JP2008168901A - Side airbag device of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device of an automobile having more excellent durability and serviceability of a seat than those of a seat interior-fitting type airbag device, and capable of enhancing the appearance in a cabin by a seat cover, and smoothly inflating an airbag in a normally functioning state even when the seat is at any position. <P>SOLUTION: The side airbag device 20 comprises seats 6, 7 slidable along the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body, and a seat belt 15 for restraining an occupant seated on the seats 6, 7, one end of the seat belt 15 is installed on a vehicle body side surface side of a seat cushion 12 constituting the seats 6, 7. The fixing position of the seat belt 15 to restrain a waist of the occupant seated to the seats 6, 7 to the vehicle body is made closer to the occupant side than the position of a side airbag module of the side airbag device 20, and the side airbag module 19 is made movable in the same direction as the sliding direction of the seats 6, 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device for an automobile, and more particularly to a side airbag device provided in association with a seat that can slide along a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body.

In recent automobiles, when a relatively large impact force is applied to the vehicle body from the side of the vehicle, a side airbag that is normally contracted is inflated, and an occupant seated on the inflated side airbag on a seat Between the vehicle and the vehicle body to reduce the impact force from the side.
Such side airbag devices are installed at various locations in the passenger compartment. For example, the side airbag device includes an airbag on the side of a seat back, a headrest, etc. to facilitate breaking of the fiber structure at the bulging location. (Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2), an airbag mounted on the side portion of the seat cushion (Patent Literature 3), and an airbag on the vehicle body side located between the driver seat and the passenger seat of the front seat. The provided one (Patent Document 4) and the like are presented.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-130850 JP-A-4-356246 JP-A-8-230591 JP-A-3-281458

  Among such conventional side airbag devices, those in which airbags are installed in the side portions of the seat back, headrest and seat cushion have low durability in the fiber structure of the airbag mounting portion, and therefore change over time. The air bag may not be normally inflated. Also, in this type, when a user or the like covers the entire seat with a commercially available seat cover and tries to enhance the exterior appearance of the passenger compartment, the seat cover will block the inflation port of the airbag. The side airbag device does not operate. Furthermore, when a part of the passenger's body seated on the seat is in contact with the airbag mounting part, the airbag does not inflate smoothly and has a problem that it is difficult to function normally.

  On the other hand, among the conventional side airbag devices, in which the airbag is installed on the vehicle body side, the airbag device is fixed to the vehicle body side, so that the seated occupant can adjust the front seat according to the size of the body. When the vehicle body is slid along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and adjusted to the optimum driving position, sitting comfort position, or the like, the positions of the occupant and the side airbag device change relatively. In general, it is important for the side airbag device to have the center of the airbag coincide with the center of the occupant's torso or the center of the head. Therefore, considering the relative movement between the two, If the thickness is not formed large, it is difficult to exert the function as designed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the object thereof is to improve the appearance of a vehicle interior by a seat cover because the seat has better durability and serviceability than a seat-interior type airbag device. An object is to provide a side airbag device for an automobile that can be smoothly inflated in a state in which the airbag functions normally regardless of the position of the seat.

  In order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, in the present invention, a seat is provided that is slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and includes a seat belt for restraining an occupant seated on the seat. In a side airbag device of an automobile installed at one end of the seat cushion constituting the seat on the side surface of the vehicle body, the seat belt is fixed to the vehicle body at a fixed position of the seat belt that restrains the seated occupant's waist. The position of the airbag device is closer to the occupant side than the position of the side airbag module of the airbag device, and the side airbag module is movable in the same direction as the sliding direction of the seat.

In the present invention, the side airbag of the side airbag module is inflated and deployed so as to protect the occupant's arms and flank.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the side airbag is inflated and deployed so that the center of the side airbag is aligned with the center of the occupant's trunk.

In the present invention, the side airbag is inflated and deployed by pressing the seat belt that restrains the waist of the occupant.
Further, in the present invention, the side door of the automobile is formed in a convex shape toward the passenger compartment side at substantially the same height as the occupant's flank, and when the side airbag is inflated and deployed, Supports contact.
And in this invention, while arrange | positioning the said side airbag module to the side door side of a driver's seat and a passenger seat, respectively, the airbag module is also arrange | positioned in the front position of these seats, respectively.

  As described above, an automobile side airbag device according to the present invention includes a seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, a seat belt for restraining an occupant seated on the seat, One end is installed on the side of the vehicle body of the seat cushion constituting the seat, and the seat belt is fixed to the vehicle body to restrain the waist of the seated occupant to the seat. The airbag module is positioned closer to the occupant side than the position of the airbag module, and the side airbag module can be moved in the same direction as the sliding direction of the seat, so that the airbag can be inflated at any position. It can function normally regardless of the output. In addition, the side airbag device of the present invention improves the durability of the seat (skin, fiber structure) compared to the conventional seat interior type airbag device, and the seat airbag is damaged by the operation of the side airbag module. Therefore, the sheet can be easily exchanged and serviceability can be improved. Furthermore, the side airbag device of the present invention does not affect the operation of the side airbag module even when the entire seat is covered with a commercially available seat cover, so the passenger can freely dress up the interior of the vehicle according to hobbies such as the user. And the appearance can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.

1-6 has shown 1st Embodiment of the side airbag apparatus of the motor vehicle based on this invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a relatively large impact force is applied to the side portions 2a and 2b and the front and rear side doors 3 and 4 on the left and right sides of the automobile 1 according to this embodiment. Sensing sensors 5 for detecting the reception are attached individually or in a plurality of arrangements, and these sensing sensors 5 are electrically connected to microcomputers of a detection diagnostic module (SDM) described later.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the automobile 1 includes front seats 6 and 7 that are slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. A seat airbag module 9 is installed in the interior, and a passenger seat airbag module 11 is installed in the instrument panel tray 10 in front of the passenger seat 7.

Each of the front seats 6 and 7 includes a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant M is seated, a seat back 13 that receives the back of the occupant M, and a headrest 14 that receives the head of the occupant M. A seat belt 15 for restraining the seated occupant M is provided.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of left and right leg members 16 extending downward are disposed on the lower surface of the seat cushion 12 of the front seats 6 and 7 with a gap in the width direction. A pair of left and right seat rails 18 extending in the front-rear direction are disposed on the upper surface of the floor 17 positioned below the front seats 6 and 7 at intervals corresponding to the leg members 16. For this reason, the front seats 6 and 7 are slidable along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body by placing and engaging the lower end portions of the leg members 16 on the seat rails 18.

Further, between the seat cushion 12 of the front seats 6 and 7 and the front side doors (vehicle body side portions) 3 on the left and right sides, as shown in FIGS. 5, a side airbag device 20 is provided which is provided with a side airbag module 19 that can move in the same direction (in the direction of arrow X ′ in FIG. 5). The side airbag module 19 of the side airbag device 20 is connected to a side surface portion of the seat cushion 12 via a link member (link portion) 21 and is mounted on one slide rail 22 provided substantially parallel to the seat rail 18. Is configured so as to always move in conjunction with the sliding movement of the front seats 6 and 7. For this reason, a guide groove 23 that engages with the slide rail 22 is provided along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body at the center of the lower surface of the casing (described later) of the side airbag module 19.
Here, examples of the link member 21 include an engagement pin, a screw, and a magnet, but other means may be used as long as the side airbag module 19 can be securely attached to the seat cushion 12. The slide rail 22 is installed on the floor 17 along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body using a support bracket 22a and the like.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the side airbag module 19 includes a box-shaped casing 26 that houses a contracted airbag 24 and an inflator (gas generator) 25. The upper part of the casing 26 on the airbag inflation side (side door 3 side) has an inclined surface shape (or curved surface shape) that descends from the seat cushion 12 toward the side door 3 side in order to reduce the flat surface as much as possible. It is formed so that an object such as an umbrella 27 that the occupant M brings into the vehicle compartment is placed on the upper portion so that the airbag 24 does not hinder the inflation. 5 denotes a commercially available seat cover that covers the entire driver seat 6.

  In the automobile 1 provided with the side airbag device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, on the side of the seat cushion 12 of the front seats 6, 7, between the seat cushion 12 and the front side door 3. A side airbag module 19 is disposed, and the side airbag module 19 is connected to the side surface portion of the seat cushion 12 by a link member 21, and the guide groove 23 of the casing 26 is movably engaged with the slide rail 22. Therefore, when the front seats 6 and 7 on the seat rail 18 are slid to the rear or front of the vehicle body according to the size of the occupant M, the side airbag module 19 on the slide rail 22 is interlocked with this. However, it always moves in the same direction as the sliding direction of the front seats 6 and 7, and rides on the center of the airbag 24. It is possible to match the center of the body (or head) of M.

Therefore, when a relatively large impact force from the side of the vehicle acts on the side portions 2a and 2b and the side doors 3 and 4 on the front and rear of the vehicle 1, the detection sensor 5 detects the impact force, and the detection signal is The data is sent to the SDM microcomputer shown in FIG. In this microcomputer, the impact force detected by the sensing sensor 5 is monitored and compared with a value that has already been set (impact force to inflate and deploy the airbag 24). When the impact force detected by the sensing sensor 5 exceeds this value, the microcomputer is sent to the inflator 25 of the side airbag module 19 to operate the inflator 25. Accordingly, the airbag 24 is expanded and deployed in a normally functioning state (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The side airbag module 19 and the SDM are connected by a harness H or the like.
When a relatively large impact force is applied to the front of the automobile 1 from the front of the vehicle, the sensing sensor detects the deceleration due to the impact force, and the detection signal is sent to the SDM microcomputer shown in FIG. . The microcomputer operates the driver seat airbag module 9 and the passenger seat airbag module 11 in the same manner as the side airbag, and the driver seat airbag and the passenger seat airbag are inflated and deployed.

Further, in the casing 26 of the side airbag module 19, the upper part on the airbag inflation side (side door 3 side) is formed in an inclined surface shape that descends from the seat cushion 12 toward the side door 3 side. Even if an object such as an umbrella 27 is brought into the vehicle compartment, the umbrella 27 does not rest on the upper portion of the casing 26 and is moved toward the side door 3 so that the airbag 24 is not hindered from expanding.
Furthermore, even if the side airbag device 20 is activated, the front seats 6 and 7 are not damaged as in the conventional case, so that the seats can be easily exchanged and the serviceability can be improved. Moreover, even if the front seats 6 and 7 are entirely covered with the commercially available seat cover 28, the operation of the side airbag device 20 is not affected, so that the vehicle interior can be freely dressed up by the seat cover 28.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of an automobile side airbag device according to the present invention. The side airbag module 19 of the side airbag device 20 of the present embodiment includes links 29, 30 and legs. It is connected to the seat rail 18 via the member 16 and is always linked to the sliding movement of the front seats 6 and 7. For this reason, the stays 29, 30 are formed in an L-shaped cross section, one stay 29 is fixed to the facing surface of the casing 26, and the other stay 30 is fixed to the facing surface of the leg member 16, Both stays 29 and 30 are connected to each other by a bolt 31 and a welding nut 32. The stays 29 and 30 may be fitted to other than the bolts 31 and the welding nuts 32 and connected by means such as a magnet.
The side airbag device 20 according to the present embodiment holds the side airbag module 19 and engages the guide groove 23 of the casing 26 from above with the slide rail 22 on the floor 17 so that the stays 29 and 30 are overlapped. In this state, the bolt 31 is screwed into the welding nut 32 and fastened to assemble.

  Further, a lid 34 provided with a fulcrum 33 on the front side door (vehicle body side) 3 side is rotatably attached to the upper portion of the casing 26 of the side airbag module 19. The upper opening is configured to be opened and closed. Moreover, the upper surface of the lid 34 is formed in a curved surface shape (or inclined surface shape) that descends from the seat cushion 12 toward the front side door 3. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the side airbag device 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a curved-surface-shaped lid 34 is rotatably attached to the upper portion of the casing 26 of the side airbag module 19, and the fulcrum 33 of the lid 34 is connected to the front side door. (Vehicle side part) Since it is provided on the 3 side, even if the front side door 3 etc. is deformed toward the passenger compartment side, the lid 34 in the opened state secures the bulging area of the airbag 24, The airbag 24 can be guided to an obliquely upward position on the occupant M side by the curved surface. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  8 and 9 show a modification of the second embodiment. In Modification 1 in FIG. 8, the plate 35 is used in place of the stays 29 and 30, the bolt 31 and the welding nut 32 of the second embodiment as the link member, and the tip of the plate 35 protruding from the facing surface of the casing 26 is used. The part is coupled to the opposing surface of the leg member 16 by welding or the like. Therefore, the side airbag module 19 is connected to the seat rail 18 via the plate 35 and the leg member 16 and is always interlocked with the sliding movement of the front seats 6 and 7.

Moreover, in the modified example 2 in FIG. 9, a pair of left and right engaging pieces 36 project from the lower surface of the casing 26 instead of the guide groove 23 of the second embodiment, and the side airbag module 19 includes the casing 26. The engagement piece 36 is engaged with the slide rail 22 so as to be movable. For this reason, the pair of left and right engaging pieces 36 are arranged with an interval corresponding to the width dimension of the slide rail 22. On the other hand, the fulcrum 33 of the lid 34 attached to the upper part of the casing 26 is provided at a lower position near the floor 17 side, and the probability of the influence on the fulcrum 33 of the lid 34 due to deformation of the front side door 3 or the like is reduced. It is illustrated.
In such a modification, as in the second embodiment, the fulcrum 33 of the lid 34 is provided on the front side door 3 side, and the upper portion of the lid 34 is formed in a curved surface shape (or inclined surface shape). Therefore, when the side airbag device 20 is activated by the impact force F from the side of the vehicle, it is easy to guide the airbag 24 obliquely toward the occupant M, and the front side door 3 or the like faces toward the passenger compartment. Even if it deforms, the space where the lid 34 opens can be secured by the curved surface.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of a side airbag device for an automobile according to the present invention, and a cover member used as an airbag inflation guide for the side airbag module 19 of the side airbag device 20 in this embodiment. 37 is provided, and the cover member 37 covers the lower side of the seat cushion 12 and the side airbag module 19. The cover member 37 is integrally formed with the rail cover of the slide rail 22, and the upper part of the cover member 37 is bent from the outer surface of the casing 26 of the side airbag module 19 to the front seats 6 and 7 side. It is formed so as to protrude obliquely upward. A lid 34 having a fulcrum 33 provided on the side of the front side door (vehicle body side) 3 is rotatably attached to the upper portion of the casing 26 of the side airbag module 19. Other configurations are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.
In the side airbag device 20 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the rail cover of the slide rail 22 is used, and the upper portion is bent obliquely upward from the outer surface of the casing 26 toward the front seats 6 and 7. Since the member 37 is provided in the side airbag module 19, the inflating airbag 24 can be easily guided toward the occupant M without increasing the number of parts, and the airbag 24 can function reliably. In addition, the cover member 37 covers the lower side of the seat cushion 12 and the side airbag module 19 so that the appearance can be improved. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of a side airbag device for an automobile according to the present invention. The side airbag module 19 of the side airbag device 20 in this embodiment includes a third embodiment and A cover member 37 used as an airbag inflation guide having the same structure is provided. Further, a lid 34 having a fulcrum 33 provided on the front seats 6 and 7 side is rotatably attached to an upper portion of the casing 26 of the side airbag module 19, and the opening direction of the lid 34 is the front seat 6. 7 side, and the seat cushion 12 is used as a stopper for the lid 34. Other configurations are the same as those in the first to third embodiments.
In the side airbag device 20 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a cover in which the rail cover of the slide rail 22 is used and the upper part is bent obliquely upward from the outer surface of the casing 26 toward the front seats 6 and 7 side. Since the member 37 is provided on the side airbag module 19 and the fulcrum 33 of the lid 34 is provided on the front seats 6 and 7 side, the same effect as that of the third embodiment can be obtained, and the front side door 3 The lid 34 can be opened more reliably even if the head is greatly deformed toward the passenger compartment. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

13 and 14 show a fifth embodiment of the automobile side airbag device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, it is a side part of the seat cushion 12 located in the side airbag module 19 side of the side airbag apparatus 20, Comprising: The intermediate part of the front-back direction is dented by L dimension toward the seat center side. The concave portion 38 has a gentle curved surface. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 39 denotes a fixing tool for the sieve belt 15. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment.
In the side airbag device 20 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, a concave portion 38 having a curved surface directed toward the seat center by L dimension is provided on the side portion of the seat cushion 12 located on the side airbag module 19 side. Therefore, even if the distance S between the centers of the front seats 6 and 7 and the side airbag module 19 is short, that is, even if the side airbag module 19 is brought closer to the seat cushion 12 side, the bolts of the stays 29 and 30 of the link members can be tightened. In addition, the seat cushion 12 does not interfere with the inflation of the airbag 24, and the airbag 24 can easily approach the body side of the occupant M. Therefore, the side airbag device 20 of the present embodiment is advantageous when applied to a light and small vehicle with a particularly small vehicle width.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the side airbag device 20 of the present invention can be applied not only to the front seats 6 and 7 but also to a middle seat and a rear seat that can slide along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

1 is a perspective view showing an entire automobile to which a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention was provided from right side back. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle interior provided with the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention from upper part back. FIG. 3 is a view as seen from an arrow A in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the action | operation system of the airbag apparatus installed in the vehicle interior various places of the motor vehicle. It is the front view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention was provided from the vehicle body back. It is the front view which looked at the side airbag apparatus which concerns on the modification 1 of the said 2nd Embodiment from the vehicle body back. It is the front view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on the modification 2 of the said 2nd Embodiment was provided from the vehicle body back. It is the front view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention was provided from the vehicle body back. It is the front view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention was provided from the vehicle body back. It is the C section enlarged view in FIG. It is the front view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention was provided from the vehicle body back. It is the top view which looked at the vehicle interior in which the side airbag apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention was provided from upper direction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile 2a, 2b Side part before and behind the vehicle body 3,4 Side door 5 Detection sensor 6,7 Front seat 12 Seat cushion 15 Seat belt 16 Leg member 17 Floor 18 Seat rail 19 Side airbag module 20 Side airbag device 21 Link member 22 Slide rail 23 Guide groove 24 Air bag 25 Inflator 26 Casing 29, 30 Stay 31 Bolt 32 Weld nut 33 Support point 34 Lid 35 Plate 36 Engagement piece 37 Cover member 38 Recess

Claims (6)

A seat slidable along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and a seat belt for restraining an occupant seated on the seat; one end of the seat belt is installed on the side of the vehicle body of the seat cushion constituting the seat In the side airbag device of an automobile,
The seat airbag for restraining the seated waist of the occupant to the seat is positioned closer to the occupant side than the side airbag module position of the side airbag device, and the side airbag module Can be moved in the same direction as the sliding direction of the seat.   The side airbag device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a side airbag of the side airbag module is inflated and deployed so as to protect the arm and the side of the occupant.   3. The side airbag device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the side airbag is inflated and deployed so that a center of the side airbag is aligned with a center of the body of the occupant. .   The side airbag device for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the side airbag is configured to be inflated and deployed by pressing the seat belt that restrains the waist of the occupant. The side door of the automobile is formed in a convex shape toward the vehicle interior side at substantially the same height as the occupant's flank, and is in contact with and supported by the side airbag when the side airbag is inflated and deployed. The side airbag device for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The air bag module according to claim 1, wherein the side air bag module is disposed on a side door side of the driver seat and the passenger seat, and an air bag module is disposed in front of the seat. A side airbag device for an automobile according to claim 1.

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