharge hole 30a and flows in the diffuser 28, and then substantially uniformly in the left-right direction in the airbag 25 through the supply hole 28a of the diffuser 28. So as to be distributed in the air bag 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the airbag 25 of the occupant protection device 31 extends from the concave portion 19 b of the bottom frame 19 along the upper surface on the rear side of the flat plate portion 19 a. In the state before the inflation, the airbag 25 is formed compact by, for example, being folded inward from the rear side to the front side of the seat portion 12. The inward folding here refers to a folding method in which the leading end side of the airbag 25 is bent once so as to enter the inside of the airbag 25. A front end portion of the airbag 25 that is folded inward is disposed on the rear side of the flat plate portion 19 a of the bottom frame 19. And this airbag 25 is comprised so that it may spread so that it may spread in the substantially front half in the seat part 12 of the seat 11 at the time of expansion | deployment, as shown with a dashed line in FIG.1 and FIG.3. Note that the substantially front half of the seat 12 here refers to a position corresponding to the center of the thigh from the vicinity of the knee when the occupant P is an adult with a standard physique, as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the occupant protection device of this embodiment will be described.
When a collision detection unit (not shown) (for example, abnormal acceleration detection unit) detects a collision (for example, abnormal acceleration), a control unit (not illustrated) operates the inflator 24. Thereby, in the inflator 24, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, a gas generating agent is ignited by an igniter and gas is generated. Then, this gas is discharged from the gas discharge hole 30 a of the inflator 24 and is distributed and supplied into the airbag 25 through the diffuser 28. As a result, as indicated by a chain line in FIG. 1, the airbag 25 is inflated and deployed on the bottom frame 19 so as to spread from the concave portion 19 b side to the rear side of the flat plate portion 19 a so as to spread substantially in the front half of the seat portion 12. The inflated airbag 25 is supported by the flat plate portion 19a of the bottom frame 19 and pushes up the thigh from the back of the knee of the occupant P seated on the seat 11 by pushing up the seat cushion 33. Thus, by pushing up the back of the occupant P's knees, the so-called front slip, in which the lumbar part of the occupant P moves forward, is suppressed, and the thigh is pushed up, so that the seat belt device 15 of the occupant P Restraining can be suitably performed. Further, since the airbag 25 is inflated and deployed over a relatively wide range from the front portion to the center portion of the seat portion 12, the occupant is seated regardless of the physique of the occupant (for example, even when the occupant is a child). 11 can be surely restrained.

  Here, the gas discharge characteristics of the inflator 24 when the airbag 25 is inflated will be described. In FIG. 5, (a) shows the characteristics of the inflator of this embodiment, (b) shows the characteristics of the conventional inflator, line A shows the change in height when the airbag 25 is deployed, and line B shows the height change. The discharge speed of the gas generated from the inflator 24 is shown.

  As described above, the gas discharge holes 30a of the inflator 24 of the present embodiment are formed with a predetermined number and size such that the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. As a result, as shown by line B in FIG. 5A, the gas discharged from the inflator 24 is supplied into the airbag 25 at a speed S1 for a relatively long period, and then the gas discharge speed gradually decreases. . The height of the airbag 25 gradually increases without increasing rapidly as shown by a line A in FIG. 5A, and finally reaches the highest height H1 of the airbag 25.

  On the other hand, conventionally, in this type of occupant protection device, as shown by line B in FIG. 5B, gas generated from the inflator is discharged at a high discharge speed exceeding this speed S1. As a result, as shown by line A in FIG. 5B, the height of the airbag rapidly increases in a relatively short period and reaches the maximum value H1, so that the airbag expands rapidly. Therefore, in the conventional occupant protection device, there is a possibility that the occupant jumps upward of the vehicle due to the inflation of the airbag, and the head touches the ceiling of the vehicle due to the jump. In this regard, in the occupant protection device 31 of the present embodiment, as described above, the deployment speed is set to a predetermined speed or less. It can suppress contacting. That is, the occupant protection device 31 of the present embodiment can suppress an excessive increase of the occupant P due to the inflation of the airbag 25.

  In addition, it is preferable that the predetermined speed which becomes the upper limit of the deployment speed of the airbag 25 is set to 20 [m / sec] or less in order to suppress an excessive rise of the occupant. However, since the air bag 25 that inflates in the seat 12 needs to inflate against the gravity due to the weight of the occupant P and needs to inflate quickly at the time of collision, simply reducing the deployment speed. However, in order to ensure that the airbag 25 is inflated, for example, the deployment speed is preferably set to 10 [m / sec] or more. That is, the development speed is more preferably set in the range of 10 to 20 [m / sec]. As a result, the airbag 25 can be inflated with certainty, and even a light weight occupant P such as a child can be reliably prevented from jumping up above the vehicle.

  Further, the final height of the airbag 25 is the conventional maximum value H1 as shown in FIG. 5 (a). That is, in the present embodiment, the deployment speed of the airbag 25 is restricted to a predetermined speed or less, but does not limit the size of the airbag 25 that is ultimately deployed. The occupant P can be preferably restrained to the seat.

As described above, according to the occupant protection device according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the occupant protection device 31 of the present embodiment, the gas discharge speed is set to the speed S1 by forming the gas discharge holes 30a of the inflator 24 with a predetermined number and size, and the height of the airbag 25 from the inflator 24 is increased. The deployment speed in the direction is restricted to a predetermined speed or less. Thus, when the airbag 25 is inflated, the airbag 25 is gradually inflated without suddenly inflating, and the occupant P jumps upward of the vehicle due to the inflation of the airbag 25, or by this jumping up to the ceiling of the vehicle. Touching the head can be suppressed. Moreover, although the gas discharge hole 30a is formed in this way and the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag 25 is restricted to a predetermined speed or less, the final deployment height of the airbag 25 itself is limited. Therefore, the airbag 25 can restrain the occupant to the seat and can suppress the submarine phenomenon.

  (2) In the occupant protection device 31 of the present embodiment, the airbag 25 is inflated so as to spread substantially in the front half of the seat portion 12 of the seat 11. Thereby, while the front part of the passenger | crew P can be pushed up by the part which expand | swells in the front side of the seat part 12 in the airbag 25, the front slip of the passenger | crew P can be suppressed, and the part which expand | swells in the center part of the seat part 12 The thigh of the occupant P is pushed up, and the restraint by the seat belt device 15 can be suitably performed. Further, since the airbag 25 is inflated and deployed over a relatively wide range from the front to the center of the seat portion 12, the occupant can be reliably restrained on the seat regardless of the physique of the occupant.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 6A and 6B are longitudinal sectional views along the vehicle traveling direction in a vehicle seat provided with the occupant protection device 131 of the second embodiment. FIG. 6A shows a state before expansion, and FIG. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the occupant protection device 131 of the present embodiment is provided with a tether 126 that is joined to the upper portion and the lower portion of the airbag 125 to limit the height of the airbag 125. The height of the head of the occupant P when the airbag 125 is inflated is lower than the ceiling of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the inflator 124 is different from the inflator of the first embodiment, and uses an inflator having the conventional gas discharge characteristics shown in FIG. 5B.

  With such a configuration, when a collision is detected by a collision detection unit (not shown) and the inflator 124 is activated, the airbag 125 is inflated while being restricted in height by the tether 126, and thus rapidly inflates upward. It is suppressed. Then, after the airbag 125 has been inflated, its height is limited by the tether 126. Even if the gas is suddenly discharged by the inflator 124 having the conventional gas discharge characteristics, the tether 126 can suppress the rapid inflation of the airbag 125 upward. In this way, since rapid inflation upward of the airbag 125 is suppressed, the occupant P jumps above the vehicle due to the inflation of the airbag 125, or the head touches the ceiling of the vehicle due to the jump. Can be suppressed.

  Note that the height of the tether 126 provided in the airbag 125 is set to 80 to 120 mm, for example. Accordingly, the occupant P is pushed up above the seat 11 by a necessary and sufficient height, so that the occupant P can be reliably restrained to the seat 11 by the seat belt device 15, which is the original purpose of the airbag 125. Suppression of the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon can also be suitably performed.

In the second embodiment, in addition to the effect (2) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(3) In the occupant protection device 131 of the present embodiment, the airbag is so configured that the height of the head of the occupant P is lower than the ceiling of the vehicle when the airbag 125 that is inflated at the seat portion 12 of the seat 11 is inflated. A tether 126 that restricts the height of the airbag 125 is provided at each of the upper and lower portions of the airbag 125. Thereby, since the height of the airbag 125 is limited to the height of the tether 126, it is possible to suppress the airbag 125 from inflating rapidly upward. It is possible to more reliably suppress jumping upward of the vehicle due to expansion, or contacting the head with the ceiling due to the jumping.

  Furthermore, the height of the tether 126 is set to 80 to 120 mm, for example. As a result, the occupant is pushed up above the seat by a necessary and sufficient height, so that the occupant can be reliably restrained to the seat by the seat belt, and the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon, which is the original purpose of the airbag, can also be suppressed. It can be suitably performed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 7A and 7B are longitudinal sectional views along the vehicle traveling direction in a vehicle seat provided with the vehicle occupant protection device according to the third embodiment, wherein FIG. 7A shows a state before expansion, and FIG. ing. FIG. 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the seat portion of the seat.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the occupant protection device 231 of the present embodiment includes a rectifying cloth 226 that is a direction restricting means in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, thereby supplying the diffuser 28. The gas flow direction is regulated so that the gas flowing out of the hole 28a is supplied into the airbag 225 in the horizontal direction.

  Specifically, the rectifying cloth 226 is formed with a plurality of rectifying holes 226 a that open in the horizontal direction toward the rear side in the airbag 225. As a result, when a collision is detected by a collision detection means (not shown) and the inflator 24 is activated, the discharge gas flowing out from the supply hole 28a of the diffuser 28 passes through the rectifying hole 226a to the rear of the vehicle in the airbag 225. It flows in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, since the gas generated from the inflator 24 is suppressed from flowing rapidly upward in the airbag 225, the airbag 225 can be suppressed from rapidly expanding upward. Thereby, it can suppress more reliably that the passenger | crew P jumps upwards or a head contacts a ceiling of a vehicle by this jumping.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the discharged gas flows toward the rear in the airbag 225 where the weight of the occupant P is easily applied to the seat portion 12, the occupant P can be reliably pushed up above the seat 11, The occurrence of the submarine phenomenon that is the original purpose of the airbag 225 can be more reliably suppressed.

According to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) and (2) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(4) In the occupant protection device 231 of the present embodiment, by providing the flow rectifying cloth 226 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the gas of the inflator 24 is supplied in the horizontal direction in the airbag 225. The gas flow direction is regulated. Accordingly, since the gas supplied from the inflator 24 into the airbag 225 can be prevented from flowing rapidly upward in the airbag 225, the airbag 225 is rapidly expanded upward. Can be suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress more reliably that the passenger | crew P jumps upwards or a head contacts a ceiling of a vehicle by this jumping.

  (5) In the occupant protection device 231 according to the present embodiment, the discharge gas flows toward the rear in the airbag 225 where the weight of the occupant P is easily applied to the seat portion 12, so that the occupant P is surely placed above the seat 11. It can be pushed up, and the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon that is the original purpose of the airbag 225 can be reliably suppressed.

Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
In the first embodiment, the gas discharge holes 30a of the inflator 24 are formed with a predetermined number and size so that the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag is less than or equal to the predetermined speed. Other modes may be adopted as the deployment speed regulating means for restricting the above. Specifically, an aspect may be employed in which the inflator includes ignition means for sequentially igniting the gas generating agent accommodated in the inflator. In this configuration, all the gas generating agents in the inflator are not ignited at a time and the gas is not suddenly supplied into the airbag, and the gas generating agents are sequentially ignited in the inflator. The generated gas is sequentially discharged into the airbag. Then, by appropriately adjusting the ignition timing and the amount of the gas generating agent used in one ignition, the discharge speed of the gas generated from the gas generation source becomes, for example, the speed S1, and the deployment speed in the height direction of the airbag is Be regulated. Further, an ignition means for sequentially igniting the gas generating agent of the inflator as a deployment speed regulating means may be combined with gas discharge holes formed with a predetermined number and size.

  In the second embodiment, only the tether 126 is provided in the airbag 125. However, in addition to the configuration of the airbag 125, a rectifying cloth as in the third embodiment may be provided. With such a configuration, while the height of the airbag is regulated by the tether, the rectifying cloth prevents the discharge gas from flowing suddenly upward in the airbag, thereby rapidly expanding the airbag upward. Can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occupant from jumping when the airbag is inflated and the head of the occupant from coming into contact with the ceiling of the vehicle due to the jump. Even if the inflator gas is simply supplied horizontally into the airbag without providing the inflator 24 showing the gas discharge characteristics of the first embodiment and the tether 126 of the second embodiment, the air An occupant can be suitably restrained to a seat, suppressing rapid expansion of a bag. In this case, the occupant protection device has the following configuration.

  An occupant protection device for a vehicle including an airbag that is inflated by gas generated from a gas generation source at a seat portion of a seat mounted on the vehicle, wherein the gas of the gas generation source is horizontally disposed in the airbag. An occupant protection device for a vehicle, characterized in that a direction regulating means for regulating a gas flow direction is provided so as to be supplied in a direction.

  In the second embodiment, the conventional inflator having the gas discharge characteristics shown in FIG. 5B is used as the inflator 124 and the airbag is provided with a tether. However, the gas discharge speed used in the first embodiment is An inflator having a speed S1 or less may be applied and a tether may be provided on the airbag. With such a configuration, the height of the airbag can be regulated by the tether while regulating the speed of the discharge gas generated from the inflator, so that rapid inflation upward of the airbag can be more reliably suppressed. Can do. In addition to this configuration, a rectifying cloth for flowing the discharge gas in the horizontal direction in the airbag may be further provided.

  In the third embodiment, the discharge gas of the inflator 24 is discharged in the horizontal direction toward the rear in the airbag 225 through the rectifying hole 226a of the rectifying cloth 226. The gas to be discharged may flow in the left-right direction, for example, as long as it is horizontal, or may flow only in the left-right direction without flowing backward. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the discharge gas from flowing rapidly upward in the airbag.

  In each of the above embodiments, the airbag is inflated so as to spread substantially in the front half of the seat portion 12 of the seat 11, but the airbag is inflated so as to completely spread in the front half of the seat portion of the seat. Alternatively, the entire seat may be expanded.

  In each of the above embodiments, in the seat portion 12, the frame 16 and the tension spring 32 are provided with the seat cushion 33. For example, instead of providing the tension spring 32, the flat plate portion of the bottom frame 19 in the frame 16 19a may be extended to the rear frame 20.

  In each of the above embodiments, since the gas discharge portion of the inflator is biased to one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle, a diffuser is provided so that the discharge gas is appropriately distributed in the airbag. In the case of using an inflator having a gas discharge part in the center, this diffuser may be omitted. Further, in the third embodiment, the discharge gas in the airbag 225 is supplied in the horizontal direction by using the rectifying cloth 226 as the direction regulating means, but the discharge gas is horizontal in the airbag by this diffuser. It may be supplied in the direction.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle advancing direction in the vehicle seat provided with the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The longitudinal cross-sectional view along the direction orthogonal to the vehicle advancing direction of the seat part of the seat. The cross-sectional view of the horizontal direction of the seat part of the seat. The front view which shows the inflator accommodated in the diffuser of the passenger protection device. It is a graph which shows the change of the discharge speed of the gas discharged from an inflator with the passage of time of the passenger protection device, and the change of the height of an air bag, (a) is the characteristic of the inflator of a 1st embodiment, and (b). The characteristic of the conventional inflator is shown. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle advancing direction in the vehicle seat provided with the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (a) is before expansion | swelling, (b) has shown the time of expansion | swelling. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle advancing direction in the vehicle seat provided with the passenger | crew protection device of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (a) is before expansion | swelling, (b) has shown the time of expansion | swelling. The cross-sectional view of the horizontal direction of the seat part of the seat.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Seat, 12 ... Seat part, 13 ... Backrest part, 14 ... Headrest, 15 ... Seat belt apparatus, 16 ... Frame, 17, 18 ... Side frame, 19 ... Bottom frame, 19a ... Support plate, 19b ... Recessed part, 20 ... rear frame, 24, 124 ... inflator, 25, 125, 225 ... airbag, 26 ... bottom wall, 27 ... screw, 28 ... diffuser, 28a ... supply hole, 29 ... nut, 30 ... gas discharge part, 30a ... gas Ejection hole 31, 131, 231 ... Occupant protection device, 32 ... Tension spring, 33 ... Seat cushion, 126 ... Tether, 151 ... Lap belt part, 152 ... Shoulder belt part, 226 ... Rectification cloth, 226a ... Rectification hole, 331 …cover.

Claims (5)

A vehicle occupant protection device comprising an airbag that is inflated by gas generated from a gas generation source at a seat portion of a seat mounted on the vehicle,
The gas generation source includes a deployment speed regulating means that regulates a deployment speed in a height direction of the airbag to a predetermined speed or less in order to suppress an occupant's excessive increase when the airbag is inflated. A vehicle occupant protection device. In claim 1,
The deployment speed restricting means includes an ignition means for sequentially igniting a gas generating agent stored in the gas generation source so that the deployment speed of the airbag is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. Occupant protection device. A vehicle occupant protection device comprising an airbag that is inflated by gas generated from a gas generation source at a seat portion of a seat mounted on the vehicle,
Provided is a tether that is connected to the upper and lower portions of the airbag to limit the height of the airbag so that the height of the occupant's head when the airbag is inflated is lower than the ceiling of the vehicle. An occupant protection device for a vehicle. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, further comprising a direction restricting means for restricting a gas flow direction so that the gas of the gas generation source is supplied in a horizontal direction. In any one of Claims 1-4,
The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is inflated so as to spread at least substantially in the front half with respect to a traveling direction of the vehicle in a seat portion of the seat.

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