JP2989630B2 - Automotive airbag equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an airbag device for an automobile.

(Prior Art) In recent years, in automobiles, from the viewpoint of appropriately restraining and protecting an occupant during a frontal collision, that is, a so-called head-on collision, the gas pressure from the inflator at a head-on collision is located at a position in front of the seat. It has been proposed to provide an airbag device that is quickly deployed to restrain the occupant (for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-81153 discloses an airbag device that is disposed in front of a passenger seat. Disclosed).

On the other hand, such occupant protection is not limited to the occupant seated in the first row seat in the vehicle longitudinal direction such as the driver's seat or the passenger seat, but also for the occupant seated in the second and subsequent rows. For example, an airbag device that deploys rearward is placed on the back side of the first row seat, and when a front collision occurs, this airbag device is deployed toward the occupant side of the second row seat, thereby restraining and protecting the occupant. It is possible to do.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, for example, in the case where three rows of seats are provided in the front-rear direction, such as a van type automobile, the first row of seats is always fixed forward. The second row seat can be selected from a normal position facing forward and a seating position facing the third row seat facing rearward. Generally, the second row seat can be tilted rearward by a reclining mechanism.

Conventionally, generally, even in an automobile having such a seat mechanism, similarly to an automobile having no seat rotation mechanism or a reclining mechanism, each airbag device provided in each seat at the time of a frontal collision of the automobile is uniformly provided. It is conceivable to make the full deployment.

However, for example, when the second-row seat is in the facing position (that is, the first-row seat and the second-row seat are close to each other, and the airbag devices provided in these are opposed to each other. When the airbag device of the first row seat and the airbag device of the second row seat are simultaneously fully deployed, respectively, the airbags of the two airbag devices are mutually connected. It is not preferable because the sheets collide with each other and act to tilt each sheet forward.

On the other hand, the deployment direction of the airbag device is originally set such that the deployment direction axis is directed to the vicinity of the face of the occupant restrained thereby, from the viewpoint of ensuring good restraint. In spite of this, for example, when the second-row seat is largely inclined backward to the third-row seat side, a head-on collision occurs, and when the airbag device of the second-row seat is fully deployed, this air The unfolding direction of the bag is fully unfolded in the vicinity of the chest below the occupant's face constrained thereby, which undesirably deteriorates the shock absorbing performance.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an airbag device for an automobile having a plurality of seats arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and having an airbag device on the back side thereof. , Thereby improving the occupant protection performance of the airbag device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention employs the following configuration as specific means for solving the problems.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least a front seat and a rear seat are provided in front of and behind the front and rear of the vehicle, and the rear seat is deployed toward the rear of the vehicle at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. In an automobile provided with an airbag device that restrains and protects an occupant seated in a rear seat, the rear seat is rotated so that the rear seat is directed to the rear side of the vehicle body, and the rear seat and the front seat face backward. In this state, the deployment operation of the airbag device is suppressed as compared with the state in which the rear seat is directed toward the front of the vehicle body.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, at least a front seat and a rear seat are provided in front of and behind the vehicle in the vehicle front-rear direction. In an automobile provided with an airbag device for restraining and protecting an occupant seated in a rear seat, the deployment operation of the airbag device is suppressed in a state where the inclination of the front seat is large compared to a state where the inclination is small. It is characterized by having.

(Operation) Since each of the present inventions has such a configuration, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rear seat is rotated so as to be directed rearward of the vehicle body, and the rear seat and the front seat are rotated. When the airbag device is in the facing state, the deployment operation of the airbag device is suppressed as compared with the state in which the rear seat is directed toward the front of the vehicle body. The invention according to claim 2, wherein the front seat and the rear seat are suppressed from being pressed in the forward leaning direction, respectively. Therefore, even if the deployment direction of the airbag device and the relative position of the rear seat facing the airbag device to the occupant deviate from the initially set position, the above-mentioned airflow caused by the deviation can be suppressed. Deterioration of shock absorbing capacity of the bag is reduced as much as possible as compared with the case that full deployment, in which the action of the like can be obtained.

(Effects of the Invention) Accordingly, the following effects can be obtained in the airbag device for an automobile according to each invention of the present application.

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the rear seat is rotated so as to be directed to the rear side of the vehicle body, and when the rear seat and the front seat are facing rearward, the deployment of the airbag device is suppressed, and the full deployment is achieved. As a result, the front seat and the rear seat are prevented from being pressed in the forward leaning direction by the deployment force of the airbag device, respectively, in advance and reliably, thereby achieving an effect of achieving high occupant protection performance. It is something that can be done.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the deployment operation of the airbag device is suppressed in a state where the inclined state of the front seat is larger than a state where the front seat is small, and the full deployment thereof is prevented. Deterioration in shock absorption performance due to a deviation in the relative position between the direction and the occupant seated in the rear seat is reduced, and an effect is obtained in that good occupant protection performance is achieved despite the occurrence of the deviation. It is something to be done.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a seat arrangement on the driver's seat side of a van-type automobile equipped with an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and in each figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a driver's seat. First row seat ("front seat" in claim 1)
), 2 is a second row seat (corresponding to the “rear seat” in claim 1 and “front seat” in claim 2), and 3 is a third row seat (“rear sheet” in claim 2). Side sheet ").

Among these seats, the first-row seat 1 and the third-row seat 3 are fixed to the vehicle body floor 25 and cannot be rotated, but the second-row seat 2 is rotatably mounted on the vehicle body floor 25. 1, two positions can be selected and set: a normal position facing forward as shown in FIG. 1 and a seating position facing the third row seat 3 facing backward as shown by the solid line in FIG. The second-row seat 2 is provided with a reclining mechanism, and can be tilted in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. In addition, a steering wheel 4 is disposed in front of the first row seat 1.

In this embodiment, the steering airbag device 21 is attached to the pad portion of the steering wheel 4.
The airbag device 22 for the first row seat is provided on the back side of the headrest 1a of the first row seat 1, and the airbag device 23 for the second row seat is provided on the back side of the headrest 2a of the second row seat 2. I have. Each of these airbag devices 21,2
2 and 23 have a well-known structure. Here, the airbag device 22 provided in the first row seat 1 is taken as an example.
This will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

The airbag device 22 includes a headrest for the first row seat 1.
It is buried and disposed inside the rear side of 1a, and includes an inflator 7 and an airbag 8 which is deployed by gas from the inflator 7 inside the module case 6. When the inflator 7 is operated, the airbag 8 receives the gas pressure to be generated and deploys rearward while tearing the skin 9 of the headrest 1a. In this embodiment, perforations 9a are appropriately formed in portions of the skin 9 of the headrest 1a corresponding to the airbag device 22 to facilitate breakage when the airbag is deployed. Further, the occurrence of a collision is detected by a collision sensor to be described later, and the inflator 7 is activated by energizing the igniter in response thereto.

Each of the airbag devices 21, 22, and 23 has the above-described configuration, but in this embodiment, as described later in order to apply the present invention, the second-row seat airbag device 23 is used. Are provided with two inflators for one airbag, and these are selectively operated by corresponding inflectors (see FIG. 4). The operation control of each inflator will be described later.

Next, a control circuit of each of the airbag devices 21, 22, and 23 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 11 denotes a battery, 12 denotes an ignition switch, 13 denotes a backup battery, and 14 denotes a circuit failure. This is a failure diagnosis device that performs a self-diagnosis of. Further, the power supply circuit 40 connected to the battery 11 and the backup battery 13 includes a vehicle interior collision sensor 15 provided in the vehicle interior, and three power supply collision sensors 15 arranged at the front end of the engine room and connected in parallel with each other. The vehicle body front collision sensors 16, 17, 18 are connected in series. Therefore, in this embodiment, at least one of the vehicle body front collision sensors 16, 17, 18 and
The power supply circuit 40 is energized for the first time when both the vehicle interior collision sensor 15 detects a collision and is turned ON, and the igniters 31, 32, 33, 3 of the airbag devices 21, 22, 23 described later.
4 can be energized.

Further, the vehicle interior collision sensor 15 of the power supply circuit 40 is used.
Three branch circuits 41, 42 and 43 are connected in parallel between the vehicle body front collision sensors 16, 17 and 18. The first branch circuit 41 of the branch circuits 41, 42, 43 is provided with a first igniter 31 for operating the inflator of the steering airbag device 21 via the connector 19. The second branch circuit 42 includes a second igniter for operating the inflator of the airbag device 22 for the first row seat.
32 is provided via a first seat rotation switch 28, and a third branch circuit 43 is further provided with a second-row seat airbag device 23.
Two igniters 33 and 34 for operating the two inflators respectively are provided in parallel.

It should be noted that the first seat rotation switch 28 and the second seat rotation switch 29 are simultaneously turned on when the second row of seats 2 is set to the opposite position.
Further, of the two igniters 33 and 34 on the side of the second row seat airbag device 23, the fourth igniter 34 includes a rear tilt detection switch 30 that is turned off when the second row seat 2 tilts backward by a predetermined amount or more. Is provided.

Therefore, among the above airbag devices, the steering airbag device 21 is always deployed when each of the collision sensors 15, 16, 17, 18 detects the occurrence of a collision. On the other hand, the airbag device 22 for the first row seat does not perform the deployment operation even when the collision is detected unless the second row seat 2 is set at the normal position. The second-row airbag device 23 is deployed when a collision is detected and the second-row seat 2 is set to the normal position, but is not always fully deployed. That is, in the second row seat airbag device 23, the third igniter 33 and the fourth igniter 34 are both operated and fully deployed only when the rearward inclined state of the second row seat 2 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. However, when the vehicle is tilted backward more than a predetermined amount, only the third igniter 33 is operated to perform a semi-deployment operation with a weak deployment force.

By controlling the deployment operation of each of the airbag devices 21, 22, 23 as described above, the modes shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 become possible. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when a collision occurs in a case where the second row seat 2 is set to the normal position and the rearwardly inclined state is less than a predetermined value, the steering airbag device 21 and the first row seat Airbag device 22 and second row seat airbag device
All of 23 are fully deployed, the driver uses the steering airbag device 21, the occupant in the second row seat 2 uses the first row seat airbag device 22, and the third row seat 3 uses the airbag device 22.
The occupants are restrained by the second-row seat airbag devices 23, respectively, to protect them.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when a collision occurs in a state where the second row seat 2 is set to the seating position, the steering airbag device 21 is fully deployed, but the first row seat airbag device 22 Then, the airbag device 23 for the second row seat is not deployed. As described above, since the first-row seat airbag device 22 and the second-row seat airbag device 23 do not deploy, they deploy and collide simultaneously at positions in close proximity and face each other, and the deployment force of the first-row seat airbag device 22 causes them to collide. It is possible to prevent the first and second row seats 2 from being pressed in the forward leaning direction both beforehand and reliably, thereby improving the protection performance for the occupant. In this case, the occupant of the second row seat 2 is restrained by the second row seat 2 itself, and the occupant of the third row seat 3 is restrained by a seat belt (not shown). Protection is achieved.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the second row of seats 2 is set to the normal position, but a collision occurs in a state where the second row of seats 2 is tilted backward more than a predetermined value, the steering airbag device 21 And the first-row seat airbag device 22 are both fully deployed, but the second-row seat airbag device 23
Is in a semi-deployed state because only one of the two inflators operates. Therefore, the driver can use the steering airbag device 21 and the second row seat 2.
The occupant of the third row seat 3 is restrained by the airbag device 22 for the first row seat, and the occupant of the third row seat 3 is restrained by the airbag apparatus 23 for the second row seat.

In this case, since the second row seat 2 is inclined backward more than a predetermined amount, the deployment direction of the airbag device 23 for the second row shifts from the vicinity of the face of the occupant initially set to the chest side. Since the eye-seat airbag device 23 is in the semi-deployed state, the shock absorption performance of the third-row seat 3 to the occupant is maintained satisfactorily despite the deviation in the deployment direction, and the occupant protection performance is improved. Can contribute.

As described above, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to control the deployment operation of the airbag device in accordance with the attitude of the second row seat 2 to determine the attitude of the second row seat 2. Regardless, good occupant protection performance is always ensured. In the above embodiment, the respective seats on the driver's seat side have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to, for example, each seat on the passenger's seat side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a seat arrangement of an automobile equipped with an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
FIG. 4 is a state change diagram, FIG. 4 is a control circuit diagram of an airbag device provided on each seat, and FIG. 5 is a structural explanatory diagram of the airbag device provided on each seat. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st row seat 2 ... 2nd row seat 3 ... 3rd row seat 4 ... Steering wheel 7 ... Inflator 8 ... Airbag 15-18 ... Collision sensor 21-23 ... Airbag device 28 , 29 …… Seat rotation switch 30 …… Back tilt detection switch 31-34 …… Igniter

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] The vehicle has at least a front seat and a rear seat in front of and behind the front seat, and the rear seat extends rearward of the front seat toward the rear of the vehicle when the vehicle is in a frontal collision. A vehicle provided with an airbag device for restraining and protecting an occupant seated on a vehicle, wherein the rear seat is rotated so as to be directed to the rear side of the vehicle body, and the rear seat and the front seat are turned rearward. Wherein the deployment operation of the airbag device is suppressed as compared with a state in which the rear seat is directed toward the front side of the vehicle body. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising at least a front seat and a rear seat in front of and behind the front seat, wherein the rear seat is disposed on a rear side of the front seat and extends toward the rear of the vehicle body when the vehicle is in a frontal collision. In an automobile provided with an airbag device that restrains and protects an occupant seated in a vehicle, the deployment operation of the airbag device is suppressed in a state where the inclination of the front seat is larger than a state where the inclination is small. A vehicle airbag device characterized by the above-mentioned.