JP2010116134A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase an adjustment allowance of the internal pressure difference between the upper chamber and the lower chamber when an airbag is inflated. <P>SOLUTION: A side airbag device is equipped with an airbag 20 and a tether 27. The device restricts inflation thickness in the vehicle width direction of the airbag 20 by winding up the tether 27 to the vehicle width direction when the airbag is inflated, while bending the tether 27 upward when the airbag is not inflated, and the device partitions the internal space of the airbag 20 into a lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34 of the upper side thereof while restricting the inflation thickness of the airbag in the vehicle width direction. A connection part 37 for connecting in such a state that a cloth part on the vehicle inner side and a cloth part 22 of the airbag 20 are close to each other is provided in the vicinity of the tether 27 in a state bent upward when the airbag 20 is not inflated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device that protects an occupant from an impact when a vehicle is impacted from the side, and more particularly, a side airbag device having an upper chamber and a lower chamber that are inflated at different internal pressures in the airbag. It is about.

  2. Description of the Related Art A side airbag device including an inflator and an airbag is widely known as a device that protects an occupant from an impact applied to a vehicle from the side due to a side collision or the like. The airbag is formed by overlapping the inner fabric portion and the outer fabric portion in the vehicle width direction and connecting them in a bag shape. The inflator is disposed at the rear end portion in the airbag. And in the state which the airbag was folded and made compact, it is integrated in the seat back of the vehicle seat with the inflator. In this side airbag device, when an impact is applied from the side to a body side portion such as a side door of a vehicle, the inflator jets inflation gas into the airbag. The side where the airbag is inflated and deployed forward from the seat back to the occupant through the body side part in a narrow space between the occupant seated on the vehicle seat and the body side part due to the inflated gas Relieve shock from.

  Here, it is generally known that the waist is superior to the chest with respect to the impact resistance of the human body side. For this reason, in the case of a type of side airbag device that protects the occupant in the region extending from the chest to the waist, it is desirable to protect the chest softer than the waist when protecting the occupant by inflating and deploying the airbag.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a side airbag device in which an airbag is partitioned into an upper chamber corresponding to the chest of an occupant and a lower chamber corresponding to a waist. In the side airbag device, a fabric tether is stretched between the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion. And when the airbag is inflated, the tether is tensioned in the vehicle width direction, so that the inflation thickness of the airbag in the vehicle width direction is regulated. In addition, an inner space of the air bag is inflated between a waist part and a body side part of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat, and an upper chamber inflated at an internal pressure lower than the lower chamber above the lower chamber. It is divided into and. Note that the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other through a communication path provided on the rear side of the tether so that the expansion gas can flow between the lower chamber and the upper chamber.

  According to this side airbag device, the inflation gas from the inflator is first supplied to the lower chamber, and then supplied to the upper chamber through the communication path. For this reason, the lower chamber is inflated and deployed at a high internal pressure in the vicinity of the occupant's waist and at a high internal pressure, and the upper chamber is inflated and deployed at a lower internal pressure than the lower chamber in the vicinity of the chest at the outside of the vehicle. In this manner, the airbag is inflated and deployed with a pressure distribution that matches the impact resistance of the occupant side, and each part (waist and chest) of the occupant is effectively protected from an impact caused by a side collision or the like.

Further, when the tether is provided as described above, the larger the tether width, the greater the expansion thickness of the airbag in the vehicle width direction, and the larger the opening area of the communication path. Along with this, the flow rate per unit time of the inflation gas flowing from the lower chamber to the upper chamber increases. For this reason, in addition to the tether, a seam (joint part) that joins the vehicle interior fabric part and the vehicle exterior fabric part in a state of approaching each other is provided, thereby reducing the inflation thickness of the airbag and reducing the lower chamber. A side airbag device is also proposed in which the flow rate of the inflation gas flowing from the gas to the upper chamber is reduced (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
JP 2007-308122 A JP 2005-225273 A JP 2007-314076 A

  However, in the side airbag device of Patent Document 1 in which the inner space of the airbag is partitioned into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a tether, the upper and lower chambers can be inflated with different internal pressures. Is determined by the opening area. Therefore, the adjustment allowance that can be set for the internal pressure difference is not so large.

  Further, in the side airbag device of Patent Documents 2 and 3 further provided with a seam (coupling portion), the opening area of the communication path can be reduced by the seam (coupling portion). However, although the adjustment margin that can be set for the internal pressure difference is large, it is still not sufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to increase the adjustment margin for the internal pressure difference between the upper chamber and the lower chamber when the airbag is inflated. The object is to provide a bag device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is formed by overlapping a vehicle inner fabric portion and a vehicle outer fabric portion in a vehicle width direction and connecting them in a bag shape. An airbag that is inflated between a vehicle body side portion and a vehicle seat by an inflating gas ejected from an inflator in response to a side impact, and the vehicle interior fabric portion and vehicle exterior fabric in the airbag. A tether made of fabric spanned between the sections, and when the airbag is not inflated, the tether is bent upward or downward, and when the airbag is inflated, the tether is tensioned in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the side airbag device is configured to partition the inner space of the airbag into a lower chamber and an upper chamber above the airbag while regulating the expansion thickness of the airbag in the vehicle width direction. In the vicinity of the tether that is bent upward or downward when the airbag is not inflated, there is provided a coupling portion that couples the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion in a state of approaching each other. It is the gist.

  According to the above configuration, in the side airbag device, the inflation gas ejected from the inflator in response to the impact from the side of the vehicle is supplied to the lower chamber and the upper chamber. At this time, the expansion gas is supplied to the lower chamber and the upper chamber so that the internal pressure of the chamber corresponding to the high impact resistance portion of the occupant is higher than the internal pressure of the chamber corresponding to the low impact resistance portion. If supplied, the airbag is brought into contact with the occupant with an internal pressure corresponding to the impact resistance of each part of the occupant, and each part of the occupant is effectively protected from the impact.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 1, as the airbag is inflated, basically, the distance between the inner fabric portion and the outer fabric portion of the airbag is increased, and the tether is used for the inner fabric portion and the vehicle. Pulled by the outer fabric part. However, at that time, the coupling portion holds the vehicle inner fabric portion and the vehicle outer fabric portion in a state where they are close to each other, and restricts the interval between them from expanding. This restriction on the distance extends to the vicinity of the coupling portion. For this reason, in the vicinity of the coupling portion in the tether, the tension by the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion is difficult to be applied, and a loosened portion (slack portion) occurs.

  Then, when the low impact resistance portion of the occupant is restrained by one chamber corresponding to the same portion (when the low impact resistance portion enters the corresponding chamber), the volume of the chamber is reduced. As the internal pressure increases, the increased internal pressure is applied to the loosened portion. Along with this, when the slack portion is pushed and deformed / moved toward the other chamber (the chamber corresponding to the portion having high impact resistance), the volume of the one chamber increases, and the internal pressure increases. An effect to suppress or delay is produced. As a result, the portion of the occupant having low impact resistance is softly restrained by the one chamber. In addition, the volume of the other chamber decreases with the deformation / movement of the loosened portion, the internal pressure increases, and the restraining force of the airbag on the portion having high impact resistance is increased or sustained.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a communication path that communicates between the lower chamber and the upper chamber is provided behind the tether in the airbag. The gist of the invention is that the connecting portion is provided behind the central portion of the inflated airbag in the front-rear direction.

  When the communication path is provided on the rear side of the tether in the airbag, when the airbag is inflated and the tether is tensioned, the inner fabric part and the outer fabric part are greatly opened in the vehicle width direction so that the communication path is Open with a large opening area.

  On the other hand, the coupling portion restricts the opening of the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion is provided behind the central portion in the front-rear direction of the inflated airbag, so that the communication path is provided rather than the case where such a connecting portion is not provided. In the vicinity of, the inner fabric portion and the outer fabric portion are difficult to open in the vehicle width direction, and the opening area of the communication path is reduced. Therefore, the flow rate per unit time of the expansion gas passing through the communication path is reduced, and the internal pressure difference generated between the upper chamber and the lower chamber is maintained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the lower chamber is inflated in the vicinity of the vehicle exterior of the waist of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat, and the upper chamber is The main point is that it expands in the vicinity of the outside of the chest.

  In the side airbag device configured as described above, if the inflation gas is supplied to the lower chamber so that the internal pressure is higher than the internal pressure of the upper chamber in response to an impact from the side of the vehicle, the lower chamber has a high internal pressure. Inflates to contact the occupant's waist and the upper chamber inflates with low internal pressure to contact the occupant's chest. Such contact effectively protects the waist and chest from impact.

  Further, when the lower chamber and the upper chamber are expanded as described above, the coupling portion holds the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion in a state of being close to each other, and restricts an increase in the interval between them. Therefore, a loose portion is generated in the vicinity of the coupling portion in the tether. Therefore, when the chest with low impact resistance is restrained by the upper chamber for the occupant (when the chest enters the upper chamber), if the internal pressure increases as the volume of the upper chamber decreases, the chest rises against the loosened portion. Applied internal pressure. Accordingly, when the loosened portion is pushed toward the lower chamber and deformed / moved, the volume of the upper chamber is increased correspondingly, and an effect of suppressing or delaying the increase in internal pressure is produced. As a result, the occupant's chest is softly restrained by the upper chamber. In addition, the volume of the lower chamber decreases with the deformation / movement of the slack portion, the internal pressure increases, and the restraining force of the airbag against the occupant's waist is increased or sustained.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third aspect, the connecting portion is provided at a location in the vicinity of the vehicle outer side of the abdomen of the occupant when the airbag is inflated. To do.

  According to the above configuration, at the location where the coupling portion is provided in the airbag, that is, the location near the vehicle exterior side of the abdomen of the occupant when the airbag is inflated, the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion in the vehicle width direction. Expansion is regulated. As a result, a phenomenon in which the abdomen of the occupant is strongly pressed by the inflating airbag is less likely to occur.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the upper chamber is inflated in the vicinity of the vehicle exterior of a shoulder portion of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat, and the lower chamber is the occupant The main point is that it expands in the vicinity of the outside of the chest.

  In the side airbag device configured as described above, if the inflation gas is supplied to the upper chamber such that the internal pressure thereof is higher than the internal pressure of the lower chamber in response to an impact from the side of the vehicle, the upper chamber has a high internal pressure. The lower chamber is inflated with a low internal pressure and contacts the occupant's chest. Such contact effectively protects the shoulders and chest from impact.

  Further, when the lower chamber and the upper chamber are expanded as described above, the coupling portion holds the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion in a state of being close to each other, and restricts an increase in the interval between them. Therefore, a loose portion is generated in the vicinity of the coupling portion in the tether. Therefore, when the chest with low impact resistance is restrained by the lower chamber for the occupant (when the chest enters the lower chamber), if the internal pressure increases as the volume of the lower chamber decreases, it rises relative to the loosened portion. Applied internal pressure. Along with this, when the slack portion is pushed toward the upper chamber and deformed / moved, the volume of the lower chamber is increased correspondingly, and an effect of suppressing or delaying the increase in internal pressure is produced. As a result, the occupant's chest is softly restrained by the lower chamber. In addition, the volume of the upper chamber decreases and the internal pressure increases with the deformation / movement of the loosened portion, and the effect of increasing or sustaining the restraining force of the airbag on the shoulder of the occupant is produced.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, at least a part of the coupling portion includes a part of the tether in the bent state. The gist of the present invention is that it is bonded to the fabric portion and the exterior fabric portion.

  According to said structure, since a part of tether is couple | bonded with a vehicle interior fabric part and a vehicle exterior fabric part by a part of coupling | bond part, the part of this tether reinforces the said part of a coupling | bond part. Demonstrate. Therefore, even if the pressure and heat of the inflation gas are applied when the airbag is inflated, the above-mentioned part of the coupling portion (the portion where the tether, the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion are coupled) is not easily damaged. . As a result, fewer measures are required to reinforce the joint. Such measures include, for example, coupling the inner fabric portion and the outer fabric portion with a reinforcing cloth interposed between them when forming the coupling portion. In the invention, the amount of the reinforcing cloth used is small or it is not used.

  The above-described effect becomes greater with respect to the tether as the location where the coupling portion is coupled to the vehicle outer fabric portion and the vehicle outer fabric portion increases. Then, when the tether is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion by all of the coupling portions, the above-described effect becomes the greatest.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 6, wherein the coupling portion is formed by stitching the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion. The gist of the present invention is that a part of the tether is interposed between the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion.

  In the case where the coupling portion is formed by stitching the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion, the stitched portion is particularly easily affected by the heat and pressure of the inflation gas. In this respect, in the invention according to claim 7, at least a part of the stitching is performed in a state in which a part of the tether is interposed between the vehicle interior fabric part and the vehicle exterior fabric part, so that the tether is not interposed. The stitched portion is less affected by the heat and pressure of the inflation gas than when the inner fabric portion and the outer fabric portion are stitched directly.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the adjustment margin about the internal pressure difference of an upper chamber and a lower chamber when an airbag expand | swells can be enlarged.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle will be described as the front.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle seat 12 is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle inner side (upper side in FIG. 2) of the body side portion 11 in the vehicle. Here, the body side part 11 refers to the member arrange | positioned at the side part of a vehicle. For example, the body side part 11 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B pillar), or the like. The body side portion 11 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quarter, and the like.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 13 and a seat back (back portion) 14 that stands up from the rear side of the seat cushion 13 and has an inclination adjustment mechanism (not shown). Yes. A storage portion 15 is provided on the side of the seatback 14 on the vehicle exterior side, and an airbag module AM that is a main part of the side airbag device is stored in the storage portion 15. The position of the storage portion 15 is in the vicinity of the vehicle exterior of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag module AM includes the airbag 20 and the inflator assembly 40 as main components.

  Next, each of these structural members will be described. Here, in the first embodiment, when the airbag module AM and its constituent members are referred to as “vertical direction” and “front-rear direction”, the seat back 14 of the vehicle seat 12 is used as a reference. The direction in which the seat back 14 stands is referred to as “vertical direction”, and the direction perpendicular to the substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to this direction is referred to as “front / rear direction”. Usually, since the seat back 14 is used in an inclined state, the “vertical direction” is not strictly a vertical direction but is slightly inclined. Similarly, the “front-rear direction” is not strictly a horizontal direction but is slightly inclined.

<Inflator assembly 40>
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 4 and 5, the inflator assembly 40 includes an inflator 41 as a gas generation source and a retainer 42 that encloses the inflator 41. The inflator 41 has a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the vertical direction, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that reacts with an external operation signal to generate an expansion gas G is accommodated therein. Yes. A plurality of gas ejection holes 43 through which the generated expansion gas G is ejected radially outward are provided at the lower end of the inflator 41.

  As the inflator 41, instead of the type using the gas generating agent, a type in which the partition wall of the high pressure gas cylinder filled with the high pressure gas is broken with an explosive or the like and the expansion gas G is ejected may be used. .

  On the other hand, the retainer 42 is a member that functions as a diffuser and has a function of fixing the inflator 41 together with the airbag 20 to the seat frame 16 in the seat back 14 (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5). Most of the retainer 42 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the vertical direction by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. On the front side of the lower end portion of the retainer 42, a window portion 44 that exposes a part of the gas ejection holes 43 of the inflator 41 from the retainer 42 is provided, and the expansion gas G from the gas ejection holes 43 is provided in the window portion. It is derived | led-out toward the front of the vehicle through 44 substantially. A plurality of (two in the first embodiment) bolts 45 are fixed to the retainer 42 as locking members for attaching the retainer 42 to the seat frame 16. In other words, both bolts 45 are indirectly fixed to the inflator 41 via the retainer 42. These bolts 45 extend in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the inflator 41.

The inflator assembly 40 may be one in which an inflator 41 and a retainer 42 are integrated.
<Airbag 20>
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 and 5, the airbag 20 is inflated and deployed by the inflation gas G from the inflator 41 when an impact is applied to the body side portion 11 from the outside of the vehicle. And the airbag 20 protrudes toward the front substantially from the storage part 15 in the state which left the part in the storage part 15, and the clearance gap G1 between the vehicle seat 12 and the body side part 11 (refer FIG. 2). By inflating and deploying, the occupant P is restrained and protected from the impact.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the airbag module AM in a state where the airbag 20 is deployed without being filled with the inflation gas G. FIG. 6 shows a state where the airbag 20 is being manufactured.

  As shown in at least one of these FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the airbag 20 is formed by folding a single fabric in half at the center and overlapping it in the vehicle width direction. It is formed by making it join. Here, in order to distinguish the two overlapped portions of the airbag 20, the one located on the vehicle interior side is referred to as the vehicle interior fabric portion 21, and the one located on the vehicle exterior side is referred to as the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22. And

  As the cloth, a material having high strength and flexibility and can be easily folded, for example, a woven cloth formed using polyester yarn, polyamide yarn or the like is suitable. The shape and size of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are determined by the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 when the airbag 20 is inflated and deployed between the vehicle seat 12 and the body side portion 11. Is set so as to be able to occupy a region corresponding to the waist portion Pp to the chest portion Pt (see FIG. 3).

  The above-described coupling between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 is performed at a peripheral coupling portion 23 provided at the peripheral portion thereof. In the first embodiment, the peripheral joint portion 23 is formed by sewing most of the peripheral portions of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 with sewing threads. The peripheral joint portion 23 is basically shown by a thick broken line. The same applies to lower coupling portions 30, 31, an upper coupling portion 32, and a coupling portion 37 which will be described later.

  In the first embodiment, the reinforcing cloth 24 is further used for the purpose of protecting the airbag 20 and the connecting portion 37 described later from the heat and pressure of the inflation gas G. More specifically, prior to folding the airbag 20 in half, one reinforcing cloth 24 is sewn in a state of being spread on the cloth. Since the cloth sewn with the reinforcing cloth 24 is folded in half at the central portion, the reinforcing cloth 24 is also folded in half at the central portion. Then, the peripheral portions of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are stitched together with the reinforcement fabric 24 with the reinforcement fabric 24 folded in half as described above interposed therebetween (co-sewn). The peripheral joint portion 23 is formed.

  The airbag 20 includes a pair of mutually independent fabrics stacked in the vehicle width direction, the fabric located inside the vehicle is used as the vehicle interior fabric portion 21, and the fabric located outside the vehicle is used as the vehicle outside fabric portion 22. It may be formed by joining the fabric parts 21 and 22 so as to form a bag. Further, the peripheral joint portion 23 may be formed by means different from the sewing using the above-described sewing thread, for example, bonding using an adhesive.

  A pair of upper and lower bolt insertion holes 25 are formed in the rear end portion of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and a portion corresponding to the same portion in the reinforcing fabric 24 (see FIG. 6). And in the rear-end part of the airbag 20, the inflator assembly 40 is accommodated with the attitude | position extended in an up-down direction. The bolts 45 of the retainer 42 are inserted through the corresponding bolt insertion holes 25 of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the reinforcing fabric 24.

  Most of the space between the inner fabric portion 21 and the outer fabric portion 22 and surrounded by the peripheral joint portion 23, that is, the portion of the internal space of the airbag 20 excluding the space occupied by the inflator assembly 40 is the inflator. It becomes the expansion plan part 26 expanded by the gas G for expansion from 41 (refer FIG. 3).

  A tether 27 is provided at a location slightly below the central portion in the expansion portion 26. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 3 and 6 to 8, the tether 27 includes a pair of component pieces 28 and 29 on the vehicle inner side and the vehicle outer side. Each component piece 28 and 29 is formed in the rectangular shape elongated in the front-back direction with respect to the up-down direction with the cloth similarly to the airbag 20 mentioned above. The vehicle interior component piece 28 is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 by a lower coupling portion 30 provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the lower edge portion thereof. The vehicle exterior component piece 29 is coupled to the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 by a lower coupling portion 31 provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the lower edge portion. Furthermore, both the component pieces 28 and 29 are mutually connected by the upper coupling part 32 provided so that it might extend in the front-back direction along those upper edge parts. In the first embodiment, both the lower coupling portions 30 and 31 and the upper coupling portion 32 are formed by sewing using sewing threads. In this manner, the tether 27 having both the constituent pieces 28 and 29 is bridged between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22. The tether 27 is bent upward when the airbag 20 is not inflated. Note that the lower coupling portions 30 and 31 and the upper coupling portion 32 may be formed by means different from the sewing using the sewing thread, for example, bonding using an adhesive.

  The inflatable portion 26 in the airbag 20 is partitioned into a lower chamber and an upper chamber with a tether 27 as a boundary. The former chamber is a “lower chamber 33” that restrains and protects the waist portion Pp by inflating and deploying with a relatively high internal pressure mainly between the waist portion Pp and the body side portion 11 of the occupant P. Further, the latter chamber is inflated and deployed at an internal pressure lower than that of the lower chamber 33 in a region above the waist Pp of the occupant P, more specifically, between the chest Pt and abdomen Pb and the body side portion 11. It is an “upper chamber 34” that restrains and protects the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb. The tether 27 regulates the inflated thickness of the airbag 20 in the vehicle width direction.

  A pair of front and rear communication passages 35 and 36 for communicating between the lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34 are provided in the airbag 20 on the front side and the rear side of the tether 27 (see FIG. 3). Through these communication passages 35 and 36, the expansion gas G can be circulated between the lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34.

  Further, in the vicinity of the tether 27 that is bent upward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, a coupling portion that is annularly coupled with the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 being in close proximity to each other. 37 is provided. The coupling portion 37 is provided at a location that satisfies the condition “behind the central portion in the front-rear direction of the inflated airbag 20”. In 1st Embodiment, the coupling | bond part 37 is provided in the location which becomes the vehicle exterior vicinity of the passenger | crew's P abdomen Pb as a location which satisfy | fills this condition. The upper half portion 37U of the joint portion 37 joins the vehicle interior fabric portion 21, the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 and the reinforcing fabric 24 to each other, while the lower half portion 37L is bent in the tether 27 (both sides). A part of the component pieces 28 and 29) is joined to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21, the reinforcement fabric 24, and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 in a state of being interposed between the foldable reinforcement fabrics 24 (see FIG. 7). ). In the first embodiment, this connection is made by sewing, but may be made by other means, for example, adhesion using an adhesive.

  By the way, the airbag module AM having the airbag 20 and the inflator assembly 40 as main components is formed into a compact storage form by folding the airbag 20 (see FIG. 3) in a deployed state (see FIG. 3). (See the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5). This is because the airbag module AM is securely stored in the storage unit 15 having a limited size in the seat back 14.

  The airbag module AM configured to be stored is fixed to the seat frame 16 by inserting the bolts 45 of the retainer 42 into the seat frame 16 and tightening them with the nuts 17. In this state, the gas ejection hole 43 of the inflator 41 faces the lower chamber 33.

  The side airbag device includes an impact sensor 51 and a control device 52 shown in FIG. 1 in addition to the airbag module AM described above. The impact sensor 51 includes an acceleration sensor and is attached to the body side portion 11 (see FIG. 2) of the vehicle. The impact sensor 51 detects an impact applied to the body side portion 11 from the outside. The control device 52 controls the operation of the inflator 41 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 51.

  The side airbag device of the first embodiment is configured as described above. In this side airbag device, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion 11 of the vehicle, and this is detected by the impact sensor 51, the control device 52 applies this to the inflator 41 based on the detection signal. An operation signal for operation is output. In response to this operation signal, in the inflator 41, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gas generating agent generates a high-temperature and high-pressure expansion gas G, which is ejected from a plurality of gas ejection holes 43. Most of the expansion gas G flows into the lower chamber 33. Due to the inflating gas G that has flowed in, the lower chamber 33 is inflated and deployed at a relatively high internal pressure between the waist part Pp and the body side part 11, which are parts with high impact resistance for the occupant P. After the lower chamber 33 has expanded to some extent, the expansion gas G flows into the upper chamber 34 through the communication passages 35 and 36 before and after the tether 27. Due to the inflowing inflation gas G, the upper chamber 34 is inflated and deployed in the vicinity of the outside of the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb, which are parts having low impact resistance, at an internal pressure lower than that of the lower chamber 33. In this way, the airbag 20 is brought into contact with the occupant P with an internal pressure corresponding to the impact resistance of each part of the occupant P, and each part of the occupant P is effectively protected from the impact.

  Further, as the airbag 20 is inflated, basically, the space between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 of the airbag 20 is increased, and the tether 27 is arranged on the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and vehicle exterior fabric portion. 22 is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction. However, at this time, the coupling portion 37 holds the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 in a state in which they are close to each other, and restricts the interval between them from expanding (see FIG. 7). The restriction of the interval extends to the vicinity of the coupling portion 37. Therefore, in the vicinity of the coupling portion 37, as shown in FIG. 8A, the tension by the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 is not easily applied to the tether 27, and a loosened portion (slack portion 38) occurs.

  Here, immediately after the airbag 20 completes the expansion (the initial stage of the expansion), the internal pressure of the lower chamber 33 is higher than the internal pressure of the upper chamber 34, and the loosened portion 38 is moved as shown by a solid line in FIG. Pushed upward.

  When the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb of the occupant P are restrained by the upper chamber 34 of the airbag 20 (when the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb enter the upper chamber 34), the internal pressure decreases as the volume of the upper chamber 34 decreases. Is increased, the increased internal pressure is applied to the loosened portion 38 as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. Accordingly, when the loosened portion 38 is pushed and deformed / moved toward the lower chamber 33 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8B, the volume of the upper chamber 34 increases correspondingly, and the internal pressure The effect of suppressing or delaying the increase in the level is born. As a result, the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb, which are parts having low impact resistance, are softly restrained by the upper chamber 34. On the other hand, the volume of the lower chamber 33 is reduced and the internal pressure is increased with the deformation / movement of the loosened portion 38, and the restraining force of the airbag 20 on the waist portion Pp, which is a high impact resistance portion, is increased or sustained. Effect is born.

  Here, when the communication path 36 is provided behind the tether 27 in the airbag 20 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3), the vehicle is inflated when the airbag 20 is inflated and the tether 27 is tensioned. The inner fabric portion 21 and the outer fabric portion 22 are greatly opened in the vehicle width direction, and the communication path 36 is opened with a large opening area.

  On the other hand, the coupling portion 37 restricts the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 from opening in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 7). Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the connecting portion 37 is provided behind the central portion in the front-rear direction of the airbag 20 in the inflated state, so that the communication path is more than the case where such a connecting portion 37 is not provided. In the vicinity of 36, the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are difficult to open in the vehicle width direction, and the opening area of the communication path 36 is reduced. Therefore, the flow rate per unit time of the expansion gas G passing through the communication path 36 is reduced.

  Further, in the portion where the coupling portion 37 is provided in the airbag 20, the expansion of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 to both sides in the vehicle width direction is restricted. Therefore, a phenomenon in which the abdomen Pb, which is a portion having low impact resistance, is strongly pressed by the inflating airbag 20 (upper chamber 34) hardly occurs.

  Furthermore, a part of the tether 27 (upper rear part) is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric part 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric part 22 by a part of the coupling part 37 (lower half part 37L). The portion exerts a function of reinforcing the part of the coupling portion 37. Therefore, even if the pressure and heat of the inflation gas G are applied when the airbag 20 is inflated, the part (lower half portion 37L) of the coupling portion 37 is less likely to be damaged. Accordingly, the number of measures for reinforcing the coupling portion 37 is reduced. As such a measure, for example, when the coupling portion 37 is formed, the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are coupled with a plurality of reinforcing fabrics 24 interposed therebetween. In the first embodiment, the amount of the reinforcing cloth 24 used can be reduced. Only one reinforcing cloth 24 folded in half is used.

  In addition, since the coupling portion 37 is formed by stitching the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22, the stitched portion is particularly easily affected by the heat and pressure of the inflation gas G. In this regard, in the first embodiment, a part of the stitching is performed in a state where a part of the tether 27 (upper rear part) is interposed between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21, the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22, and the reinforcing fabric 24. ing. Therefore, the stitched portion is less affected by the heat and pressure of the inflation gas G than when the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are directly stitched without the tether 27 interposed.

According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A coupling portion 37 is provided in the vicinity of the tether 27 that is bent upward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, so that the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are coupled together. (FIGS. 3 and 7). Therefore, the adjustment allowance for the internal pressure difference between the lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34 when the airbag 20 is inflated can be increased.

  (2) In the side airbag device in which the communication passage 36 for communicating between the lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34 is provided behind the tether 27 in the airbag 20, the coupling portion 37 is connected to the airbag 20 in an inflated state. It is provided behind the central part in the front-rear direction (FIG. 3). Therefore, the opening area of the rear communication passage 36 can be reduced, and the internal pressure difference generated between the lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34 can be maintained.

  (3) The coupling portion 37 is provided at a location near the vehicle exterior side of the abdomen Pb of the occupant P when the airbag 20 is inflated (FIG. 3). Therefore, it can suppress that the abdominal part Pb which is a site | part with low impact resistance is strongly pressed by the airbag 20 which expand | swells.

  (4) A part (lower rear part) of the tether 27 in a bent state is joined to the vehicle interior fabric part 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric part 22 by a part (lower half part 37L) of the coupling part 37 (FIG. 3). ). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the part (the lower half portion 37L) of the coupling portion 37 from being damaged by the heat and pressure of the expansion gas G. In connection with this, the usage-amount of the reinforcement cloth 24 can be decreased.

  (5) At least a part of the stitches (lower half part 37L) for forming the coupling part 37 has a part of the tether 27 (upper rear part) interposed between the inner fabric part 21 and the outer fabric part 22. (FIG. 3). Therefore, the influence which said part (lower half part 37L) of a stitching | suture part receives from the heat | fever and pressure of the gas G for expansion | swelling can be made small.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9 shows a side airbag device of the type in which an airbag 20 protects an area from the chest Pt to the shoulder Ps of the passenger P in the vicinity of the passenger P seated on the vehicle seat 12. Yes. FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional structure along the line S-S in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11A shows a cross-sectional structure along the line TT in FIG. 10 and 11A schematically show an initial state of the airbag 20 inflated and deployed.

  Most of the space between the inner fabric portion 21 and the outer fabric portion 22 and surrounded by the peripheral joint portion 23, that is, the portion of the internal space of the airbag 20 excluding the space occupied by the inflator assembly 40 is the inflator. The expansion | swelling plan part 26 expanded by the gas for expansion | swelling from 41 is comprised (refer FIG. 9). A tether 60 is provided at a location slightly above the central portion in the expected expansion portion 26. The tether 60 has a configuration similar to the tether 27 in the first embodiment described above. That is, the tether 60 includes a pair of constituent pieces 61 and 62 on the vehicle inner side and the vehicle outer side. The vehicle interior component piece 61 is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 by the upper coupling portion 63, and the vehicle exterior component piece 62 is coupled to the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 by the upper coupling portion 64. Furthermore, both the component pieces 61 and 62 are mutually connected by the lower coupling | bond part 65 (FIG. 11 (A)). In this way, the tether 60 having both the constituent pieces 61 and 62 is bridged between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22. The tether 60 is bent downward when the airbag 20 is not inflated. The upper coupling parts 63 and 64 and the lower coupling part 65 may be formed by sewing using the above-described sewing thread, or may be formed by a different means, for example, adhesion using an adhesive.

  The inflatable portion 26 in the airbag 20 is partitioned into a lower chamber and an upper chamber with the tether 60 as a boundary. The former chamber (lower chamber) is a “lower chamber 66” that restrains and protects the chest Pt by inflating and deploying with a relatively low internal pressure mainly between the chest Pt and the body side portion 11 of the occupant P. It has become. The latter chamber (upper chamber) is inflated and deployed at a higher internal pressure than the lower chamber 66 between the shoulder Ps of the occupant P and the body side portion 11 to restrain and protect the shoulder Ps. It is “upper chamber 67”.

  A pair of front and rear communication passages 68 and 69 for communicating between the lower chamber 66 and the upper chamber 67 are provided in the airbag 20 on the front side and the rear side of the tether 60 (see FIG. 9). These communication passages 68 and 69 allow the expansion gas G to flow between the upper chamber 67 and the lower chamber 66.

  Further, in the vicinity of the tether 60 that is bent downward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, a coupling portion that annularly couples the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 in a state of approaching each other. 70 is provided (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The coupling portion 70 is provided behind the central portion of the inflated airbag 20 in the front-rear direction. The lower half portion 70L of the coupling portion 70 couples the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 to each other, while the upper half portion 70U is bent in the tether 60 (both constituent pieces 61, 62) is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 in a state where a part of the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are interposed. In the second embodiment, this connection is made by sewing, but it may be made by other means, for example, adhesion using an adhesive.

  The inflator assembly 40 is disposed in the airbag 20, more precisely in the rear part of the lower chamber 66, so that the gas ejection holes 43 of the inflator 41 and the window part 44 of the retainer 42 are positioned on the upper side.

In addition, in 2nd Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member, location, etc. similar to 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the side airbag device of the second embodiment configured as described above, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the outside due to a side collision or the like, and the inflation gas G is ejected from the inflator 41, the inflation gas G Most flows into the upper chamber 67. Due to the inflated gas G that flows in, the upper chamber 67 is inflated and deployed at a relatively high internal pressure between the shoulder portion Ps and the body side portion 11, which are parts having high impact resistance for the occupant P. After the upper chamber 67 has expanded to some extent, the expansion gas G flows into the lower chamber 66 through the communication passages 68 and 69 before and after the tether 60. Due to the inflating gas G that has flowed in, the lower chamber 66 is inflated and deployed in the vicinity of the outer side of the chest Pt, which is a portion having low impact resistance, at an internal pressure lower than that of the upper chamber 67. In this way, the airbag 20 is brought into contact with the occupant P with an internal pressure corresponding to the impact resistance of each part of the occupant P, and each part of the occupant P is effectively protected from the impact.

  Further, as the airbag 20 is inflated, the distance between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 is increased, and the tether 60 is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction. However, at this time, the coupling portion 70 holds the vehicle inner side fabric portion 21 and the vehicle outer side fabric portion 22 in a state in which they are close to each other, and restricts the interval between them from expanding. The restriction of the interval extends to the vicinity of the coupling portion 70. Therefore, in the vicinity of the coupling portion 70, the tension by the vehicle inner fabric portion 21 and the vehicle outer fabric portion 22 is not easily applied to the tether 60, and a loosened portion (slack portion 71: see FIG. 11A) is generated.

  Here, immediately after the airbag 20 completes the expansion (initial stage of the completion of the expansion), the internal pressure of the upper chamber 67 is higher than the internal pressure of the lower chamber 66, and the slack portion 71 is moved as shown by a solid line in FIG. Pushed to the lower chamber 66 side.

  When the chest Pt of the occupant P is restrained by the lower chamber 66 of the airbag 20 (when the chest Pt enters the lower chamber 66), if the internal pressure increases as the volume of the lower chamber 66 decreases, the loosening As shown by the arrow B in FIG. 11B, the increased internal pressure is applied to the portion 71. Accordingly, when the loosened portion 71 is pushed and deformed / moved toward the upper chamber 67 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11B, the volume of the lower chamber 66 increases correspondingly, and the internal pressure is reduced. The effect of suppressing or delaying the rise is born. As a result, the chest Pt is softly restrained by the lower chamber 66. On the other hand, the volume of the upper chamber 67 is reduced and the internal pressure is increased with the deformation / movement of the slack portion 71, and the restraining force of the airbag 20 on the shoulder portion Ps is increased or sustained.

  Here, when the communication path 69 is provided behind the tether 60 in the airbag 20 as in the second embodiment (see FIG. 9), the vehicle is inflated when the airbag 20 is inflated and the tether 60 is tensioned. The inner fabric portion 21 and the outer fabric portion 22 are greatly opened in the vehicle width direction, and the communication passage 69 is opened with a large opening area.

  On the other hand, the coupling portion 70 restricts the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 from opening in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 10). Therefore, as in the second embodiment, the connecting portion 70 is provided behind the central portion in the front-rear direction of the airbag 20 in the inflated state, so that the communication path is more than the case where such a connecting portion 70 is not provided. In the vicinity of 69, the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are difficult to open in the vehicle width direction, and the opening area of the communication passage 69 is reduced. Therefore, the flow rate per unit time of the expansion gas G passing through the communication passage 69 is reduced.

  Further, since a part (lower rear part) of the tether 60 is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric part 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric part 22 by a part (upper half part 70U) of the coupling part 70, the tether 60 A part exhibits the function of reinforcing the part of the coupling part 70. Therefore, even if the pressure and heat of the inflation gas G are applied when the airbag 20 is inflated, the part (upper half portion 70U) of the coupling portion 70 is not easily damaged. Accordingly, measures for reinforcing the coupling portion 70, for example, when the coupling portion 70 is formed, the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are coupled with a reinforcement cloth interposed therebetween. Or the use of reinforcing cloth is reduced.

  Further, in the second embodiment, a part of the stitching for forming the coupling portion 70 has a portion of the tether 60 (lower rear portion) interposed between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22. It is done in the state. Therefore, the stitched portion is less affected by the heat and pressure of the inflation gas G than when the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are directly stitched without the tether 60 interposed.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, the upper chamber 67 in the second embodiment exhibits the same function as the lower chamber 33 in the first embodiment, and the lower chamber 66 in the second embodiment is the first embodiment. The same function as the upper chamber 34 in FIG.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the same effects as (1), (2), (4), and (5) in the first embodiment can be obtained.
(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 12 shows a side airbag device of the type in which the airbag 20 protects a wide area from the waist portion Pp to the shoulder portion Ps of the occupant P in the vicinity of the vehicle exterior of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12. ing. 13A shows a cross-sectional structure along the line U-U in FIG. 12, and FIG. 13B shows a cross-sectional structure along the line V-V in FIG. FIG. 13A schematically shows the initial state of the airbag 20 inflated and deployed.

  Most of the space between the inner fabric portion 21 and the outer fabric portion 22 and surrounded by the peripheral joint portion 23, that is, the portion of the internal space of the airbag 20 excluding the space occupied by the inflator assembly 40 is the inflator. The expansion | swelling plan part 26 expanded by the gas G for expansion | swelling from 41 is comprised.

  A tether 27 having the same configuration as that in the first embodiment is provided at a position slightly lower than the central portion in the expected expansion portion 26. The tether 27 includes a vehicle interior component piece 28 coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 by the lower coupling portion 30, a vehicle exterior component piece 29 coupled to the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 by the lower coupling portion 31, and both And an upper joint portion 32 that joins the constituent pieces 28 and 29, and is spanned between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22.

  Further, a tether 60 having the same configuration as that in the second embodiment is provided at a location slightly above the central portion in the expansion portion 26. The tether 60 includes a vehicle interior component 61 coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 by the upper coupling portion 63, a vehicle exterior component 62 coupled to the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 by the upper coupling portion 64, And a lower coupling portion 65 that couples the component pieces 61 and 62, and is spanned between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22.

  The expansion portion 26 is divided into three chambers in the vertical direction by the two tethers 27 and 60. Among the three chambers, the one sandwiched from above and below by the tethers 27 and 60 is inflated and deployed at a relatively low internal pressure mainly between the chest Pt and abdomen Pb of the occupant P and the body side part 11. It is an “intermediate chamber 80” that restrains and protects Pt and the abdomen Pb. Among the three chambers, the one located below the tether 27 is inflated and deployed at a higher internal pressure than the intermediate chamber 80 between the waist part Pp of the occupant P and the body side part 11, and the waist part Pp. This is a “lower chamber 81” that restrains and protects. Of the three chambers, the one located above the tether 60 is inflated and deployed at an internal pressure higher than that of the intermediate chamber 80 between the shoulder Ps of the occupant P and the body side portion 11, and the same. It is an “upper chamber 82” that restrains and protects the shoulder Ps.

  In the vicinity of the lower tether 27 that is bent upward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, a coupling portion that couples the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 in a ring shape in a state of being close to each other. 37 is provided. Further, in the vicinity of the upper tether 60 that is bent downward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are connected in a ring shape in a state of being close to each other. A portion 70 is provided. The coupling portions 37 and 70 are both provided behind the central portion of the inflated airbag 20 in the front-rear direction.

  Further, an inner tube 83 that covers the inflator assembly 40 is disposed in the rear portion of the airbag 20 (see FIG. 12). Like the airbag 20, the inner tube 83 is formed in a tubular shape elongated in the vertical direction by a fabric having high strength and flexibility. Although not shown, the inner tube 83 is fixed to the seat frame 16 together with the inflator assembly 40. Openings 84 and 85 are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the inner tube 83, respectively. The inner tube 83 guides a part of the inflation gas G ejected from the inflator 41 from the upper opening 84 substantially upward, and a part of the inflation gas G from the lower opening 85. Derived substantially downward. Thus, the inner tube 83 has a function of rectifying the expansion gas G in two directions.

In addition, in 3rd Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member, location, etc. similar to 1st and 2nd embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the side airbag device of the third embodiment configured as described above, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the outside due to a side collision or the like, and the inflation gas G is ejected from the inflator 41, the inflation gas G Is derived from the upper and lower openings 84 and 85 of the inner tube 83. Most of the expansion gas G exiting from the upper opening 84 flows into the upper chamber 82, and most of the expansion gas G exiting from the lower opening 85 flows into the lower chamber 81.

  The inflow of the inflation gas G causes the lower chamber 81 to inflate and deploy at a relatively high internal pressure between the waist part Pp and the body side part 11, which are parts with high impact resistance for the occupant P. Further, the inflow of the inflation gas G causes the upper chamber 82 to inflate and deploy at a relatively high internal pressure between the shoulder portion Ps and the body side portion 11, which are parts having high impact resistance for the occupant P.

  After each of the lower chamber 81 and the upper chamber 82 has expanded to some extent, the expansion gas G flows into the intermediate chamber 80 through the communication passages 35, 36, 68 and 69 before and after the tethers 27 and 60. The inflated gas G inflates and expands between the body side portion 11 and the chest portion Pt and the abdominal portion Pb, which are portions having low impact resistance, in the intermediate chamber 80 at a lower internal pressure than the lower chamber 81 and the upper chamber 82. To do. In this way, the airbag 20 is brought into contact with the occupant P with an internal pressure corresponding to the impact resistance of each part of the occupant P, and each part of the occupant P is effectively protected from the impact.

  Further, as the airbag 20 is inflated, the distance between the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 is increased, and the tethers 27 and 60 are pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction. However, at this time, the coupling portions 37 and 70 hold the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 in a state where they are close to each other, and restrict the distance between them from being increased. The restriction of the interval extends to the vicinity of the coupling portions 37 and 70. Therefore, in the vicinity of the coupling portions 37 and 70, the tension caused by the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 is difficult to be applied to the tethers 27 and 60, and the loosened portions (loose portions 38 and 71: (see FIG. 13B)). ) Occurs.

  Here, immediately after the airbag 20 completes the expansion (initial stage of the expansion), the internal pressures of the upper chamber 82 and the lower chamber 81 are higher than the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber 80, and as shown by the solid line in FIG. The loose portions 38 and 71 are pushed toward the intermediate chamber 80 side.

  Then, when the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb of the occupant P are restrained by the intermediate chamber 80 of the airbag 20 (when the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb enter the intermediate chamber 80), the volume of the intermediate chamber 80 decreases. As the internal pressure increases, the increased internal pressure is applied to both the loose portions 38 and 71 as indicated by arrows A and B in FIG. Accordingly, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 13B, the slack portion 38 is pushed and deformed / moved toward the lower chamber 81, and the slack portion 71 is pushed and deformed toward the upper chamber 82. -When moved, the volume of the intermediate chamber 80 is increased correspondingly, and the effect of suppressing or delaying the increase in internal pressure is produced. As a result, the chest Pt and the abdomen Pb are softly restrained by the intermediate chamber 80. This effect is greater than that of each of the first and second embodiments. This is because the amount of increase in the volume of the intermediate chamber 80 is greater than in the first embodiment in which only the slack portion 38 is deformed and in the second embodiment in which only the slack portion 71 is deformed. On the other hand, the volume of the lower chamber 81 and the upper chamber 82 is decreased and the internal pressure is increased with the deformation / movement of the loose portions 38 and 71, and the restraining force of the airbag 20 on the waist portion Pp and the shoulder portion Ps is increased. A sustained or sustained effect is created.

  Thus, in the third embodiment, the lower chamber 81 in the third embodiment performs the same function as the lower chamber 33 in the first embodiment, and the upper chamber 82 in the third embodiment is the second embodiment. The same function as the upper chamber 67 in FIG. Further, the middle chamber 80 in the third embodiment exhibits the same function as the upper chamber 34 in the first embodiment and the lower chamber 66 in the second embodiment.

Therefore, according to 3rd Embodiment, the effect which combined 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment is acquired.
Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.

  -The effect of (4) described above, that is, the effect of suppressing a part of the coupling portions 37 and 70 from being damaged by the heat and pressure of the expansion gas G is achieved by the coupling portions 37 and 70 for the tethers 27 and 60. It becomes large as the location couple | bonded with the vehicle interior fabric part 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric part 22 becomes large. Therefore, from the viewpoint of further increasing the effect of the above (4), it is desirable to increase the portion of the tether 27, 60 that is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 by the coupling portions 37, 70. .

Incidentally, when the tethers 27 and 60 are coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 by all of the annular coupling portions 37 and 70, the above-described effect becomes the greatest.
The coupling portions 37 and 70 are coupled in a state in which the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are brought close to each other at a position away from the bent tethers 27 and 60 when the airbag 20 is not inflated. It may be a thing. As described above, even when the coupling portions 37 and 70 are provided at locations away from the tethers 27 and 60, in the vicinity of the coupling portions 37 and 70 in the tethers 27 and 60, the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle. The tension by the outer fabric portion 22 is difficult to be applied, and the loose portions 38 and 71 are generated. Therefore, also in this case, the effect (1) described above can be obtained.

  The coupling portion 37 is provided in the vicinity of the tether 27 that is bent downward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, and coupled in a state in which the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are close to each other. You may do. Similarly, the coupling portion 70 is provided in the vicinity of the tether 60 that is bent upward when the airbag 20 is not inflated, and the vehicle interior fabric portion 21 and the vehicle exterior fabric portion 22 are brought close to each other. It may be combined with. In short, the coupling portions 37 and 70 may be provided in the vicinity of the tethers 27 and 60 that are bent upward or downward when the airbag 20 is not inflated.

  In each of the above embodiments, the inflator 41 has a long shape and has the gas ejection holes 43 only at one end in the axial direction. In addition, one having two gas ejection holes with different gas ejection amounts per unit time may be used. Thus, as a structure which makes gas ejection amount differ between gas ejection holes, for example, (i) what accommodates the same kind of gas generating agent in two accommodation chambers provided in the inflator 41, and (ii) ) Some contain two types of gas generating agents having different gas generation amounts per unit time. In the case of the former (i), the accommodation amount of the gas generating agent is made different between the accommodation chambers.

  Then, the inflator 41 is arranged so that the gas ejection hole on the side with a larger gas ejection amount is located in the chamber on the side with a higher internal pressure, and the gas ejection hole on the side with a smaller gas ejection amount is located in the chamber on the side with a lower internal pressure. Arranged in the airbag 20.

  In this case, the expansion gas G is ejected from the corresponding gas ejection holes 43 to the lower chamber 33 and the upper chamber 34, respectively. One chamber expands faster than the other because of the difference in the amount of gas ejection per unit time. Therefore, although the ejection mode of the expansion gas G is slightly different, the same operations and effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained.

  In the first and third embodiments, one of the communication paths 35 and 36 before and after the tether 27 may be omitted. In the second and third embodiments, one of the communication paths 68 and 69 before and after the tether 60 may be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the communication paths 35 and 36 may be omitted, and the expected expansion portion 26 may be partitioned into a lower chamber 33 and an upper chamber 34 that are independent from each other by a tether 27 or the like. However, in this case, the expansion gas G is supplied to the chambers 33 and 34 so that the internal pressure of the lower chamber 33 is higher than the internal pressure of the upper chamber 34.

  In the second embodiment, the communication passages 68 and 69 may be omitted, and the expected expansion portion 26 may be partitioned into a lower chamber 66 and an upper chamber 67 that are independent from each other by a tether 60 or the like. However, in this case, the expansion gas G is supplied to the chambers 66 and 67 so that the internal pressure of the upper chamber 67 becomes higher than the internal pressure of the lower chamber 66.

  Further, in the third embodiment, the communication passages 35, 36, 68, 69 are omitted, and the expected expansion portion 26 is connected to the lower chamber 81, the intermediate chamber 80, and the upper chamber 82 which are independent from each other by the tethers 27, 60, etc. You may make it partition. However, in this case, the expansion gas G is supplied to the chambers 80 to 82 so that the internal pressures of the lower chamber 81 and the upper chamber 82 are higher than the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber 80.

  In the third embodiment in which the expected expansion portion 26 is divided into three chambers (an upper chamber 82, an intermediate chamber 80, and a lower chamber 81) by two tethers 27 and 60, one of the coupling portions 37 and 70 is omitted. Also good.

  The present invention is also applicable to a side airbag device in which a member different from the bolt 45 is used as a locking member and the retainer 42 is fixed to the vehicle (seat frame 16).

In 1st Embodiment which actualized this invention, the side view which shows the vehicle seat equipped with the side airbag apparatus with a passenger | crew. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a positional relationship between a vehicle seat, an occupant, and a body side part. The side view which shows the airbag module of the state by which the airbag was expand | deployed with a passenger | crew. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an inflator assembly disposed in the airbag of FIG. 3. The top view which shows the state which looked at the inflator assembly of FIG. 4 from diagonally backward upper direction with a seat frame, a nut, an airbag, etc. FIG. The expanded view which shows the state before folding a fabric in half about the airbag in the airbag module of FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-section along the QQ line of FIG. (A) is sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-section along the RR line | wire of FIG. 3, (B) is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action of a slack part. In 2nd Embodiment which actualized this invention, the side view which shows the airbag module of the state by which the airbag was expand | deployed with a passenger | crew. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-section along the SS line | wire of FIG. (A) is sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-section along the TT line | wire of FIG. 9, (B) is sectional drawing explaining the effect | action of a slack part. In 3rd Embodiment which materialized this invention, the side view which shows the airbag module of the state by which the airbag was expand | deployed with a passenger | crew. (A) is sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-sectional structure along the UU line of FIG. 12, (B) is sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-sectional structure along the VV line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Body side part, 12 ... Vehicle seat, 20 ... Air bag, 21 ... Car interior fabric part, 22 ... Car exterior fabric part, 27, 60 ... Tether, 33, 66, 81 ... Lower chamber, 34, 67, 82: upper chamber, 35, 36, 68, 69 ... communication path, 37, 70 ... coupling part, 41 ... inflator, G ... inflation gas, P ... occupant, Pb ... abdominal part, Pp ... waist part, Ps ... shoulder part, Pt ... Chest.

Claims (7)

It is formed by overlapping the inner fabric portion and the outer fabric portion in the vehicle width direction and connecting them in a bag shape, and by the inflation gas ejected from the inflator in response to an impact from the side of the vehicle, An airbag that inflates between the vehicle body side and the vehicle seat;
A fabric tether spanned between the interior fabric portion and the exterior fabric portion in the airbag, and when the airbag is not inflated, the tether is bent upward or downward, When the airbag is inflated, the inner space of the airbag is divided into a lower chamber and an upper chamber on the upper side of the airbag while regulating the inflation thickness of the airbag in the vehicle width direction by tensioning the tether in the vehicle width direction. A side airbag device that is partitioned.
In the vicinity of the tether that is bent upward or downward when the airbag is not inflated, there is provided a coupling portion that couples the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion in a state of approaching each other. A side airbag device characterized by comprising: On the rear side of the tether in the airbag, a communication path is provided for communicating between the lower chamber and the upper chamber,
2. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is provided behind a central portion in the front-rear direction of the airbag in an inflated state. The lower chamber is inflated in the vicinity of the outside of the occupant's waist seated on the vehicle seat, and the upper chamber is inflated in the vicinity of the outside of the occupant's chest. Side airbag device. The side airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the coupling portion is provided at a location in the vicinity of a vehicle outer side of the abdomen of the occupant when the airbag is inflated. The said upper chamber expand | swells in the vehicle exterior vicinity of the passenger | crew's shoulder part seated on the said vehicle seat, The said lower chamber expands in the vehicle exterior vicinity of the said passenger | crew's chest. Side airbag device. At least a part of the coupling part is for coupling a part of the bent tether to the vehicle interior fabric part and the vehicle exterior fabric part. The side airbag device as described. The coupling portion is formed by stitching the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion,
The side airbag device according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of the stitching is performed in a state in which a part of the tether is interposed between the vehicle interior fabric portion and the vehicle exterior fabric portion.

Images