JP2012071719A - Curtain airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a curtain airbag device preventing interference with a center pillar garnish when a curtain airbag is inflated and deployed, and improving deployment characteristics.SOLUTION: An airbag body 3 is fitted to the front end 4a of an inflation part 4 in a manner of communicating therewith, of which the inflation part 4 is to be inflated and deployed beyond the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16. When the airbag 2 is inflated and deployed, the inflation part 4 is inflated and deployed first, and then the airbag body 3 positioned inside a vehicle is inflated and deployed. Therefore, the airbag 2 is not obstructed by the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16, and the airbag body 3 can be inflated and deployed downward along a side window of the vehicle like a curtain.

Description

  The present invention relates to a curtain airbag device including an airbag that inflates and deploys along a window portion on a side surface of a vehicle.

  In recent years, many vehicles with curtain airbags that inflate and deploy along the side of the passenger compartment have been used for the purpose of protecting the heads of passengers in accidents such as side collisions and rollovers. Yes. When an accident such as a side collision or rollover is detected on the vehicle, or when such an accident is predicted, the inflation gas injected from the inflator of the curtain airbag device flows into the curtain airbag. Then, the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed.

  The curtain airbag is housed in the roof side rail in a state of being folded in a space between a ceiling material (head lining) in the ceiling and the vehicle body panel. As the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed, the lower end of the head lining is pushed upward on the inside of the vehicle, and the curtain airbag passes through the opened opening. Expand to. The occupant's head can be protected by the inflated and deployed curtain airbag.

  In general, the curtain airbag device used to protect the occupant's head and the like is such that when the occupant's head is received by the curtain airbag, the internal pressure of the curtain airbag is in an appropriate internal pressure state, and Those that can be maintained without exhausting the gas for a certain period of time are said to exhibit more preferable protection performance against collision, rollover, and the like.

  In addition, the curtain airbag device is required to have a function of protecting an occupant who has been in the vehicle from being thrown out of the vehicle window when an accident such as a side collision or a rollover occurs on the vehicle. ing. When the head of the occupant comes into contact with the curtain airbag, if the curtain airbag itself that is inflated and deployed inside the window frame protrudes outside the window together, it catches the occupant's head. The position is a position that protrudes further than the predetermined amount with respect to the outside of the window.

  Therefore, the curtain airbag is required to be stably deployed inside the window frame, and when the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed, the position where the occupant's head is caught is located outside the window. It is necessary not to protrude beyond a certain amount.

  As a typical configuration example of a curtain airbag, a center pillar (also known as a B pillar) that supports the roof is divided by a window on the side of the front seat and a window on the side of the rear seat just behind it. It is configured to cover two side windows arranged before and after the center pillar. When the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed, the head lining above the center pillar is separated upward from the joint portion with the pillar garnish.

  However, when the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed, a part of the curtain airbag interferes with the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish, causing a problem that the curtain airbag is not smoothly inflated and deployed.

  In order to solve this problem, an arrangement structure of a head protection airbag bag body (see Patent Document 1), an arrangement structure of a head protection airbag bag body having the same name (see Patent Document 2), and the like have been proposed. ing.

  In each of the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a curtain airbag that covers the gap between the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish and the center pillar with a jump stand or a guide plate and inflates and deploys the upper edge of the center pillar garnish The configuration is such that it does not interfere with the part.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-91490 JP 2000-33845 A

  In the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the curtain airbag having a property of developing toward the upper edge of the center pillar garnish is guided to be less likely to be inhibited by the upper edge of the center pillar garnish. It has become. However, the curtain airbag that has passed through the upper edge of the center pillar garnish has a tendency to inflate and deploy along the direction of travel when passing in the interior of the vehicle. Thus, it is not easy to control the deployment direction.

  Moreover, the jump stand and guide plate in each invention described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 serve as direction regulating means when the curtain airbag passes through the upper edge of the center pillar garnish. However, the jump stand and guide plate open the opening part when inflating and deploying the curtain airbag to the inside of the vehicle at an early stage by opening the joint part between the upper edge of the center pillar garnish and the roof side garnish at an early stage. There are few effects.

  Further description will be made with reference to FIG. 9 showing the configuration of the conventional example as a reference diagram. FIG. 9 shows a configuration of a conventional example in which a curtain airbag 25 (26) is disposed between the headlining 13 and the rail inner panel 17.

  The curtain airbag 25 indicated by a solid line shows a configuration example arranged on the rail inner panel 17 side. When the curtain airbag 25 is disposed on the side of the rail inner panel 17 as shown by the solid line, when the curtain airbag 25 is inflated and deployed, a part of the curtain airbag 25 that is inflated and deployed becomes part of the center pillar garnish 16. Interference with the upper edge portion 16a prevents the curtain airbag 25 from being normally inflated and deployed.

  In order to prevent interference between a part of the inflated and deployed curtain airbag 25 and the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16, the upper part of the center pillar garnish as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above. The gap between the edge portion and the center pillar must be covered with a jump stand or a guide plate so that the inflated and deployed curtain airbag does not interfere with the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish.

  In order to prevent interference between a part of the inflated and deployed curtain airbag and the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16 with a configuration that does not include a jump stand or a guide plate as in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Like the curtain airbag 26 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the curtain airbag 26 must be attached to a position that prevents the interference with the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16. Don't be.

  By arranging like the curtain airbag 26, it is possible to prevent the curtain airbag 26 that is inflated and deployed from interfering with the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16, but it protrudes from the rail inner panel 17. As described above, the mounting configuration in which the curtain airbag 26 is mounted becomes complicated and increases the cost.

  In the present invention, when the airbag is inflated and deployed, interference with the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish is prevented, or interference with the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish is minimized, so that the curtain airbag is disposed inside the vehicle. A curtain airbag device that allows the upper edge of the center pillar garnish and the head lining to be greatly opened early and allows the curtain airbag to be inflated and deployed along the window smoothly and quickly. The purpose is to provide.

The object of the present invention can be achieved by the inventions described in claims 1 to 3.
That is, in the airbag device of the present invention, the curtain airbag is disposed above the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish and overlaps with the center pillar in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. An inflatable portion having a thickness equal to or greater than the upper edge of the center pillar garnish with respect to the direction, and a front end portion on the vehicle inner side of the inflatable portion that communicates with the inflatable portion and is attached to the front end portion. An airbag main body portion having an extending length dimension and covering a side window of the vehicle,
The main feature is that the base of the inflating part is attached to the vehicle body, and the inflating gas generated by the inflator is introduced into the inflating part.

The main feature of the airbag device according to the present invention is that the inflator is connected to the inflatable part via a connecting pipe.
Furthermore, the airbag device according to the present invention is characterized in that the inflator is disposed in the inflating portion.

  In the airbag device according to the present invention, the thickness above the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish is greater than the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish and overlaps with the center pillar in the lateral direction of the vehicle when inflated and deployed. An inflatable portion having In addition, the airbag main body is provided at the tip of the inflatable portion on the vehicle inner side, and the airbag main body is inflated and deployed via the inflatable portion into which the gas from the inflator is introduced.

  Since it is configured in this way, the inflatable portion first expands and deploys by the gas from the inflator, and coincides with the upper edge portion of the center pillar garnish or beyond the upper edge portion to the inside of the vehicle. The tip can be positioned. And an airbag main-body part can be inflate-deployed in the form which hangs down from the front-end | tip part of an expansion part.

  And, by inflating and deploying the inflating part, the interference with the upper edge part of the center pillar garnish is prevented, or the interference with the upper edge part of the center pillar garnish is minimized, and the airbag body part inflates along the window. Can be deployed. In addition, the expansion of the inflatable part allows the upper part of the center pillar garnish and the head lining to be opened large at an early stage. Can be pushed upward inward of the vehicle along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

That is, the airbag main body has a skirt-like drawer shape, is pulled out into the vehicle beyond the edge of the interior material, and can be quickly inflated and deployed. Thus, the inflation and deployment of the airbag can prevent interference with the upper edge of the center pillar garnish, and the curtain airbag can be smoothly inflated and deployed.

The inflator can be configured to be connected to the inflating part via a connecting pipe, or can be configured to be disposed in the inflating part.
By setting the inflator to be connected to the inflating part via a connecting pipe, the inflator can be disposed at any location, and the inflator can be of any size. it can. Moreover, the curtain airbag can be configured as a compact configuration by arranging the inflator in the inflatable portion. In addition, a stud bolt for attaching the inflator to the vehicle body can be used in combination to attach the base portion of the expansion portion to the vehicle body.

It is a schematic principal part sectional drawing which shows the state which the side curtain airbag inflate-deployed. (Example) FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a curtain airbag. (Example) It is a perspective view which shows the junction part of an expansion chamber and an airbag main-body part. (Example) It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of an inflator. (Example) It is a principal part perspective view which shows the folded state of a curtain airbag. (Example) It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the folded state of a curtain airbag. (Example) It is a principal part perspective view which shows the other structural example of a curtain airbag. (Example) It is a perspective view which shows the other attachment structure of an inflator. (Example) It is a schematic principal part sectional drawing which shows the state which the side curtain airbag inflate-deployed. (Conventional example)

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The curtain airbag device according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described below, and various modifications can be made to the configuration of the inflating portion and the airbag main body.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the curtain airbag device 1 can be attached to the rail inner panel 17 in the roof side rail 18. The airbag 2 of the curtain airbag device 1 is attached to the rail inner panel 17 through stud bolts 11 provided on the inflator 10 together with the inflator 10 disposed in the airbag 2. That is, the airbag 2 and the inflator 10 can be attached to the rail inner panel 17 by screwing the nut 12 to the stud bolt 11.

  The airbag 2 is disposed between the head lining 13 engaged with the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16 and the rail inner panel 17, and is located above the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16. Thus, it is disposed at a portion overlapping the center pillar 15 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

  Here, the center pillar 15 is a pillar that is located on a side of a portion between a front air chamber 30a and a rear air chamber 30b, which will be described later, and is not a pillar at an end portion arranged in the front and rear of the vehicle. The pillar covered by the deployed airbag 2 is shown. Also, depending on the type of vehicle, for example, there is a vehicle having a configuration including four or more pillars on one side. However, in such a vehicle, the third and subsequent pillars from the front of the vehicle, I will treat it as a rear pillar.

  The airbag 2 is configured to have an inflating portion 4 incorporating the inflator 10 and an airbag main body portion 3 inflating and deploying in a curtain shape along the window. As shown in FIG. 2, the inflatable portion 4 has a predetermined thickness in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and a central upper portion 3 a of the air bag body 3 is attached to the distal end portion 4 a of the inflatable portion 4. It has been.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the inflatable portion 4 is configured in a triangular prism shape, and the tip portion 4 a of the inflatable portion 4 corresponding to the ridge line portion of the triangular prism shape communicates with the inside of the inflatable portion 4 and the inside of the airbag main body 3. Further, a central upper portion 3a of the airbag main body 3 having a predetermined length dimension with respect to the left-right direction of the vehicle is attached.

  The inflatable portion 4 is sewn on the sub-base fabric panel 2b cut into the shape shown in FIG. 7 with a pair of sides 23a and a pair of sides 24a as shown in FIG. 3 and a pair of sides 22a, as shown in FIG. 3, can be deformed into a triangular prism shape at the time of inflating and unfolding. Then, the side 22b and the side 23b of the sub base fabric panel 2b are sewn to the sides 21a and 21b of the main base fabric panel 2a shown in FIG. It can be connected in a connected state.

  Although the configuration of the inflating portion 4 configured in a triangular prism shape has been described, the configuration of the inflating portion 4 is not limited to the triangular prism shape, and functions as the inflating portion 4 as described later. Any shape that can be used can be formed into an appropriate shape such as a quadrangular prism shape or a cylindrical shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag main body 3 has a structure in which the main base fabric panel 2a is folded in half and the peripheral edge and the like are sewn by the sewing portion 8, and the front air chamber 30a is formed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The rear air chamber 30b is included. Further, in order to regulate the thickness when the airbag main body 3 is inflated, the stitch 7 is formed between the main base fabric panels 2a folded in two.

  Each terminal of each stitch 7 is provided with a terminal protection circle 7a that is a circular stitch. By providing the terminal protection circle 7a, it is possible to obtain sufficient strength against securing of elongation in the main base fabric panel 2a during expansion, prevention of wrinkles, and stress concentration.

  If necessary, the surfaces of the main base fabric panel 2a and the sub base fabric panel 2b are coated with rubber, silicon resin, etc., so that the air permeability is lowered or the air is not vented. It can also be configured. Further, as a constituent material of the main base fabric panel 2a and the sub base fabric panel 2b, a woven fabric of nylon 66 yarn, nylon 6 yarn, or polyester yarn can be used. Further, the constituent material of the main base fabric panel 2a and the sub base fabric panel 2b is not limited to nylon 66 yarn, nylon 6 yarn, woven fabric of polyester yarn, etc., but should be used as a constituent material of an airbag. Other constituent materials that can be used can also be used.

  As an arrangement configuration of the inflator 10 built in the inflating portion 4, an arrangement configuration as shown in FIG. 4 can be used. 4 shows a configuration example in which the inflator 10 and the inflatable portion 4 of the airbag 2 are attached to a mounting bracket 20 that can be attached to the vehicle body via a stud bolt 11 provided on the inflator 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the rail inner panel 17 may be attached via the stud bolt 11.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the airbag 2 folded into a fold is continuous with the airbag body 3 folded into a roll shape, and the central upper portion 3 a is placed on the airbag body 3. The inflatable portion 4 is configured to be folded. That is, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 6, the airbag main body 3 is wound clockwise from the lower end when inflated and deployed in the clockwise direction. The inflatable portion 4 is configured in a zigzag shape that is folded on the airbag main body 3 from the distal end portion 4a of the inflatable portion 4 so as to wrap and cover the airbag main body 3 from above.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the airbag 2 configured as a folded lump is externally provided from a stud bolt mounting hole 5 in which the stud bolt 11 of the inflator 10 disposed in the inflatable portion 4 is formed in the inflatable portion 4. 4 and can be configured to be attached to the rail inner panel 17 via the mounting bracket 20 as shown in FIG. 4, or directly to the rail inner panel 17 as shown in FIG.

  The inflator 10 has been described with respect to the configuration example built in the inflatable portion 4, but as shown in FIG. 8, the inflator 10 is connected to the gas introducing portion 4 b of the inflatable portion 4 via the connecting pipe 6. You can also keep it. Thus, by disposing the inflator 10 outside the airbag 2, the airbag 2 folded into a fold can be configured in a compact manner. Further, the inflator 10 can be disposed at an appropriate installation location, and the inflator 10 having an appropriate size can be used.

  In this way, the airbag 2 configured as a folded lump is disposed in a space formed between the head lining 13 and the rail inner panel 17 as shown in FIG. The lower end edge of the head lining 13, the center pillar garnish 16 and the front pillar (not shown) are engaged with the upper end edges of the nishish and the rear pillar garnish detachably.

  When a predetermined pressing force is applied to the head lining 13 in a direction in which the airbag 2 starts inflating and deploying and releases the engagement state with each upper edge, the head lining 13 is inflated by the inflating and deploying of the inflating portion 4. And the center pillar garnish 16 are disengaged first. The head lining 13 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by the pressing force, and the airbag 2 is inflated from an opening formed between the head lining 13 and the center pillar garnish 16. Since the portion 4 has a thickness equal to or greater than the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16, the airbag main body portion 3 can be inflated and deployed to the inside of the vehicle with the inflatable portion 4 exceeding the upper edge portion 16a. it can. That is, the size of the inflatable portion 4 of the airbag 2 is a size that matches the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16 or a size that can exceed the upper edge portion 16a.

  Preferably, the inflatable portion 4 of the airbag 2 is configured to have a thickness exceeding the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16. Thereby, the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16 can be surely exceeded by the inflated and inflated portion 4, and the airbag main body portion 3 can be inflated and deployed inside the vehicle.

  The inflatable portion 4 that inflates and expands inside the vehicle avoids interference with the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16 or minimizes interference with the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16. It can be inflated and deployed to the inside. At this time, the airbag main body 3 is also pushed out from the opening formed between the head lining 13 and the center pillar garnish 16 to the inside of the vehicle, and the lower edge of the head lining 13 and the upper edge 16a of the center pillar garnish 16 The opening of the head lining 13 is further expanded, and the engagement state between the lower edge of the head lining 13 and the upper edge of the front pillar garnish (not shown) and the upper edge of the rear pillar garnish is released.

When the head lining 13 is disengaged from the engagement area of the center pillar garnish 16 and the front pillar garnish and the rear pillar garnish (not shown), the airbag main body 3 is in a state of hanging in a curtain shape from the tip portion 4a of the inflating portion 4. Thus, the airbag main body 3 can be inflated and deployed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and expanded downward along the window by the gas supplied from the inflator 10 through the inflatable portion 4.

  That is, when the occurrence of an accident such as a side collision or rollover with respect to the vehicle is detected, or when the occurrence of these accidents is predicted, the inflator 10 is activated and gas is injected. The gas injected from the inflator 10 can inflate and deploy the inflating portion 4 first, and move the airbag main body 3 to a position inside the vehicle that does not interfere with the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16.

  The airbag main body 3 is deployed in the form of a curtain downward from the front end 4a of the inflatable portion 4 along the window without interfering with the upper edge portion 16a of the center pillar garnish 16, and is directed toward the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Can be inflated and deployed. The inflated airbag 2 can cover the side window glass at the window of the vehicle, and can protect the occupant's head against accidents such as side collisions and rollovers.

  The above description has been made based on an example of a curtain airbag applied to a vehicle having two rows of seats, a front air chamber 30a and a rear air chamber 30b. The present invention can also be suitably applied to curtain airbags corresponding to the three-row seats of the row (front row), the second row (intermediate row), and the third row (last row). That is, the present invention can also be suitably applied to a curtain airbag having two air chambers that are deployed on the side portions of the second row and the third row.

  The technical idea of the present invention can be applied to other configurations of airbags.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Curtain airbag apparatus, 2 ... Air bag, 3 ... Air bag main-body part, 3a ... Upper center part, 4 ... Expansion part, 4a ... Tip part, 6 ... Connection pipe, 10 ... inflator, 13 ... head lining, 15 ... center pillar, 16 ... center pillar garnish, 16a ... upper edge, 17 ... rail inner panel, 18. ..Roof side rail.

Claims (3)

A curtain airbag is disposed above the upper edge of the center pillar garnish, and overlaps the center pillar in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. An inflatable part having a thickness equal to or greater than the edge;
An airbag main body portion that is connected to the distal end portion and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and covers a side window of the vehicle at a front end portion on the vehicle inner side of the inflatable portion. With
A curtain airbag device characterized in that a base portion of the inflating portion is attached to a vehicle body, and inflating gas generated by an inflator is introduced into the inflating portion.   The curtain airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the inflator is connected to the inflatable portion via a connection pipe.   The curtain airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the inflator is disposed in the inflating portion.

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