JP2008201298A - Vehicle side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mount a side airbag to a vehicle wherein an installation space for a gas generating means cannot be secured in a lower side of a seat cushion, and appropriately inflate and deploy the side airbag even if a gap between a vehicle door and an occupant's side part is narrow. <P>SOLUTION: The side airbag 18 comprises a waist part bag 18A arranged in the seat cushion 12 side and a chest part bag 18B arranged in a seat back 14 side, and an inflator 22 is stored inside a reclining rod 26. A chamber 30 of a gas blowout part 22B of the inflator 22 is communicated with the waist part bag 18A by a waist part bag side pipe 32, and is communicated with the chest part bag 18B by a flexible chest part bag side tube 34. The gas supply effective inner diameter of the waist part bag side pipe 32 is set larger than that of the chest part bag side tube 34. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle side airbag device with a seat capable of protecting a waist and a chest of an occupant.

In the following Patent Document 1, a single inflator is disposed below a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, and gas ejected from the inflator is branched into a first airbag and a second airbag by a branch pipe, respectively. The vehicle side that is inflated and restrains the occupant's waist more strongly than the occupant's chest by making the internal pressure of the first airbag corresponding to the occupant's waist higher than the internal pressure of the second airbag corresponding to the occupant's chest An airbag device is disclosed.
JP 2004-90906 A

  However, in the case of the configuration disclosed in the above prior art, it cannot be mounted on a vehicle that cannot secure an inflator mounting space in the space below the seat cushion. Therefore, the prior art has room for improvement in this respect.

  In addition, when the chest and waist are protected by a single side airbag, the size of the side airbag increases, but it takes time to inflate and deploy the large side airbag. If the gap with the door is narrow, it is difficult to quickly deploy the side airbag into the narrow gap.

  In consideration of the above fact, the present invention can be mounted on a vehicle in which the installation space for the gas generating means cannot be secured on the lower side of the seat cushion, and the gap between the vehicle door and the passenger side is narrow. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle side airbag device that can appropriately inflate and deploy a side airbag.

  The vehicle side airbag device according to the invention of claim 1 is stored in a folded state in a pipe-like rod extending along the seat width direction in the vehicle seat, and in a door side side portion of the vehicle seat, A lumbar bag that is inflated and deployed between the vehicle door and the occupant's waist at the time of a side collision or a side collision prediction, and is configured separately from the lumbar bag and folded into the door side portion of the vehicle seat A chest bag that is stored in and expanded and deployed between the vehicle door and the chest of the occupant at the time of a side collision or a side collision prediction, and a waist part that is stored in the rod or externally attached to the outer periphery of the rod Gas generating means that communicates with the bag and the chest bag via a gas supply member and generates gas at the time of a side collision or a side collision prediction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle side airbag device according to the first aspect, the gas supply member includes a first gas supply member that communicates the gas generation means and the waist bag, and the gas generation means. And a gas supply effective inner diameter of the first gas supply member is set to be larger than a gas supply effective inner diameter of the second gas supply member. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle side airbag device according to the second aspect, at least one of the first gas supply member and the second gas supply member has a portion that can be flexibly deformed. It is characterized by that.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a side collision or a side collision prediction occurs, the gas generating means is activated to generate gas. The generated gas is folded in the door side portion of the vehicle seat and is separated from the waist bag stored in the door side portion of the vehicle seat via the gas supply member, and folded in the door side portion of the vehicle seat. Each of the waist bag and the chest bag is inflated and deployed. Accordingly, the waist bag is interposed between the occupant's waist and the vehicle door, and the chest bag is interposed between the occupant's chest and the vehicle door.

  Here, in the present invention, the gas generating means described above is housed or externally attached to a pipe-like rod extending in the seat width direction of the vehicle seat, so that the gas generating means is disposed below the seat cushion. The vehicle side airbag device can be mounted on a vehicle that cannot secure an installation space.

  Moreover, in the present invention, since the waist bag and the chest bag are configured as separate bodies as described above, the waist bag and the chest can be used with a small amount of gas compared to the case where both the waist and the chest are protected by a single bag. The bag can be quickly inflated and deployed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the gas supply member includes: a first gas supply member that communicates the gas generation means and the waist bag; and a second gas supply member that communicates the gas generation means and the chest bag. In addition, the gas supply effective inner diameter of the first gas supply member is set larger than the gas supply effective inner diameter of the second gas supply member, so that the gas generated by the gas generating means is lower than the chest bag. Will be supplied more towards. Therefore, the internal pressure of the waist bag is higher than the internal pressure of the chest bag.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since at least one of the first gas supply member and the second gas supply member has a portion that can be flexibly deformed, for example, the second gas supply member can be flexible. In the case where a bending deformable portion is provided, when the seat back is reclined, the second gas supply member is deformed at the bending deformable portion following the reclining. Therefore, no excessive bending stress is generated in the second gas supply member.

  As described above, the vehicle side airbag device according to the first aspect of the present invention can be mounted on a vehicle in which the installation space for the gas generating means cannot be secured on the lower side of the seat cushion. Even when the gap between the vehicle door and the side of the occupant is narrow, the side airbag can be appropriately inflated and deployed.

  In the vehicle side airbag device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the occupant's waist can be restrained with a high restraining force, while the occupant's chest can be softly received. Therefore, it has an excellent effect that an optimum protection state can be obtained.

  In the vehicle side airbag device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the gas supply path such as the first gas supply member and the second gas supply member is prevented from being narrowed or blocked by a normal operation of the vehicle seat. It has an excellent effect of being able to.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle side airbag device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, an arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the vehicle front side, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and an arrow IN indicates the vehicle width direction inner side.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the side airbag device according to the present embodiment is activated and the side airbag is inflated and deployed. Further, FIG. 2 shows a side view of the vehicle side airbag device as viewed from the side with a part of the non-actuated state cut away. Furthermore, FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the vehicle side airbag device as viewed from the vehicle rear side.

  As shown in these drawings, a vehicle seat 10 includes a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant is seated, and a seat back 14 that is supported at a rear end of the seat cushion 12 so as to be tiltable and used as a backrest of the occupant. The headrest 16 is supported by the upper end portion of the seat back 14 so as to be movable up and down and supports the head of the occupant. Further, the seat back 14 is disposed at the center in the seat width direction and directly supports the occupant's back, and the door side side portion integrally provided at the outer end of the center 14A in the vehicle width direction. 14B and a tunnel side (inner side) side portion 14C provided integrally with an end portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the central portion 14A. In addition, both the door side side part 14B and the tunnel side side part 14C have the shape which protruded to the vehicle front side.

  The vehicle seat 10 described above is provided with a vehicle side airbag device 20 that inflates and deploys the side airbag 18 along the inner side surface of the side door 19 (see FIG. 3) at the time of a side collision. As shown in FIG. 3, the side door 19 includes a door main body 42 constituted by a door outer panel 38 and a door inner panel 40, a door glass 44 that moves up and down along the door main body 42, and a door inner panel 40. It is comprised by the door trim 46 which is a vehicle interior material lined by the surface at the vehicle interior side.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the vehicle side airbag device 20 includes an inflator 22 as a substantially cylindrical gas generating means that operates when a side collision occurs and ejects gas, and gas generated from the inflator 22. And a side airbag 18 that is inflated and deployed. The side airbag 18 includes a waist bag 18A stored in a folded state in the door side portion 12A of the seat cushion 12, and a chest bag 18B stored in a folded state in the door side side portion 14B of the seat back 14. It is constituted by. That is, the side airbag 18 is not constituted by a single bag, but is divided into a waist bag 18A and a chest bag 18B. The waist bag 18A and the chest bag 18B are inflated and deployed by cleaving the skins of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inflator 22 includes a main body portion 22A formed in an elongated cylindrical shape, and is coaxially formed at one end portion in the axial direction of the main body portion 22A and has a smaller diameter than the main body portion 22A. A cylindrical gas ejection portion 22B. A plurality of gas ejection ports 24 are formed in the peripheral wall portion of the gas ejection portion 22B.

  The inflator 22 having the above configuration connects the rear end portion of the seat cushion 12 and the lower end portion of the seat back 14, and swings when the seat back 14 is tilted (reclined) with respect to the rear end portion of the seat cushion 12. It is housed in a reclining rod 26 that serves as a shaft. Specifically, the inflator 22 is first inserted from one end side in the axial direction of the reclining rod 26 and loaded into a predetermined internal position, and then the cylindrical plug body 28 is one end side in the axial direction of the reclining rod 26. To a predetermined position inside. Thus, a chamber 30 that is a sealed space is formed in the reclining rod 26 between the axial end of the inflator 22 (on the gas ejection portion 22B side) and the plug 28.

  Instead of the plug body 28, a cap may be attached to one end of the reclining rod 26 in the axial direction. For example, a male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion of the cap and a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of one end portion of the reclining rod 26 in the axial direction, and the shaft portion of the cap is screwed to the female screw. Can do. In that case, it is preferable to interpose an O-ring-shaped sealing material between the head of the cap and one end of the reclining rod 26 in the axial direction. In addition, a stopper is set at the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the reclining rod 26 in order to define the insertion position (storage position) of the inflator 22. As the stopper, for example, a configuration in which a reduced diameter portion that can interfere with the other axial end portion of the inflator 22 is provided by caulking or the like at the axial intermediate portion of the reclining rod 26 can be employed. In addition, this stopper has a function of defining the insertion position (storage position) of the inflator 22 to the reclining rod 26 and a direction in which the inflator 22 moves away from the plug body 28 by the reaction when the inflator 22 is activated. What is necessary is just to have a function which prevents moving to. Furthermore, a retainer (not shown) is disposed between the axial end of the inflator 22 (on the gas ejection part 22B side) and the plug body 28, and the inflator 22 is placed on the plug body 28 side due to vibration during vehicle travel. Is prevented from moving to.

  By adopting the above configuration, the assembly position of the inflator 22 in the reclining rod 26 is determined, and the chamber 30 is formed between the gas ejection part 22B of the inflator 22 and the plug body 28 as described above. It has become. The chamber 30 and the waist bag 18A communicate with each other by a waist bag side pipe 32 as a first gas supply member formed in a tube shape. Further, the chamber 30 and the chest bag 18B are communicated with each other by a chest bag side tube 34 as a second gas supply member formed in a tube shape. Further, the waist bag side pipe 32 is made of a material having little flexibility, but the chest bag side tube 34 is made of a material having flexibility (here, a flexible tube formed in a bellows shape). It is configured and can be bent in any direction. The gas supply effective inner diameter of the waist bag side pipe 32 is set larger than the gas supply effective inner diameter of the chest bag side tube 34.

(Operation and effect of this embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  When a side collision occurs, a side collision state is detected by an airbag sensor (not shown), and the signal is input to the airbag ECU. The airbag ECU determines whether or not the vehicle side airbag device 20 should be operated based on the input signal. If it is determined that the “side airbag is activated”, a predetermined current is supplied to the inflator 22. As a result, the inflator 22 is activated to generate gas, and the gas is ejected from the gas ejection port 24 of the gas ejection part 22B.

  Since one end portion of the reclining rod 26 in the axial direction is closed by the plug 28, the gas ejected into the chamber 30 is respectively supplied to the waist bag side pipe 32 and the chest bag side tube 34 communicated with the chamber 30. Inflow. As a result, the waist bag 18A is inflated and deployed from the door side side portion 12A side of the seat cushion 12, and is interposed in the gap 48 (see FIG. 3) between the lower side of the door trim 46 of the side door 19 and the waist portion of the occupant. The occupant's waist is protected. At the same time, the chest bag 18B is inflated and deployed from the door side side portion 14B side of the seat back 14 and is interposed between the upper side of the door trim 46 of the side door 19 and the side surface of the occupant's chest, thereby protecting the occupant's chest. Is done.

  Here, in the present embodiment, since the inflator 22 is housed in the reclining rod 26, the vehicle side airbag device 20 is provided even for a vehicle in which the installation space for the gas generating means cannot be secured on the lower side of the seat cushion 12. Can be installed.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, since the waist bag 18A and the chest bag 18B are separated as described above, the waist region can be used with a small amount of gas compared to the case where both the waist and chest region are protected by a single side airbag. The bag 18A and the chest bag 18B can be rapidly inflated and deployed.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, the vehicle side airbag device 20 can be mounted even on a vehicle in which the installation space of the inflator 22 cannot be secured on the lower side of the seat cushion 12, and the side door 19 and Even when the gap 48 with the side of the occupant is narrow, the side airbag 18 can be appropriately inflated and deployed.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a lumbar bag side pipe 32 that communicates the chamber 30 from which the gas of the inflator 22 is ejected and the lumbar bag 18A, and a chest bag side tube 34 that communicates the inflator 22 and the chest bag 18B are provided. Since the gas supply effective inner diameter of the waist bag side pipe 32 is set larger than the gas supply effective inner diameter of the chest bag side tube 34, the gas generated by the inflator 22 is directed toward the waist bag 18A rather than the chest bag 18B. More supplied. Therefore, the internal pressure of the waist bag 18A is higher than the internal pressure of the chest bag 18B. As a result, the waist of the occupant can be restrained with a high restraining force, while the chest of the occupant can be softly received, so that an optimal protection state can be obtained according to the body part of the occupant.

  Supplementing this point, generally, as shown in FIG. 3, a door trim 46 is lined on the surface of the side door 19 on the vehicle interior side, and particularly at the position where the armrest 50 is formed, the side door 19 and the passenger side The gap 48 with the portion (here, the waist) is narrow. Moreover, since a collision load is input to the lower side of the side door 19 at the time of a side collision with the vehicle, the side door 19 rotates inward in the vehicle width direction with the vicinity of the connection portion between the front pillar and the roof side rail as a fulcrum. In order to enter the vehicle in a different mode, the gap 48 between the lower portion of the door trim 46 and the occupant's waist may become narrower. Therefore, the occupant's waist can be pushed inward in the vehicle width direction (the direction of the arrow P in FIG. 3) by causing the waist bag 18A to quickly enter the narrow gap 48 and keeping the internal pressure high. The waist can be effectively protected.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the chest bag side tube 34 that communicates the inflator 22 and the chest bag 18B is made of a flexible material. Therefore, when the seat back 14 is reclined, the chest bag side tube 34 follows the reclining seat. Bend flexibly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the occurrence of excessive bending stress in the chest bag side tube 34. As a result, it is possible to prevent the chest bag side tube 34 from being narrowed or blocked by a normal operation of the vehicle seat 10.

[Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment]
In the present embodiment described above, the inflator 22 is housed in the reclining rod 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a seat back frame (skeleton member) disposed in the seat back 14 is used. ) The inflator 22 may be accommodated in the connecting rod 54 that connects the lower sides of the side portions 52A of the 52 in the seat width direction. In this case, the chest bag side tube 34 may be a pipe and the waist bag side pipe 32 may be a flexible tube. Moreover, you may comprise both the waist bag side pipe 32 and the chest bag side tube 34 with a flexible tube.

  In the present embodiment, the inflator 22 is configured to operate at the time of a side collision. However, the inflator is not limited to this, and the inflator is predicted when a side collision is predicted using a side collision prediction means such as a pre-crash sensor. 22 may be actuated.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the configuration in which the inflator 22 is accommodated in the reclining rod 26 or the connecting rod 54 is adopted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inflator 22 is disposed adjacent to the outer peripheral portion of these rods, such as a clamp. You may take the structure attached externally using an attachment member. In this case, the installation space increases as compared with the configuration in which the inflator is inserted into the rod, but the increase in the minimum installation space can be suppressed by following the outer periphery of the rod.

  In the present embodiment, the waist bag 18A is folded and stored in the door side portion 12A of the seat cushion 12. However, not only the chest bag 18B but also the waist bag 18A is stored on the door side of the seat back 14. You may take the structure stored in the side part 14B in a folded state.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which the side airbag apparatus for vehicles which concerns on this embodiment act | operates, and the side airbag is inflate-deployed. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a non-actuated state of the vehicle side airbag device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the side of the vehicle. It is a rear view which shows the state which the side airbag apparatus for vehicles concerning this embodiment act | operated in relation to a side door.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle seat 12 Seat cushion 12A Door side side part 14 Seat back 14B Door side side part 18 Side airbag 18A Lumbar bag 18B Chest bag 19 Side door (vehicle door)
20 vehicle side airbag device 22 inflator (gas generating means)
26 Reclining rod (rod)
32 waist bag side pipe (first gas supply member)
34 Chest bag side tube (second gas supply member)
54 Connecting rod (rod)

Claims (3)

A pipe-like rod extending along the seat width direction in the vehicle seat;
A lumbar bag which is stored in a folded state in a door side portion of a vehicle seat and is inflated and deployed between a vehicle door and an occupant's lumbar region at the time of a side collision or a side collision prediction;
It is configured separately from the waist bag and is stored in a folded state in the door side portion of the vehicle seat, and is inflated and deployed between the vehicle door and the occupant's chest at the time of a side collision or a side collision prediction. A chest bag,
Gas generating means that is housed in the rod or externally attached to the outer periphery of the rod and communicates with the waist bag and chest bag via a gas supply member, and generates gas at the time of a side collision or a side collision prediction. ,
A vehicle side airbag device comprising: The gas supply member includes a first gas supply member that communicates the gas generation means and the waist bag, and a second gas supply member that communicates the gas generation means and the chest bag. ,
And the gas supply effective inner diameter of the first gas supply member is set larger than the gas supply effective inner diameter of the second gas supply member.
The vehicle side airbag device according to claim 1. At least one of the first gas supply member and the second gas supply member has a portion that can be flexibly deformed.
The vehicle side airbag device according to claim 2.

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