JP2015009623A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device that can be surely arranged without being affected by a shape of an attaching target part, can improve attachment workability and conveyability by being unitized, and can flexibly correspond to a variety of modes of installing or not installing the airbag device.SOLUTION: A side airbag device SA arranged between a vehicle body and a rear seat is provided, which includes at least an expandable airbag, an inflator 22 for injecting gas inside the airbag, and a case 10 for housing the airbag and the inflator 22. The airbag device SA is unitized in a state that the airbag and the inflator 22 are housed in the case 10, so that the whole unit can be attached to and detached from an attaching target part K.

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device for alleviating an impact applied from the side of a vehicle, and more particularly to a side airbag device suitably applied to a rear seat.

Conventionally, as a side airbag device, an inflator for injecting gas into the airbag,
2. Description of the Related Art A resin cover that covers an airbag and an inflator from the front side and a metal box for attaching the inflator to the cover is known (see Patent Document 1).
Specifically, in this technique, when an airbag is inflated with an inflator, the airbag destroys the thin portion of the resin cover and inflates and deploys the airbag.
The (side) airbag device of this example is fixed in a space formed between the vehicle body (wall portion on the vehicle inner side) and the backrest portion of the rear seat.
That is, this (side) airbag device has an inflator and an airbag as main components, and the inflator and the airbag are bolted to the space via an L-shaped inner cover.

JP 2009-40328 A

The side airbag device having such a configuration is configured to be attached to a space formed between the vehicle body (wall portion on the vehicle inner side) and the backrest portion of the rear seat.
However, the side airbag device having such a configuration has a problem that the attachment to the attached portion is complicated and workability is impaired.
For this reason, development of the side airbag apparatus which can be easily and reliably attached to a to-be-attached part was desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device that realizes an improvement in mounting workability by being unitized.

  According to a side airbag device according to claim 1 of the present invention, there is provided a side airbag device provided between a vehicle body and a rear seat, the airbag device being an inflatable airbag And an inflator for injecting gas into the airbag, and a case for storing the airbag and the inflator, and the airbag device includes the airbag and This is solved by being unitized in a state in which the inflator is stored and being detachable from the attached portion together with the unit.

With this configuration, the side airbag device is completed as one unit.
As described above, the side airbag device according to the present invention is unitized with the airbag unit attached (completed as a single unit) and can be installed by the attachment method. It becomes easy and workability is improved.

At this time, as in claim 2, the attached portion has a configuration selected from a hole portion, a notch portion, and a cut portion, and the case has a free end portion of the attached portion. A locking portion for locking is provided, and it is preferable that the locking portion is attached to the mounted portion by the locking force of the locking portion.
By comprising in this way, the unitized side airbag apparatus can be easily and reliably attached by the latching | locking part.

Further, at this time, as in claim 3, the attached portion has a configuration selected from a hole portion, a notch portion, and a cut portion, and the case holds the free end of the attached portion. It is preferable that an engagement guide portion for guiding the arrangement position and positioning is formed.
Specifically, as in claim 4, it is preferable that the engagement guide portion is formed at an end portion in the axial direction of the inflator in the case.
By configuring the engagement guide portion in this way, installation operability is improved and positioning is facilitated. In addition, mounting stability is improved.

Further, as a specific configuration of the position of the locking portion, as in claim 5, the locking portion is arranged on the end surface of the case on the side of the mounted member on the vehicle front side. Preferably it is formed.
Further, as in claim 6, the case is configured as a bottomed casing, and a flange-shaped peripheral edge is formed in the bottomed casing opening of the case over the entire circumference. The peripheral portion is preferably disposed on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the bottom wall of the case, and the locking portion is preferably formed on the peripheral portion.

As a more specific configuration, as in claim 7, it is preferable that the locking portion is provided so that a locking force acts in a direction different from the axial direction of the inflator. As described above, it is preferable that a plurality of the locking portions are provided so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the inflator.
If comprised in this way, the attachment stability of an airbag apparatus will improve.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the outer surface of the case is provided with a rib portion that protrudes outward for reinforcement, and the locking portion is a position where the rib portion is formed. It is preferable that it is formed at a position that matches the mounting height because the mounting rigidity is improved.

  Specifically, as in claim 10, the rib portion is constituted by a locking portion side rib portion formed at a position aligned with the locking portion, and other normal rib portions, It is preferable that the engagement portion side rib portion has a smaller amount of outward protrusion than the normal rib portion.

More specifically, as described in claim 11, it is preferable that the rib portion is connected to a vehicle body structure.
Further, as in claim 12, it is preferable that the rib portion functions as a rib for skin attachment, and more specifically, as in claim 13, the rib portion is aligned with the locking portion. It is preferable that the engaging portion side rib portion and other normal rib portions are formed at positions where the ribs for attaching the skin are the normal rib portions.
If comprised in this way, while being able to give a some function to a rib, rigidity also improves.

Further, as in claim 14, it is preferable that a baffle attachment portion is formed in the case, and as in claim 15, a baffle through hole is formed in a side surface of the case. In addition, it is preferable that the locking portion is formed at a position avoiding the baffle through hole in the vehicle vertical direction.
By being configured in this manner, it is possible to cope with even a case where a wadding is used, and it is possible to secure rigidity because the engaging portion is formed avoiding the through hole portion.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle is mounted, the case is disposed such that the opening of the case faces the front of the vehicle, and the opening is disposed at the front end of the rear backside. It is advantageous in positioning if at least a part of the pad is inserted.

According to the side airbag device of the first aspect, the attachment work is facilitated and the workability is improved.
According to the side airbag device of the second aspect, the side airbag device can be easily and reliably attached to the locking portion.
According to the side airbag device of the third and fourth aspects, installation operability is improved and positioning is facilitated. In addition, mounting stability is improved.
According to the side airbag apparatus of Claim 5, Claim 6, Claim 7, and Claim 8, the attachment stability of an airbag apparatus improves.
According to the side airbag device of the ninth aspect, the mounting rigidity is improved.
According to the side airbag device of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth aspects, the rib can have a plurality of functions and the rigidity is also improved.
According to the side airbag device of the fourteenth and fifteenth aspects, it is possible to cope with even the case of using a wadding, and the rigidity is ensured because the engaging portion is formed avoiding the through hole portion. be able to.
According to the side airbag device of the sixteenth aspect, positioning can be performed easily and reliably.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | positioning place of the side airbag apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective explanatory view of a side airbag device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attaching part of the side airbag apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment state of the side airbag apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the storage case and closure member which concern on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings.
In addition, embodiment described below is only the illustration which showed application of this invention, and does not limit this invention.
That is, the shape, dimensions, arrangement, and the like of the members described below can be changed and improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof.

  1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the location of the side airbag device, FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view of the side airbag device, and FIG. Is a perspective view showing a mounting portion of the side airbag device, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a mounting state of the side airbag device, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a storage case and a closing member.

In the following description, the front-rear direction of the vehicle means the front-rear direction during normal travel, and the inner side of the vehicle (hereinafter also simply referred to as the inner side) means the vehicle interior side (vehicle interior side). This means that the outside of the vehicle (hereinafter also simply referred to as the outside) means the outside of the vehicle.
In this description, front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom are based on the occupant sitting on the rear seat S.

<Vehicle internal configuration>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the side airbag device SA is formed in an elongated shape and is provided between the vehicle body C and the rear seat S.
In addition, since the left and right side airbag devices SA have a symmetrical structure, the following description will be given on behalf of one side airbag device SA.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side airbag device SA mainly includes a case 10 and an airbag unit 20 accommodated in the case 10.
The case 10 according to the present embodiment is a resin member that defines the external shape of the side airbag device SA, and is formed as a long bottomed casing that extends in the vertical direction.

The side airbag device SA according to the present embodiment is unitized independently, which is a major feature.
Although the attachment method will be described in detail later, the unitized side airbag device SA is attached to an airbag attachment hole K1 formed in the backside member K shown in FIG.
That is, instead of assembling individual members as in the prior art, the side airbag device SA according to the present embodiment is already unitized, and the side airbag device can be removed by attaching and detaching the side airbag device SA. SA can be easily attached or removed.
In other words, it is sufficient for the mounted member to have a hole or a recess for mounting it, and therefore it is possible to respond flexibly even if the shape of the mounted portion changes, and the versatility is dramatically increased. improves.

The case 10 is formed in a bottomed housing shape with an outer bottom wall 11, first side walls 12 and 12, and second side walls 13 and 13.
The bottom wall 11 is a substantially rectangular flat plate portion, and the first side walls 12 and 12 are erected from the opposing short sides, and the second side walls 13 and 13 are from the opposing long sides. The first side walls 12 and 12 stand up in the same direction as the upright direction.
That is, the bottomed wall 11, the first side walls 12, 12 and the second side walls 13, 13 form a bottomed casing (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “bottomed casing part M”).
A flange-shaped peripheral edge portion 14 is formed at the opening end of the bottomed housing portion M.
The peripheral edge 14 is formed in a flange shape over the entire circumference of the open end of the bottomed casing M.
The bottom wall 11 has two inflator attachment holes 11a (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the case 10 according to the present embodiment is formed with an engagement guide portion 15 and a locking claw portion 16.
The engagement guide portions 15 are formed one by one above the first side walls 12 and 12 (open end side) (two in total), and the locking claw portions 16 are formed on the second side walls 13 and 13. Two (two in total) are formed on the upper side (opening end side).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, one engagement guide portion 15 is formed so as to protrude outward from the position above the first side walls 12, 12.
As shown in FIG. 5, the engagement guide portion 15 has an upper piece 15a, a lower piece 15b, and a rib portion 15c as main components.

The upper piece 15a is formed so as to protrude outward from the peripheral portion 14 so that the upper surface (surface on the opening end portion side) is flush with the upper surface of the peripheral portion 14 (surface on the opening end portion side). A rectangular flat plate portion.
The lower piece 15b is formed slightly smaller than the upper piece 15a, and protrudes outward from the first side wall 12.

The lower piece 15b is formed so as to project from the lower side by a distance t1 from the position of the upper piece 15a, and extends substantially parallel to the upper piece 15a.
This distance t1 is configured to be substantially the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the backside member K (specifically, the thickness of the periphery of the airbag mounting hole K1).

By adopting this configuration, the peripheral portion of the airbag attachment hole K1 (hereinafter referred to as “attachment peripheral portion K11”) can be held between the upper piece 15a and the lower piece 15b.
The rib portion 15c bridges the inner corner formed by the lower surface of the lower piece 15b (the surface on the side where the bottom wall 11 is disposed) and the outer surface of the first side wall 12 (this inner corner is To reinforce the part.

Next, the locking claw portion 16 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, two locking claws 16 are formed so as to protrude outward from positions above the second side walls 13, 13.
The latching claw portion 16 mainly includes a hook portion 16a and a rib portion 16c.

The hook portion 16a falls from the end portion of the peripheral edge portion 14 toward the lower direction (the side where the bottom wall 11 is disposed) (hereinafter, this falling portion is referred to as “hook falling portion 161”), lower end This is a hook-shaped portion having a substantially L-shaped cross section that is folded outward from the portion (hereinafter, this folded portion is referred to as a “hook engaging portion 162”).
It is preferable that the hook falling portion 161 falls with an inner corner that is an obtuse angle with respect to the peripheral portion 14.
By falling in this way, when the hook locking portion 162 is locked, the locked portion can be pressed by its restoring force, so that the mounting rigidity is improved.

Moreover, the hook part 16a which comprises the latching claw part 16 is comprised so that a latching force may act in the direction different from the axial direction of the inflator 22, and, thereby, stability improves.
Further, a plurality of locking claws 16 are provided so as to be arranged in parallel substantially in the axial direction of the inflator 22.
That is, it is disposed at a position sandwiching the inflator 22 and improves the mounting stability.
Furthermore, although illustration is omitted, the bottom wall 11 is formed with a force cloth attaching portion for attaching the end of the force cloth, and the second side wall 13 is formed with a force cloth through hole for allowing the force cloth to penetrate into and out of the case 10. The locking claw portion 16 is formed at a position that avoids the position where the baffle through hole is formed in the axial direction of the inflator 22. Therefore, rigidity can be improved.

The rib portion 16c includes a locking portion side rib portion 163 disposed at a position where the locking claw portion 16 is formed, and a normal rib portion 164 disposed at a position where the locking claw portion 16 is not formed. It consists of
The locking portion side rib portion 163 protrudes outward from the second side wall 13, and is formed between the lower surface of the peripheral edge portion 14 (the surface on the side where the bottom wall 11 is disposed) and the outer surface of the first side wall 12. It arrange | positions so that the inner corner formed may be bridge | crosslinked (it fills in this inner corner), and the said part is reinforced.
The amount of protrusion of the locking rib portion 163 in the outer direction is configured to be smaller than the amount of protrusion of the normal rib portion in the outer direction.
The normal rib portion 164 is a rib that protrudes outward from the second side wall 13, functions as a skin mounting rib, and is disposed at a position shifted in the vertical direction from the locking claw portion 16. (That is, they are not formed at the same position in the vertical direction).
In addition, the said normal rib part 164 can also be connected with a vehicle structure.

The case 10 thus configured is attached to an airbag attachment hole K1 formed in the backside member K.
The bottomed housing portion M configured by the bottom wall 11, the first side walls 12 and 12, and the third side walls 13 and 13 is inserted into the airbag mounting hole K <b> 1.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper piece 15a and the lower piece 15b constituting the engagement guide portion 15 sandwich the position portion where the engagement guide portion 15 is disposed in the attachment peripheral portion K11.
That is, according to the configuration, the case 10 can be guided to the arrangement position and positioned.

Further, when the case 10 is attached to the airbag attachment hole K1, a hook attachment hole K12 may be formed at a position where the hook portion 16a is disposed (see FIG. 6A).
As shown in FIG. 6A, the hook portion 16 a passes through the hook attachment hole K <b> 12 and is locked by the hook locking portion 162.
The position of the hook attachment hole K12 is shown as an example, and can be appropriately selected depending on the shape of the attachment peripheral edge K11. For example, when it is gently inclined toward the end, the attachment hole K12 may be formed on this inclined surface.

In addition, the variation of the latching state was shown by FIG.6 (b).
In FIG.6 (b), the position part in which the latching claw part 16 is arrange | positioned among the attachment peripheral parts K11 is latched by the hook part 16a.
In this case, the vertical length of the hook falling portion 161 may be formed slightly longer than the thickness of the attachment peripheral edge K11.
Note that, as described above, the hook falling portion 161 is formed with an inner corner that is an obtuse angle with respect to the peripheral edge portion 14, so that when the hook portion 16a is locked, the hook falling portion 161 is attached by its restoring force. The peripheral edge K11 can be pressed, and the mounting rigidity is improved.
In this way, the side airbag device SA is easily attached to the backside member K.

Note that an airbag unit 20 is fixed inside the case 10 configured as a bottomed housing, and one side airbag device SA according to the present embodiment is provided in this state. It is completed as a unit.
The airbag unit 20 may be any configuration as long as a normally used airbag module is used, and an example will be briefly described below.

As described above, the airbag unit 20 includes an airbag (not shown) that is housed in the casing of the case 10 and expands in a balloon shape when deployed, and an inflator 22 that injects gas into the airbag. , Provided as the main configuration. A known inflator is used for the inflator 22, and a substantially cylindrical gas generator is mainly configured.
In addition, normally, this gas generator is fixed to the bottom wall 11 which comprises the case 10, in the state hold | maintained at the holding member called a retainer.

  This retainer is configured, for example, by forming a sheet metal into a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape, and is configured to hold the gas generator 23 therein. A rear surface that is a contact surface with the bottom wall 11 of the retainer is a flat surface, and two male screw portions are integrally provided at appropriate positions so as to protrude rearward. The gas generator 23 is attached to the case 10 via a retainer by threading the male thread portion through an inflator attachment hole 11a (see FIG. 4) formed in the bottom wall 11.

Further, when the side airbag device SA is mounted, as shown in FIG. 7A, the case 10 according to the present embodiment can be used, but when the side airbag device SA is not mounted, A closed part SB as shown in FIG. 7B may be used.
The closing member SB is formed in a shape that matches the shape of the opening of the case 10, and similarly, an upper piece 15a and a hook portion 16a are formed.
Therefore, when the side airbag device SA is not mounted, this portion can be blocked by mounting the blocking member SB in the airbag mounting hole K1.

Thus, the side airbag device SA according to the present embodiment is completed as one unit.
Therefore, even if the shape of the attached member (backside member K etc.) changes, it can respond flexibly. In other words, it has versatility that can be used flexibly even when different vehicle types or design changes.
Moreover, since it can unitize in the state which attached the airbag unit 20, it becomes possible to protect the airbag unit 20 at the time of conveyance, and a conveyance property also improves.
Furthermore, since it has been completed as a single unit and can be installed by the attachment method, it is easy to install and improves workability, and it can flexibly cope with the mounting and non-mounting of the airbag device SA. It becomes possible.
When the side airbag device SA is mounted on the vehicle, the case 10 is disposed such that the opening thereof faces the front of the vehicle, and at least the pad disposed at the front end portion of the rear back side is disposed in the opening. Part is configured to be inserted.
Thereby, positioning becomes easy.

SA Side airbag device 10 Case M Bottomed housing part 11 Bottom wall 11a Inflator mounting hole 12 First side wall 13 Second side wall 14 Peripheral part 15 Engagement guide part 15a Upper piece 15b Lower piece 15c Rib part 16 Locking claw part (Locking part)
16a hook part 161 hook falling part 162 hook engaging part 16c rib part 163 engaging part side rib part 164 normal rib part 20 airbag unit 22 inflator C vehicle body K backside member K1 airbag attaching hole K11 attaching peripheral part K12 hook Mounting hole M Bottomed housing part S Rear seat SB Closing member

Claims (16)

A side airbag device provided between a vehicle body and a rear seat,
The airbag device includes at least an inflatable airbag, an inflator that injects gas into the airbag, and a case that stores the airbag and the inflator.
The airbag device is unitized in a state where the airbag and the inflator are stored in the case, and the airbag device is detachable from the attached portion together with the unit. The attached portion has a configuration selected from a hole, a notch, and a cutting portion,
The case is provided with a locking portion for locking a free end portion of the mounted portion, and is attached to the mounted portion by a locking force of the locking portion. Item 11. The side airbag device according to Item 1. The attached portion has a configuration selected from a hole, a notch, and a cutting portion,
3. The side according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the case is formed with an engaging guide portion that guides a placement position while sandwiching a free end of the attached portion and performs positioning. Airbag device.   The side airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the engagement guide portion is formed at an end portion in an axial direction of the inflator in the case.   The said latching | locking part is formed in the said case so that it may be arrange | positioned at the end surface of the side located in the vehicle front side of the said to-be-attached member. The side airbag device described in 1. The case is configured as a bottomed housing,
In the bottomed housing opening of the case, a flange-shaped peripheral edge is formed over the entire circumference,
6. The peripheral portion is disposed on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the bottom wall of the case, and the locking portion is formed on the peripheral portion. The side airbag device according to one item.   The side airbag device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the locking portion is provided so that a locking force acts in a direction different from an axial direction of the inflator.   The side airbag device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein a plurality of the locking portions are provided so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the inflator.   The outer side surface of the case is provided with a rib portion that protrudes outward for reinforcement, and the locking portion is formed at a position that matches the position at which the rib portion is formed. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein The rib portion is composed of a locking portion side rib portion formed at a position aligned with the locking portion, and other normal rib portions,
The side airbag device according to claim 9, wherein the locking portion side rib portion has a smaller amount of outward protrusion than the normal rib portion.   The side airbag device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the rib portion is connected to a structure of a vehicle body.   The side airbag device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the rib portion functions as a rib for skin attachment. The rib portion is composed of a locking portion side rib portion formed at a position aligned with the locking portion, and other normal rib portions,
The side airbag device according to claim 12, wherein the rib for attaching the skin is the normal rib portion.   The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a bundling attachment portion is formed in the case.   2. A baffle through hole is formed on a side surface of the case, and the locking portion is formed at a position avoiding the baffle through hole in a vehicle vertical direction. The side airbag device according to claim 14. When mounted on a vehicle
The case is arranged so that the opening of the case faces the front of the vehicle,
The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein at least a part of a pad disposed at a front end portion of the rear back side is inserted into the opening.

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