JP2966023B2 - Energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body side portion, and more specifically, an airbag is deployed between a vehicle body side portion and an occupant in a side collision. The present invention relates to an energy absorbing structure on a side of a vehicle body.

(Prior Art) A so-called side collision airbag may be provided to protect an occupant from an impact due to a side collision with a vehicle such as an automobile. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-1117957 discloses an airbag folded and stored in an armrest,
An airbag device for a vehicle in which an inflation is interposed between an occupant and a side portion of a vehicle body in a side collision is described. As described above, when the airbag device is provided in the armrest, the deployment direction of the airbag is from the armrest to the lateral direction, but the direction is the same as the direction of the impact that the vehicle body receives due to the side collision. For this reason, there is a concern that a so-called back slap, in which the occupant is strongly hit by the airbag in the inflation process, may occur. Also. Since the airbag protrudes and inflates laterally from the armrest, the deployed airbag is in an unstable support state, and there is a concern that the reaction force cannot be stably received.

For this reason, the present applicant has previously proposed an energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion in which an airbag is vertically deployed between an occupant and the vehicle body side portion.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, when the airbag is deployed vertically between the occupant and the vehicle body side, the deployment direction of the airbag is different from the direction of collision, In addition, since the airbag contacts the occupant in a wider area, the occurrence of bag slap can be avoided.

However, since the airbag device is mounted on doors and seats that are movable parts of the vehicle body, opening and closing the door and moving the seat may cause the device to vibrate or the harness to become unstable, resulting in a low reliability of the device. It is feared that the property will decrease.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide an energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion that can improve the reliability of a tank and can prevent the occurrence of back slap.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, a solution of the invention according to claim 1 is to provide an airbag device such that an airbag is deployed between a vehicle body side portion and an occupant during a side collision. Was provided in a vehicle body pillar which forms a part of the vehicle body. And the body pillar is
A frame provided with an outer panel and an inner panel forming a closed cross section, the airbag device having an airbag and an inflator arranged adjacent to each other, and mounted in the vehicle body pillar The trim member, which is supported by the member and is deployable in the vehicle interior direction, and further covers the inner surface of the vehicle body pillar, is provided with an opening for the airbag to expand when deployed.

Here, in the invention of claim 2, the airbag of claim 1 is housed in a case member, and the case member is
When the airbag is deployed, the airbag is supported so as to be deflected to a predetermined angle toward the inside of the vehicle so as to be position-changeable with respect to the frame member.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect,
A transmitting means for movably holding the airbag in the vehicle body pillar and transmitting a change in the seat position, and moving the airbag in a deployment direction of the seat in accordance with the change in the seat position transmitted by the transmitting means. And a deployment angle adjusting means for variably adjusting the angle toward the side where the movement has been performed.

Further, in the invention according to claim 4, the trim member according to claim 1 is provided with a lid for closing the opening, and the lid is opened by deploying the airbag, and the deploying direction of the airbag cooperates with the side of the vehicle body. It is configured to guide

(Operation) Accordingly, in the invention of claims 1 to 4, at the time of side collision,
An airbag that inflates from an airbag device provided in the vehicle body pillar inflates in the vehicle interior direction from the opening of the trim member and deploys between the vehicle body and the occupant.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the invention, the case member is positioned so as to be deflected to a predetermined angle in the vehicle compartment when the airbag is deployed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the sheet is moved, the change in the sheet position is transmitted by the transmission means,
The deployment angle of the airbag is adjusted by the deployment angle adjusting means according to the seat position at that time.

Further, in particular, in the invention of claim 4, the airbag is guided by the vehicle body side portion and the lid, and is deployed between the vehicle body side portion and the occupant.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, since the airbag device is provided in the vehicle body pillar, it is provided in a movable portion such as a door or a seat as in the related art. As in the case, the device and the harness are not affected by the opening and closing of the door and the movement of the seat, and the reliability of the device is improved. Further, at the time of a side collision, the airbag can be deployed between the vehicle body and the occupant from the pillar side so as to be different from the direction of propagation of the impact, so that a backslap can be prevented.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the airbag is deployed, the case member is positioned so as to be deflected to a predetermined angle in the vehicle interior, so that the airbag can be deployed accurately between the vehicle body and the occupant. .

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the deployment direction of the airbag is variably adjusted according to the seat position by the deployment angle adjusting means.
The airbag can be deployed to reliably restrain the occupant. According to the invention of claim 4, by guiding the deployment direction of the airbag, the occurrence of back slap can be more reliably prevented.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body shown in the present embodiment improves the reliability of the airbag device and does not generate back slap, and is configured as follows.

As shown in FIG. 1, an airbag device 2 is provided inside a vehicle body pillar 1, and at the time of a side collision, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. The airbag 5 is inflated and deployed toward it.

The airbag device 2 is called an airbag module, and stores the folded airbag 5 and the inflator 6 in a box-shaped module case 7 (see FIG. 1). The module case 7 is mounted in the vehicle body pillar 1 through a container frame 8 (see FIG. 3) bent in a substantially U-shape.
Is deflected to the cabin 13 (see FIG. 2), and the airbag 5 is inflated and deployed forward between the vehicle body side portion 3 and the occupant 4 as described above.

As described above, since the airbag module 2 is mounted in the vehicle body pillar 1 which is a fixing member on the vehicle body side, influences such as vibration and harness turbulence when the airbag module 2 is mounted on a movable body such as a door or a seat as in the related art. Therefore, the reliability of the device can be improved. In addition, since the deployment direction of the airbag 5 is set forward, the direction is different from the direction of propagation of the impact, and so-called back slap can be avoided.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the module case 7 is attached to the container frame 8 via the cam lid 9 and the pivot 11, and the inflator 6 (see FIG. 1).
Cover 9 by the airbag 5 which inflates due to the detonation of
When the is deployed (see FIG. 2), the opening 12 of the module case 7 is deflected in the vehicle interior 13. That is, the cam cover 9 is formed as a flat cover substantially covering the opening 12 on the front surface of the module case 7, and a cam portion 14 protruding outward is formed at one end thereof. 14 and a bracket 15 attached to the inside of the container frame 8 are pivotally supported via a support shaft 16, and the pivotally supported portion of the lid portion 18 is connected to the opening 12 of the module case 7 via the support shaft 17. It is pivoted to one end.

A pivot 11 is vertically provided on the upper and lower surfaces on one end side of the rear part of the module case 7, respectively.
Is loosely fitted into an elongated hole 20 formed at one end of the container frame 8 and is urged forward via a spring 21. Vehicle body pillar 1 to which the container frame 8 is attached
Is composed of a pillar outer 22 and a pillar inner 23. A part of the pillar inner 23 is cut out in advance, and the container frame 8 is fixed in the pillar outer 22 from the cutout portion by welding or the like. The container frame 8 reinforces the cutout portion of the pillar inner 23 so that the rigidity of the vehicle body pillar 1 does not decrease.

The inside of the pillar inner 23 is covered with a pillar trim 25, and a lid 26 is formed at a position corresponding to the module case 7, so that the lid 26 can be bent toward the vehicle compartment 13 when the airbag 5 is deployed. (See FIG. 2). That is, while forming a vertical cutting groove 27 inside one end of the lid 26, the other end side is attached with a locking projection 30 that engages with a locking member 29 attached to the joining flange 23a of the pillar inner 23, Normally, the lid 26 is locked in the closed state (see FIG. 1). In the event of a side collision, when the inflation force of the airbag 5 acts from inside, the locked state is released and the lid 26 is deployed outward. (See FIG. 2). In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 19 denotes a stopper that regulates the swing angle of the module case 7 in order to set the deployment direction of the airbag 5, and 32 denotes a rear door.

In the energy absorbing structure on the side of the vehicle body configured as described above, first, the airbag module 2 is provided inside the vehicle body pillar 1. As described above, the equipment and the harness are not affected by the opening and closing of the door and the movement of the seat, and the reliability of the apparatus is improved.

At the time of side collision, although not shown, the front door 10
Alternatively, when a side collision detection signal from a side collision detection sensor provided on the side sill is input to the inflator 6 (see FIG. 1), the gas is exploded by the ignited portion of the inflator 6 and folded in the module case 7. The inflated airbag 5 is inflated. The cam cover 9 closing the opening 12 of the module case 7 is pivoted by the airbag 5.
And the module case 7 is pivotally opened
It is swung in the cabin 13 around the axis 11. The distal end portion of the cam lid 9 comes into contact with the locking member 29 to lead the airbag 5 forward, and the stopper 19 stably sets the module case 7 at a predetermined angle. On the other hand, the lid 26 formed on the pillar trim 25 is also opened, and its front end abuts on the edge of the seat back 31, and as shown in the drawing, the airbag 5 is moved forward between the vehicle body side 3 and the occupant 4. It is deployed so as to be substantially along a belt run-in (not shown). As described above, the deployment direction is different from the propagation direction of the impact at the time of the side collision, so that the occupant 4 does not generate a back slap.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show different embodiments. As means for setting the direction of the module case 7 when the airbag 5 is deployed, a torsion bar spring (not shown) is mounted on the pillar inner 23. Is adopted for the hinge portion 41 of FIG. The module case 7 is normally urged clockwise by the torsion bar spring, and the airbag 5
First, the lid 26 is unlocked and opened outward (see FIG. 6) by the inflation force, and the module case 7 is rotated clockwise by the urging force of the torsion bar spring. And the airbag 5 is
And the occupant 4 (see FIG. 7). Incidentally, the urging force of the module case 7 by the torsion bar spring acts to open the lid 26 via the interposing member 43 made of a rubber body attached to the outer end thereof. The engagement of the locking projection 30 attached to the other end farthest from the cut groove 27 serving as the center of rotation with the locking member 29 constantly stably suppresses the airbag 5 due to the urging force. The lid 26 is deployed only when force is applied.
Incidentally, reference numeral 42 in FIGS. 5 to 7 denotes an interposing member made of a rubber body.

8 to 12 show another embodiment, in which the direction of the module case 7 when the airbag 5 is deployed is adjusted in advance in accordance with the movement of the seat 28. FIG.

As deployment angle adjusting means 45 for presetting the direction of the module case 7 when the airbag 5 is deployed, a seat
A cam mechanism operated by a rack and a pinion mechanism interlocked with 28 is provided below the module case 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). That is, a boss 47 is formed upward on the rear surface of a rack 46 provided on the vehicle body pillar 1 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and this boss 47 is formed on the bottom 7a of the module case 7 disposed above the rack 46. The position of the cam recess 48 is adjusted freely (see FIG. 8). The pinion 49 for moving the rack 46 is connected to the vehicle body pillar 1 via a transmission member 50 such as a chain or a wire.
Is linked to a pinion 52 provided on the floor 24 via a roller 51 provided at the lower part of the
Are engaged with each other (see FIG. 9). The module case 7 is attached to the pillar inner 23 via a hinge 41 (see FIG. 8) in which a torsion bar spring is provided as in the previous embodiment, and is urged clockwise.

With such a configuration, when the seat 28 is moved in the front-rear direction, the rack 46 of the deployment angle adjusting means 45 is also moved in the front-rear direction, and the direction setting of the module case 7 can be changed. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when the seat 28 is at the forefront position, the rack 46 is at the forefront position as shown by the solid line, while the rack 28 is at the foremost position as shown by the dashed line. , The rack 46 is also located at the rearmost position. The relationship between the position of the seat 28 and the angle at which the module case 7 is unfolded is as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, and the position of the cam recess 48 is regulated by the boss 47 attached to the rack 46. The airbag 5 is located at a position where the impact can be most effectively alleviated against the occupant 4.
Can be expanded.

Therefore, the occupant 4 can always obtain the most appropriate deployment state of the airbag 5 irrespective of the position adjustment of the seat 28. In this embodiment, the airbag module 2 is connected to the vehicle body pillar 1 similarly to the previous two embodiments.
, The reliability of the device is improved. Furthermore, at the time of a side collision, the deployment direction of the airbag 5 is in the direction along the belt line.
The back slap is not generated for the occupant 4.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of an energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body side in one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an airbag deployed, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the module case is stored in the container frame, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the airbag is deployed for a seated occupant. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in a different embodiment, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in a state where the airbag has started to inflate, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state where the airbag is expanded. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in another embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a side view showing the entire configuration. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the deployed state of the airbag when the seat is at the most rearward position, FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the deployed state of the airbag when the seat is at the center position, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the deployed state of the airbag when is located at the most forward position. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Body pillar, 2 ... Airbag device (airbag module), 3 ... Body side part, 4 ... Occupant, 5 ... Airbag, 28 ... Seat, 45 ... Deployment angle adjustment means.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (56) References JP-A-1-204838 (JP, A) JP-A-3-100556 (JP, U) JP-A-2-25347 (JP, U) JP-A 57- 150067 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 61-38247 (JP, U) JP-B 47-18130 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60R 21/16-21 / 32

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion, wherein an airbag device is provided in a vehicle body pillar constituting a part of the vehicle body so as to deploy an airbag between the vehicle body side portion and an occupant in a side collision. The vehicle body pillar includes an outer panel and an inner panel that form a closed cross section, the airbag device includes an airbag and an inflator disposed adjacent to each other, and the inside of the vehicle body pillar. The trim member that is supported by the frame member attached to the vehicle and that can be deployed in the vehicle interior direction and that covers the inner surface of the vehicle body pillar is provided with an open portion where the air egg swells when deployed. A body side energy absorbing structure characterized by the following. 2. The air bag is housed in a case member, and the case member is supported so as to be able to change its position with respect to the frame member so as to be deflected to a predetermined angle in the vehicle compartment when the air bag is deployed. The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion according to claim 1, wherein: 3. An airbag, which is movably held in a vehicle body pillar, transmitting means for transmitting a change in a seat position, and wherein said airbag is moved in response to a change in the seat position transmitted by said transmitting means. 2. An energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side according to claim 1, further comprising a deployment angle adjusting means for variably adjusting a deployment direction toward a side to which the seat moves. 4. A lid for closing an open portion of the trim member, wherein the lid is opened by deployment of the airbag, and guides the deployment direction of the airbag in cooperation with a vehicle body side portion. The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side part according to claim 1, wherein: