JP2842367B2 - Airbag for side impact - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a side collision airbag which protects an occupant when an external impact is applied to a vehicle side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an impact is applied to the side of a vehicle from the outside due to a side impact or the like, a door or a vehicle body component may be deformed by an impact load depending on the magnitude of the impact. In order to reduce the impact force on the occupant due to this deformation, an airbag (bag) is inflated between the side of the vehicle and the occupant in the cabin at the time of a side collision or the like, and the impact force acting on the occupant by the inflated bag. There have been proposed various side collision airbags that absorb occupants to protect occupants (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 4-50052 and 4-356246).

[0003] Conventionally proposed side collision airbags are folded and stored together with a gas generator inside a vehicle seat (mainly a seatback) in order to maintain a constant position relative to an occupant. And a detecting means for detecting a side collision and ejecting gas from the gas generator into the bag. When the side collision is detected by the detecting means, the gas is instantly blown out of the gas generator into the bag, the bag is inflated to the front side of the vehicle, and the position between the side of the vehicle and the seating position of the occupant in the vehicle interior is adjusted. A bag is interposed between them. By interposing the bag between the side of the vehicle and the seating position of the occupant in the passenger compartment, the shock to the occupant due to a deformable door or the like is absorbed to protect the occupant.

[0004]

In the conventional side collision airbag, since the direction of deployment of the bag is substantially perpendicular to the input at the time of a side collision, the bag is placed in a narrow gap between the vehicle body and the seating position of the occupant. In order to reliably deploy the airbag, it is necessary to instantaneously deploy the airbag with high pressure. However, when the bag is deployed, the part facing the chest and the part facing the abdomen are inflated with approximately the same width, so when the bag is deployed, the same pressure is applied to the abdomen and chest, and the impact on the chest Becomes relatively large, and it may not be possible to absorb a desired impact.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to reliably deploy a bag in a narrow gap between a vehicle body and an occupant's seating position without excessively applying an impact to the occupant's chest. It is an object of the present invention to provide a side collision airbag.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a side collision airbag having a bag which is deployed between a vehicle side and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator. In the above, the bag is formed from a main body of a portion facing the abdomen of the occupant and a bulging portion of a portion facing the chest of the occupant, and the main body and the bulging portion are formed when the bag is deployed. The width of the boundary portion is formed to be smaller than the width of the main body, and the input to the chest when the bag is deployed is reduced.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a side collision airbag having a bag deployed between a vehicle side and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator. The bag is formed from the main body of the part facing the abdomen and the bulging part of the part facing the chest of the occupant, and the width of the bulging part is larger than the width of the main body when the bag is deployed. It is characterized by being narrow, and reduces the input to the chest when the bag is deployed.

Further, in a side collision airbag provided with a bag which is deployed between a side portion of a vehicle and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator, a main body at a portion opposed to the abdomen of the occupant and a chest of the occupant are provided. The bag is formed from a bulging portion at a portion facing the airbag, and a length of the bulging portion in a direction away from the gas generator of the bag is provided to be shorter than a length of the main body. Reduces input to the chest when the bag is deployed.

[0009] The length of the bulging portion is shortened by removing the longitudinal end of the bulging portion. Further, the length of the bulging portion is shortened by shortening a joining portion of the bag to the gas generator. Further, a regulating member for regulating the width of the boundary portion or the width of the bulging portion is provided inside the bag.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an airbag structure for side collision according to the present invention. 1 is a side view showing a side collision airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an inflator, FIG. 3 is a side view of the bag, FIG. 4 is a folded state of the bag, and FIG. FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the side of the vehicle and the occupant when the bag is deployed from the rear of the vehicle, FIG. 6 shows a perspective view when the bag is deployed, and FIG. 7 shows a state taken along line VII-VII in FIG. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, a side collision airbag 4 is provided on a frame 3 of a seat back 2 of a vehicle seat 1, and the side collision airbag 4 is ejected from an inflator 5 as a gas generator. And a bag 7 that is deployed between the vehicle side and the occupant 6 by the generated gas. The bag 7 includes a main body 9 that covers the side surface of the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6 when unfolded, and a chest 1 of the occupant 6 that swells above the main body 9.
An upper bulging portion 11 as a bulging portion that covers the side surface of the occupant 6 and a lower bulging portion 13 that bulges below the main body 9 and covers a part below the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6 and a part of the waist 12. It consists of The bag 7 is connected to the inflator 5 via a gas introduction unit 14 that suppresses diffusion of gas ejected from the inflator 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inflator 5
Is cylindrical and gas is compressed and filled inside,
A jet port 15 for jetting gas is provided below the inflator 5. The position of the spout 15 is located at a position substantially equal to the height of the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6, and the lower part of the inflator 5 covers the spout 15 and guides the jetted gas downward, that is, to the lower bulging portion 13. An umbrella-shaped guide member 5a is mounted. By attaching the guide member 5a, the gas ejected from the ejection port 15 is reliably guided to the lower bulging portion 13 (lower portion) of the bag 7, and the gas is surely supplied to the portion of the bag 7 facing the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6. Is to be guided to.

A guide member 5a is attached to a lower portion of the inflator 5, and gas ejected from the ejection port 15 is supplied to the lower bulging portion 13a.
Although the gas is guided to the portion of the bag 7 facing the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6, the guide member 5a may be omitted depending on the position of the jet port 15. Also, crew 6
The lower bulging portion 1 of the bag 7 is placed in a state of covering the entire waist portion 12 of the bag 7.
It is also possible to form 3.

A vent hole 16 as an internal pressure adjusting means is provided in the upper bulging portion 11 of the bag 7, and gas is appropriately supplied from the vent hole 16 to obtain an appropriate pressure for absorbing an impact when the bag 7 is deployed. Is discharged. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vent hole 16 is formed at a position on the side surface of the upper portion (upper bulging portion 11) opposite to the occupant 6 and separated from the inflator 5 when the bag 7 is deployed. Have been. Moreover, vent hole 16
Is formed at a portion that does not come into contact with the door trim 17 as a vehicle compartment component when the bag 7 is deployed, that is, a tip portion that becomes R-shaped when the bag 7 is deployed.

The main body 9 of the bag 7 and the upper bulging portion 11
In the upper bulging portion 11 near the boundary with the
6, a second vent hole 18 having a diameter smaller than that of the second vent hole 18 is formed.
The vent hole 18 is similar to the vent hole 16 in the bag 7.
Is formed at a portion that does not come into contact with the door trim 17 as a vehicle compartment constituent member when the bag 7 is deployed, that is, a tip portion that becomes R-shaped when the bag 7 is deployed.

In the above-described example, the vent hole 16 has been described as an example of the internal pressure adjusting means. However, when the bag 7 is deployed, a portion (upper swelling portion 11) of the occupant 6 facing the chest 10 is opened. The pressure is not limited to the vent hole 16 as long as the pressure can be appropriately maintained, that is, the pressure can be reduced.

Next, the gas introduction section 14 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the gas introduction part 14 has a width t between a position lowered from the upper end of the inflator 5 by a width T and a lower end position.
And is formed continuously with the bag 7 by extending a predetermined distance S. That is, in the gas introducing portion 14 of the bag 7, the connecting portion to the inflator 5 is shorter than the length of the inflator 5. By providing the gas introduction part 14, the gas from the inflator 5 is jetted toward the front of the main body 9 without diffusing.

The width t of the gas introduction portion 14 may be substantially equal to the length L of the inflator 5 in the vertical direction, may extend a predetermined distance S, and may be formed continuously with the bag 7. Also,
As shown in FIG. 8 showing the side surface of the bag 7, a narrowing portion 19 having a width q shorter than the vertical length L of the inflator 5 is provided, and the gas introducing portion 14 is connected to upper and lower end portions of the inflator 5. It may be formed so as to extend a predetermined distance S. By appropriately setting the position of the throttle portion 19, it becomes possible to suppress the diffusion of the gas ejected from the inflator 5 and restrict the gas in an arbitrary direction.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end portion of the upper bulging portion 11 of the bag 7 in the length direction (in the direction away from the inflator 5) is deleted so as to be shorter than the main body 9 by the length P. ing. Inflator 5 of gas introduction unit 14
The length of the upper bulging portion 11 is shortened as compared with the length of the main body 9 in a direction away from the inflator 5 by shortening the joining portion to the main body 9 and removing the tip portion of the upper bulging portion 11. ing. By making the length of the upper bulging portion 11 shorter than that of the main body 9, the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 when the bag 7 is unfolded becomes the width H of the main body 9 as shown in FIG.
Narrower than.

FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (a) showing the side of the bag 7 as a structure of a member for restricting the width of the upper bulging portion 11 to be narrow.
It is also possible to attach both ends of the strap 20 to the inner surface of the upper bulging portion 11 as shown in FIG. In this case, the length M of the strap 20 is shorter than the width H when the main body 9 is unfolded (see FIG. 9B), and the upper bulging portion 11 is
As a result, the bulging in the width direction is restricted, and the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 when deployed is smaller than the width H of the main body 9.

In the above-described example, the width of the upper bulging portion 11 when unfolded is made smaller than the width of the main body 9.
At least, the width of the boundary between the upper bulging portion 11 and the main body 9 may be made narrower than that of the main body.

The folded state of the bag 7 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the upper bulge 11
The lower bulging portion 13 is folded in a state of being stored in the main body 9 from above and below, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section when folded. At this time, the vent hole 16 is in a state of being housed inside the main body 9. FIG.
As shown in (c), the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13
Is folded inside the body 9, the bag 7 is successively folded in a bellows shape toward the inflator 5.

As shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), the upper bulging portion 11 is folded inside the main body 9 so that the main body 9 is folded.
Can be temporarily sewn by sewing and joined as a sewn portion 31 (separated at a predetermined pressure or more). By joining the upper edge of the main body 9 as the sewn portion 31, diffusion of the gas ejected from the inflator 5 when the bag 7 is unfolded is suppressed, and the gas ejected from the inflator 5 is substantially in front of the main body 9. Spout toward. It is also possible to directly join with an adhesive or the like without using sewing.

When the side collision is detected by the detecting means (not shown), the bag 7 stored as described above is
It is developed by gas ejected from the inflator 5.

The operation of the side collision airbag 4 having the above configuration will be described.

When a side collision of the vehicle is detected by detecting means (not shown), the gas in the inflator 5 is discharged from the jet port 15.
And the deployment of the bag 7 starts. The gas spouted from the spout 15 is guided below the bag 7 by the guide member 5a, and is spouted forward by the diffusion suppressed by the gas introduction part 14. Thereby, first, the bag 7
The portion of the body 9 (the portion facing the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6) is instantaneously developed with high pressure (see the state from FIG. 4 (c) to FIG. 4 (b) and the dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 5), The main body 9 enters between the door trim 17 and the armrest 21 and the occupant 6.

The main body 9 includes a door trim 17 and an armrest 2.
By entering between the occupant 1 and the occupant 6, the abdomen 8 having a higher impact load than the chest 10 is pushed, and the occupant 6 moves to the opposite side of the door trim 17 and the armrest 21. Therefore, the occupant 6 is pushed in the same direction when the door trim 17 (armrest 21) moves into the vehicle interior at the time of a side collision, and the relative speed with respect to the deformation is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 10, by joining the upper edge of the main body 9 in a tentatively stitched state by the sewn portion 31, diffusion of the gas to be jetted is further suppressed, and the suppression effect of the gas introduction portion 14 is achieved. In addition, the gas can be more reliably ejected to the front side, and the bag 7 can be easily deployed at a desired position, that is, at a portion facing the abdomen 8.

The gas ejected from the ejection port 15 of the inflator 5 is guided downward by the guide member 5a and is suppressed from being diffused by the gas introduction portion 14, thereby facing the abdomen 8 having a higher shock load than the chest 10. The body 9
That is, a desired part can be reliably deployed between the door trim 17 (armrest 21) and the occupant 6. As a result, the bag 7 can be instantaneously deployed in a narrow gap with high pressure, and the relative speed with respect to the movement of the vehicle body components into the vehicle compartment can be reduced.

Next, when gas continues to be ejected from the ejection port 15 of the inflator 5 into the inside of the bag 7, the upper swelling portion 11 and the lower swelling portion 13 expand from the inside of the main body 9 in the vertical direction, respectively. 7 are all developed (Fig. 4 (b) to (a)
, And the solid line portions in FIGS. 1 and 5), the upper bulging portion 11 is deployed between the door trim 17 and the chest 10 of the occupant 6. Further, the lower bulging portion 13 is deployed between the door trim 17 and a part of the waist 12 of the occupant 6.

At this time, the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 1
3 are unfolded vertically, respectively, so that the door trim 17
And deploy without interfering with the armrest 21. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed at the tip portion which becomes R-shaped when the bag 7 is deployed. The upper bulging portion 11 is unfolded without being blocked by the door trim 17 and the armrest 21.
For this reason, the gas discharge state can be appropriately maintained, and an appropriate pressure of the bag 7 can be obtained.

In the process of expanding the upper bulging portion 11, as the upper bulging portion 11 bulges from the main body 9, the internal volume of the bag 7 increases, and The gas is discharged in a predetermined state, and an appropriate pressure for absorbing the shock is obtained. Further, in the process of expanding the upper bulging portion 11, the vicinity of the boundary portion between the main body 9 and the upper bulging portion 11 from the second vent hole 18, that is, the portion facing the lower part of the chest 8 (the lowermost rib). Degassing of the vicinity is performed. Furthermore, when the bag 7 is fully deployed, the joining portion of the gas introduction portion 14 to the inflator 5 is shortened and the length of the upper bulging portion 11 is shorter than that of the main body 9. As shown in FIG. 5, the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 is smaller than the width H of the main body 9.

For this reason, between the door trim 17 and the chest 10 whose impact load is lower than that of the abdomen 8, an appropriate pressure for absorbing the impact is obtained, and the upper bulging portion 11 having a reduced width is developed. Therefore, the bag 7 can be deployed without applying a large impact to the chest 10 so as to absorb the impact force against the movement of the door trim 17 (armrest 21) into the vehicle interior. Further, the gas is vented near the boundary between the main body 9 and the upper bulging portion 11, so that the impact when the bag 7 starts to contact the lower part of the chest 8 (the lowermost rib) is reduced.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
Even when the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 is made smaller than the width H of the main body 9 by using the above, the bag 7 is similarly deployed without applying a large impact to the chest 10 and the impact force against the deformation of the vehicle body constituent member is reduced. Can be absorbed.

In the above-described side collision airbag 4, the gas from the inflator 5 is jetted downward from the bag 7, and the diffusion is suppressed by the gas introduction unit 14. The deployment of the bag 7 is started by a high pressure from a portion of the main body 9 facing the abdomen 8 higher than the chest 10. That is, the deployment of the bag 7 is started avoiding the portion facing the chest 10 where the impact resistance is low, and the bag 7 contacts the abdomen 8 and does not contact the chest 10 when the pressure is high. .
Therefore, the door trim 21 (armrest 22) and the occupant 6
The bag 7 is instantly and securely inserted into the narrow gap between the door trim and the occupant 6 and is positively pushed inward.
The relative speed with respect to the movement of the (armrest 22) into the vehicle interior can be reduced.

After the main body 9 facing the abdomen 8 is unfolded and the upper bulging portion 11 starts to bulge from the main body 9,
As the upper bulging portion 11 bulges, the second vent hole 1
The gas is discharged in a predetermined state from the vent hole 16 while the gas is vented in the vicinity of the boundary between the main body 9 and the upper bulging portion 11 by the gas outlet 8. When swelling from the upper part, the upper swelling part 11
The upper bulge 11, which is narrower than the main body 9, enters between the door trim 17 and the chest 10 while keeping the internal pressure slightly lowered. Therefore, the upper bulging portion 11
The internal pressure of the door trim 17 can be properly adjusted, and the bag 7 can be deployed without applying a large impact to the chest 10 to absorb the impact force against the movement of the door trim 17 into the vehicle interior.

Further, the upper swelling portion 11 and the lower swelling portion 13
Are unfolded in the up-down direction from the state housed in the main body 9, so that the unfolded upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13
Does not interfere with the door tom 17 or the armrest 21, and the deployment of the bag 7 is not hindered. Further, since the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed at positions that are not affected by the deformation of the door trim 17, even if the door trim 17 is deformed toward the vehicle interior, the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed. Will not be blocked. For this reason, when the bag 7 is deployed, the discharge of gas is not hindered, and a desired internal pressure state can be always obtained.

As described above, the bag 7 can be deployed in a desired state by restricting the deployment direction of the main body 9 toward the abdomen 8, and the restraint performance of the occupant 6 can be improved. Further, the inflator 5 is provided by the gas introduction unit 14.
By regulating the direction in which gas is blown out of the chest,
A high-pressure gas is prevented from being blown out to the upper bulging portion 11 opposing to the bulging portion 0, and the restraint performance of the occupant 6 can be improved.

The inner pressure of the bag 7 is adjusted to an appropriate state by the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18, and the width of the upper bulging portion 11 is made narrower than that of the main body 9. The bag 7 can be deployed without applying an impact. Further, since the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are not closed by the vehicle body components, a desired internal pressure state is always obtained, and the restraint performance of the occupant 6 is not reduced.
Further, by expanding the upper swelling portion 11 and the lower swelling portion 13 in the vertical direction, the bag 7
7 and the armrest 21 can be eliminated.

[0040]

The air bag for side collision according to the present invention is formed by forming a bag from the body facing the abdomen of the occupant and the bulging portion facing the chest of the occupant. Since the width of the bulging portion or the boundary between the main body and the bulging portion is formed smaller than the width of the main body, it is possible to reduce the impact on the chest of the occupant when the bag is deployed. As a result,
It is possible to reliably deploy the bag in a narrow gap between the vehicle body and the occupant's seating position without excessively applying an impact to the occupant's chest.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a side collision airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inflator.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bag.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a folded state of a bag.

FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the relationship between the vehicle side and the occupant when the bag is deployed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view when the bag is deployed.

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a bag showing another embodiment of the gas introduction unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a bag of an embodiment in which the width of an upper bulging portion is reduced by a strap.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a bag of an embodiment in which the upper edge of the main body is temporarily sewn.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle seat 2 seat back 3 frame 4 side collision airbag 5 inflator 5a guide member 6 occupant 7 bag 8 abdomen 9 body 10 chest 11 upper bulging part 12 waist 13 lower bulging part 14 gas introduction part 15 spout 16 Vent hole 17 Door trim 18 Second vent hole 19 Restricted part 20 Strap 21 Armrest 31 Sewing part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masanobu Hatta 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor Mikiharu Shimoda 5-33-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo No. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60R 21/16-21/32

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A side collision airbag provided with a bag that is deployed between a vehicle side and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator, wherein a main body at a portion facing the abdomen of the occupant and a chest of the occupant. The bag is formed from a bulging portion at a portion opposed to the main body, and when the bag is deployed, a width of a boundary between the main body and the bulging portion is formed to be smaller than a width of the main body. Side impact airbag. 2. A side collision airbag provided with a bag deployed between a vehicle side and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator, wherein a main body at a portion facing the abdomen of the occupant and a chest of the occupant. Wherein the width of the bulging portion is formed to be narrower than the width of the main body when the bag is deployed. . 3. A side collision airbag provided with a bag which is deployed between a vehicle side and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator, wherein a main body at a portion facing the abdomen of the occupant and a chest of the occupant. The bag is formed from a bulging portion of a portion opposed to the bag, and a length of the bulging portion in a direction away from the gas generator of the bag is provided to be shorter than a length of the main body. Side impact airbag. 4. A side collision airbag according to claim 1, wherein a regulating member for regulating the width of the boundary portion or the width of the bulging portion is provided inside the bag.