JP2023170709A - Occupant protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device which can expand an air bag smoothly even when secondary collision occurs while or after impact force from a side acts.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device S protects an occupant sitting on a seat, and includes an air bag 45 held by a hold belt part wound around the waist part of the occupant, and an inflator 20. The inflator includes an inflator main body 21 which is mounted in an area of a rear surface lower part side of a seat part of the seat, and a connection pipe part 25 which is arranged in an area of a side of the seat part to connect the inflator main body and the air bag. A cover part 35 which covers at least a side of an area arranged on a side of the seat part is arranged on the connection pipe part. The cover part includes a cover main body 36 which is formed of a rigid material, and covers a side of the connection pipe part, and is held on a seat frame 4 side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an occupant protection device configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat.

Conventionally, occupant protection devices have been designed to place an inflator, which supplies inflation gas to an airbag that is folded and stored around the occupant's waist, in the lower rear area of the seat where the occupant is sitting. , there was a configuration in which it was arranged (for example, see Patent Document 1). Specifically, in the conventional occupant protection device, the inflator has an approximately cylindrical shape, and includes an inflator main body disposed on the lower rear side of the seat with its axial direction substantially parallel to the left-right direction, and an inflator body extending from the inflator main body. The configuration included a connecting pipe section that was arranged to be bent and connected to the airbag on the side of the seat section.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-66425

In this conventional occupant protection device, a connecting pipe extending from the inflator main body is bent and connected to the airbag at a position on the side of the seat. Therefore, when a large impact force is applied from the left and right sides, such as when a vehicle enters from the side, the connecting pipe portion may be deformed. If the connecting pipe section is significantly deformed, it will not be possible to smoothly supply inflation gas to the airbag, and the airbag will not be able to inflate smoothly when a secondary collision occurs during or after a side impact force is applied. Since this may not be possible in some cases, there is room for improvement in suppressing the occurrence of such deformation.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides an occupant protection device that can smoothly inflate an airbag even if a secondary collision occurs during or after a side impact force is applied. The purpose is to provide.

The occupant protection device according to the present invention is configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat, and includes:
an airbag configured to be in the form of an inflatable bag to cover the front of an occupant, and held in a folded state by a holding belt that is wrapped around the waist of the occupant;
an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag;
An occupant protection device comprising:
The inflator is
an inflator body having a substantially cylindrical shape and being attached to a region on the lower rear side of the seat portion of the seat with the axial direction substantially paralleling the left-right direction;
a connecting pipe portion extending from the inflator body and being bent and arranged in a side area of the seat portion to connect the inflator body and the airbag;
It is configured to include
In the connecting pipe portion, a cover portion is disposed to cover at least the side of an area disposed on the side of the seat portion,
The cover part is formed from a rigid material, has a cover body that covers the sides of the connection pipe part, and is held on the seat frame side.

In the occupant protection device of the present invention, in the inflator, the connecting pipe connecting the inflator main body and the airbag is arranged so as to extend from the inflator main body and be bent. In this configuration, the sides of the area disposed on both sides are covered by a cover section made of a rigid material. This cover portion is configured to be held on the seat frame side. Therefore, even if a large impact force is applied from the left and right sides, such as when a vehicle approaches from the side, the connecting pipe will be It is possible to reduce the applied impact force, and it is possible to suppress large deformation of the connecting pipe portion. As a result, when the inflator body is activated in the event of a secondary collision (a collision that requires the airbag to be inflated) during or after a side impact force is applied, the inflator is discharged from the inflator body. Gas can be smoothly flowed into the airbag through the connecting pipe portion, and the airbag can be smoothly inflated.

Therefore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, even if a secondary collision occurs during or after a side impact force is applied, the airbag can be smoothly inflated.

Further, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, the cover portion may have a U-shaped cross section having an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion extending from the upper end side and the lower end side of the cover body so as to cover the upper and lower sides of the connecting pipe portion. Configure
It is preferable that the upper wall part and the lower wall part have a structure in which the front end sides are held by the seat frame.

In the occupant protection device configured as described above, the cover main body is held at the upper end side and the lower end side on the seat frame side via the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion, so that it is difficult to deform and the strength is further improved. This makes it possible to further reduce the impact force acting on the connecting pipe portion when impact force is applied from the side.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view of the seat of FIG. 1 near the location where the inflator is arranged. FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat of FIG. 1, showing a state in which a seat belt is attached. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged rear view showing a region on the lower end side of the seat portion of the seat shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an inflator arrangement site in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a distal end portion of a connecting pipe portion of an inflator and a cover portion in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an airbag used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment is inflated alone. FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 8; FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat in a state where the airbag has completed inflation in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the seat in a state where the airbag has completed inflation in the occupant protection device of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on a seat 1 of a vehicle, as shown in FIGS. , an inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 45, and a cover section 35 disposed to cover the side of a connection pipe section 25, which will be described later, in the inflator 20.

The seat 1 includes a backrest 2 and a seat 3, and is supported by a seat frame 4. In the case of the embodiment, the vehicle on which the seat 1 is mounted is a right-hand drive vehicle, although detailed illustration is omitted, and the seat 1 is a passenger seat. That is, the seat 1 is mounted in a vehicle with the right side facing the center of the vehicle in the width direction of the vehicle and the left side facing the outside of the vehicle in the width direction of the vehicle.

In the case of the embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1 and includes a belt body 8 for protecting the occupant MP seated on the seat 1, a tongue plate 12 attached to the belt body 8, and a tongue plate 12. The configuration includes a buckle 13 for connecting the two. The belt main body 8 has one end locked to a winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) arranged inside the backrest part 2, and the other end to an anchor member arranged to the left of the rear end 3a of the seat part 3 in the seat 1. 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Specifically, the belt main body 8 is arranged so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper left edge side of the backrest portion 2, and in the case of the embodiment, when the occupant MP is not seated, the belt main body 8 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, the lap belt 10 serving as a holding belt portion holding the airbag 45 is exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2. Specifically, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 10 is exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2 on the left edge 2a side of the backrest portion 2, approximately along the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. has been done. The belt main body 8 includes a lap belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 stored in the backrest portion 2, and when the passenger is seated, the tongue plate 12 is connected to the buckle 13, and the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13 are connected to each other. The lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP is restrained by a lap belt 10 arranged substantially along the left-right direction between The belt 9 is configured to restrain the upper body MU (from the shoulders MS to the chest MB) of the occupant MP (see FIG. 4). In the case of the embodiment, when the occupant is seated, the lap belt 10 disposed in front of the waist MW of the occupant MP seated on the seat 1 constitutes a holding belt portion that accommodates and holds the folded airbag 45. The airbag 45 is held on the lap belt 10 with its folded periphery covered by a cover 60. In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) disposed within the backrest portion 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 45 has an inflator body 21 and a connection that extends from the inflator body 21 and connects the inflator body 21 and the airbag 45. A pipe portion 25 is provided.

The inflator main body 21 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and is disposed in a region on the lower rear surface side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 with the axial direction substantially parallel to the left-right direction, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. will be established. The inflator main body 21 is configured such that a gas discharge part 22 capable of discharging inflation gas is disposed on one end side in the axial direction. It is configured to be attached to the rear surface side of the seat frame 4 disposed on the lower side of the seat portion 3 using a bracket 30 disposed on the outer circumferential side so as to face outward in the direction (outside direction). More specifically, the inflator main body 21 is arranged in such a way that the gas discharge part 22 disposed on the left end 21a side is located near the left end of the seat frame 4, so that the inflator main body 21 is arranged in an area of about the left half on the rear side of the seat frame 4. (See Figure 5). A connector 23 to which a lead wire 23a is connected is connected to the other end (right end 21b side) of the inflator main body 21 in the axial direction. The bracket 30 for attaching the inflator body 21 to the seat frame 4 includes a retaining ring portion 30a having a substantially annular outer shape and capable of holding the inflator body 21, and a bolt 30b protruding from the retaining ring portion 30a. (See Figure 6). Although detailed illustration is omitted, the holding ring portion 30a is configured to hold the inflator main body 21 by being caulked to reduce its diameter. The brackets 30 are arranged at two separate locations along the axial direction of the inflator main body 21, and each holds the inflator main body 21 with a holding ring portion 30a and bolts 30b protruding from the holding ring portion 30a. The inflator main body 21 is attached to the seat frame 4 by inserting it into an attachment hole 4a formed in the seat frame 4 and securing it with a nut 4b (see FIG. 6). In the case of the embodiment, the inflator main body 21 is set to start operating later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7 in order to restrict the pulling out of the belt main body 8 of the seat belt 7 due to the inflation of the airbag 45. has been done. Further, in the case of the embodiment, the inflator main body 21 operates when an impact force is applied from the front side and the side (left side) with the seat 1 disposed so as to face the front side of the vehicle. It is configured as follows.

The connecting pipe section 25 that connects the inflator main body 21 and the airbag 45 is formed from a metal pipe made of steel or the like, and is bent while extending from the inflator main body 21 to the sides of the seat section 3 ( It is arranged on the left side (that is, the outer side in the vehicle width direction) (specifically, the left side (outer side in the vehicle width direction) of the seat frame 4 arranged below the seat part 3). ing. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, the connection pipe portion 25 is bent while extending from the left end 21a (gas discharge portion 22) side of the inflator main body 21, and is connected to the left side of the seat frame 4. (the outer region of the seat frame 4 in the width direction of the vehicle), the base side portion 26 that is on the inflator main body 21 side, and the tip disposed to intersect with the base side portion 26. It has a side portion 27 and has a substantially L-shaped outer shape. Specifically, in the connecting pipe portion 25, the distal end portion 27 is arranged in a region on the side (left side) of the seat frame 4 below the seat portion 3. More specifically, when viewed from the left, this distal end portion 27 extends diagonally upward and forward from the proximal portion 26, and is bent at an intermediate portion (FIG. 3). reference). Although detailed explanation is omitted, this connection pipe portion 25 has a base end 26a of a base side portion 26 connected to the gas discharge portion 22 of the inflator main body 21 by caulking. Further, the connecting pipe portion 25 is configured such that a distal end 27a of the distal end portion 27 is connected to a distal end 55a of a conduit portion 55, which will be described later, in the airbag 45 using a clamp 33 (see FIG. 6).

The cover portion 35 arranged to cover the side of the connecting pipe portion 25 is made of a rigid material, and in the case of the embodiment, is made of metal such as steel. In the case of the embodiment, the cover portion 35 is disposed so as to cover the side (left side) of the tip side portion 27 of the connection pipe portion 25, as shown in FIG. The cover portion 35 includes a cover body 36 that covers the side (left side) of the distal end portion 27, and an upper portion that extends from the upper end 36a side and the lower end 36b side of the cover body 36 to cover the upper and lower sides of the distal end portion 27. It has a wall portion 37 and a lower wall portion 38, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section (see FIGS. 6 and 7). In the case of the embodiment, the cover portion 35 is configured to cover substantially the entire length of the distal end portion 27, and is bent to match the bent shape of the distal end portion 27 when viewed from the left. (See Figure 3). Specifically, the cover portion 35 is arranged from a position slightly forward of the location of the clamp 33 to an area to the left of the proximal side portion 26 so as to cover the entire length of the distal side portion 27. (See Figures 3, 5, and 6). In addition, in the case of the embodiment, the cover part 35 has the tips 37a, 38a of the upper wall part 37 and the lower wall part 38 in contact with the seat frame 4 (see FIG. In this case, the cover portion is held by the seat frame 4 by welding the cover portion to the seat frame 4 at a plurality of locations on the lengthwise side of the cover portion. The cover portion 35 is disposed to cover the distal end portion 27 with a certain amount of clearance provided between the cover body 36 and the distal end portion 27 (see FIG. 7). The gap t (see FIG. 7) between the distal end portion 27 and the cover body 36 is set to at least about 5 mm.

The airbag 45 is held by the lap belt 10 using the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 as a holding belt part, is folded into a long shape, and is surrounded by a cover 60. It is placed in the region of the lap belt 10, covered with a cover 60, so as to overlap the upper surface side of the lap belt 10 when the belt 7 is worn (see FIG. 4). In other words, the airbag 45 is folded and stored in the gap between the lap belt 10 and the cover 60. Moreover, in the non-installed state as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 45 is arranged on the back side (backrest part 2 side) of the lap belt 10 exposed on the front side of the backrest part 2. The cover 60 is made of a flexible sheet body, and is configured to be broken at a predetermined portion when the airbag 45 is deployed and inflated, so that a bag body 46 of the airbag 45, which will be described later, can be protruded.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the airbag 45 includes a bag body 46 that inflates to protect the occupant MP, a conduit portion 55 that is connected to the inflator 20 and allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body 46, and a bag body 45. 46 on the lap belt 10.

The bag body 46 has an approximately triangular prism shape with the axial direction substantially parallel to the left and right directions when the bag body 46 is fully inflated. It has a substantially right-angled triangular shape with a hypotenuse, and its fully inflated shape when viewed from the front-rear direction is a substantially rectangular shape with a wide upper and lower width (see FIGS. 10 and 11). As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the bag body 46 includes a rear wall portion 48 that is disposed on the occupant MP side (rear side) when inflation is completed, and a front wall portion that is disposed opposite the rear wall portion 48 in the front-rear direction. It has a wall portion 47, a lower wall portion 49 disposed on the lower end side when the inflation is completed, and a left wall portion 50 and a right wall portion 51 that are disposed facing each other in the left-right direction when the inflation is completed. . When inflation is completed, the bag body 46 receives the upper body MU of the occupant MP with the rear wall 48, and when the rear wall 48 receives the upper body MU, the lower wall 49 is connected to the thighs of the occupant MP. It is configured to protect the occupant MP by coming into contact with the MT and supporting the thigh MT (see FIG. 11). This bag body 46 has a conduit part 55 arranged on the lower surface side of the rear end side of the lower wall part 49, and the inflation gas from the inflator 20 (inflator body 21) flows into the inside through this conduit part 55. This is a configuration that allows In the region on the rear end side of the lower wall portion 49, communication holes 53 that communicate with the conduit portion 55 are opened circularly, and in the case of the embodiment, two communication holes 53 are arranged side by side on the left and right sides. The bag main body 46 is connected to the conduit portion 55 at a portion around the communication hole 53.

The conduit portion 55 is configured to extend leftward from the bag body 46, and is connected to the connection pipe portion 25 in a substantially cylindrical shape with an open end 55a side. The conduit portion 55 is configured to be disposed substantially along the left-right direction so as to substantially follow the lap belt 10 when the airbag 45 is fully inflated (see FIGS. 10 and 11). The conduit portion 55 has a configuration in which the tip 55a side is connected to the tip 27a side of the connecting pipe portion 25 using the clamp 33, as described above. An attachment portion 57 for attaching the bag body 46 to the lap belt 10 is sewn to the lower surface side of the conduit portion 55, as shown in FIG. The attachment portion 57 has a substantially cylindrical shape with both ends open so that the lap belt 10 can be inserted therethrough. By inserting the lap belt 10 through this attachment portion 57, the airbag 45 is connected to and held by the lap belt 10.

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the inflator 20 is operated while the occupant MP is seated while wearing the seat belt 7 on the seat 1 mounted on the vehicle, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator body 21 is activated. , through the connecting pipe section 25 and the conduit section 55, and flows into the bag body 46, and the bag body 46 of the airbag 45 breaks the cover 60 and flows from the lap belt 10 as a holding belt section. While protruding forward and upward, the expansion is completed as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, in the inflator 20, the connecting pipe portion 25 connecting the inflator main body 21 and the airbag 45 is arranged so as to extend from the inflator main body 21 and be bent. However, a cover portion made of a rigid material covers the side of the region disposed on the side of the seat portion 3 (specifically, the distal end portion 27 disposed on the left side of the seat frame 4). 35. This cover portion 35 is configured to be held on the seat frame 4 side. Therefore, even if a large impact force is applied from the left and right sides, such as when a vehicle enters from the side, the connection pipe is The impact force acting on the portion 25 can be reduced, and the connection pipe portion 25 can be prevented from being significantly deformed. As a result, when the inflator body 21 is activated in the event of a secondary collision (a collision that requires the airbag 45 to be inflated) during or after a side impact force is applied, the air is discharged from the inflator body 21. The inflation gas can be smoothly flowed into the airbag 45 through the connecting pipe portion 25, and the airbag 45 can be smoothly inflated. In particular, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the connecting pipe portion 25 is disposed at a position on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the seat portion 3, so that when the vehicle enters, etc. It is conceivable that a large impact force may directly act on the cover part 35, but as mentioned above, since the side (the side in the direction in which the vehicle enters) is covered by the cover part 35, a large impact force due to the approach of a vehicle, etc. may directly act on the cover part 35. Even if this happens, deformation can be suppressed and inflation gas can smoothly flow into the airbag 45.

Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, even if a secondary collision occurs during or after a side impact force is applied, the airbag 45 can be smoothly inflated.

Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover portion 35 is an upper wall portion extending from the upper end 36a side and the lower end 36b side of the cover main body 36 so as to cover the upper and lower sides of the tip side portion 27 of the connecting pipe portion 25. 37 and a lower wall portion 38, the upper wall portion 37 and the lower wall portion 38 are held by the seat frame 4 at their tips 37a and 38a. That is, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover main body 36 is configured such that the upper end 36a side and the lower end 36b side are held on the seat frame 4 side via the upper wall portion 37 and the lower wall portion 38, respectively. Therefore, it is difficult to deform, and the strength can be further improved, and the impact force acting on the connecting pipe portion 25 when an impact force is applied from the side can be further reduced. In addition, if these points are not taken into consideration, a cover part that does not have an upper wall part and a lower wall part and has a structure in which a holding member of a predetermined shape extending from the cover body is held on the seat frame side may not be used. May be used. Further, the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion may not be provided continuously over the entire length of the cover portion, but may be provided intermittently.

Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the cover portion 35 is configured to cover only the side (left side) of the distal end portion 27 of the connecting pipe portion 25 in the inflator 20; It may be configured to cover the entire inflator, including the rear part from the base side part to the inflator main body. In the embodiment, the cover part 35 is made of metal such as steel, and the rigidity of the cover part itself, which has increased bending rigidity, restricts the impact force on the connecting pipe 25. It is not limited to manufactured products. For example, the cover part is made of hard synthetic resin and is arranged with a sufficient gap between the cover body and the connecting pipe part (tip side part), so that when an impact force is applied, plastic deformation etc. A configuration may be adopted in which the impact force acting on the connecting pipe portion can be reduced by absorbing energy.

In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 is used as the holding belt section that holds the airbag 45, but the holding belt section that holds the airbag is limited to the lap belt. Instead, for example, a belt separate from the seat belt may be placed in front of the waist of the occupant seated on the seat, and the air bag may be held on this belt. Further, although the occupant protection device S of the embodiment has a configuration in which the airbag 45 is held by the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7, the inflator 20 operates later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7. Therefore, the airbag 45 can be inflated while the seat belt 7 stably maintains the seated state of the occupant MP on the seat 1. can be protected.

Further, the occupant protection device S of the embodiment is configured such that the seat belt 7 and the inflator 20 are mounted on the seat 1. Therefore, even when the seat 1 is used in a state where it is moved relative to the vehicle by largely sliding or rotating back and forth, the occupant MP seated on the seat 1 can be accurately protected by the airbag 45. Can be done.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Seat, 3... Seat part, 4... Seat frame, 20... Inflator, 21... Inflator body, 25... Connection pipe part, 27... Tip side part, 35... Cover part, 36... Cover main body, 36a... Upper end, 36b ...lower end, 37...upper wall portion, 38...lower wall portion, 37a, 38a...tip, 45...airbag, MP...occupant, S...occupant protection device.

Claims (2)

It is designed to protect the occupants seated in the seat.
an airbag configured to be in the shape of an inflatable bag to cover the front of the occupant, and held in a folded state by a holding belt portion wrapped around the waist of the occupant;
an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag;
An occupant protection device comprising:
The inflator is
an inflator body having a substantially cylindrical shape and being attached to a lower rear region of the seat portion of the seat with the axial direction substantially paralleling the left-right direction;
a connecting pipe portion extending from the inflator body and being bent and arranged in a lateral region of the seat portion to connect the inflator body and the airbag;
It is configured to include
In the connection pipe portion, a cover portion is disposed to cover at least a side of a region disposed on a side of the seat portion,
An occupant protection device characterized in that the cover portion is made of a rigid material, has a cover body that covers sides of the connection pipe portion, and is held on a seat frame side. The cover part is configured to have a U-shaped cross section, and has an upper wall part and a lower wall part extending from the upper end side and the lower end side of the cover main body so as to cover the upper and lower sides of the connecting pipe part,
The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion are held at their leading ends by the seat frame.

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