JP2014012495A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device having an improved occupant restraint performance and a reduced property of injuring an occupant.SOLUTION: A side airbag device comprises: an airbag 106 which is buried in a side surface at a vehicle's interior side of a seat back 104a of a reclinable seat 104 in a vehicle width direction; and a belt 116 in a belt shape which is installed along the side surface of the seat 104, with its one end connected to an upper part of the seat back 104a and the other end connected to a front part of a seat cushion 104b, and is given a tension and pulled towards the outer side of the airbag 106 by the airbag 106 when it is inflated and deployed. The airbag 106 has a vent hole 128 for discharging gas in its side surface in the vehicle's interior side. The vent hole 128 is provided in such a position that it is covered by the belt 116 when the airbag 106 is inflated and deployed while the seat back 104a is upright and it deviates from the belt 116 when the airbag is inflated and deployed while the seat back 104a is reclined.

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device including an airbag that inflates and deploys from the vicinity of a side portion of a seat toward a side of an occupant at the time of a side collision of a vehicle.

  Normally, when a lateral impact is applied to the vehicle, the occupant moves in the vehicle width direction. For example, when an object (collision) such as another vehicle or utility pole collides with the side door on the passenger seat side, the seat far from the passenger on the collision object contact side (near side passenger; in this case, the passenger on the passenger seat) Occupants (far-side occupants; in this case, driver-side occupants) move greatly due to inertia, and may collide with near-side occupants and hard objects in the passenger compartment, resulting in obstacles.

  Assuming such a situation, for example, the vehicle airbag system of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the airbag is inflated and deployed upward from the center console between the driver seat and the passenger seat. With this airbag, even if a lateral impact is applied, the occupant can be prevented from moving toward the center of the vehicle, and the occupant can be protected from collision with other objects.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-3055

  Currently, various airbags, including side airbags, are required to take measures to improve occupant restraint performance and reduce harm to occupants. However, an airbag that is deployed on the far side (far-side airbag), such as the airbag of Patent Document 1, is different from an airbag that is deployed on the near side (near-side airbag), and is an object that supports a side door. And not adjacent. For this reason, even if the far-side airbag is inflated and deployed, the far-side airbag may fall down due to an impact when the occupant is received, and the occupant restraining performance may be hindered.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device capable of improving occupant restraint performance and reducing harm to occupants.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a side airbag device according to the present invention is embedded in a side surface of a seat back in a reclining vehicle seat including a seat back and a seat cushion, and is supplied from an inflator. An airbag that inflates and deploys to the occupant's side by gas, and a belt-like airbag, one end of which is connected to the upper part of the seat back, and the seat back and the seat cushion that pass through the outside of the embedded airbag viewed from the occupant A belt-like member that is installed along the side surface of the seat cushion, the other end is connected to the front portion of the seat cushion, and is tensioned by the inflated airbag to be stretched outside the airbag. There is a vent hole for exhausting gas on the outer side surface. There are covered by strips when inflated and deployed, the airbag when the seat back tilt, characterized in that provided in a position disengaged from the belt-shaped member when inflated and deployed.

  According to the above configuration, the inflated and deployed airbag is supported by the belt-like member located on the outer side (the side opposite to the occupant as viewed from the airbag). Therefore, the deployment behavior of the airbag is stable, and when the occupant comes into contact, the occupant can be received and restrained sufficiently. Furthermore, the belt-like member itself can catch the occupant. In particular, it is possible to receive the vicinity of the occupant's waist and thighs. Thus, with the above configuration, high occupant restraint performance can be exhibited.

  In addition, in the above configuration, the internal pressure of the airbag can be changed depending on whether the reclining seat is standing or inclined. The airbag is provided with a vent hole which is a gas discharge hole, and this vent hole is provided at a position where the belt-like member overlaps when the seat back stands. Therefore, when the seat back is raised, the amount of gas discharged per unit time is suppressed, and the internal pressure of the airbag is increased. This is because an occupant in a normal seating posture tends to fall down to the inside of the vehicle due to an impact from the side, and a higher internal pressure is required to fully receive and restrain the upper body.

  On the other hand, when the seat back is tilted, specifically, when the seat back is tilted backward, the vent hole is detached from the belt-like member. This is because the belt-like member is provided so as to be inclined obliquely from the upper part of the seat back to the front part of the seat cushion, and as the seat back is tilted backward, the belt-like member is positioned in the direction toward the seat back and the seat cushion. Because it changes. By exposing the vent hole in this manner, the amount of gas discharged from the vent hole per unit time is increased and the internal pressure of the airbag is lowered compared to when the seat back is raised. An occupant lying in a lying position is less likely to move even when subjected to a side impact than in a normal sitting position. Therefore, a high internal pressure is not required for the airbag, but rather the effect of reducing the harmfulness can be obtained by reducing the internal pressure.

  Said strip | belt-shaped member may further be equipped with the rotation fixing tool attached to a seat back or a seat cushion rotatably at the one end or the other end. With this configuration, the position of the belt-like member can be changed more smoothly according to the tilting operation of the seat back.

  The airbag further includes a belt-like member passage portion through which the belt-like member is passed on the outer surface, and the belt-like member passage portion supports the belt-like member so that the belt-like member can move over a predetermined range on the outer surface. Good. This band-shaped member passage portion can more suitably exhibit the function of supporting the airbag of the band-shaped member.

  The airbag may be embedded in a seat back or have a predetermined shape so as to support at least a shoulder or head of an adult occupant during inflation and deployment. As described above, by restraining the vicinity of the heavier head in the body of the adult occupant, the movement of the adult occupant to the inside of the vehicle can be efficiently prevented. The adult occupant in the present application includes adult men and women having a general and average physique, and even small adult women. The physiques of these adult occupants are determined by the automobile safety standards (frontal collision dummy AF05, AM50, side collision dummy SID-IIs, ES-2, etc.) in each country. A place such as the head indicates the position of each part of the dummy.

  When the airbag is inflated and deployed, the upper edge portion of the airbag is located at a position away from the seat cushion when viewed from one end of the belt-like member, and the belt-like member is located on the upper edge side of the airbag from one end. It is good to be characterized by extending around toward the other end. According to this configuration, when the airbag is inflated and deployed, the belt-like member is folded back to the upper edge portion of the airbag. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently receive the tension from the airbag and quickly take up the slack.

  Said airbag is good to further have a reinforcement area | region comprised by a reinforcement cloth or reinforcement sewing in the area | region which is an outer surface and a strip | belt-shaped member contacts. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the durability of the airbag against friction with the belt-shaped member.

  The airbag is embedded in the side surface of the seatback in the vehicle width direction, the belt-like member is provided so as to pass through the vehicle interior of the embedded airbag, and the vent hole is provided on the vehicle interior side of the airbag. It may be provided on the side surface. This configuration is a so-called far-side airbag that is inflated and deployed at a position inside the vehicle relative to the passenger. A normal far side airbag does not have any supporting objects inside the vehicle. However, if it is the said structure, a strip | belt-shaped member exists further in the vehicle inside of an airbag, and can support an airbag by this. Therefore, the airbag can sufficiently receive and restrain the airbag when the occupant comes into contact with the airbag.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the side airbag apparatus which can aim at the improvement of a passenger | crew restraint performance and reduction of the harmfulness to a passenger | crew can be provided.

It is the figure which illustrated a part of vehicles to which the side airbag device in the embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the figure which illustrated the accommodation state of the side airbag apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where the airbag of FIG. 2 is inflated and deployed. It is the figure which illustrated the side airbag apparatus of Fig.3 (a) seeing from the vehicle front side. It is the figure which illustrated the state which fell down the seat back of Drawing 3 (b) back. It is the figure which expanded and illustrated the airbag of Fig.3 (a). It is the figure which illustrated the modification of the side airbag apparatus of Fig.3 (a).

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a part of a vehicle 102 to which a side airbag device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The side airbag device 100 includes a vehicle seat 104 and an airbag 106 embedded in the vehicle seat 104. The vehicle seat 104 is a reclining seat that can tilt the seat back 104a with respect to the seat cushion 104b.

  The airbag 106 is a so-called far-side airbag that is embedded in a side surface 108 on the vehicle inner side in the vehicle width direction of the seat back 104a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be implemented on the side surface of the seat back 104a on the vehicle exterior side. Further, a vehicle seat 110 is also arranged on the vehicle center side of the vehicle seat 104, but the side airbag device 100 can be embedded also on the side surface of the vehicle seat 110.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an accommodation state of the side airbag device 100 of FIG. In FIG. 2, the front side of the paper is the vehicle interior in the vehicle width direction, and the back side of the paper is the vehicle outer side. The airbag 106 is housed in a housing 112 installed inside the seat back 104a. And since it is normally covered with the seat cover etc. from the top, it cannot be visually recognized from the outside. The air bag 106 is connected to an inflator 114 which is a gas generator, receives the gas supplied from the inflator 114, tears the seat cover and the like, and inflates and deploys to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, a belt-like member (hereinafter referred to as a belt 116) is provided as a member that improves the occupant restraining performance of the airbag 106. The belt 116 is a belt-like member that supports the airbag 106 from the inside of the vehicle. The belt 116 has one end connected to the upper part of the seat back 104a and the other end connected to the front part of the seat cushion 104b. And it is installed along the side surface of the seat back 104a and the seat cushion 104b through the outside of the airbag 106. In addition, the outside of the airbag 106 is a side far from the occupant and, in other words, a surface side of the airbag 106 that is opposite to the contact surface with the seat back 104a.

  When the airbag 106 is inflated and deployed, the belt 116 is deployed to the outside together with the airbag 106, and is tensioned by the airbag 106 to be stretched inside the airbag 106. Therefore, the length of the belt 116 is set to a length that allows for the tension received from the inflated and deployed airbag 106.

  Through anchors 118a and 118b, which are rotating fixtures, are provided at the ends of the belt 116, and the belt 116 is rotatably attached to the seat back 104a and the seat cushion 104b by the through anchors 118a and 118b. . Since the end portion is rotatable, the belt 116 can be deployed without being kinked while changing its posture in accordance with the deployment behavior of the airbag 106. In addition to the through anchors 118a and 118b, a fixture called a D-ring or the like can be used as appropriate as the rotary fixture.

  Hereinafter, a state where the airbag 106 is inflated and deployed will be described. FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a state in which the airbag 106 of FIG. 2 is inflated and deployed. FIG. 3A illustrates the airbag 106 inflated and deployed as viewed from the vehicle center side.

  In each drawing including FIG. 3A, a dummy 120 imitating an adult occupant is shown as an occupant. This dummy 120 is a model called AM50, and is a model assuming a physique (height 178 cm, weight 72 kg) that fits 50% of adult males. The adult occupant in the present application includes adult men and women having a general and average physique, and even small adult women. The physiques of these adult occupants are determined by automobile safety standards (frontal collision dummy AF05, side collision dummy SID-IIs, ES-2, etc.) in each country. In addition to the AM 50, the location such as the part is shown including the positions of these dummy parts.

  When an impact or the like occurs in the vehicle, an impact detection signal is transmitted from an unillustrated acceleration sensor or the like, and as a result, the gas generating agent burns in the inflator 114 (see FIG. 3B), and the combustion gas Is supplied to the airbag 106. The airbag 106 tears the seat cover and the like of the vehicle seat 104 and inflates and deploys inside the passenger's vehicle.

  A belt-shaped member passage portion (hereinafter referred to as a loop portion 122) is provided on a side surface 126 that is an outer surface of the airbag 106 on the inner side (the outer side as viewed from the passenger, that is, the far side). The loop part 122 is a part through which the belt 116 passes. By connecting the airbag 106 and the belt 116 by the loop portion 122, the positional deviation of the belt 116 with respect to the airbag 106 can be prevented, and the function of supporting the airbag 106 included in the belt 116 is more preferably exhibited. It becomes possible. The belt 116 is passed through the loop portion 122 so that the airbag 106 is deployed into the vehicle together with the inflation and deployment of the airbag 106. Further, tension is given by the airbag 106 that is inflated and deployed, and the inside of the airbag 106 is To be stretched. The position where the loop portion 122 is provided is not limited to the side surface 126 on the vehicle interior side of the airbag 106. For example, in the present embodiment, the belt 116 is configured to be stretched on the inner side of the airbag 106, but even if the loop portion 122 is provided near the through anchor 118a on the side of the outer side (occupant side) of the airbag 106, It is possible to stretch the belt 116 on the inner side of the airbag 106.

  FIG. 3B is a view showing the air bag 106 of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the belt 116 is placed on the belt 106 so as to bypass the upper edge 121 of the airbag 106. The airbag 106 is set so that the upper edge 121 is positioned above the connection point 124 of the through anchor 118a to the seat back 104a when the airbag 106 is inflated and deployed when the seat back 104a stands. Has been. According to this configuration, the belt 116 is folded back to the upper edge 121 of the airbag 106 when the airbag 106 is inflated and deployed. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently receive the tension from the airbag 106, and thereby the slack can be quickly taken.

  Here, the standing up of the seat back 104a is a state where the seat back 104a is within a reclining range that allows the driver to perform a driving operation during normal vehicle operation. In other words, regardless of the driver's seat, the seat back 104a is in a reclining range in which the restraint of the seat belt (not shown) is effective for a normal seated occupant, that is, It means the range in which a passenger can sit normally. In addition, the inclination of the seat back 104a means that the seat back 104a is in a reclining range in which it is difficult for the driver to drive during normal vehicle operation. In other words, it is a reclining range in which the restraint of the seat belt does not work effectively for a normal seated occupant, that is, a reclining range in which the occupant is seated irregularly.

  In the above description, the airbag 106 has been described as having the upper edge 121 positioned above the connection point 124 when inflated and deployed. However, this is the upper side when the seat back 104a stands, and not the upper side when the seat back 104a is inclined. In more detail, it means that the upper edge portion 121 is located at a position away from the seat cushion 104b when viewed from the connection point 124. In addition, when it describes as the downward in this embodiment, a downward is a direction which becomes a downward direction at the time of standing up of the seat back 104b, and is a direction approaching the seat cushion 104b.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the side airbag device 100 of FIG. 3A as viewed from the front side of the vehicle. An arrow A represents a lateral impact generated in the vehicle due to a side collision. An arrow B represents a lateral impact toward the vehicle center, which is received by the dummy 120 due to inertia. As described above, the flow axis of the dummy 120 due to the side collision is the horizontal direction indicated by the arrows A and B, that is, the vehicle width direction.

  The airbag 106 is embedded in the seat back 104a and designed in shape, assuming that it supports the head 120a or shoulder 120b of an adult occupant (dummy 120) during inflation and deployment. The head 120a is heavy in the body of the occupant, and the airbag 106 can efficiently prevent the occupant from moving to the inside of the vehicle by restraining the vicinity of the head. Further, the airbag 106 is further supported by the belt 116 from the inside of the vehicle, and thereby, the occupant can be received and restrained sufficiently.

  The belt 116 has an effect of holding down the airbag 106 that rapidly inflates in the process of inflating and deploying the airbag 106, thereby stabilizing the deployment behavior of the airbag 106. Further, the belt 116 itself can catch an occupant. In particular, the vicinity of the occupant's waist 120c and thigh 120d can be received. In this way, the side airbag device 100 can exhibit high occupant restraint performance.

  In the present embodiment, by using the belt 116, it is possible to change the internal pressure of the airbag 106 depending on whether the seat back 104a is raised or inclined. Reference is again made to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, a vent hole 128 serving as a gas discharge hole is provided on the side surface 126 of the airbag 106 on the vehicle inner side. The vent hole 128 is provided at a position that is covered by the belt 116 when the airbag 106 is inflated and deployed when the seat back 104a stands. Therefore, when the seat back 104a stands, the amount of gas discharged per unit time is suppressed, and the internal pressure of the airbag 106 is increased. This is because an occupant in a normal seating posture tends to fall down to the inside of the vehicle due to an impact from the side, and a higher internal pressure is required to fully receive and restrain the upper body.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the seat back 104a of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 5, when the seat back 104 a is tilted backward, the vent hole 128 is detached from the belt 116. This is because the belt 116 is provided so as to be obliquely stretched from the upper part of the seat back 104a to the front part of the seat cushion 104b. This is because the position changes in the direction.

  Since the vent hole 128 is exposed, the amount of gas discharged from the vent hole 128 per unit time is increased and the internal pressure of the airbag 106 is lowered as compared to when the seat back 104a is raised. An occupant lying in a lying position is less likely to move even when subjected to a side impact than in a normal sitting position. Therefore, a high internal pressure is not required for the airbag 106, but rather, the effect of reducing the harmfulness can be obtained by reducing the internal pressure.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the relative position of the belt 116 with respect to the airbag 106 is changed in accordance with the inclination angle of the seat back 104a. Therefore, the loop portion 122 is configured to form a wide loop over this predetermined range so that the belt 116 can move over a predetermined range on the side surface of the airbag 106. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 2, through anchors 118a and 118b are attached to the end portions of the belt 116, and the position of the belt 116 changes more smoothly according to the tilting operation of the seat back 104a. It is possible.

  In the present embodiment, measures are also taken against friction between the airbag 106 and the belt 116. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the airbag 106 in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 6, in the airbag 106, a region where the belt 116 contacts is a reinforced region to which the reinforcing cloth 130 is attached, thereby improving durability against friction with the belt 116. Has been. In addition to the reinforcing cloth 130, the reinforcing region can be formed by reinforcing sewing.

(Modification)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the side airbag device 100 of FIG. FIG. 7A illustrates the side airbag device 200 that operates in a state in which the seat back 104a stands. The airbag 202 included in the side airbag device 200 has a larger diameter vent hole 204 than the airbag 106 illustrated in FIG. 3A and the like, and a belt 206 so that the vent hole 204 can be covered. The thick through anchor 208 is also used. The side airbag device 200 exhibits the same function as the side airbag device 100 shown in FIG. 3A and the like when the seat back 104a is standing.

  FIG. 7B illustrates the side airbag device 200 that operates in a state where the seat back 104a is tilted back. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, since the diameter of the vent hole 204 is large, the airbag 202 has a larger gas discharge amount per unit time than the airbag 106 (see FIG. 5), and the internal pressure is increased. It is extremely suppressed and deflated. Thus, the vent hole 204 having a large diameter functions as a canceller that suppresses the function of the airbag 202 in a state where the seat back 104a is tilted backward. Therefore, it is possible to lose the harmfulness to the occupant of the airbag 202.

  As a further modification, a configuration in which the number of vent holes installed is increased, or a configuration in which the diameters of the plurality of vent holes are different from each other may be employed. Thereby, the internal pressure of the airbag can be set more finely according to the situation.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the example which applied the airbag apparatus 100 concerning this invention to the motor vehicle was demonstrated, it is also possible to apply to an aircraft, a ship, etc. besides a motor vehicle, and obtains the same effect. Can do.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a side airbag device that includes an airbag that inflates and deploys from the vicinity of a side portion of a seat toward the side of an occupant when a vehicle side impact occurs.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 * 200 ... Side airbag apparatus, 102 ... Vehicle, 104 ... Vehicle seat, 104a ... Seat back, 104b ... Seat cushion, 106 * 202 ... Air bag, 108 ... Side surface of seat back, 110 ... Vehicle seat, 112 ... Housing, 114 ... Inflator, 116/206 ... Belt, 118a / 118b / 208 ... Through anchor, 120 ... Dummy, 120a ... Head, 120b ... Shoulder, 120c ... Waist, 120d ... Thigh, 121 ... Upper edge Part, 122 ... loop part, 124 ... connection point, 126 ... side surface of airbag (outside of airbag), 128 · 204 ... vent hole, 130 ... reinforcing cloth

Claims (7)

An airbag that is embedded in a side surface of a reclining vehicle seat including a seat back and a seat cushion, and that is inflated and deployed to the side of the occupant by a gas supplied from an inflator;
One end is connected to the upper part of the seat back, and is installed along the side of the seat back and the seat cushion through the outside as seen from the occupant of the embedded airbag. A belt-like member connected to the front portion of the seat cushion and tensioned by the inflated airbag to be stretched on the outside of the airbag,
The airbag has a vent hole for discharging the gas on the outer side surface thereof,
The vent hole is covered by the belt-like member when the airbag is inflated and deployed when the seat back is raised, and is provided at a position where the airbag is detached from the belt-like member when the airbag is inflated and deployed when the seat back is inclined. Side airbag device.   2. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the belt-like member is provided with a rotation fixing tool rotatably attached to the seat back or the seat cushion at the one end or the other end thereof. The airbag further has, on the outer surface, a belt-shaped member passage portion through which the belt-shaped member is passed,
The side airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the belt-shaped member passage portion supports the belt-shaped member so that the belt-shaped member can move over a predetermined range on the outer surface.   The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the airbag has a predetermined shape so as to support at least a shoulder or a head of an adult occupant during inflation and deployment. When the airbag is inflated and deployed, the upper edge portion of the airbag is located at a location away from the seat cushion as viewed from the one end of the belt-shaped member,
The side airbag according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the belt-shaped member extends from the one end toward the upper edge of the airbag toward the other end. apparatus.   6. The air bag according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing region formed by a reinforcing cloth or reinforcing sewing in a region of the outer surface which is in contact with the belt-shaped member. Side airbag device. The airbag is embedded in the side surface of the seat back in the vehicle width direction,
The belt-shaped member is provided so as to pass through the inside of the embedded airbag.
The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vent hole is provided on a side surface of the airbag inside the vehicle.

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