JP2016168995A - Airbag device for pedestrian - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag device for a pedestrian which can quickly exhaust gas from an airbag after receiving the pedestrian to deflate the airbag.SOLUTION: In an airbag device for a pedestrian, straps 52, 55 are connected to each other after completing receiving the pedestrian, and then the strap 52 is pulled so that a part of a lid panel 51 is extracted from a vent hole 50 to open the vent hole 50, and the airbag 11 is deflated at the same time. Gas in the airbag 11 is quickly exhausted to outside of the airbag 11 to be capable of quickly deflating the airbag 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian airbag apparatus configured to receive a pedestrian or the like (such as a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle occupant) by inflating an airbag along an outer surface of a vehicle body.

  The pedestrian airbag device is configured to receive a pedestrian or the like (such as a pedestrian or a two-wheeled vehicle occupant such as a bicycle) by inflating the airbag along the outer surface of the automobile.

  When the airbag of the pedestrian airbag apparatus is inflated, for example, at least a part of the rear edge of the hood, the cowl, the windshield, and the left and right A pillars are covered with the airbag.

  This pedestrian airbag device includes a folded airbag and an inflator for inflating the airbag.

  Patent Document 1 describes a pedestrian airbag device in which a vent hole is provided on the upper surface of an airbag. When a pedestrian is received by the inflated airbag, the gas in the airbag flows out from the vent hole and the impact is absorbed.

  Patent Document 2 describes a pedestrian airbag device in which a vent hole is provided on a side surface of an airbag, the vent hole is covered with a third base cloth, and both ends of the third base cloth are stitched to the airbag. ing. A cutting line is provided in the third base fabric. The vent hole is covered with the third base cloth when the inflator is injecting gas and the airbag is inflated. When the inflated airbag receives the pedestrian, a large tension is applied to the third base cloth, the third base cloth is cut along the cutting line, and the gas escapes from the vent hole.

  In the pedestrian airbag apparatus disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it takes a very long time to let gas flow out of the inflated airbag. Therefore, even after the inflated airbag has finished receiving the pedestrian, the windshield may remain covered with the airbag.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-74973 JP2007-253923

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian airbag apparatus that can quickly drain gas from the inside of an airbag and deflate the airbag by performing an opening operation after the pedestrian has finished receiving. .

  A pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention includes an airbag that inflates so as to cover at least a part of an A-pillar, a windshield, and a cowl of an automobile, and an inflator for inflating the airbag. An air bag apparatus for an air bag according to claim 1, further comprising a gas venting means that opens when the air bag is inflated and is opened to allow gas to flow out from the air bag. It is. This degassing means is preferably one that is manually opened.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the gas venting means includes a gas vent outlet provided in the airbag, a lid panel that covers the gas vent outlet from the inside of the airbag, and pulling the lid panel from the gas vent outlet. And a tension part for opening the gas outlet. In this aspect, the gas outlet is provided on the upper surface of the airbag, and the tension portion includes a first strap having one end connected to the lid panel and one end connected to the front edge of the airbag. The second strap may be provided, and the other end side of the first strap and the other end side of the second strap may be connectable.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, a gas outlet is provided on the lower surface of the airbag, and a strap for separating the gas outlet from the windshield or the A pillar is provided on the airbag.

  In yet another aspect of the present invention, the airbag has an upper base fabric that constitutes the upper surface of the airbag and a lower base fabric that constitutes the lower surface in the inflated state, and the side surface portion of the airbag. The upper base fabric and the lower base fabric are sewn except for a part of the upper side fabric, and the upper base fabric and the lower base fabric are not sewn at the part of the side surface portion. The upper base fabric and the lower base fabric are connected by a tie belt straddling.

  In the pedestrian airbag apparatus of the present invention, the airbag can be quickly deflated by operating the gas venting means and pressing the airbag to cause the gas to flow out from the expanded airbag.

  By deflating the airbag covering the windshield, it is possible to secure a field of view in front of the driver's seat and to easily move the vehicle to the roadside.

It is a top view of the automobile front part provided with the air bag device for pedestrians concerning an embodiment. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the inflated airbag of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of FIG. It is a block diagram of the gas outlet vicinity of the airbag of FIG. 1, (a) A figure is a top view, (b) A figure is the sectional view on the BB line of (a) figure, (c) is a figure of (a) figure. It is CC sectional view taken on the line. It is a perspective view which shows the degassing method of the airbag of FIG. It is a block diagram of the gas outlet vicinity of the airbag of FIG. 5, (a) A figure is a top view, (b) A figure is the BB sectional drawing of (a) figure. It is a perspective view at the time of expansion | swelling of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment. It is a perspective view at the time of expansion | swelling of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment. It is a perspective view at the time of expansion | swelling of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment. It is a block diagram of the vicinity of the gas vent of an airbag according to another embodiment, (a) Figure is a plan view, (b) Figure is a sectional view taken along the line BB of (a) Figure, (c) Figure is (A) It is CC sectional view taken on the line of a figure. It is a top view of the gas outlet vicinity of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment, (a) A figure is a closed time, (b) A figure shows the time of open | release. (A) The figure is the XII-XII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 11, (b) The figure is a BB sectional drawing of the (a) figure. It is a perspective view at the time of expansion | swelling of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment. It is the XIV-XIV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the airbag for pedestrians concerning another embodiment. It is sectional drawing which follows the XVI-XVI line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the airbag for pedestrians concerning another embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the airbag for pedestrians of FIG. It is a perspective view of the airbag for pedestrians concerning another embodiment. It is a block diagram of the gas outlet vicinity of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment, (a) A figure is a top view, (b) A figure is the BB sectional drawing of (a) figure. It is a perspective view of the airbag for pedestrians concerning another embodiment. It is a perspective view after the gas outflow of the airbag which concerns on another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, front and rear and left and right represent front and rear and left and right of an automobile equipped with a pedestrian airbag device.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a front portion of an automobile equipped with a pedestrian airbag device 10 according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the airbag is deployed. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the airbag of the pedestrian airbag device is completely inflated, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a degassing method of the pedestrian airbag.

  The automobile 1 includes a hood panel 2, a cowl 3, a windshield 4, an A pillar 5, a pedestrian airbag device 10, and the like. In this embodiment, the pedestrian airbag device 10 is installed in the cowl 3, but is not limited to this, and may be attached to the rear portion of the hood panel 2 or the A pillar 5.

  The pedestrian airbag device 10 includes an airbag 11, a box-shaped retainer 12 that accommodates the folded airbag 11, an inflator 13 for inflating the airbag 11, a lid (not shown), and the like. I have.

  The airbag 11 includes a main portion 11a that inflates so as to cover the rear portion of the hood panel 2 and the front portion of the windshield 4, and extends rearward from the left and right ends of the main portion 11a so that at least the front portion of the A pillar is It has a pair of pillar covering portions 11b and 11b that expand so as to cover, and a downward extending portion 11c that continues to the lower surface of the main portion 11a. The main portion 11a, the pillar covering portions 11b and 11b, and the downward extending portion 11c communicate with each other.

  In a state in which the airbag 11 is inflated, the main portion 11a continuously extends from the left end to the right end of the automobile 1.

  The inflator 13 has a rod shape, and a stud bolt (not shown) protruding from the inflator 13 passes through the downwardly extending portion 11 c and the bottom surface of the retainer 12 and is tightened with a nut, whereby the inflator 13 is attached to the retainer 12. It is fixed.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the airbag 11 is configured by stitching a base fabric (panel) 15 configuring the upper surface of the airbag 11 and a base fabric 16 configuring the lower surface with the suture thread 14. Has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, at least the pillar covering portion 11 b on the front side of the driver seat of the airbag 11 is provided with a gas vent 50 on the upper surface facing the upper side of the vehicle body, and the gas vent 50 is closed. A lid panel 51 is provided. The left side portion and the right side portion of the lid panel 51 are respectively sewn with sutures 53 in the vicinity of the left and right edges of the gas vent 50. One end of the first strap 52 is stitched with a suture thread 52a on the rear side of the lid panel 51.

  One end of the second strap 55 is sewn to the front edge of the airbag 11 with a suture thread 55a.

  The airbag 11 is folded and accommodated in the retainer 12, and the upper surface of the retainer 12 is closed by the lid. The folding method of the airbag 11 is arbitrary, such as roll folding, bellows folding, or a combination thereof.

  After the airbag 11 is folded, the airbag folded body is preferably wrapped and held by a shape-retaining cloth (not shown) made of cloth, film, or the like. The shape retaining cloth is provided with a cleaving portion such as a perforated slit so that the air bag 11 is cleaved when the airbag 11 is inflated.

  When the automobile 1 equipped with the pedestrian airbag device 10 comes into contact with a pedestrian or the like and the inflator 13 is actuated, the airbag 11 is inflated and deployed as shown in FIGS. And the front part of the windshield 4 is covered with the main part 11a, at least the front part of the A pillar 5 and its vicinity are covered with the pillar covering part 11b, and a pedestrian or the like may directly hit the cowl 3 or the A pillar 5. Is prevented.

  3 and 4, when the airbag 11 is completely inflated, the lid panel 51 overlaps the gas outlet 50 from the inside of the pillar covering portion 11b, and the gas outlet 50 is fully closed.

  In this state, the other end sides of the straps 52 and 55 are free.

  After the airbag 11 has received the pedestrian, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, after the straps 52 and 55 are connected to each other and the strap 52 or 55 is pulled, a part of the lid panel 51 is degassed. The outlet 50 is pulled out of the airbag 11 and the gas outlet 50 is opened. Therefore, for example, when the airbag 11 is pressed and contracted by further pulling the strap 52 or 55, the gas in the airbag 11 is quickly discharged out of the airbag 11 from the gas outlet 50, and the airbag 11 is quickly discharged. Can be deflated. When the airbag 11 is deflated, the front of the vehicle body can be seen from the driver's seat through the windshield 4, so that the automobile can be driven to approach the road side of the road, for example.

  An airbag according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The airbag 11 </ b> A in FIG. 7 is provided with a loop-shaped second strap 56 instead of the second strap 55. Other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment of FIGS. In the airbag 11A, the other end side of the first strap 52 is passed through the loop strap 56 and tied to the strap 56, and the strap 52 or 56 can be pulled to deflate the airbag 11A.

  The airbag 11 </ b> B in FIG. 8 is provided with a flat fastener 57 on the other end side of the first strap 52 and the second strap 55, and the other configuration is the same as the airbag 11. In the airbag 11B, the straps 52 and 55 are connected to each other by the flat fasteners 57 and 57, and then the airbag 11B can be deflated by pulling the strap 52 or 55.

  The airbag 11C of FIG. 9 is provided with a loop portion 52b on the other end side of the first strap 52 and a short rod-like hook 58 attached to the other end of the second strap 55. Other configurations are as follows. It is the same as the airbag 11. In the airbag 11C, the hook 58 is hooked through the loop portion 52a to connect the straps 52 and 55, and then the strap 52 or 55 is pulled to deflate the airbag 11C.

  In the airbag 11 </ b> D of FIG. 10, the sides of the lid panel 51 on the vehicle body front side and the rear side are stitched to the panel 15 by the suture thread 53. The left and right side portions of the lid panel 51 are not sewn to the panel 15 and are free. Other configurations of the airbag 11D are the same as those of the airbag 11.

  Even in the airbag 11 </ b> D, the gas vent 50 is opened by pulling the strap 52 and pulling the left and right sides of the lid panel 51 out of the gas vent 50. When the airbag 11D is further compressed by further pulling the strap 52, the gas flows out from the gas outlet 50, so that the airbag 11D can be deflated.

  In the airbag 11 </ b> E of FIGS. 11 and 12, the left and right sides of the lid panel 51 are stitched to the panel 15 with the suture thread 53.

  The front edge of the tie panel 60 is sewn by a tear seam 62 to the rear edge of the lid panel 51. The rear edge of the lid panel 51 and the front edge of the tie panel 60 are sewn to the panel 15 by the tear seam 62. The rear edge portion of the tie panel 60 is sewn to the rear end portion of the pillar covering portion 11b by a seam 61.

  Other configurations of the airbag 11E are the same as those of the airbag 11.

  When the airbag 11E is inflated, the tie panel 60 is in a tensioned state between the tear seam 62 and the seam 61 as shown in FIG. When the internal pressure of the airbag 11E further increases in this state, the tear seam 62 is torn and the panel 15, the lid panel 51, and the tie panel 60 are separated from each other. Thereafter, when the strap 52 is pulled, a part of the lid panel 51 is pulled out from the gas vent 50 and the gas vent 50 is opened, so that the airbag 11E can be deflated.

  In the airbag 11F of FIGS. 13 and 14, at least the pillar covering portion 11b on the front side of the driver's seat is provided with a gas outlet 19 on the side surface 17 facing the vehicle body side. A belt-like lid panel 20 is provided so as to be closed. One end of the lid panel 20 is stitched with a suture thread 21 in the vicinity of the edge of the gas vent 19 on the vehicle body rear side. The other end of the lid panel 20 is stitched by a suture thread 22 to a surface 18 of the pillar covering portion 11b that faces the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. A midway portion of the lid panel 20 is passed through the belt loop 23. One end of the belt loop 23 is sewn to the base fabric 15 on the side surface 17 with a suture, and the other end is sewn to the base fabric 16 on the side surface 17. The lid panel 20 is pulled between the belt loop 23 and the side surface 17. Has been passed. The lid panel 20 is provided with a tension portion 24 at a position facing the gas vent 19.

  Other configurations of the airbag 11F are the same as those of the airbag 11.

  When the airbag 11F is completely inflated, the lid panel 20 is in a tensioned state between the suture thread 21, the belt loop 23, and the suture thread 22, and overlaps the gas vent 19 from the inside of the pillar covering portion 11b. The gas outlet 19 is fully closed.

  In this state, the tension portion 24 faces the gas vent 19 and preferably protrudes from the gas vent 19.

  When the pulling portion 24 is pulled after the airbag 11F has received the pedestrian, the lid panel 20 is pulled out of the airbag 11 from the gas vent 19 and the gas vent 19 is opened. Therefore, when the airbag 11 is compressed, the gas in the airbag 11 can be quickly discharged out of the airbag 11 from the gas outlet 19 and the airbag 11 can be quickly deflated.

  In the airbag 11G of FIGS. 15 and 16, a gas vent 26 is provided on the lower surface of at least one pillar covering portion 11b. Further, one end of the strap 27 is stitched with a suture thread 28 on the vehicle rear end side of the upper surface of the pillar covering portion 11 b having the gas vent 26.

  When the airbag 11G is inflated, the lower surface of the pillar covering portion 11b is in close contact with the windshield 4 or the A pillar 5 as shown in FIG. Does not leak.

  After completion of receiving the pedestrian, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the strap 27 is pulled to lift the pillar covering portion 11b and away from the windshield 4 or the A pillar 5, the gas vent 26 is exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, when the airbag 11G is pushed, the gas in the airbag 11G quickly flows out of the airbag 11G, and the airbag 11G can be quickly deflated.

  Note that the positions of the strap 27 and the gas outlet 26 in FIG. 15 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body may be substantially the same as the positions of the center portion of the steering wheel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

  The strap 27 may be connected to the windshield 4 side of the airbag 11G.

  In FIG. 15, one strap 27 is provided on one pillar covering portion 11b, but two or more straps may be provided. Moreover, a strap may be provided in the pillar covering portion 11b and the main portion 11a. When two or more straps are provided, pull each strap together by connecting another strap to one of the straps or connecting each strap to one hand strap. You may be able to.

  An airbag 11H according to still another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18A and 18B are side views of the pillar covering portion 11b viewed from the left side of the vehicle body, and FIG. 18A is a state where the pillar covering portion 11b overlaps the windshield 4 or the A pillar 5. FIG.18 (b) has shown the state which lifted the pillar coating | coated part 11b. 18C and 18D are cross-sectional views taken along line CC and DD in FIG. 18A, and FIG. 18E is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 18B. It is.

  In the airbag 11H, the base fabrics 15 and 16 are not stitched together in a partial region L of the side surface 17 facing the vehicle body side outward of the pillar covering portion 11b. That is, in the region L, the side edges of the base fabrics 15 and 16 are merely abutted with each other and are not stitched. In portions other than the region L, the base fabrics 15 and 16 are sewn together by a suture 14.

  In the region L, a tie belt 30 is provided across the butted portion between the base fabrics 15 and 16. One end of the tie belt 30 is sewn to the base fabric 15 by a suture 31, and the other end is sewn to the base fabric 16 by a suture 32. The tie belt 30 is obtained by stitching two small panels 33 with a suture 34, but is not limited thereto, and may be a single one. A strap 27 is also attached to the pillar covering portion 11b.

  In the state in which the airbag 11H is inflated, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18D, the base fabrics 15 and 16 are abutted in the region L, and gas hardly flows out from this portion.

  When the strap 27 is pulled away from the windshield 4 or the A-pillar 5 by pulling the strap 27 as shown in FIGS. As a result, the side edges of the base fabrics 15 and 16 are separated from each other to form the gas vent 36. Therefore, when the airbag 11H is compressed, the gas in the airbag 11B quickly flows out from the gas outlet 36, and the airbag 11H can be quickly deflated.

  In any of the above-described embodiments, a vent hole may be provided separately from the gas outlets 19, 26, 36, 50, or the vent hole may not be provided.

When the expansion volume of the airbag is 100 to 200 L, the opening area of the gas outlets 19, 26, 36, and 50 is preferably about 10 to 120 cm ^2, particularly about ²⁰ to 80 cm ² .

  Each of the above embodiments is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated state. For example, the gas outlet may be provided in a portion other than that illustrated. Further, the gas vent may be provided only on the front side of the driver's seat.

  In the above embodiment, the pedestrian airbag device 10 is installed in the cowl 3, but is disposed below the hood panel 2, and when the airbag is inflated, the rear portion of the hood panel 2 is pushed up so that the airbag is It may be an inflatable pedestrian airbag device or the like.

  In the above embodiment, a single airbag covers the left side A pillar to the right side A pillar, but the pedestrian airbag device having the airbag that covers the left half side of the automobile and the right half side. It may be a pedestrian airbag device having an airbag that covers the vehicle.

  The airbag 11J shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 is obtained by omitting the straps 52 and 55 from the airbag 11 shown in FIG. FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 19, when the airbag 11J is inflated, the lid panel 51 overlaps the gas outlet 50 from the inside of the pillar covering portion 11b, and the gas outlet 50 is fully closed. At this time, the internal pressure of the airbag 11J is about 30 kPa, for example.

  After the airbag 11J receives the pedestrian, the internal pressure of the airbag 11J gradually decreases. When the internal pressure of the airbag 11J decreases to, for example, 10 kPa or less, as shown in FIGS. 20 (a) and 20 (b), the base fabrics 15 and 16 of the airbag 11J are tilted, and the base fabric 15 and the lid panel 51 A gap 70 is formed between the two. From the gap 70 and the gas outlet 50, the gas in the airbag 11J flows out of the airbag 11J, and the airbag 11J is deflated. When the airbag 11J is deflated, the front of the vehicle body can be visually recognized from the driver's seat through the windshield 4.

  An airbag 11K shown in FIG. 21 is obtained by shortening the length of the strap 52 of the airbag 11 shown in FIG. Similar to the airbag 11J described above, the airbag 11K has an internal pressure that gradually decreases after the inflation is completed, and a gap 70 is formed between the base fabric 15 and the lid panel 51. The gas in the airbag 11K flows out of the airbag 11K, and the airbag 11K is deflated.

  When the airbag 11K is deflated, as shown in FIG. 22, the pillar covering portion 11b is folded toward the main portion 11a side and the straps 52 and 55 are tied together. This makes it easy to ensure visibility from the driver's seat.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car 2 Hood panel 3 Cowl 4 Wind shield 5 A pillar 10 Pedestrian airbag device 11, 11A-11H, 11J, 11K Air bag 11a Main part 11b Pillar covering part 11c Downward extension part 12 Retainer 13 Inflator 14 Suture thread 15 Upper fabric (panel)
16 Lower base fabric (panel)
19, 26, 36, 50 Gas vent 20 Lid panel 24 Tension part 27, 52, 55, 56 Strap 30 Tie belt 60 Tie panel 62 Tear seam

Claims (11)

An airbag that inflates to cover at least a portion of an automobile A-pillar, windshield, and cowl;
An inflator for inflating the airbag;
In a pedestrian airbag apparatus having
A pedestrian airbag apparatus comprising gas venting means that opens when the airbag is inflated and is opened to allow gas to flow out of the airbag.   The pedestrian airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas venting unit is configured to be opened by being operated by a hand.   3. The gas venting device according to claim 1, wherein the gas venting means includes a gas vent port provided in the airbag, a lid panel that covers the gas vent port from the inside of the airbag, and pulling the lid panel from the gas vent port. A pedestrian airbag device comprising a pulling portion for opening the gas vent. In Claim 3, the gas outlet is provided on the upper surface of the airbag,
The pulling portion has a first strap having one end connected to a lid panel. In Claim 4, the said tension | pulling part has further the 2nd strap with which the one end side was connected with the front edge part of the airbag,
A pedestrian airbag apparatus characterized in that the other end side of the first strap and the other end side of the second strap can be connected.   6. The pedestrian airbag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lid panel is sewn to the upper surface side fabric of the airbag in the vicinity of the gas vent at the left and right side portions. In claim 6, the rear edge of the lid panel is sewn to the front edge of the tie panel by a tear seam, and the rear edge of the tie panel is sewn to the rear edge of the airbag.
A pedestrian airbag device, wherein a rear edge portion of the lid panel and a front edge portion of a tie panel are sewn to the upper surface side fabric of the airbag by the tear seam. In Claim 4 or 5, as for the said lid panel, the front edge part and the rear edge part are sewn on the upper surface side base fabric of an airbag,
A pedestrian airbag apparatus characterized in that the left side and the right side are free with respect to the upper surface side fabric of the airbag.   3. The gas outlet according to claim 1, wherein a gas outlet is provided on a lower surface of the airbag, and a strap for separating the gas outlet from the windshield or the A pillar is provided on the airbag. A pedestrian airbag device. In Claim 1 or 2, the airbag has an upper base fabric constituting the upper surface of the airbag and a lower base fabric constituting the lower surface in an inflated state,
The upper base fabric and the lower base fabric are stitched except for a part of the side surface portion of the airbag,
The upper base fabric and the lower base fabric are not stitched in the part of the side surface portion,
The pedestrian airbag apparatus characterized in that the upper base fabric and the lower base fabric are connected by a tie belt straddling the part.   The motor vehicle provided with the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 10.

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