JP2020037382A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air bag device that can efficiently suppress an injury value of an occupant in an emergency situation.SOLUTION: A representative configuration of an air bag device 100 according to the present invention comprises: an inflator 112, installed in a vehicle, which can supply gas; an air bag cushion 104 that inflates and expands toward a front side of a seating position of an occupant in the vehicle by gas; and at least one inner tether 116, one end 122 of which is connected to the seating position side inside the air bag cushion 104 and the other end 124 of which is connected to the front side of the vehicle inside the air bag cushion 104. At a center at the seating position side in the air bag cushion 104 is formed a concave part 114 concaved by being pulled by the inner tether 116.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

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

  In recent years, vehicles are generally equipped with an airbag device as 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 driver airbag is provided in the center of the steering wheel in the driver's seat to protect the occupant in the front seat from the impact in the front-rear direction, and the instrument panel and its surrounding parts are located near the passenger seat. A passenger airbag is provided. In addition, in order to protect each occupant in the front and rear rows from side collisions and subsequent rollover (rollover), curtain airbags that inflate and deploy along the side windows are provided near the ceiling of the wall, and seats are provided. Is provided with a side airbag that inflates and deploys to the side of the occupant.

  The inside of the airbag cushion of various airbag devices may be divided into a plurality of spaces depending on the purpose and installation environment. For example, in the occupant protection device (driver airbag) described in Patent Literature 1, the airbag cushion includes a central central gas bag 1 and a peripheral gas bag 3 around the central gas bag. According to the configuration of Patent Literature 1, it is described that the restraint surface for restraining the occupant expands flatly to have a large area, so that the occupant can be reliably received.

JP-A-1-132444

  At present, the airbag device is also required to respond to irregular collisions and impacts such as so-called oblique collisions in which impacts are applied to the vehicle from obliquely front and rear directions. At the time of the oblique collision, the occupant enters the airbag cushion existing in front of the seat at an irregular angle such as an oblique direction. In this case, when the occupant's head comes into contact with 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.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an airbag device capable of efficiently suppressing an injury value of an occupant in an emergency.

  In order to solve the above problem, a typical configuration of an airbag device according to the present invention is an inflator installed in a vehicle and capable of supplying gas, and an airbag inflated and deployed forward of a seating position of an occupant of the vehicle by the gas. A cushion and at least one internal tether connected at one end to a seating position inside the airbag cushion and at the other end to a vehicle front side inside the airbag cushion; A concave portion is formed in the center of the position side by being pulled by the internal tether.

  According to the above configuration, the airbag cushion can avoid or delay contact with the center of the occupant's upper body, that is, near the chin, by the concave portion. Generally, a human head is likely to rotate when a force is applied to a chin. With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the rotation of the head by suppressing the impact on the chin of the occupant, thereby reducing the injury value.

  The above-described inflator and airbag cushion are installed at a position in front of the seating position of the vehicle compartment, and the inflator is partially inserted into the airbag cushion, and the other end of the internal tether is provided with an inflator or an inflator. The airbag cushion may be connected near the inflator.

  According to the above configuration, since the other end of the internal tether is fixed, the airbag cushion can be easily pulled at one end, so that the recess can be suitably formed.

  It is preferable that the internal tether is formed to have a dimension to be tensioned when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed. With this configuration, it is possible to preferably form the concave portion.

  The airbag cushion includes an inner tether to which an inner tether is connected and forming a bottom of the concave portion, and an outer base cloth forming an outer surface other than the center base cloth. It is circular and the outer base fabric may be formed so as to surround the circular central base fabric.

  According to the above configuration, the concave portion can be suitably formed by the action of the internal tether.

  The outer substrate may include a plurality of annular or tubular substrates arranged concentrically with the central substrate. With this configuration also, the concave portion can be suitably formed.

  The internal tether includes a first tether and a second tether which are arranged on the upper left and right sides when viewed from the seating position, and an upper or lower side when viewed from the first tether and the second tether between the first tether and the second tether. And a third tether provided on the side. The plurality of internal tethers enables the recess to be formed appropriately.

  The first tether and the second tether may be arranged on the upper side when viewed from the seating position, and the third tether may be provided on the lower side when viewed from the first tether and the second tether. The plurality of internal tethers enables the recess to be formed appropriately.

  The third tether may be arranged at a position farther from the first tether and the second tether than a distance between the first tether and the second tether. With this configuration, the concave portion can be formed widely and suitably.

  The inflator and the airbag cushion described above may be housed in a steering wheel of a vehicle. With this configuration, the airbag device can be suitably used as a driver airbag.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the airbag apparatus which can suppress the injury value of an occupant in an emergency efficiently.

It is a figure which illustrates the outline of the airbag device concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which illustrated the cushion at the time of expansion deployment of Drawing 1 (b) from each direction. It is each sectional drawing of the cushion of FIG.1 (b). It is the figure which illustrated the base cloth which comprises the cushion of Drawing 1 (a) from each direction. It is the figure which illustrated the process in which the cushion at the time of expansion deployment of Drawing 1 (b) restrains an occupant.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an airbag device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a vehicle before the airbag device 100 operates. Hereinafter, in FIG. 1 and other drawings, arrows F (Forward) and B (Back) indicate the vehicle longitudinal direction, arrows L (Left) and R (Right) indicate the left and right in the vehicle width direction, and arrow U indicates the vehicle vertical direction. (up) and D (down).

  In the present embodiment, the airbag device 100 is implemented as a driver airbag for a driver's seat (front left seat 102) in a left-hand drive vehicle. In the following, since the description is made assuming the seat 102 on the right side of the front row, for example, a vehicle width direction outside (hereinafter, vehicle outside) means the vehicle left side, and a vehicle width direction inside (hereinafter, vehicle inside) means the vehicle. Means right side.

  An airbag cushion (hereinafter, cushion 104 (see FIG. 1B)) of the airbag device 100 is folded or wound, and is located at a location in the vehicle compartment in front of the seat 102 when viewed from the seating position. The steering wheel 106 is stored in a central storage section 108. The storage section 108 is configured to include a cover 110, a housing (not shown) under the cover 110, and the like.

  In addition to the cushion 104, the storage section 108 also stores an inflator 112 (see FIG. 3A) that is a gas generator. The inflator 112 operates in response to an impact detection signal sent from a sensor (not shown), and supplies gas to the cushion 104 (see FIG. 1B). The cushion 104 starts inflating by the gas from the inflator 112, and inflates and deploys toward the seat 102 by tearing the cover 110 by the inflation pressure.

  In this embodiment, the inflator 112 is of a disk type (disk type). The inflator 112 is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing (see FIG. 1A), and a portion including the gas ejection holes is inserted into the cushion 104 (see FIG. 3A). At present, inflators that are widely used are filled with a gas generating agent and burn it to generate gas, or are filled with compressed gas and supply gas without generating heat, or combustion. There is a hybrid type using both gas and compressed gas. As the inflator 112, any type can be used.

  FIG. 1B illustrates the vehicle after the cushion 104 of the airbag device 100 has been inflated and deployed. The cushion 104 is inflated and deployed in a bag shape in front of the seating position of the seat 102 by gas from the inflator 112, and restrains the upper body and head of the occupant moving forward. The cushion 104 has a circular shape when viewed from the seating position side, and is formed by overlapping or sewing or bonding a plurality of base fabrics constituting the surface thereof.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the cushion 104 at the time of inflation and deployment in FIG. 1B from various directions. FIG. 2A illustrates the cushion 104 of FIG. 1B as viewed from slightly above the outside of the vehicle. The cushion 104 according to the present embodiment has a concave portion 114 formed as a characteristic portion at the center of the occupant at the seating position side. The recess 114 is formed by an internal tether 116 provided inside the cushion 104 pulling the base fabric of the cushion 104.

  FIG. 2B is a view illustrating the internal tether 116 of FIG. The internal tether 116 is a band-shaped member, and three internal tethers are provided (a first tether 116a, a second tether 116b, and a third tether 116c). One end of the internal tether 116 is connected to the central base cloth 118 on the seating position side inside the cushion 104, and the other end is connected to a position on the vehicle front side inside the cushion 104 on the opposite side.

  FIG. 3 is a sectional view of each of the cushions 104 shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a sectional view taken along line AA of the cushion 104 in FIG. The interior of the cushion 104 is a single space. The outer surface of the cushion 104 can be roughly divided into a central base fabric 118 connected to the inner tether 116 to form the bottom of the concave portion 114, and an outer base fabric 120 forming an outer surface other than the central base fabric 118. It is comprised including.

  The lower third tether 116c among the internal tethers 116 will be described as an example. The third tether 116c has one end 122 connected to the central base fabric 118 and the other end 124 connected to a portion of the cushion 104 near the inflator 112. As described above, the inflator 112 is fixed to the bottom surface of the storage section 108 (see FIG. 1A). The inflator 112 is also provided with a component called a retainer or a diffuser for rectifying gas. The other end 124 of the third tether 116c can be indirectly fixed to the storage section 108 via the inflator 112 by connecting to the retainer or the like. The other end 124 of the third tether 116c can be connected to a portion of the end of the inflator 112 that is not exposed to gas, or can be connected to a portion of the outer base fabric 120 that is hard to move around the inflator 112. is there.

  The internal tether 116 is formed to have a dimension to be tensioned when the cushion 104 is inflated and deployed. For example, the length of the third tether 116c is set shorter than the distance between the connection points of the one end 122 and the other end 124 when the cushion 104 without the internal tether 116 is inflated and deployed. The inner tether 116 having the dimension set as the third tether 116c pulls the central base fabric 118 at one end because the other end is fixed when the cushion 104 is inflated and deployed. Thereby, the concave portion 114 is suitably formed in the cushion 104.

  FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. The internal tether 116 has a first tether 116a and a second tether 116b arranged on the upper left and right sides when viewed from the seating position side, and a third tether 116c disposed below the first tether 116a and the second tether 116b. Is provided. The first tether 116a, the second tether 116b, and the third tether 116c divide the central angle of the outer base cloth 120 and the center base cloth 118 (see FIG. 3A) into three when viewed from the seating position side. It is provided on the extension of the position.

  The third tether 116c is separated from the first tether 116a and the second tether 116b by a distance D1 and a distance D2, respectively. These distances D1 and D2 are larger than the distance D3 between the first tether 116a and the second tether 116b (D1> D3, D2> D3). By arranging in this manner, the three internal tethers 116 can pull the central base cloth (see FIG. 3A) widely to form the concave portions 114 appropriately.

  In addition, as another example of each internal tether in FIG. 3B, a third tether can be provided above the first tether 116a and the second tether 116b. Even with the three internal tethers having this configuration, it is possible to form the recess 114 by widely pulling the central base fabric (see FIG. 3A).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying a base fabric constituting the cushion 104 of FIG. 1A from each direction. FIG. 4A illustrates the cushion 104 as viewed from the seating position side, similarly to FIG. 1B. As described above, the outer base fabric 120 is a base fabric that forms a wide area of the outer surface of the inflated and deployed cushion 104. The outer base fabric 120 is formed by combining a plurality of annular or tubular base fabrics (such as the base fabrics 120a, 120b, and 120c, and the base fabrics 120d and 120e in FIG. 4B).

  The central base fabric 118 has a circular shape when viewed from the seating position side. The outer base cloth 120 composed of a plurality of base cloths is in the form of a rotating body arranged concentrically with the center base cloth 118 so as to surround the outer edge of the circular center base cloth 118. With these configurations, the cushion 104 can be easily expanded and deployed from the steering wheel 106 (see FIG. 1A) to the seating position side, and the concave portion 114 can be easily formed when the cushion 104 is expanded and deployed.

  FIG. 4B is a BB cross-sectional view of the cushion 104 of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the cushion 104 has a structure in which a plurality of base cloths 120 a to 120 e, which are outer base cloths 120, and a central base cloth 118 are combined. With this structure, the occupant can smoothly expand and deploy toward the seating position. Also, the concave portion 114 due to the inner tether 116 pulling the central base fabric 118 can be formed smoothly. The interior of the cushion 104 is a single space while forming the concave portion 114, so that the usage amount of the base cloth is suppressed as a whole. Therefore, the weight and the material cost can be reduced, and the folding can be performed more compactly with less base cloth.

  In the cushion 104 according to the present embodiment, the recess 114 described above enables an occupant's injury value to be efficiently suppressed in an emergency. Hereinafter, a process in which the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 140 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 140 when the cushion 104 is inflated and deployed in FIG. FIG. 5A illustrates the cushion 104 and the occupant 140 viewed from the outside of the vehicle. When an impact is applied to the vehicle, the cushion 104 expands and deploys in front of the seating position of the occupant 140. At this time, a recess 114 is formed in the center of the cushion 104 on the seating position side.

  Cushion 104 may avoid or delay contact with center of upper body of occupant 140, ie, near jaw 144, by recess 114. Generally, a human head is likely to rotate when a force is applied to the jaw 144. For example, when a shock is applied to the jaw 144 from the front, a vertical rotation ωy having a horizontal axis may occur in the head 142. With the cushion 104 forming the concave portion 114, it is possible to reduce the impact on the jaw 144, suppress the rotation of the head 142, and reduce the injury value.

  With reference to FIG. 5B, a description will be given of a process in which the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 140 also from a different direction from FIG. 5A. FIG. 5B illustrates the cushion 104 and the occupant 140 viewed from above.

  For example, in an oblique collision, an impact is applied obliquely to the vehicle, and the occupant 140 may move diagonally forward (in FIG. 5B, diagonally downward left). In this case, in the conventional cushion for a driver airbag, when the cushion 104 comes into contact with the head 142 that moves obliquely from the front, a horizontal rotation ωz that turns the head 142 around the cervical spine is used. (Right rotation in FIG. 5B). Therefore, in the cushion 104 of the present embodiment, the concave portion 114 is formed on the occupant side, thereby restraining the head 142 not only from the front side but also from the temporal side while suppressing the impact near the chin. In this manner, the cushion 104 restrains the occupant 140 while suppressing the rotation of the head 142.

  As described above, the cushion 104 avoids or delays the contact with the jaw 144 (see FIG. 5A) by the concave portion 114, and the head 142, the chest 146, and the shoulder 148 of the occupant 140 at the site around the concave portion 114. And so on. By these actions, the cushion 104 can align the movement of the head 142 of the occupant 140 with the shoulder 148 and the like, and turns left and right with respect to the rotation ωy of the horizontal axis of the head 142 and the shoulder 148 of the head 142. Each of the rotations ωz on the vertical axis is restrained to a minimum. In this manner, the cushion 104 significantly reduces or cancels the rotation of the head 142 of the occupant 140 and reduces the angular velocity of the head 142, thereby reducing the injury value of the occupant 140 due to the rotation of the head 142. It has become possible.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, not only at the time of an oblique collision but also at the time of a normal vehicle longitudinal collision, high occupant restraint performance can be restrained, and the injury value and movement of the occupant 140 can be suppressed. In the above description, the clockwise rotation ωz has been described as an example of the rotation generated in the head 142 with reference to FIG. However, depending on an emergency situation, for example, the occupant 140 may move diagonally forward inside the vehicle, and the head 142 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 angular velocity of the head 142 can be reduced. That is, the cushion 104 according to the present embodiment can provide the same effect regardless of the case where the occupant 140 moves in the vehicle width direction.

  In the above description, the airbag device 100 was implemented as a driver airbag for a driver's seat. However, the airbag device 100 can be installed at a location other than the driver's seat. For example, by providing it on the rear side of the front seat, it can be implemented as a frontal airbag that expands and deploys in front of the rear seat.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described above are preferred examples of the present invention, and other embodiments may be implemented or implemented by various methods. I can do it. The present invention is not limited by the shape, size, configuration and arrangement of the detailed components shown in the accompanying drawings unless otherwise specified in the specification of the present application. Further, expressions and terms used in the specification of the present application are for the purpose of explanation, and are not limited thereto unless otherwise specified.

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

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for the airbag apparatus which restrains an occupant in an emergency.

100 airbag device, 102 seat, 104 cushion, 106 steering wheel, 108 storage section, 110 cover, 112 inflator, 114 recess, 116 internal tether, 116a first tether, 116b first 2 tethers, 116c: third tether, 118: central base cloth, 120: outer base cloth, 120a to 120e: base cloth, 122: one end, 124: other end, 140: occupant, 142: head, 144: jaw, 146 ... chest, 148 ... shoulder

Claims (9)

An inflator installed in the vehicle and capable of supplying gas,
An airbag cushion that is inflated and deployed in front of the seating position of the occupant of the vehicle by the gas;
At least one internal tether having one end connected to the seating position side inside the airbag cushion and the other end connected to a vehicle front side inside the airbag cushion;
With
The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion has a concave portion formed by being pulled by the internal tether in a center of the seating position side. The inflator and the airbag cushion are installed at a position in front of the seating position in the vehicle compartment,
The inflator is partially inserted inside the airbag cushion,
The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the internal tether is connected to the inflator or the airbag cushion in the vicinity of the inflator.   The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the internal tether is formed to have a size that is tensioned when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed. The airbag cushion,
A central base fabric to which the internal tether is connected and forms the bottom of the recess,
An outer base fabric forming an outer surface other than the central base fabric,
Including
The central base fabric is circular,
4. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the outer base fabric is formed so as to surround the circular center base fabric. 5.   The airbag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the outer base fabric includes a plurality of annular or tubular base fabrics arranged concentrically with the central base fabric.   The internal tether includes a first tether and a second tether arranged on the upper left and right sides as viewed from the seating position, and a first tether and a second tether between the first tether and the second tether. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a third tether provided on an upper side or a lower side. The first tether and the second tether are arranged above when viewed from the seating position,
The airbag device according to claim 6, wherein the third tether is provided below the first tether and the second tether.   The said 3rd tether is arrange | positioned at the position away from the said 1st tether and the said 2nd tether rather than the distance between the said 1st tether and this 2nd tether. 8. The airbag device according to 7.   The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the inflator and the airbag cushion are housed in a steering wheel of a vehicle.

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