JP3047772B2 - Side collision airbag - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is installed behind a seating position of an occupant, such as a seat back side of a vehicle, an inside of a center pillar, or an inside of a door. The present invention relates to a side collision airbag that is deployed between the airbags and protects an occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the event of a side collision of a vehicle, a side collision airbag which is inflated and deployed between a passenger compartment side and an occupant to protect the occupant is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-5-238347. is there. As shown in FIG. 11, this is accommodated in a door 1 of an automobile, and swells out of the door 1 when activated. The length of the sewn portions of the straps 5 and 6 for connecting the sewn portion 7 on the occupant W side to the sewn portions 8 and 9 on the door 1 side Is formed so as to be longer than the sum of the lengths of the side airbags 2. When formed in this manner, the side collision airbag 2 is provided with the straps 5 and 6 inside when the airbag 2 is expanded from the storage portion and deployed. The upper part is bent inward of the vehicle so that it does not collide with the door 1, the door glass 1a, or the like.

[0003]

However, the side-impact airbag 2 is housed in a portion of the door 1 just beside the occupant W, and is deployed in the vehicle longitudinal direction when inflated. . Therefore, when the side collision airbag 2 is diverted to a side collision airbag of a type that is stored slightly behind the seating position of the occupant, such as a side portion of a seat back or a center pillar portion, deployment is not required. There is a problem that the airbag capacity is increased because the airbag is also deployed rearward (in the direction opposite to the inflation direction).

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a side collision airbag that can be deployed at an appropriate place with a minimum necessary capacity.

[0005]

According to the present invention, as a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is installed behind a seating position of an occupant to be protected. The side-impact airbag that is introduced from the inlet port, inflates, deploys between the occupant and the side of the cabin, and protects the occupant from the impact of a side collision, reduces the thickness of the deployed airbag. D, the distance L from the end in the direction opposite to the airbag deployment direction in the deployed state to the center of the gas inlet is πD / 8 ≦ L ≦
It is characterized in that it is formed to be in the range of πD / 4.

The airbag for side collision according to claim 1, further comprising: a mounting cloth portion attached to the inflator at one end of each of the airbags; and two base cloths having different overall lengths. One end and the other end are sewn to each other, so that the extra length of one long base cloth projects from the one end side of the other short base cloth,
In this state, both side portions are overlapped and sewn on the two base fabrics, and the protruding portion of the extra length of the long base fabric can be formed into a bag shape by overlapping and sewing the long base fabrics together. .

[0007]

When the thickness of the side airbag in the deployed state is D as described above, the gas inlet is formed from the end in the direction opposite to the airbag deployment direction in the deployed state. Is equal to πD / 8 ≦ L ≦ πD / 4.
And the gas inlet opening is separated by a predetermined amount from the end in the direction opposite to the direction of deployment of the airbag, so that it can be deployed at a predetermined position with the minimum necessary bag capacity. , Can be deployed at a predetermined position.

Further, in the airbag for side collision according to the first aspect of the present invention, two base cloths having different lengths to the other end are provided at one end of each of the base cloths. And suturing the other end of the shorter one of the two base fabrics with the other end of the longer base fabric,
Further, the longer base cloth is protruded in a folded state from the one end side, and the two base cloths are sewn along both side edges in this state to form a bag. Is formed. Therefore, in consideration of the thickness of the airbag, the amount of protrusion of the longer base cloth from the one end side, that is, the length of about half of the extra length of the longer base cloth is:
If the distance L from the base end side of the side airbag to the center of the gas inlet is equal to the distance L, the side airbag provided with the gas inlet at a predetermined position can be easily manufactured.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a side collision airbag according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show a first embodiment of a side collision airbag according to the present invention. The side collision airbag 11 has an L-shaped cross section together with an inflator 12 as shown in FIG. It is housed in the module case 13 and attached to the side of the seat back 14 for use. The opening of the module case 13 is closed and opened by the lid 13a. And at the time of the side collision of the vehicle,
The gas generated by the inflator 12 is introduced from the gas inlet 11a, and the side airbag 11 is inflated, pushes and opens the lid 13a and bulges forward from the module case 13, and the occupant W and the vehicle interior side wall 15 The side airbag 11 is deployed in the space between
5 to absorb the impact when the occupant makes a secondary collision.

The side collision airbag 11 is inflated in a thin mat shape at the time of collision and is directed from the side of the seat back, which is the installation position, to the narrow space between the front passenger W and the side wall 15 of the vehicle interior. It needs to be expanded. For this purpose, straps 12 and 12 are provided to connect the base fabrics facing each other when the side collision airbag 11 is inflated, and to restrict the thickness from exceeding a certain thickness. When the thickness at the time of deployment of the side collision airbag 11 is D, the distance L from the base end 11b of the airbag to the center of the gas inlet 11a is
It is formed so that πD / 8 ≦ L ≦ πD / 4. The range of the distance L is obtained by an experiment,
From the experimental results, assuming that the position where the gas inlet 11a of the side collision airbag 11 is formed is the distance L from the base end 11b of the airbag, the deployment direction α is parallel to the center line extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. It can be within a range of ± 20 degrees with respect to the straight line l.

Therefore, the gas introduction port 11a of the side collision airbag 11 is formed so that the value of the distance L is within the above range, and gas can be introduced into the gas discharge port of the inflator 12 through this gas introduction port 11a. And is folded into a predetermined state and accommodated in the module case 13.
The module case 13 accommodating the side collision airbag 11 is installed above the seat back 14 such as a driver's seat so that the opening of the module case 13 faces the side of the vehicle. Is opened and closed by the lid 13a.

Note that the maximum value of the distance L, πD / 4
Is a circle having a radius D / 2 and a center O as shown in FIG. 4, and a quarter of the circumference M is D / 2 × 2 × π / 4 = πD
/ 4. As the distance L approaches the minimum value πD / 8, the development direction α changes outward. Therefore, as a result, if the distance L is smaller than M (πD / 4) but larger than πD / 8, the development direction α is substantially forward, and the development can be performed smoothly.

Next, the operation of this embodiment constructed as described above will be described. When a collision sensor (not shown) detects a side collision of the vehicle, an ignition current flows through the inflator 12 in the module case 13, The gas generating agent in the inflator 12 is ignited to generate a large amount of gas, and this gas is supplied from the gas discharge portion of the inflator 12 to the gas inlet 11.
a is introduced into the side collision airbag 11 through a.

Then, when the gas is introduced, the side collision airbag 11 is inflated, and firstly the lid is pushed open to swell from the module case 13 to the side of the seat back 14. At this time, the side collision airbag 11 is
a is formed at a position of a distance L from the base end 11b of the airbag, and the lid 13a in the open state becomes a ramp for guiding the forward deployment and deploys forward, and the straps 12 and 12 Since it is thinly deployed, it is smoothly deployed in a narrow space between the occupant W and the vehicle interior side wall 15.

FIGS. 7 to 10 show a side collision airbag having a simple structure and easy manufacture as another embodiment of the present invention, which will be described below with reference to the drawings.

7 to 9 show a manufacturing process of the side collision airbag 21 of this embodiment, and FIG. 10 shows a completed product, respectively. The side collision airbag 21 is shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, two base cloths, that is, a base cloth 21a and a short base cloth 21b, each having a substantially rectangular shape and a long length, are sewn together, and one end of each of the base cloths 21a and 21b (see FIG. (Left end in FIG. 2), a small rectangular mounting cloth portion 21c extending to the gas discharge portion of the inflator is extended.

The two long and short base cloths 21a having different lengths,
One end of the mounting cloth portion 21b provided with the mounting cloth portion 21c is aligned and overlapped (see FIG. 7), and sewn into an L shape from both sides of this end portion to both sides of the mounting cloth portion 21c. Therefore, an opening portion (an unsewn portion between the mounting cloth portions 21c, 21c) 22 serving as a gas introduction port is formed between the portions sewn on both sides in an L shape (see FIG. 8). In this state, the other ends of the two base cloths 21a and 21b are connected to the longer base cloth 21a from the other end of the shorter base cloth 21b.
Is extended.

Next, when the other end of the shorter base cloth 21b is aligned with the other end of the longer base cloth 21a, the sewn one end is drawn to the other end side, and the longer base cloth 21b is drawn. The long portion of 21a is folded in two and moves outward from the one end (see FIG. 9).

In this state, the aligned other end is stitched along its edge, and the two base cloths 21a, 21a
By suturing both sides of 1b along respective side edges, a side collision airbag is completed.

Accordingly, the amount of the longer base cloth 21a protruding from the one end side, that is, the length n of the folded portion of the longer base cloth 21a is determined in consideration of the thickness of the airbag when the airbag is deployed. If the distance L is determined to be equal to the distance L from the base end side of the side airbag in the first embodiment to the center of the gas introduction port, the gas introduction port (opening) is generally located at a predetermined position. The side airbag provided with the portion 22) can be easily manufactured. That is, the longer base cloth 21
If the length of a is longer than the shorter base cloth 21b by 2n, mounting cloth parts 21c and 21c are provided at a predetermined distance from the base end of the airbag at the edge of the opening 22 serving as a gas introduction port. The side collision airbag 21 is formed.

The side airbag 21 thus sewn is attached to the mounting cloth 21 located at one end thereof.
c and 21c are mounted airtight so as to surround the gas discharge portion side of an inflator (not shown).

Therefore, the side collision airbag 21 constructed as described above is folded and housed in a module case together with the inflator, and this module case is mounted on the driver's seat back as in the case of the first embodiment. Attached to the side. When a collision sensor (not shown) detects a side collision of the vehicle, an ignition current flows through the inflator to generate a large amount of gas, and this gas flows through the opening 22 to inflate and deploy the side collision airbag 21. As a result, the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition,
In the side collision airbag 21 of this embodiment, the airbag is attached to the inflator in a gas-tight manner by wrapping the gas discharge portion side of the inflator with mounting cloth portions 21c, 21c formed on the edge of the opening 22. Therefore, it can be mounted without using a holding member such as a retainer, and the number of parts used can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the side collision airbag of the present invention is applied to the driver's seat side collision airbag has been described. Can be similarly implemented.

The storage location of the side-impact airbag is not only at the side of the seat pack, but also right next to or behind the seating position of the occupant to be protected, such as a center pillar (B-pillar) or side door. If the position is such that, the same operation and effect can be obtained by installing in the same manner.

[0026]

As described above, the side collision airbag is deployed forward by defining the distance from the end opposite to the direction of deployment of the side collision airbag to the center of the gas inlet. As a result, the side collision airbag can be smoothly deployed in the appropriate direction, and the necessary bag capacity can be minimized.The size of the inflator, the size of the airbag module, and the deployment time can be reduced. It becomes possible.

The airbag for side collision according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting cloth portion attached to an outer periphery of the gas discharge side of the inflator at one end, and having two different lengths to the other end. If both ends of the base fabric are sewn, and both sides are sewn to form a bag shape so that the extra length of the longer base fabric projects from the one end side.
A gas inlet is provided at a predetermined position, and can be deployed in an appropriate direction, and a side structure airbag that can be easily manufactured with a simple structure can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional plan view showing an inflated and deployed state of a side collision airbag according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the side collision airbag of the first embodiment is expanded without being filled with gas.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the side airbag according to the first embodiment is attached to a side portion of a seat back and a state in which the airbag is deployed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing how to determine a limit position on a lower end side of an appropriate formation position of a gas inlet.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an experimental result obtained by examining a relationship between a distance from a base end of a side collision airbag to a formation position of a gas introduction port and a forward deployment angle.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating an appropriate angle of a deployment direction of a side collision airbag.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an in-process side collision airbag in which two base fabrics constituting a side collision airbag according to a second embodiment of the present invention are stacked with one end thereof aligned; .

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the in-process side collision airbag with one end stitched.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the in-process side collision airbag in which the other ends of two base fabrics whose one ends are sewn are aligned and stacked.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a completed side collision airbag in which the other end and both sides are sewn.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a deployed state of a conventional side collision airbag.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Side airbag 11a Gas inlet 11b Airbag base 12 Strap 13 Module case 14 Seat back 15 Side wall 21 Side airbag 21a Short base cloth 21b Long base cloth 21c Mounting cloth part for inflator 22 Opening Department

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An inflator is provided behind a seating position of an occupant to be protected, and a gas generated by an inflator at the time of a side collision of a vehicle is introduced from a gas introduction port to expand the occupant. By expanding between
In the case of a side collision airbag that protects occupants from the impact of a side collision, when the thickness of the airbag in the deployed state is D, from the end opposite to the direction of deployment of the airbag in the deployed state The distance L to the center of the gas inlet is πD / 8 ≦ L
A side collision airbag formed so as to satisfy a range of ≦ πD / 4. 2. An end plate according to claim 2, further comprising an attachment cloth portion attached to the inflator at one end thereof and having different overall length dimensions.
One base cloth provided with the mounting cloth portion is sewn to one end and the other end thereof, and the extra length of one long base cloth protrudes from the one end side of the other short base cloth. Thus, in this state, the two side cloths are overlapped and sewn on both sides, and the protruding portion of the extra length of the long base cloth is formed into a bag shape by overlapping and sewing the long base cloths together. 2. The side collision airbag according to claim 1, wherein: