JP2017114204A - Airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag device which efficiently reduces an injury value of an occupant during an emergency.SOLUTION: An airbag device 100 includes: a bag-shaped main bag 114 which uses a gas to inflate to a front side of an occupant 128 seated on a seat 102 of a vehicle; a cloth-like cover 116 which encloses the main bag 114 and is non-inflatable, and an inflator 112 installed in the vehicle and configured to supply the gas to the main bag. The structure allows the occupant to slide on the main bag 114 with the cover 116 and prevents rotation of a head part when the occupant contacts with the airbag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device that restrains an occupant in an emergency.

  In recent years, airbag devices are almost standard equipment. The airbag device is a safety device that operates in an emergency such as a vehicle collision, and receives and protects an occupant using an airbag cushion that is inflated and deployed by gas pressure. There are various types of airbag devices depending on the installation location and application. For example, a front airbag is installed in the center of the steering wheel in the driver's seat to protect the front seat occupant mainly from front-rear impacts, and the instrument panel and its surrounding areas are located near the passenger seat. A passenger airbag is provided. In addition, a curtain airbag that inflates and deploys along the side window is installed near the ceiling of the wall to protect each occupant in the front and rear row from side collision and subsequent rollover (rollover). A side airbag that inflates and deploys to the side of the occupant is provided on the side of the vehicle.

  The airbag cushions of various airbag devices may be partitioned into a plurality of spaces depending on the purpose and installation environment. For example, in the occupant protection device (front airbag) described in Patent Document 1, the airbag cushion is composed of a central central gas bag 1 and an outer peripheral gas bag 3 around it. According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is stated that the restraint surface for restraining the occupant is flattened to have a large area, so that the occupant can be reliably received.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-132444

  At present, the airbag apparatus is also required to cope with irregular collisions and impacts such as so-called oblique collision in which an impact is applied to the vehicle from an oblique front-rear direction. An occupant at the time of an oblique collision enters the airbag cushion existing in front of the seat at an irregular angle such as an oblique direction. In that case, when the head of the occupant contacts the airbag cushion in front of the seat, the head may rotate around the neck as viewed from above. Such rotation of the head tends to increase the injury value of the occupant in view of the structure of the human body, and there is a demand for efficiently preventing this.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can efficiently suppress an injury value of an occupant in an emergency.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of an airbag apparatus according to the present invention includes a bag-shaped main bag that inflates in front of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat using gas, and includes the main bag. A non-inflatable cloth-like cover, and an inflator that is installed in the vehicle and supplies gas to the main bag.

  In the above configuration, the airbag cushion, which is a part that restrains the occupant, is configured by the inflating main bag and the non-inflating cover. According to the airbag cushion of this configuration, when the occupant comes into contact, the occupant can slide on the main bag together with the cover to prevent the head from rotating. This makes it possible to suppress the obstacle value of the occupant, particularly the head.

  Said cover may have an opening part which can expose a part of main bag toward the passenger | crew who seated on the seat. For example, the opening can be provided in the center of the airbag cushion. With this configuration, when the occupant moves in the front direction, the main bag exposed from the opening is restrained, and when the occupant moves in the oblique direction, it can be slid while being received by the cover to suppress the rotation of the head.

  The cover may include the entire main bag. Even a cover configured to cover the entire main bag can be slid on the main bag together with the occupant, and the rotation of the head and the injury value can be suppressed.

  The volume of the space containing the main bag inside the cover is smaller than the volume of the main bag, and the cover surrounds the main bag and restricts the inflatable range of the main bag, thereby part of the main bag. May protrude from the opening to the seat side.

  In the above configuration, a part (protrusion) of the main bag protrudes toward the seat on which a passenger to be protected by the main bag is seated. That is, the main bag exists closer to the passenger. Therefore, it is possible to make an early contact with the occupant.

  The portion of the main bag protruding toward the seat side may have a lower base fabric tension than the portion included in the cover of the main bag.

  In the above configuration, the main bag is formed with a base included in the cover and a protrusion protruding from the opening of the cover. The main bag having the base and the protrusion is inflated by the pressure of the gas received from one inflator. Since the protrusion and the base are not completely partitioned, the internal pressure is equal at each of the protrusion and the base. When the base fabric of the base and the protrusion at the time of expansion is viewed as a curved surface, since the outer shape of the protrusion is smaller than the outer shape of the base, the radius of curvature at any position of both portions is smaller in the protrusion than in the base. Therefore, the tension of the protrusion is lower than the tension of the base.

  In an oblique collision or the like, the driver's seat occupant may move diagonally forward in the vehicle width direction. In that case, in the above configuration, the head of the occupant comes into contact first with a low-tension protruding portion that exists near the occupant. Thus, according to the above configuration, the occupant's head can be received relatively flexibly by the low-tension protrusion, thereby suppressing the rotation of the head and restraining the injury value lower. ing.

  The volume of the space containing the main bag inside the cover may be larger than the volume of the main bag. With this configuration, a space is created in the space between the cover and the main bag, and the cover is easier to slide on the main bag.

  The cover may be in a state of being attached to the vehicle together with the main bag so that the load from the occupant to the main bag is received by sliding on the main bag together with the occupant entering the main bag. With this configuration, when the occupant comes into contact, the cover can be suitably slid on the main bag together with the occupant.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the airbag apparatus which can suppress a passenger | crew's injury value efficiently in an emergency.

It is the figure which illustrated the outline of the air bag device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which illustrated the cushion at the time of the expansion | deployment of FIG.1 (b) from each direction. It is the figure which illustrated the process in which the cushion at the time of inflation deployment of Drawing 1 (b) restrains a crew member. It is the figure which expanded and outlined the cushion and the passenger | crew of FIG.3 (c). It is the figure which illustrated the process in which the cushion of FIG. 3 restrains a passenger | crew seeing from the vehicle inner back. It is the figure which illustrated the process which the cushion of FIG. 3 restrains a passenger | crew seen from the vehicle outer back. It is the figure which illustrated the 1st modification of the cushion of FIG. It is the figure which illustrated the 2nd modification of the cushion of FIG. It is the figure which illustrated the process in which the cushion at the time of inflation deployment of FIG.7 (a) restrains a passenger | crew. It is the figure which illustrated the 3rd modification of the cushion of FIG.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an airbag apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a vehicle before the airbag apparatus 100 is operated. In FIG. 1 (a) and other drawings, the vehicle front-rear direction is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Back), the vehicle width direction is indicated by arrows L (Left) and R (Right), and the vehicle vertical direction is indicated by arrows. Examples are U (up) and D (down).

  In the present embodiment, the airbag device 100 is implemented as a frontal airbag for a driver's seat (right seat in the front row) in a right-hand drive vehicle. In the following, the description will be made assuming the right seat 102 in the front row. For example, the vehicle outer side in the vehicle width direction means the vehicle right side, and the vehicle inner side in the vehicle width direction means the vehicle left side.

  An airbag cushion (hereinafter referred to as cushion 104 (see FIG. 1B)) of the airbag device 100 is folded, wound, etc., and stored in a storage portion 108 provided in the center of the steering wheel 106. The storage unit 108 includes a design surface 110 serving as a cover, a housing (not shown) below the design surface 110, and the like.

  In addition to the cushion 104, the storage unit 108 also stores an inflator 112 (see FIG. 2C) that is a gas generator. The inflator 112 operates due to an impact detection signal sent from a sensor (not shown), and supplies gas to the main bag 114 of the cushion 104 (see FIG. 1B). The main bag 114 starts to be inflated by the gas from the inflator 112 and is inflated and deployed toward the seat 102 by cleaving the design surface 110 with the inflation pressure.

  FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating the vehicle after the cushion 104 of the airbag device 100 is inflated and deployed. The cushion 104 is formed as a three-dimensionally inflated bag. The cushion 104 is formed by overlapping or sewing a plurality of base fabrics constituting the surface thereof, spinning using OPW (One-Piece Woven), or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the cushion 104 in FIG. 1B when inflated and deployed from each direction. FIG. 2A illustrates the cushion 104 of FIG. 1B as viewed from above the outside of the vehicle. The cushion 104 in the present embodiment is roughly divided into two parts, a main bag 114 and a cover 116.

  The main bag 114 is a bag-shaped part constituting the center side of the cushion 104. The main bag 114 is inflated on the front side in the space for the occupant sitting on the seat 102 (see FIG. 1B) using the gas from the inflator 112 (see FIG. 2C), and the occupant Restrain the upper body and head. In the present embodiment, most of the main bag 114 is included in the cover 116.

  The cover 116 is a cloth-like non-inflatable portion surrounding the main bag 114. The cover 116 surrounds and covers the main bag 114, and thus functions to adjust the behavior of the main bag 114 when it is inflated and to support the inflated main bag 114.

  An opening 118 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the cover 116. The opening 118 opens toward the occupant 128 (see FIG. 3A) seated on the seat 102 (see FIG. 1B), and a part of the main bag 114 on the vehicle rear side toward the occupant 128. (Rear region 120) is exposed. In other words, the cover 116 includes the main bag 114 on the vehicle upper and lower left and right sides and the vehicle front side other than the vehicle rear side where the opening 118 is provided.

  FIG. 2B illustrates the cushion 104 of FIG. 2A as viewed from the outside of the vehicle. A rear region 120 of the main bag 114 on the vehicle rear side (left side in FIG. 2B) slightly protrudes from the opening 118 of the cover 116. The remaining most of the main bag 114 other than the rear region 120 is included in the cover 116.

  FIG. 2C illustrates the cushion 104 as seen from the rear side of the vehicle, as in FIG. The cushion 104 is generally circular as viewed from the vehicle rear side, which is the seat side. The central main bag 114 also expands in a circular shape when viewed from the seat side, and the cover 116 also has a shape surrounding the outer side of the circular main bag 114. The opening 118 of the cover 116 is provided so as to be positioned at the center of the circular cushion 104, and the center of the main bag 114 on the vehicle rear side is exposed.

  FIG.2 (d) is AA sectional drawing of the cushion 104 of FIG.2 (c). The cover 116 is connected to (is connected to) the main bag 114 at a predetermined location on the vehicle front side of the main bag 114. For example, in the present embodiment, in the vicinity of the vent hole 124 provided on the vehicle front side of the main bag 114. The cover 116 is connected to the main bag 114 by sewing etc. The vent hole 124 is a hole for discharging gas from the inside of the main bag 114 to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, the cover 116 is a non-inflatable portion, and no gas flows into the space between the cover 116 and the main bag 114. Therefore, in addition to the main bag 114 and the cover 116 being sewn around the vent hole 124, no other communication hole or the like is provided in a portion of the main bag 114 that is covered by the cover 116. The gas supplied from the inflator 112 to the internal space of the main bag 114 does not directly touch the inside of the cover 116 and is discharged to the outside from the vent hole 124.

  FIG. 2D also illustrates the inflator 112 described above. The inflator 112 is of a disk type (disk type) and is installed by fastening a stud bolt 113 inside the storage portion 108 of the steering wheel 106 (see FIG. 1A). The stud bolt 113 passes through the main bag 114 and the cover 116, so that both the main bag 114 and the cover 116 are attached to the storage portion 108.

  Inflators that are in widespread use are filled with a gas generating agent and burned to generate gas, filled with compressed gas and supplied with gas without generating heat, or burned There are hybrid types that use both gas and compressed gas. Any type of inflator 112 can be used.

  The virtual line L1 is a straight line that extends virtually from the inflator 112. In the present embodiment, the main bag 114 and the cover 116 are circular (see FIG. 2C) when viewed from the seat side, and have a rotating body configuration with the imaginary line L1 as the rotation axis. The cover 116 extends from the periphery of the inflator 112 in FIG. 2D to the center side rather than the outer edge of the main bag 114 when the circular main bag 114 in FIG. 2C is viewed from the passenger side. The main bag 114 is included.

  Note that the main bag 114 and the cover 116 do not necessarily have the shape of a rotating body, and can exhibit their functions even if they have an uneven shape or an angular shape. For example, the main bag and the cover may have an oval shape.

  In the present embodiment, the cover 116 is set so that the inner space (inner space E1) from the opening 118 to the back thereof is the same size as or slightly smaller than the size of the main bag 114. With this configuration, the rear region 120 of the main bag 114 slightly protrudes from the opening 118 of the cover 116 after the cushion 104 is inflated and deployed.

  In the cushion 104 of the present embodiment, the injury value of the occupant 128 can be efficiently suppressed in an emergency by using the main bag 114 and the cover 116 described above. Hereinafter, a process in which the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 128 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 128 at the time of inflating and deploying in FIG. Each figure in FIG. 3 illustrates a phenomenon assumed at the time of an oblique collision when the cushion 104 and the occupant 128 are viewed from above the vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, when an impact occurs in the vehicle, the cushion 104 expands and deploys forward of the seat 102 (see FIG. 1B).

  FIG. 3B illustrates an example immediately after the occupant 128 contacts the cushion 104. The occupant 128 in FIG. 3 (b) has moved from the state of FIG. 3 (a) diagonally forward of the vehicle interior (in the diagonally downward right side in FIG. 3 (b)). The rear region 120 of the main bag 114 is exposed from the opening 118 of the cover 116 in the vicinity of the front of the occupant side (upper side in FIG. 3B) seated on the seat 102 (see FIG. 1B). Contact the occupant 128 early.

  FIG. 3C is a diagram in which the occupant 128 of FIG. 3B has moved further forward obliquely toward the vehicle interior, that is, diagonally downward to the right in FIG. 3C. The vicinity of the rear region 120 is recessed relatively flexibly, and the head 130 is constrained so that both side heads (the left head 134 and the right head 136) are in contact with the rear region 120. Further, when the occupant 128 moves in an oblique direction as shown in FIG. 3C, one side of the head (the right head 136) may come into contact with the cover 116 and be restrained.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged and schematic view of the cushion 104 and the occupant in FIG. In the present embodiment, the cover 116 also contributes to a reduction in the injury value of the occupant 128. The cover 116 slides on the main bag 114 together with the occupant 128, thereby suppressing the rotation of the head 130 of the occupant 128.

  In the state of FIG. 4, if only a single cushion exists in front of the occupant 128, when the head 130 of the occupant 128 moving in an oblique direction comes into contact with the cushion, The head 130 and the shoulder 131 move differently due to friction with the cushion, and the head 130 has a clockwise rotational force with respect to the shoulder 131 and the like as viewed from the upper side of the vehicle around the neck (with the cervical spine as the axis). (Rotational force turning to the left and right) may occur. When such rotation occurs in the head 130, the injury value of the occupant 128 tends to increase.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the head 130 of the occupant 128 moving in the oblique direction is slid on the main bag 114 together with the cover 116. Both the cover 116 and the main bag 114 are made of a cloth material, and the friction force between the cloths is generally lower than the friction force between the cloth and the occupant. When the cover 116 slides on the main bag 114, the movement of the head 130 of the occupant 128 can be restrained with the movement of the shoulder 131. As described above, in this embodiment, the injury value of the occupant 128 due to the rotation of the head 130 is suppressed by greatly reducing or canceling the rotation of the head 130 of the occupant 128 and reducing the angular velocity of the head 130. Can do.

  As described above, the cover 116 is connected to the main bag 114 by the connecting portion 122 on the vehicle front side, and the vehicle rear side where the occupant 128 can contact is not connected to the main bag 114 or the like. Thus, the cover 116 is attached to the steering wheel 106 of the vehicle (see FIG. 1A) together with the main bag 114 so that the passenger 116 can slide on the main bag 114 when the occupant 128 contacts the vehicle rear side. It is in the state that was. Accordingly, the main bag 114 can receive the load from the occupant 128, and the rotation of the head 130 of the occupant 128 and the injury value can be suppressed.

  The cover 116 may be configured to reduce friction with the main bag 114. Specifically, the cover 116 can be formed of a base fabric having a thread thickness different from that of the main bag 114. For example, by forming the cover 116 with a base fabric having a thread larger than that of the main bag 114, the friction between the cover 116 and the main bag 114 can be reduced and the cover 116 can be slid easily. This makes it possible to cause a smooth slide when the occupant 128 contacts the cover 116.

  With reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a process in which the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 128 from a direction different from FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the process of restraining the occupant 128 by the cushion 104 of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the main bag 114 is inflated and deployed in front of an occupant 128 that moves diagonally forward (in the left direction in FIG. 5A).

  As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the head 130 of the occupant 128 contacts the rear region 120 of the main bag 114 from the vicinity of the lower jaw 138. When the rear region 120 is in contact with the vicinity of the jaw 138, in the present embodiment, rotation in the direction in which the head 130 is tilted forward can also be suppressed.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5C, the head 130 of the occupant 128 that moves obliquely forward on the vehicle interior (leftward in FIG. 5C) is such that its left side 134 contacts the vicinity of the cover 116. And, in some cases, slides with the cover 116. At this time, the cushion 104 restrains the shoulder 131 and the chest in addition to the head 130 of the occupant 128. By these actions, the cushion 104 can align the movement of the head 130 and the shoulder 131 of the occupant 128, rotate to turn left and right with respect to the shoulder 131 of the head 130, and move the head 130 up and down and left and right. Restrain any rotation tilted to a minimum. In this way, the cushion 104 can greatly suppress the injury value of the occupant 128.

  FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a process in which the cushion 104 of FIG. 3 restrains the occupant 128 as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the main bag 114 is inflated and deployed in front of an occupant 128 that moves obliquely forward on the vehicle interior (slightly upward on the left side in FIG. 6A). As illustrated in FIG. 6B, the head 130 of the occupant 128 contacts the rear region 120 of the main bag 114 from the lower jaw 138 side.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6C, the head 130 is received by bringing the left head 134 into contact with the cover 116 and the right head 136 in contact with the flexible rear region 120. By these actions, the cushion 104 aligns the movement of the head 130 of the occupant 128 with the shoulder 131 and the head 130 without turning the head 130 in any direction with respect to the shoulder 131 or the like. Restrain 130 with minimal rotation.

  With the above configuration, the cushion 104 of the present embodiment can efficiently suppress the injury value of the occupant 128 in an emergency. The above-mentioned cushion 104 is restrained while being received and slid by a cover when the occupant 128 moves in an oblique direction, but can be restrained only by the main bag 114 exposed from the opening 118 when the occupant 128 moves in the front direction. . As described above, the cushion 104 can restrain the occupant 128 without any problem not only in an oblique collision but also in a normal collision in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

  In the above, referring to FIG. 4, a clockwise rotation is given as an example of the rotation that occurs in the head 130. However, depending on the emergency situation, for example, the occupant 128 may move obliquely forward to the outside of the vehicle, and the head 130 may rotate counterclockwise around the neck as viewed from above. Even with this counterclockwise rotation, according to the cushion 104 of the present embodiment, the rotation can be reduced or canceled and the angular velocity of the head 130 can be reduced. That is, the airbag apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can obtain the same effect for the occupant 128 that moves in any of the vehicle width directions.

(First modification)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first modification of the cushion 104 of FIG. Henceforth, about the same component as already demonstrated, the description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol. In addition, components having the same names as the components already described have the same functions unless otherwise specified even if they are given different reference numerals.

  FIG. 7A illustrates an airbag cushion (cushion 200) according to the first modification as seen from the vehicle rear side, similarly to the cushion 104 of FIG. 2C. The cushion 200 in the present embodiment is different from the cushion 104 in FIG. 2C in that the size of the cover 202 is set larger.

  FIG.7 (b) is BB sectional drawing of Fig.7 (a). As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the volume of the space (inner space E <b> 2) that encloses the main bag 114 inside the cover 202 is set larger than the volume of the main bag 114. Therefore, there is a space between the cover 202 and the main bag 114, and the cover 202 is more easily slid on the main bag 114. Note that the cover 202 is also non-inflated, and no gas flows into the space between the cover 202 and the main bag 114.

  Since the cover 202 is easy to slide on the main bag 114, it is possible to more efficiently suppress the rotation of the head 130 of the occupant 128 (see FIG. 4 and the like) due to the slide. Thus, the cushion 200 aligns the movement of the head 130 of the occupant 128 with the shoulder 131 and the head 130 without turning the head 130 in any direction with respect to the shoulder 131 or the like. Can be restrained with a minimum of rotation.

(Second modification)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second modification of the cushion 104 of FIG. FIG. 8A illustrates an airbag cushion (cushion 220) according to a second modification as viewed from the vehicle rear side. The cushion 220 is different in configuration from each of the cushions described above in that the non-inflatable cover 222 is set to a small size with respect to the main bag 114.

  FIG. 8B illustrates the cushion 220 of FIG. 8A as viewed from the outside of the vehicle. In the cushion 220, since the size of the cover 222 is set smaller than that of the main bag 114, the cover 222 surrounds the main bag 114 and limits the inflatable range of the main bag 114. As a result, a portion of the main bag 114 on the vehicle rear side (left side in FIG. 8B) is seated by the passenger 128 (see FIG. 9A, etc.) to be protected by the main bag 114 through the opening 228. Projecting to the seat side (protrusion 224). Since the protrusion 224 protrudes toward the seat, the cushion 220 can make contact with the occupant 128 earlier.

  FIG.8 (c) is CC sectional drawing of Fig.8 (a). As illustrated in FIG. 8C, the volume of the space (inner space E <b> 3) containing the main bag 114 inside the cover 222 is set to be smaller than the volume of the main bag 114. With this configuration, the cover 222 limits the range of the space in which the main bag 114 should be expanded to the inner space E3. A portion of the main bag 114 that does not fit in the inner space E3 on the vehicle rear side protrudes from the opening 228 to the seat side (left side in FIG. 8C) as a protrusion 224.

  In the present embodiment, a difference appears in the tension of the base fabric between the protruding portion 224 and other portions of the entire main bag 114. Specifically, the protruding portion 224 has a low base fabric tension, and the portion (base portion 226) included in the cover other than the protruding portion 224 has a relatively high base fabric tension.

  Of the entire volume of the main bag 114, the protrusion 224 is a part, and most of the remaining part is a base 226. As illustrated in FIG. 8A, when the base fabric of both portions at the time of expansion is viewed as a curved surface, the outer shape of the protruding portion 224 is smaller than the outer shape of the base portion 226. The curvature radius r1 is smaller than the curvature radius r2 of the base 226 (r1 <r2).

  In general, the tension (T) of the base fabric can be expressed by the pressure (P) and the radius of curvature (r) (T = P × r). The main bag 114 is inflated by the pressure of the gas received from one inflator 112 (see FIG. 8C). In addition, since the protrusion 224 and the base 226 are not completely partitioned, the internal pressure is equal at each of the protrusion 224 and the base 226. Therefore, the protrusion 224 having a relatively small radius of curvature r1 has a lower base fabric tension than the base 226 having a relatively large radius of curvature r2 having the same internal pressure. That is, the main bag 114 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the protrusion 224 having a low tension is exposed from the center on the vehicle rear side.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process of restraining the occupant 128 by the cushion 220 at the time of inflating and deploying, such as FIG. Each figure in FIG. 9 illustrates the process in which the cushion 220 restrains the occupant 128 as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle interior. As illustrated in FIG. 9A, when an impact occurs in the vehicle, the cushion 220 is inflated and deployed forward of the seat 102 (see FIG. 1B).

  FIG. 9B illustrates a state in which the occupant 128 has moved further than in FIG. The protrusion 224 of the main bag 114 protrudes from the opening 228 of the cover 222 to the occupant side (right side in FIG. 9A) seated on the seat, and is closest to the occupant 128 in the cushion 220. Therefore, the protrusion 224 can contact the occupant 128 earlier. At this time, the protrusion 224 comes into contact with the head 130 of the occupant 128 from the vicinity of the lower jaw 138.

  In an oblique collision or the like, the driver's seat occupant may move diagonally forward in the vehicle width direction. In that case, in the above configuration, the head 130 of the occupant 128 comes into contact first with the projection 224 having a low tension existing near the occupant. As described above, according to the above configuration, the head 130 of the occupant 128 is relatively flexibly received by the protrusion 224 having low tension, thereby suppressing the rotation of the head 130 and restraining the injury value to be lower. Is possible. At this time, the protrusion 224115 receives the head 130 from the jaw 138 side, and thus can also suppress the vertical rotation of the head 130 (rotation from above to below).

  When the occupant 128 further moves obliquely forward of the vehicle from FIG. 9B, as shown in FIG. 9C, the head 130 of the occupant 128 is restrained with the left side head 134 in contact with the cover. . At this time, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 4, the cover slides on the main bag together with the head, and the movement of the head 130 of the occupant 128 can be constrained with the movement of the shoulder 131.

  As described above, the cushion 220 restrains the rotation of the head 130 turning left and right with respect to the shoulder 131 and the rotation of tilting the head 130 up and down and left and right to a minimum. And the injury value accompanying the head 130 can be suppressed significantly by making the angular velocity of the head 130 small.

(Third Modification)
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third modification of the cushion 104 of FIG. FIG. 10A illustrates an airbag cushion (cushion 240) according to a third modification as viewed from the vehicle rear side. The cushion 240 according to this embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that it includes a cover 242 having no opening.

  Since the cover 242 is not provided with an opening, the cover 242 includes the entire main bag 114. The cover 242 is also a non-inflatable part, and no gas flows between the cover 242 and the main bag 114. The cover 242 is also connected to the main bag 114 only around the connection part 122 around the vent hole 124 and around the inflator 112. The cover 242 can also slide on the main bag 114 together with the occupant in contact with the cover 242 described above to suppress the rotation of the head 130 and the injury value.

  FIG.10 (b) is DD sectional drawing of Fig.10 (a). As illustrated in FIG. 10D, the volume of the space (inner space E <b> 4) containing the main bag 114 inside the cover 242 is set larger than the volume of the main bag 114. Therefore, there is a space between the cover 242 and the main bag 114, and the cover 242 is more easily slid on the main bag 114.

  FIG. 10C is a diagram illustrating an outline when the occupant 128 contacts the cushion 240 of FIG. Since the cover 242 surrounds the entire main bag 114, the occupant indirectly contacts the main bag 114 via the cover 242.

  FIG. 10D illustrates the behavior of the occupant following FIG. Since the cover 242 is also easy to slide on the main bag 114, it is possible to more efficiently suppress the rotation of the head of the occupant 128 due to the slide. As a result, the cushion 240 aligns the movement of the head 130 of the occupant 128 with the shoulder 131 and the head 130 without turning or tilting the head 130 in any direction with respect to the shoulder 131 or the like. Can be restrained with a minimum of rotation.

  In the above description, the airbag device 100 is implemented as a frontal airbag for a driver's seat. However, the airbag apparatus 100 can be installed in places other than the driver's seat. For example, it can be implemented as a frontal airbag that inflates and deploys in front of the rear seat by being provided on the rear side of the front seat.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described above are preferred examples of the present invention, and other embodiments can be implemented by various methods. Can be carried out. The invention is not limited to the detailed shape, size, configuration, and the like of the components shown in the accompanying drawings unless otherwise specified in the present specification. In addition, expressions and terms used in the present specification are for the purpose of explanation, and are not limited thereto unless otherwise specified.

  Therefore, it is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

  The present invention can be used for an airbag device that restrains an occupant in an emergency.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Airbag apparatus, 102 ... Seat, 104 ... Cushion, 106 ... Steering wheel, 108 ... Storage part, 110 ... Design surface of storage part, 112 ... Inflator, 114 ... Main bag, 116 ... Cover, 118 ... Opening part, 120: Rear region of the main bag, 122: Connection portion, 124: Vent hole, 128 ... Crew, 130 ... Head, 131 ... Shoulder, 134 ... Left head, 136 ... Right head, 138 ... Jaw, 200th 1 cushion, 202 ... cover, 220 ... second cushion, 222 ... cover, 224 ... projection, 226 ... base, 228 ... opening, 240 ... third cushion, 242 ... cover, E1: inner space of the cover in the first modified example, E2: inner space in the first modified example, E3: inner space in the second modified example, E4 Third inner space in the modification, r1 ... curvature radius of the protrusion, r2 ... curvature radius of the base

Claims (7)

A bag-like main bag that inflates in front of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat using gas;
A non-inflatable cloth-like cover containing the main bag;
An inflator installed in the vehicle for supplying the gas to the main bag;
An air bag device comprising:   The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the cover has an opening that can expose a part of the main bag toward an occupant seated in the seat.   The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes the entire main bag. The volume of the space containing the main bag inside the cover is smaller than the volume of the main bag,
The part of the main bag protrudes from the opening to the seat side as the cover surrounds the main bag and restricts an inflatable range of the main bag. Airbag device.   5. The airbag device according to claim 4, wherein a portion of the main bag protruding toward the seat has a lower base fabric tension than a portion included in the cover of the main bag.   4. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein a volume of the space containing the main bag inside the cover is larger than a volume of the main bag. 5.   The cover is in a state of being attached to the vehicle together with the main bag so as to receive the load from the passenger on the main bag by sliding on the main bag together with the passenger entering the main bag. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

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