JP2015120382A - Occupant crash protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an occupant crash protection device that can smoothly protect an occupant who moves toward the obliquely front side that is the central side in the lateral direction and the front side of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An occupant crash protection device includes: a driver seat air bag 29; a front passenger seat air bag 34; and a central air bag 45 inflated between the driver seat air bag 29 and the front passenger seat air bag 34. When completely inflated, the central air bag 45 protrudes to the rear side of the driver seat air bag 29 and the front passenger seat air bag 34 and thus can receive occupants M who move to the central side in the lateral direction at the time of vehicle collision. Right and left sides of the central air bag 45 that has been completely inflated are made to come close to or come into contact with the driver seat air bag 29 and the front passenger seat air bag 34 that have been completely inflated, and the front surface on completion of inflation is supported by an instrument panel 4. An occupant upper portion receiving section 54 that can receive the shoulder MS or the head MH of the occupant M is provided on the rear surface of the central air bag 45 that has been completely inflated.

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device including a driver seat airbag, a passenger seat airbag, and a central airbag that is inflated between a driver seat airbag and a passenger seat airbag.

  Conventionally, as a passenger protection device configured to inflate a central airbag between a driver airbag and a passenger airbag, the central airbag is provided between the driver airbag and the passenger airbag. A portion arranged along the vertical direction so as to fill the space, and a portion arranged along the left-right direction so as to be arranged above the driver airbag and the passenger airbag. In addition, there is a configuration that is substantially T-shaped when viewed from the vehicle rear side (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2011-51512 A JP 2011-51513 A

  In this conventional occupant protection device, the central airbag completes inflating so as to cover the vehicle instrument panel and the rear side of the front window (the vehicle interior side). The interference with the panel and the windshield was suppressed. However, in this conventional occupant protection device, the central airbag has a lower region disposed substantially along the vertical direction when inflation is completed, and a driver airbag and a passenger airbag that have completed inflation. However, the front panel is supported by the instrument panel, but is inflated with a gap between the driver airbag and the passenger airbag. For this reason, in this conventional occupant protection device, the occupant (front occupant) seated in the driver's seat or front passenger seat is on the diagonally forward side, which is the center side in the left-right direction and forward, due to an oblique collision or offset collision. When moving toward the vehicle, the occupant may not be accurately received by the central airbag.

  This invention solves the above-mentioned subject, and provides the passenger | crew protection apparatus which can protect smoothly the passenger | crew who moves toward the diagonally forward side which becomes the center side of the left-right direction of a vehicle, and the front. Objective.

The occupant protection device according to the present invention is capable of protecting an occupant seated in a driver seat or a passenger seat of a vehicle,
A driver's seat airbag that inflates to cover the upper surface of the steering wheel disposed in front of the driver's seat, a passenger's seat airbag that inflates to protrude rearward from the instrument panel in front of the passenger seat, and driving An occupant protection device comprising a central airbag inflated between a driver airbag and a passenger airbag in a region between the seat and the passenger seat,
The central airbag is folded and stored in a position on the lower side of the area between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and is deployed and inflated so as to protrude upward. And rearwardly projecting from the passenger seat airbag, and configured to receive an occupant who moves to the center in the left-right direction in the event of a vehicle collision,
The left and right sides at the completion of inflation are placed close to or in contact with the driver airbag and passenger airbag that have been inflated, and the front when the inflation is completed is supported by the instrument panel. It is characterized by comprising an occupant upper receiving part capable of receiving the shoulder or head of the occupant on the rear surface side when completed.

  In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, the driver seat airbag, the passenger seat airbag, and the occupant seated on the driver seat or the passenger seat when the inflation of the center airbag is completed are When the vehicle moves toward the front side, which is the front side, the occupant is received by the rear side portion of the central airbag. Because it is close to or in contact with the passenger airbag, it is restrained from moving left and right so that it can slip through the passenger, and the passenger's shoulder and head are received by the passenger upper receiving part on the rear side. Can do. At this time, since the front side of the central airbag is supported by the instrument panel, the occupant's shoulder and head can be accurately restrained by the occupant upper receiving portion. Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, the central airbag is configured to be deployed and inflated so as to protrude upward from below, so that the head is directed further downward while heading obliquely forward. The occupant's head that moves can be accurately received by the occupant upper receiving part on the rear side without slipping through. At this time, the central airbag is disposed so as to protrude rearward from the driver airbag and the passenger airbag when the inflation is completed, in other words, the occupant upper catching portion Since the occupant is disposed at a position protruding rearward from the passenger seat airbag, the occupant is restrained by the occupant upper receiving portion, the head, the occupant upper receiving portion, and the driver seat airbag. Alternatively, the head is restrained by being received by the occupant upper receiving portion while entering the gap between the passenger seat airbag and the airbag. Therefore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, at the time of an oblique collision or an offset collision, the occupant's shoulder and head that move toward the obliquely forward side, which is the center side in the left-right direction and forward, are used as the driver seat airbag. And the passenger airbag can be restrained smoothly by a central airbag that is inflated so as to be disposed between the passenger airbag and the passenger airbag.

  Therefore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly protect the occupant moving toward the oblique front side, which is the center side in the left-right direction of the vehicle and forward.

  Further, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, if the central airbag is configured such that the front lower end side when the inflation is completed is connected to the body side of the vehicle and is stored in the area on the front side when the inflation is completed, Since the central airbag projects rearward and projects upward and expands and inflates, it prevents the occupant from moving forward even if the occupant is received at the initial stage of expansion of the central airbag. It is preferable because it can be received stably, and the occupant moving toward the front can be quickly restrained.

  Further, in the occupant protection device having the above-described configuration, when the inflation is completed in the central airbag, the rear portion that protrudes rearward from the driver airbag and the passenger airbag is provided for the driver airbag and the passenger airbag. If it is configured to be wider to the left and right than the front part disposed between the airbag and the passenger, the passenger can be received in a wide range from side to side, which makes it easier to restrain the shoulders.

  Furthermore, in the occupant protection device configured as described above, if the upper end of the central airbag when the inflation is completed is positioned below the upper end of the headrest of the driver seat or the passenger seat, The head of the occupant moving further downward can be received more accurately by the upper end portion of the occupant upper receiving portion in which the upper end when the inflation is completed is positioned below the upper end of the headrest. It is preferable.

  Furthermore, in the occupant protection device configured as described above, if the amount of rearward protrusion from the passenger airbag when the central airbag is inflated is set within the range of 50 to 150 mm, the central air The bag will be arranged to protrude moderately from the passenger airbag, and depending on the state of the collision, even if the forward movement state (mode) of the occupant differs, It is possible to receive the occupant's shoulder, and it is preferable that the occupant moving diagonally forward can be received more accurately.

1 is a schematic plan view illustrating each airbag of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a partially broken schematic side view explaining the occupant protection device of the embodiment. It is a schematic front view explaining each airbag of the passenger protection device of an embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of a state in which a central airbag used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment is inflated alone. It is a schematic cross-sectional view along the front-back direction of the center airbag of FIG. It is a schematic plan view which shows the state which each airbag completed the expansion | swelling in the passenger | crew protection apparatus of embodiment. In an occupant protection device of an embodiment, it is an outline side view showing the state where each air bag completed inflation. In the occupant protection device of the embodiment, it is a schematic rear view showing a state in which the central airbag protects the occupant when each airbag completes inflation. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged schematic plan view showing a state in which a central airbag protects an occupant when each airbag completes inflation in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. It is a partially broken schematic side view illustrating an occupant protection device of another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an occupant protection device S according to the embodiment includes a driver seat airbag device 28, a passenger seat airbag device 33, and A central airbag device 40 is provided.

  In the embodiment, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are the same as the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions of the vehicle V unless otherwise specified.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driver's seat airbag device 28 is mounted on the boss portion 14 at the center of the steering wheel 13 of the steering device 12. The steering wheel 13 is disposed in front of the driver's seat 18 and is configured to be able to steer the vehicle V by gripping the ring portion 15 and rotating it in a predetermined direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the passenger seat airbag device 33 is mounted in an area on the front side of the passenger seat 23 (passenger seat side portion 6) in the instrument panel (hereinafter simply referred to as “instrument panel”) 4. Has been. In the case of the embodiment, the driver seat airbag device 28 and the passenger seat airbag device 33 operate in the case of a frontal collision, an oblique collision, an offset collision, and a side collision of the vehicle V. The driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34 are configured to be deployed and inflated.

  The driver's seat airbag 29 is folded and accommodated in the boss portion 14 of the steering wheel 13 as a bag formed from a flexible sheet body, and the driver's seat airbag device 28 is operated. Occasionally, the upper body (chest, abdomen, head, etc.) of the driver MD as the occupant M moving forward can be received, and an inflating gas from an inflator (not shown) is caused to flow into the interior and protrude rearward from the boss portion 14. (See FIGS. 6 to 8). The driver's seat airbag 29 is configured as a substantially disk shape having an outer diameter larger than that of the ring portion 15 when the inflation is completed, and covers the entire upper surface (rear surface) of the steering wheel 13 when the inflation is completed. Will be arranged.

  The passenger seat airbag 34 is folded and stored in the passenger seat side portion 6 of the instrument panel 4 as a bag formed of a flexible sheet body. During operation, an inflating gas from an inflator (not shown) flows into the interior of the passenger seat MP as a passenger M who moves forward, so that the upper body (chest, abdomen, head, etc.) can be received. It will expand | deploy so that it may protrude back from the seat side part 6. FIG. The airbag 34 for the passenger seat has a shape at the time when the inflation is completed so that it is converged forward with the substantially rectangular occupant side wall 35 on the rear surface side (passenger seat mounter MP side) as the bottom wall. It is comprised as a quadrangular pyramid shape (refer FIGS. 6-8). In the case of the embodiment, the passenger-seat airbag 34 projects slightly rearward from the driver-seat airbag 29 that has been inflated when viewed from the left-right direction side in the inflated state. Are arranged (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the central airbag device 40 supplies a central airbag 45 that inflates between the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34, and supplies inflation gas to the central airbag 45. The inflator 43 includes a case 41 that houses the folded central airbag 45 and the inflator 43, and an airbag cover 42 that covers the opening 41 a of the case 41. In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the central airbag device 40 is on the front side of the region between the driver's seat 18 and the passenger seat 23, and is located rearward in the vicinity of the left and right centers of the instrument panel 4. It is mounted on the projecting portion of the center cluster 5.

  In the case of the embodiment, the case 41 is arranged so as to incline backward and upward with respect to the front-rear direction. The case 41 is attached to a member on the body side of the vehicle V at a predetermined location (not shown). In the embodiment, the airbag cover 42 is made of synthetic resin and is integrally formed with the center cluster 5. The airbag cover 42 covers the opening 41a on the vehicle rear side of the case 41 and is pushed forward by a central airbag 45 that is inflated when the inflator 43 is operated, and forward from the periphery of the door portion 42a. And an attachment piece portion 42b attached to the case 41. In the case of the embodiment, the door portion 42a is configured to open by being opened downward as shown in FIG.

  In the embodiment, the inflator 43 is a cylinder type whose outer shape is a substantially cylindrical shape. Specifically, the inflator 43 includes a gas discharge port (not shown) capable of discharging inflation gas on the rear end side, and the inflation gas discharged from the gas discharge port flows into the central airbag 45. It is connected to a mounting portion 46 described later of the central airbag 45 (see FIG. 7). The inflator 43 is attached to the case 41 together with the attachment portion 46 of the central airbag 45 using a predetermined attachment means. The inflator 43 is electrically connected to an airbag operation circuit (not shown) through a lead wire (not shown). Further, in the case of the embodiment, the inflator 43 is also subjected to a frontal collision, an oblique collision, an offset collision, and a side collision of the vehicle V, similarly to the driver airbag apparatus 28 and the passenger airbag apparatus 33. In addition, it is configured to operate.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the central airbag 45 is inflated between the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34 as a bag formed from a flexible sheet. It is configured. The central airbag 45 is configured to receive an occupant M (driver MD or front passenger seat MP) that moves to the center in the left-right direction in the event of an oblique collision or offset collision of the vehicle V. Yes. In the case of the embodiment, the central airbag 45 extends from the front lower end side of the main body 47 and the main body 47 disposed between the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34 when the inflation is completed. And a mounting portion 46 that is connected to the case 41 and is attached to the case 41 so that the main body portion 47 allows the inflation gas from the inflator 43 to flow into the interior and protrudes rearward and upward from the case 41. It is configured to expand and expand. That is, the central airbag 45 is configured such that the front lower end side when the inflation is completed is connected to the body side of the vehicle V via the case 41.

  Further, the main body 47 of the central airbag 45 is configured so that the upper end 47a is positioned below the upper ends 20a and 25a of the headrests 20 and 25 of the driver seat 18 or the passenger seat 23 when the inflation is completed. Specifically, the main body portion 47 of the central airbag 45 has an upper end 47a at the time of completion of inflation below the upper ends 20a and 25a of the headrests 20 and 25, and the backrest portion 19 of the driver seat 18 or the passenger seat 23, It is comprised so that it may be located above the upper ends 19a and 24a of 24. That is, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the main body portion 47 of the central airbag 45 is seated on the occupant M (the driver MD seated on the driver's seat 18 or the passenger seat 23 when the upper end 47 a is completed. The front passenger seat MP) is positioned below the top of the head MH. Further, in the embodiment, the main body portion 47 of the central airbag 45 is configured so that the lower end 47b when the inflation is completed is disposed close to the upper surface 9a of the center console 9 disposed behind the center cluster 5. (See FIG. 7). Further, the main body portion 47 of the central airbag 45 has a front surface 47c side supported by the center cluster 5 of the instrument panel 4 when inflation is completed, and a rear surface that protrudes rearward from the driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34. An occupant upper receiving portion 54 capable of receiving the shoulder MS or the head MH of the occupant M is disposed on the 47d side (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  Further, the main body portion 47 of the central airbag 45 is formed into a substantially rectangular plate shape when the inflation is completed, as shown in FIG. 4, and the front side portion 48 arranged on the front side is for the driver's seat where the inflation is completed. The rear portion 52 disposed between the airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34 and connected to the rear side of the front portion 48 is connected to the driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34. It is comprised so that it may protrude back (refer FIG. 6). When the central airbag 45 is completely inflated, the front side portion 48 is brought into pressure contact with the driver-side airbag 29 and the passenger-side airbag 34 that have completed inflation (see FIG. 5). A support portion 49 supported by the instrument panel 4 is provided on the front side when the expansion is completed (see FIG. 7). In the embodiment, the central airbag 45 is configured to be inflated even at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, and at the time of the frontal collision of the vehicle V, the driver's seat airbag 29 and the passenger's seat airbag that have been completely inflated. 34 protects the driver MD and the passenger seat passenger MP moving forward. Therefore, in the embodiment, the front portion 48 of the main body 47 of the central airbag 45 moves the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34 left and right so as to move the protection area to the left and right outwards. It is configured to inflate while filling a gap between the driver's seat airbag 29 and the passenger's seat airbag 34 in a state in which pushing out is suppressed. Specifically, a belt-like tether 50 that connects the left side wall 48b and the right side wall 48c in the front side portion 48 so as to regulate the separation distance between the left side wall 48b and the right side wall 48c when the expansion is completed. They are arranged substantially along the left-right direction (see FIGS. 4 and 5). In the case of the embodiment, the tether 50 is disposed at one position slightly above the center of the top and bottom (see FIG. 7). In the case of the embodiment, the front side portion 48 is brought into pressure contact with the left side wall 48b and the right side wall 48c by the passenger seat airbag 34 and the driver seat airbag 29 that have been inflated. . Further, in the case of the embodiment, the support portion 49 formed in the front side portion 48 is configured from the rear region of the attachment portion 46 in the front wall 48a that is the front side when the expansion is completed. Then, it is supported by the part of the center cluster 5 which is the rear peripheral edge of the case 41 (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the rear portion 52 is configured to be wider left and right than the front portion 48 when the expansion is completed. In other words, the rear portion 52 overlaps with the driver's seat airbag 29 or the passenger's seat airbag 34 in a front view when the inflation is completed (see FIG. 8). It is set as the structure provided with the bulging part 53 bulged toward. In the case of the embodiment, the rear portion 52 is set such that the width dimension L1 on the left and right sides when the expansion is completed is about twice the width dimension L2 on the left and right sides when the front portion 48 is expanded (see FIG. (See FIG. 5). The amount of overlap of the inflated portion 53 with the driver seat airbag 29 or the passenger seat airbag 34 in a front view is the same as that of the driver seat airbag 29 that has been inflated at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle V. It is set in a range in which the driver MD and the passenger seat mounter MP moving forward can be accurately received by the passenger seat airbag 34.

  In addition, the rear side portion 52 of the occupant M (driver MD, passenger seat mounter MP) moving to the center side in the left-right direction is located at the portion of the bulging portion 53 on the rear surface 47d side when the inflation is completed. An occupant upper receiving portion 54 that receives the shoulder MS or the head MH is disposed. More specifically, the occupant upper receiving portion 54 is formed in the rear portion 52 from the rear wall 53a of the bulging portion 53 formed so as to bulge to the left and right. It is comprised from the part over the wall 53c. As described above, the rear portion 52 (main body portion 47) is configured so that the upper end 47a at the completion of the expansion is positioned below the upper ends 20a, 25a of the headrests 20, 25 of the driver seat 18 or the passenger seat 23. Therefore, the occupant upper receiving portion 54 positions the upper end 54a below the head MH of the occupant M (driver MD, passenger seat mounter MP) seated in the driver seat 18 or the passenger seat 23. It becomes. Therefore, at the time of collision of the vehicle V, with the waist part restrained by a lap belt (not shown) of the seat belt B, the shoulder belt SB (the seat belt B of the seat belt B disposed obliquely downward from the vehicle outer side toward the vehicle inner side. The head MH of the occupant M that moves so as to turn the head MH further downward toward the diagonally forward side on the left and right sides while slipping through the two-dot chain line in FIGS. The occupant upper receiving portion 54 can be accurately received by the portion on the upper end 54a side.

  Further, the rear portion 52 has a rearward protrusion amount L3 (see FIG. 6) from the passenger seat airbag 34 at the time of completion of the inflation within a range of 50 to 150 mm (preferably within a range of 80 to 120 mm). Is set to If the protrusion L3 of the rear part 52 from the passenger seat airbag 34 is less than 50 mm, the protrusion of the rear part 52 toward the occupant M is small, and depending on the state (mode) of the forward movement of the occupant M, the occupant If the shoulder MS of M is not easily restrained by the occupant upper receiving portion 54, and if the protruding amount L3 of the rear portion 52 from the passenger seat airbag 34 exceeds 150 mm, the volume of the central airbag 45 is increased. While it becomes too large and the amount of protrusion toward the occupant M becomes too large, the rear portion 52 is positioned behind the shoulder MS of the occupant M, and the occupant M shoulder shoulder MS This is because it is difficult to restrain the material smoothly and it is difficult to obtain a sufficient restraining effect. In the central airbag 45 of the embodiment, the protruding amount L3 of the rear portion 52 from the passenger seat airbag 34 is set to 100 mm.

  When the occupant protection device S according to the embodiment is activated, inflators (not shown) of the driver airbag device 28 and the passenger airbag device 33 are activated to discharge inflation gas, thereby driving the driver airbag 29 and the assistant. The seat airbag 34 flows inflating gas into the interior and expands and inflates backward, and the inflator 43 of the central airbag device 40 operates to discharge the inflation gas. The expansion gas is allowed to flow into the interior, and then expands and expands upward (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  In the occupant protection device S according to the embodiment, the driver's seat airbag 29, the passenger's seat airbag 34, and the central airbag 45 are seated on the driver's seat 18 or the passenger seat 23 when the inflation is completed. When the occupant M (driver MD, front passenger seat MP) moves toward the diagonally forward side, which is the center side in the left-right direction and forward, the occupant M is moved by the portion on the rear surface 47d side of the central airbag 45. I will take it. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the case of an oblique collision in which an impact force F is applied from the front of the right RW, an occupant M (passenger seat mounted) seated on the passenger seat 23 of the left LW far from the collision side. In the embodiment, the central airbag 45 is arranged on the left and right sides of the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34. Since it is pressed, it is suppressed from moving left and right (right side) so as to pass through the occupant M, and the shoulder MS and the head MH of the occupant M are received by the occupant upper receiving part 54 on the rear surface 47d side. it can. At this time, since the central airbag 45 is supported by the center cluster 5 of the instrument panel 4 at the portion of the support portion 49 disposed on the front surface 47c side, the center airbag 45 is connected to the shoulder MS of the occupant M by the occupant upper receiving portion 54. The head MH can be restrained accurately. Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the central airbag 45 is configured to be deployed and inflated so as to protrude upward from below, so that the head MH is further moved toward the right front side. The head MH of the occupant M (passenger seat mounter MP) moving so as to face downward can be accurately received by the occupant upper receiving portion 54 on the rear surface 47d side without passing through. At this time, the central airbag 45 includes a rear portion 52 that is arranged to project rearward from the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34 when the inflation is completed, in other words, the occupant upper receiving portion 54. Is arranged at a position protruding rearward from the driver airbag 29 and the passenger airbag 34 when the inflation is completed, so that the occupant M (passenger seat occupant MP) holds the shoulder MS on the occupant upper receiving portion. While being restrained by 54, the head MH enters the gap between the rear portion 52 (occupant upper receiving portion 54) and the driver airbag 29 or the passenger airbag 34, The head MH is restrained by being received by the occupant upper receiving portion 54 (see the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 8 and 9). Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, at the time of an oblique collision or an offset collision, the occupant M's shoulder MS and head MH, which move toward the obliquely forward side, which is the center side in the lateral direction and forward, are driven. The central airbag 45 that is inflated so as to be disposed between the seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34 can be restrained smoothly.

  Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the occupant M that moves toward the diagonally forward side that is the front side in the lateral direction of the vehicle can be smoothly protected.

  Further, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the central airbag 45 is connected to the body side of the vehicle via the case 41 at the front lower end side when the inflation is completed, and the front airbag side when the inflation is completed Since the central airbag 45 is configured to be accommodated, the central airbag 45 projects rearward while projecting upward, and is inflated and inflated. In the initial stage of inflation of the central airbag 45, the occupant M is received. However, the occupant M can be restrained from moving forward and can be stably received, and the occupant M moving toward the front can be quickly restrained. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the lower end side of the central airbag is connected to the case so that it is connected to the body side of the vehicle so that it simply protrudes upward from the case during operation. It may be configured.

  Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the inflation is completed in the central airbag 45, the rear portion 52 protruding rearward from the driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34 is provided with the driver seat air. Since the front portion 48 disposed between the bag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34 is wider to the left and right, the occupant M can be received in a wider range from side to side, and the shoulder MS is restrained. Is easier. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the central airbag may be configured so that the width dimension at the time of completion of inflation is substantially constant over substantially the entire front and rear.

  In the embodiment, the front side portion 48 of the central airbag 45 has a tether 50 for connecting the left side wall 48b and the right side wall 48c disposed therein, and even when the tether 50 is inflated alone, Is configured to be smaller than the left and right width dimensions of the rear portion 52. The front side portion 48 is restrained from pushing the driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34 outwardly to the left and right as much as possible when inflated, so that the driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag It is configured to be pressed against the bag 34. However, for example, if the internal pressure at the completion of the inflation of the central airbag is set smaller than the internal pressure at the completion of the inflation of the driver airbag and the passenger airbag, the tether is not disposed in the front region, and the front region The left and right width dimensions of the rear part and the rear part may be substantially the same. In the embodiment, the central airbag 45 is configured such that the left and right sides of the front portion 48 are pressed against the driver seat airbag 29 and the passenger seat airbag 34. The center airbag, the driver airbag, and the passenger airbag can be used as long as the center airbag can be prevented from slipping through when the passenger is received by the passenger without being in pressure contact with the passenger airbag. The central airbag, the driver's seat airbag, and the passenger seat airbag may be brought close to each other with a slight gap therebetween.

  In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the upper end 47a when the central airbag 45 is completely inflated is positioned below the upper ends 20a and 25a of the headrests 20 and 25 of the driver seat 18 or the passenger seat 23. 7 and 8, the head MH of the occupant M (passenger seat rider MP) who moves diagonally forward and turns the head MH further downward is set to the upper end when the inflation is completed. 54a can be received more accurately by the portion on the upper end 54a side of the occupant upper receiving portion 54 that is positioned below the upper ends 20a, 25a of the headrests 20, 25. If this point is not taken into consideration, the upper end of the central airbag when the inflation is completed may be configured to be positioned above the upper end of the headrest of the driver seat or the passenger seat.

  Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the amount of rearward protrusion from the passenger airbag 34 when the central airbag 45 is completely inflated is set within a range of 50 to 150 mm. When completed, the central airbag 45 will be arranged so as to protrude moderately from the passenger airbag 34, and even if the forward movement state (mode) of the occupant M differs depending on the state of the collision, the central airbag 45 The side surface of the bag 45 (the left side wall 53b and the right side wall 53c of the bulging portion 53) and the rear surface 47d (the rear wall 53a) can widely catch the shoulder MS of the occupant M and move obliquely forward. The occupant M can be received more accurately.

  In the embodiment, the central airbag device 40 is mounted on the part of the center cluster 5 of the instrument panel 4, but the central airbag device 40A is positioned on the front side of the center console 9 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be mounted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Instrument panel (instrument panel), 13 ... Steering wheel, 18 ... Driver seat, 20 ... Headrest, 20a ... Upper end, 23 ... Passenger seat, 25 ... Headrest, 25a ... Upper end, 28 ... Driver seat airbag device, 29 ... Airbag for driver's seat, 33 ... Airbag device for passenger seat, 34 ... Airbag for passenger seat, 40, 40A ... Central airbag device, 41 ... Case, 43 ... Inflator, 45 ... Central airbag, 47a ... Upper end , 47c ... front surface, 47d ... rear surface, 48 ... front part, 49 ... support part, 52 ... rear part, 54 ... occupant upper receiving part, M ... occupant, MD ... driver, MP ... passenger seat mounter, MH ... Head, MS ... shoulder, V ... vehicle, S ... occupant protection device.

Claims (5)

Protect passengers seated in the driver's or passenger seat of the vehicle,
A driver-seat airbag that inflates so as to cover an upper surface of a steering wheel disposed in front of the driver's seat; and a passenger-seat airbag that inflates so as to protrude rearward from the instrument panel in front of the passenger seat; An occupant protection device comprising a central airbag that inflates between the driver airbag and the passenger airbag in a region between the driver seat and the passenger seat,
The central airbag is folded and stored in a position on the lower side of the region between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and is deployed and inflated so as to protrude upward. Projecting rearward from the seat airbag and the passenger airbag, and configured to receive the occupant moving to the center in the left-right direction at the time of the collision of the vehicle,
A configuration in which the left and right sides at the time of completion of inflation are brought close to or in contact with the airbag for driver seat and the airbag for passenger seat that have been inflated, and the front surface at the time of completion of inflation is supported by the instrument panel And an occupant upper receiving part capable of receiving the shoulder or head of the occupant on the rear side when the inflation is completed.   2. The central airbag is housed in a region that is connected to a body side of the vehicle at a front lower end side when the inflation is completed and is a front side when the inflation is completed. Occupant protection device.   When the central airbag is completely inflated, a rear portion projecting rearward from the driver airbag and the passenger airbag is defined between the driver airbag and the passenger airbag. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the occupant protection device is configured to be wider to the left and right than the front portion disposed in the vehicle.   4. The center airbag according to claim 1, wherein the central airbag is configured such that an upper end when inflation is completed is positioned below an upper end of a headrest of the driver seat or the passenger seat. The occupant protection device according to item 1.   The center airbag has an amount of rearward protrusion from the passenger airbag when inflation is completed within a range of 50 to 150 mm. The occupant protection device according to item.

Images