JP2009166786A - Side-impact airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hold an airbag at an inflated position while reducing the capacity of the airbag. <P>SOLUTION: Upon a side collision on a vehicle provided with a pair of rear seats in proximity in a row arrangement in the width direction of the vehicle, a side-impact airbag device supplies inflation gas to the airbag 27 from an inflator 26 to inflate the airbag 27 between the adjacent rear seats to constrain an occupant. The airbag 27 to be used comprises a main body inflation portion 32 which is inflated by inflation gas G and an annular peripheral inflation portion 31 which surrounds the main body inflation portion 32 and is inflated at inner pressure higher than that of the main body inflation portion 32. The peripheral inflation portion 31 has an inlet 33 to the receive inflation gas G from the inflator 26 and an outlet 34 to discharge the inflation gas G passing through the peripheral inflation portion 31 to the main body inflation portion 32. This configuration causes the inflation gas G to flow from the inflator 26 to the main body inflation portion 32 via the peripheral inflation portion 31, thereby inflating the peripheral inflation portion 31 at inner pressure higher than that of the main body inflation portion 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air bag for inflating fluid such as inflating gas from an inflating fluid generating source such as an inflator when a side impact is applied to a vehicle having a plurality of seats arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. And a side-impact airbag device that restrains an occupant by inflating the airbag between adjacent seats.

  For vehicles with multiple seats arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction, when an impact is applied to a body side part such as a door due to a side collision, the passenger on the side close to the body side part (side collision side) must be protected. Of course, it is also important to protect the occupant on the side farther from the body side part (opposite side), and a side impact airbag device is effective as a means for protecting the passenger. As one aspect of the airbag device for a side collision, in response to an impact applied to the vehicle from the side by a side collision, an inflation gas is supplied from the inflator to the airbag, and the airbag is seated between adjacent seats in the vehicle width direction. That is, there is one that expands near the center in the vehicle width direction. According to the airbag device for a side collision, the occupant on the opposite side can be received by the airbag, and interference with the occupant or interior product on the side collision side can be suppressed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, an inflator and a folded airbag are arranged inside a roof panel of a vehicle, and an inflation gas is supplied from the inflator to the airbag in response to an impact. An airbag device is described which is adapted to be inflated.

  In the airbag apparatus for a side collision in which the airbag is inflated between adjacent seats including the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, even if a load directed to the side collision side of the occupant on the opposite side is applied to the airbag, the airbag It is important not to displace from the expanded position.

In this regard, in the airbag device described in Patent Document 1 described above, the lower end portion of the inflating airbag is pressed against a vehicle structure such as a seat portion of the seat, the floor, etc. The airbag is held in an inflated position due to the friction generated in this manner, and the displacement of the occupant on the opposite side to the side collision side is suppressed.
JP-A-3-281454

  However, in the airbag device described in Patent Document 1, the roof panel on which the airbag is disposed and the seat portion, the floor, and the like on which the inflating airbag is pressed are greatly separated, and the airbag is interposed between them. When trying to inflate, an increase in the capacity of the airbag is inevitable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a side-impact airbag device capable of holding an airbag in an inflated position while reducing the capacity of the airbag. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an inflation fluid is supplied from an inflation fluid generation source to an airbag upon a side collision of a vehicle in which a plurality of seats are arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction. A side-impact airbag device in which the airbag is inflated between adjacent seats to restrain an occupant, wherein the airbag includes a main body inflating portion that is inflated by the inflating fluid, and the main body inflating portion. The gist is to include an annular peripheral inflating portion that surrounds and expands at an internal pressure higher than that of the main body inflating portion.

  According to said structure, when the impact by a side collision is added with respect to a vehicle from a side, an inflation fluid is generated with an inflation fluid generation source, and the inflation fluid is supplied to an airbag. By this supply, the main body inflating portion expands between adjacent seats, and the peripheral inflating portion inflates around the periphery with an internal pressure higher than that of the main body inflating portion. The peripheral inflating portion has higher rigidity than the main body inflating portion, and tries to hold the entire airbag in a shape necessary for occupant protection and in the inflated position. Therefore, even if a load on the occupant on the opposite side is applied, the airbag is not easily displaced toward the side, and the occupant is reliably restrained. Along with this, it is not necessary to take additional measures such as holding the airbag in an inflated position by increasing the capacity of the airbag and pressing it against the vehicle structure.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, an inlet into which the expansion fluid from the expansion fluid generation source flows into the peripheral expansion portion, and expansion that has passed through the peripheral expansion portion. The gist of the present invention is that an outflow port through which the fluid flows out to the main body expansion portion is provided.

  According to the above configuration, the inflation fluid generated by the inflation fluid generation source first flows into the peripheral inflation portion through the inlet in the airbag. As the expansion fluid flows through the peripheral expansion portion, the peripheral expansion portion expands with a high internal pressure. When the expansion fluid reaches the outflow port, the expansion fluid flows out through the outflow port to the main body expansion portion whose internal pressure is lower than that of the peripheral expansion portion. The expansion fluid causes the main body expansion portion to expand with an internal pressure lower than that of the peripheral expansion portion. In this way, by causing the expansion fluid from the expansion fluid generation source to flow in the order of the peripheral expansion portion and the main body expansion portion, the peripheral expansion portion can be expanded with an internal pressure higher than that of the main body expansion portion. The effects of the described invention can be obtained with certainty.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the gist of the invention according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral inflating portion has two tubular inflating portions that are divided into two at the inlet and merge at the outlet. To do.

  According to said structure, the expansion fluid which flowed into the peripheral expansion part through the inflow port is divided into two, and flows through one of the tubular expansion parts. The expansion fluid that has flowed through each tubular expansion portion joins at the outlet and flows out to the main body expansion portion. By flowing through the two tubular inflating portions in this way, the peripheral inflating portion is quickly filled with the inflating fluid, the internal pressure of the peripheral inflating portion is higher than the internal pressure of the main inflating portion, and the peripheral inflating portion is more than the main inflating portion. Becomes a state of high rigidity, and the airbag is held in the inflated shape and position.

The gist of the invention of claim 4 is that, in the invention of claim 3, the outflow port is provided at a position substantially opposite to the inflow port with the main body expansion portion interposed therebetween.
Here, the farther the outlet is away from the inlet, that is, the longer each tubular inflatable part is, the longer it takes for the inflation fluid to reach the outlet from the inlet, and the longer the internal pressure of each tubular inflated part is longer Lasts for a period. Therefore, in order to maintain the high internal pressure of the peripheral inflating part, it is desirable to provide an outlet at a position as far as possible from the inlet and lengthen each tubular inflating part.

  In this regard, according to the invention described in claim 4, when the outflow port is provided at a position substantially opposite to the inflow port across the main body inflating portion, the outflow port is far away from the inflow port, and each tubular inflating portion is It becomes long and the state where the internal pressure of the peripheral expansion part is high continues for a long period.

In addition, the said peripheral expansion part and main body expansion part in the invention as described in any one of Claims 1-4 are obtained by employ | adopting the structure by the invention of Claim 5, for example.
That is, the invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the airbag is annularly formed along an airbag body and a peripheral portion in the airbag body. An inner tube arranged, and the inner space of the inner tube constitutes the peripheral inflating portion, and the main body inflating portion is constituted by a portion of the inner space of the airbag main body excluding the inner tube. Is the gist.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the peripheral inflating portion is configured by the inner space of the inner tube with a simple configuration in which the inner tube is annularly arranged along the peripheral portion in the airbag body. The main body inflatable portion of the airbag can be configured by a portion of the internal space of the main body excluding the inner tube.

  According to the side-impact airbag device of the present invention, the airbag includes a main body inflating portion that inflates with an inflating fluid, and a peripheral inflating portion that surrounds the main body inflating portion and inflates with an internal pressure higher than the main body inflating portion. Since the structure is provided, the airbag can be held at the inflated position and the occupant can be restrained appropriately while reducing the capacity of the airbag.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front (front of the vehicle), and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear (rear of the vehicle). Further, in the following description, the vertical direction means the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the horizontal direction is the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and coincides with the horizontal direction when the vehicle moves forward.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of seats are arranged in the vehicle interior (inside the vehicle compartment 11). These seats are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction in a pair of front seats (driver seat 12 and passenger seat 13) arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction at the front portion in the passenger compartment 11. And a pair of rear seats 14,15. Each of the driver's seat 12 and the passenger seat 13 includes a seat portion 16 disposed substantially horizontally and a backrest portion 17 disposed on the rear side of the seat portion 16. A center console 18 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided between the seat 16 of the driver seat 12 and the seat 16 of the passenger seat 13. The center console 18 is provided with operation portions such as a shift lever and a side brake lever, and is provided with a storage space such as a cup holder, an ashtray, and an accessory case.

  The left and right rear seats 14 and 15 are also provided with a seat portion 21 and a backrest portion 22 in the same manner as the driver seat 12 and the like. Between both the seat parts 21, the intermediate part 23 which has the length comparable as the length in the vehicle front-back direction of the seat part 21 is provided. Further, an extended portion 24 extending upward from the rear end portion of the intermediate portion 23 is provided between the backrest portions 22. An accommodating portion 25 is provided on the upper portion of the extending portion 24.

  In the accommodating portion 25, an inflator 26 as an inflating fluid generation source and an airbag 27 that is made compact by being folded are accommodated. The inflator 26 and the airbag 27 are fixed to the inner wall of the housing portion 25 and the like.

  There are a plurality of types of inflators 26 because of the difference in the generation mode of the expansion gas G as the expansion fluid. Here, the inflator 26 called a pyrotype is used. Inside the inflator 26, a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates the expansion gas G is accommodated. The inflator 26 is provided with a plurality of gas ejection holes 26A (see FIG. 5) for ejecting the expansion gas G generated by the gas generating agent, and a harness serving as a control signal application wiring to the inflator 26 (Not shown) is connected.

  As the inflator 26, a type different from the above pyro type may be used. Such types include stored gas types in which the bulkhead of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with high-pressure gas is ruptured with explosives and the like, and an expansion gas G is ejected, or a hybrid type in which both a pyro type and a stored gas type are combined. Is mentioned.

3 to 5 schematically show the airbag 27 in a state where the inflation gas G is filled and deployed and inflated.
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 3 to 5, the airbag 27 includes an airbag body 28 and an inner tube 29. The airbag body 28 is made of a material having high strength and flexibility and can be easily folded, for example, a woven fabric formed of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like. The peripheral portion is formed into a predetermined bag shape by sewing with a sewing thread. The airbag main body 28 is connected to the inflator 26 at the upper rear portion. The airbag main body 28 has a minimum size and shape that can protect the occupant P of the rear seats 14 and 15 from the side when the deployment and inflation are completed (see FIG. 3). This size is smaller than the size in which the airbag main body 28 comes into contact with a structure in the passenger compartment 11, such as the roof panel RP, the intermediate portion 23, etc., when deployment and inflation are completed.

  More specifically, the width of the airbag body 28 in the vehicle width direction is set to a value that can enter between the two passengers P seated on the rear seats 14 and 15. In the present embodiment, the width of the airbag body 28 is basically narrow, but is set wider at the upper part of the airbag body 28 than other portions. Further, the upper end 28A of the airbag body 28 has a horizontal shape, and the front end 28B has a vertical shape. The rear end 28C of the airbag main body 28 is inclined so as to be located rearward as it extends upward. Therefore, the longitudinal length of the airbag body 28 is shorter at the lower end portion and is longer toward the upper side. The airbag main body 28 has a side surface shape in which a right triangle is inverted. The upper end 28A of the airbag main body 28 is positioned at a position lower than the roof panel RP, and the lower end 28D of the airbag main body 28 is positioned at a position higher than the intermediate portion 23.

  The inner tube 29 is formed in a circular tube shape by using a woven fabric or the like similar to that of the airbag main body 28 as a base fabric and sewing a peripheral edge portion of the base fabric. The cross-sectional shape of the inner tube 29 at the time of expansion is set to the same circular shape at any location of the inner tube 29. The inner tube 29 is annularly arranged along the peripheral edge in the airbag main body 28. Therefore, the inner tube 29 has a side shape similar to the outer shape of the airbag body 28.

  The inner tube 29 is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the airbag main body 28 by means such as sewing using a sewing thread and bonding using an adhesive at the outer peripheral edge of the inner tube 29. The inner space of the inner tube 29 constitutes the peripheral inflating portion 31 of the airbag 27. Further, the main body inflating portion 32 of the airbag 27 is configured by a portion excluding the inner tube 29 in the internal space of the airbag main body 28.

  The inner tube 29 is provided with an inflow port 33 into which the expansion gas G from the inflator 26 flows and an outflow port 34 through which the expansion gas G that has passed through the inner tube 29 flows out to the main body expansion portion 32. Yes. The inflow port 33 is provided at the rear upper end of the inner tube 29, and the outflow port 34 is provided at a position (a lower end portion of the inner tube 29) that substantially faces the inflow port 33 across the main body expansion portion 32. Here, the inner tube 29 is divided at the lower end portion, and the outlet 34 is constituted by an opening generated by the division. The peripheral inflating part 31 is constituted by two tubular inflating parts (a first tubular inflating part 35 and a second tubular inflating part 36) that are divided into two at the inlet 33 and merge at the outlet 34. It is desirable that the first tubular inflating portion 35 and the second tubular inflating portion 36 have the same channel length.

  The side airbag device includes an impact sensor 37 and a control device 38 in addition to the inflator 26 and the airbag 27 described above (see FIG. 5). The impact sensor 37 is composed of an acceleration sensor or the like, and is provided on the body side portion 39 (see FIG. 2) of the vehicle. Here, the body side portion 39 refers to a member disposed on a side portion of the vehicle, and mainly corresponds to a door, a pillar, and the like. The impact sensor 37 detects an impact applied to the body side portion 39 from the side. The control device 38 controls the operation of the inflator 26 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 37.

  As described above, the side airbag device of the present embodiment is configured. In this side-impact airbag device, for example, in the situation where the occupant P is seated in the left and right rear seats 14 and 15, respectively, when an impact due to a side impact is applied to one body side portion 39, the airbag The occupant P on the side opposite to the side 27 is about to fall into the side collision. Here, “side collision side” and “opposite side collision side” are words for distinguishing the rear seats 14 and 15 in the vehicle width direction and the occupant P seated on the rear seats 14 and 15. . The “side collision side” refers to a side close to the body side part 39 to which an impact due to a side collision is applied, and the “opposite side collision side” refers to a side far from the body side part 39.

  On the other hand, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion 39 and this is detected by the impact sensor 37, a command signal for operating this is sent from the control device 38 to the inflator 26 based on the detection signal. Is output. In response to the command signal, the inflator 26 generates a high-temperature and high-pressure expansion gas G by the gas generating agent and ejects it from the gas ejection hole 26A.

  The expansion gas G flows into the inner tube 29 through the inflow port 33. The expansion gas G flows into either the first tubular expansion part 35 or the second tubular expansion part 36 after being divided into two. The expansion gas G expands the peripheral expansion portion 31 with a high internal pressure. The expansion gas G that has flowed through the tubular expansion portions 35 and 36 merges when reaching the outflow port 34, and flows out to the main body expansion unit 32 through the outflow port 34. At this time, the expansion gas G is divided into the two tubular expansion portions 35 and 36 and flows as described above, so that the peripheral expansion portion 31 is quickly filled with the expansion gas G. In addition, the expansion gas G flowing out from the outlet 34 causes the main body expansion portion 32 to expand at an internal pressure lower than that of the peripheral expansion portion 31. In this way, the expansion gas G from the inflator 26 flows in the order of the peripheral expansion section 31 (the first tubular expansion section 35 and the second tubular expansion section 36) and the main body expansion section 32, so that the peripheral expansion section 31 expands the main body. It is inflated with an internal pressure higher than that of the portion 32. The airbag 27 exits from the accommodating portion 25 while leaving a part in the process of inflating the peripheral inflating portion 31 and the main body inflating portion 32. After that, the airbag 27 passes through the space between the two passengers P and expands and inflates toward the front and lower, and becomes a predetermined shape as shown in FIGS. The space above the seat 21 in the left and right rear seats 14, 15 is partitioned by the airbag 27 to the left and right. In other words, the airbag 27 is interposed between the occupants P seated on the left and right rear seats 14 and 15. A load accompanying the fall of the occupant P on the opposite side of the airbag 27 acts on the airbag 27 from the side.

  Here, the longer the outlet 34 is located from the inlet 33, that is, the longer the tubular inflating portions 35 and 36, the longer it takes for the inflation gas G to reach the outlet 34 from the inlet 33. Therefore, a state in which the internal pressure of each tubular expansion portion 35, 36 is high continues for a long period. Accordingly, in order to maintain the high internal pressure of the peripheral inflating portion 31, it is desirable to provide the outflow port 34 at a position as far as possible from the inflow port 33 to lengthen the tubular inflating portions 35 and 36.

  In this respect, in the present embodiment, the outlet 34 is provided at a position substantially opposite to the inlet 33 with the main body inflating portion 32 interposed therebetween, and the outlet 34 is far away from the inlet 33. Therefore, each tubular expansion part 35 and 36 is long, and the state where the internal pressure of the peripheral expansion part 31 is high continues for a long period.

  In the airbag 27, the peripheral inflating portion 31 is in a state of higher rigidity than the main body inflating portion 32, and the entire airbag 27 is intended to be held in the inflated position in a shape necessary for occupant protection. Therefore, the airbag 27 is not easily deformed by an external force, and the airbag 27 is not easily changed in shape when it receives the occupant P. Further, even when a load toward the side collision side of the occupant P on the opposite side as described above is applied to the airbag 27, the airbag 27 is held at the position where the airbag 27 is deployed and inflated by the peripheral inflating portion 31 having a high internal pressure. Therefore, the airbag 27 is not easily displaced to the side collision side. The occupant P on the opposite side is reliably restrained by the airbag 27. The load toward the side collision side of the occupant P on the opposite side is reliably received by the airbag 27 and the impact applied to the occupant P is absorbed.

  The main body inflating portion 32 expands and inflates behind the peripheral inflating portion 31, but there is no particular problem in terms of restraining and protecting the occupant P. This is because in the airbag apparatus for a side collision, the ideal timing for restraining the occupant P by the airbag 27 is later than in other types of airbag apparatuses.

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The airbag 27 includes a main body inflating portion 32 that inflates with the inflating gas G, and an annular peripheral inflating portion 31 that surrounds the main body inflating portion 32 and inflates with a higher internal pressure than the main body inflating portion 32. The thing is adopted. Therefore, the peripheral inflating portion 31 can hold the entire airbag 27 in a shape necessary for protecting the occupant P and in the inflated position. Therefore, even if a load toward the side collision side of the occupant P on the opposite side is applied, the airbag 27 is not displaced to the side collision side, and the occupant P can be reliably protected (restrained). Along with this, it is not necessary to take additional measures such as holding the airbag 27 in an inflated position by increasing the capacity of the airbag 27 and pressing it against the structure of the vehicle. Can be achieved.

  (2) An inflow port 33 into which the expansion gas G from the inflator 26 flows into the peripheral expansion portion 31, and an outflow port 34 through which the expansion gas G that has passed through the peripheral expansion portion 31 flows out to the main body expansion portion 32. Is provided. With this configuration, by causing the inflation gas G from the inflator 26 to flow in the order of the peripheral expansion portion 31 and the main body expansion portion 32, the peripheral expansion portion 31 can be expanded with an internal pressure higher than that of the main body expansion portion 32. The effect (1) can be obtained with certainty.

  (3) The peripheral inflating portion 31 has two tubular inflating portions (first tubular inflating portion 35 and second tubular inflating portion 36) that are divided into two at the inflow port 33 and merge at the outflow port 34. With this configuration, the peripheral expansion part 31 is quickly filled with the expansion gas G, the internal pressure of the peripheral expansion part 31 is higher than the internal pressure of the main body expansion part 32, and the peripheral expansion part 31 is more rigid than the main body expansion part 32. Can produce.

  (4) The outflow port 34 is provided at a position substantially opposite to the inflow port 33 with the main body expansion portion 32 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the outflow port 34 can be moved far away from the inflow port 33, the tubular inflating portions 35 and 36 can be lengthened, and the state where the peripheral inflating portion 31 has a high internal pressure can be continued for a long period.

  (5) As the airbag 27, what is provided with the airbag main body 28 and the inner tube 29 arrange | positioned cyclically | annularly along the peripheral part in the airbag main body 28 is employ | adopted. Therefore, while the inner tube 29 is arranged in a ring shape along the peripheral edge in the airbag main body 28, the peripheral inflating portion 31 is configured by the inner space of the inner tube 29, The main body inflatable portion 32 of the airbag 27 can be configured by a portion other than the inner tube 29 in the internal space.

Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
<About the airbag 27 and its constituent members>
-You may use the airbag main body 28 of the external shape different from the said embodiment.

  -You may change the shape and magnitude | size of each cross section of the 1st tubular expansion part 35 and the 2nd tubular expansion part 36 into the shape and magnitude | size different from the said embodiment. Further, the first tubular inflating portion 35 and the second tubular inflating portion 36 may have different cross-sectional shapes and sizes. Furthermore, in each tubular expansion part 35 and 36, you may vary the shape and magnitude | size of a cross section according to a site | part.

  -An opening may be provided in the inner peripheral side portion of the inner tube 29 without dividing the inner tube 29, and this opening may be used as the outlet 34. Moreover, you may comprise the outflow port 34 by a some hole with a small diameter.

  -You may provide the inflow port 33 and the outflow port 34 in the location different from the said embodiment of the inner tube 29. FIG. By doing so, the channel lengths of the first tubular inflating portion 35 and the second tubular inflating portion 36 can be made different.

  In this regard, an outlet 34 may be provided near the inlet 33 in the inner tube 29. In this case, by providing a partition wall between the inlet 33 and the outlet 34 in the inner tube 29, the expansion gas G flows between the inlet 33 and the outlet 34 without passing through the peripheral expansion portion 31. It is desirable to block it.

-From the viewpoint of maintaining the inner pressure of the inner tube 29, it is desirable to form the inner tube 29 using a highly airtight base fabric.
<Expansion fluid generation source and expansion fluid>
A retainer may be attached to the inflator 26, and the inflator 26 may be fixed to the housing portion 25 with this retainer. In this case, the diffuser function of the retainer may be used so that the inflation gas G ejected from the gas ejection hole 26A of the inflator 26 is directed in two different directions and guided to the tubular inflating portions 35 and 36. .

A fluid other than the inflation gas may be used as the inflation fluid.
-You may make it supply an expansion fluid from a separate expansion fluid generation source with respect to the peripheral expansion part 31 and the main body expansion part 32. FIG.

<Regarding Arrangement Position of Airbag 27 and Inflator 26>
-You may arrange | position the airbag 27 and the inflator 26 in the location different from the upper end part of the extension part 24, for example, a lower end part. Further, the airbag 27 and the inflator 26 may be disposed at a location different from the extending portion 24 and at a location where the position does not change when the airbag 27 is deployed and inflated. For example, the roof panel RP, the intermediate portion 23, the center console 18 and the like can be cited as the above-mentioned places.

  However, when the airbag 27 is arranged in the extended portion 24 as in the above embodiment, the following advantages are obtained as compared with the case where the airbag 27 is arranged in another location. Compared to the case where the airbag 27 is disposed on the roof panel RP or the like, the airbag 27 can be disposed near the occupant P seated on the left and right rear seats 14 and 15, and is closer to the occupant P when the vehicle collides. The airbag 27 can be deployed and inflated from the location, and the occupant P can be protected quickly.

<Applicable range of side airbag device>
-The side-impact airbag device of the present invention may be any device that deploys and inflates the airbag 27 between adjacent seats. Therefore, the airbag device for a side collision according to the present invention is not limited to the rear seats 14 and 15 of the vehicle, but the airbag 27 is deployed and inflated between adjacent front seats, that is, between the driver seat 12 and the driver seat 12. It may be one that protects. In this case, for example, the accommodating portion 25 that accommodates the airbag 27 and the like may be provided inside the center cluster panel that is disposed at the center portion in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel.

  The side airbag device according to the present invention is a vehicle that does not have the intermediate portion 23 and the extended portion 24 between the left and right rear seats 14, 15, that is, the vehicle in which the left and right rear seats 14, 15 are adjacent to each other. It is also applicable to. In this case, it is desirable to accommodate the airbag 27 at a location near one of the rear seats 14 (or 15) and the other rear seat 15 (14).

  The side airbag device of the present invention can be applied to a vehicle in which three or more seats are arranged in the vehicle width direction. Even in this case, the airbag is deployed and inflated between adjacent seats when the vehicle collides.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the airbag 27 is deployed and inflated between the two passengers P sitting on the left and right rear seats 14 and 15 has been described. Even when the occupant P is seated only in (), the same operations and effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, even in a layout in which the rear-seat 15 (or 14) on the side collision side is tilted and a space of a predetermined volume such as a space for loading luggage is formed above it, the same as in the above embodiment The following actions and effects can be obtained. In this case, the interference between the luggage and the occupant P on the opposite side can be suppressed.

The partial perspective view which shows the airbag apparatus for side collision in one Embodiment which actualized this invention with the seat of a vehicle. The schematic top view of the airbag apparatus for a side collision and a seat similarly. The general | schematic front sectional view of the airbag apparatus for side impacts similarly, and a seat. The schematic side view of the airbag apparatus and side seat for a side collision similarly. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of the airbag in FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Driver's seat (seat), 13 ... Passenger seat (seat), 14, 15 ... Rear seat (seat), 26 ... Inflator (inflation fluid generation source), 27 ... Air bag, 28 ... Air bag body, 29 ... Inner Tube, 31 ... Peripheral expansion part, 32 ... Main body expansion part, 33 ... Inlet, 34 ... Outlet, 35 ... First tubular expansion part, 36 ... Second tubular expansion part, G ... Expansion gas (expansion fluid), P ... Crew.

Claims (5)

In the event of a side collision of a vehicle having a plurality of seats arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction, the inflation fluid is supplied from the inflation fluid generation source to the airbag, and the airbag is inflated between adjacent seats to restrain the occupant. A side-impact airbag device,
The airbag is
A main body inflating part that inflates with the inflating fluid;
A side-impact airbag device comprising: an annular peripheral inflating portion surrounding the main body inflating portion and inflating with an internal pressure higher than that of the main body inflating portion. The peripheral edge inflating portion is provided with an inflow port into which an expansion fluid from the expansion fluid generating source is introduced, and an outflow port through which the expansion fluid that has passed through the peripheral inflating portion flows out to the main body inflating portion. Item 2. The airbag device for a side collision according to Item 1. The side-impact airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral inflating portion includes two tubular inflating portions that are divided into two at the inflow port and merge at the outflow port. The airbag apparatus for side collision according to claim 3, wherein the outlet is provided at a position substantially opposite to the inlet with the main body inflating part interposed therebetween. The airbag includes an airbag main body, and an inner tube arranged in an annular shape along a peripheral edge in the airbag main body,
The peripheral expansion portion is constituted by the inner space of the inner tube,
The side-impact airbag apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main body inflating portion is configured by a portion of the internal space of the airbag main body excluding the inner tube.

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