JP3047790B2 - Airbag of side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag for a side collision airbag device which is mounted outside a side portion of a seat back frame of a vehicle seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An airbag device for a side collision of a vehicle is provided with an airbag device outside a side portion of a seat back frame. There is something to expand.

[0003] As such a side collision airbag device, a device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-64491 is known.

[0004] Further, an apparatus described below is also conceivable.
Description will be given based on comparative examples according to FIGS. In the drawings, the front of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow FR, the outside in the vehicle width direction is indicated by an arrow OUT, and the upper side of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow UP.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the module case 100 is attached to the seat back frame 106 of the seat back 104 of the vehicle seat 102 on the side of the seat back. In the module case 100, a cylindrical inflator 108 is accommodated on the back side of the seat back, and an airbag 110 is folded and accommodated on the front side of the seat back.

An opening 112 is formed on the side of the seat back and the front of the seat back of the module case 100, and the opening 112 is closed by a lid 114.

[0007] In the event of a vehicle side collision, the inflator 108 operates to generate gas, and the gas is supplied into the airbag 110 from a jet port 124 formed on the peripheral surface of the inflator 108 to inflate the airbag 110. Due to the inflation of the airbag 110, the lid 114 is pressed from the inside, and the lid 114 is deployed outward from the front side of the seat back to the rear side of the seat back. The seat cover 116 that covers the lid 114 is stitched along the edge of the lid 114 on the front side of the seat back, and the suture 118 is broken by the deployment pressure of the lid 114, and the seat cover 116 is broken.
Is peeled off, and the expansion of the lid 114 is allowed. Lid 1
With the deployment of the airbag 110, the airbag 110 is deployed outside the module case 100 between the inside of the vehicle and the side of the occupant 120 (the deployment state is shown by a chain line in FIGS. 14 and 15).

[0008]

Here, the airbag 1
Reference numeral 10 denotes a long rectangular bag body as shown in FIG. 16, and as shown in FIG. 18, as shown in FIG. It is formed in such a manner. The base end in the longitudinal direction of the airbag 110 is attached so as to cover the periphery of the inflator 108, and the ejection port 124 of the inflator 108 communicates with the inside of the airbag 110. The longitudinal end of the airbag 110 is a free end. The airbag 110 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), it is folded back and folded alternately along the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 18, the sewn portion (sewn portion) of the outer peripheral portion of the airbag is thicker than other portions. In the folded airbag 110, the sewn portions are overlapped, and as shown in FIG. 19, the dimension A in the thickness direction increases, and a large storage space is required.

Referring to FIG. 14, the size B of the module case 100 protruding outward from the seat back frame 106 of the module case 100 is increased, which causes an increase in the size of the side collision airbag device in the seat width direction.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and provides an airbag for a side collision airbag device in which the size of the airbag when folded is reduced and the airbag when stored is reduced in size. The purpose is to:

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an airbag for a side collision airbag device according to the present invention is mounted outside a side portion of a seat back frame of a vehicle seat. It is used for a side collision airbag device having an inflator disposed along a side portion of a seat back frame, and an outer peripheral portion is sewn into a bag, folded and stored, and the vehicle is in a vehicle side collision. In an airbag that is deployed between an inside portion and an occupant side portion, the shape of the airbag before folding is formed into a trapezoidal shape in which the folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator is only the trapezoidal height direction. It is characterized by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an airbag for a side collision airbag device is mounted outside a side portion of a seat back frame of a vehicle seat and is disposed along a side portion of the seat back frame. The airbag is used for a side collision airbag device having an inflator, the outer peripheral portion of which is sewn into a bag, folded and stored, and deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant side at the time of a vehicle side collision. In the above
Fold only in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator
The front airbag is formed in a parallelogram shape in which two upper and lower sides are inclined with respect to a folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the airbag of the side collision airbag device is mounted outside the side portion of the seat back frame of the vehicle seat and is disposed along the side portion of the seat back frame. The airbag is used for a side collision airbag device having an inflator, the outer peripheral portion of which is sewn into a bag, folded and stored, and deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant side at the time of a vehicle side collision. In the above
Fold only in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator
The shape of the airbag is characterized in that the airbag is formed in a shape having a side inclined along a folding direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the inflator along the folding direction.

According to the above construction, the airbag is normally folded and stored outside the side of the seat back frame of the vehicle seat, and is inflated at the time of a vehicle side collision. The airbag is deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant side from the folded state.

In the first aspect, the shape of the airbag before folding is a trapezoidal shape in which the folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator is only the trapezoidal height direction, so that the airbag is folded. The stitched portion (sewn portion) of the outer peripheral portion of the airbag, which is provided along the folding direction of the airbag, is shifted in the width direction without overlapping. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the airbag in the folded state from increasing in the thickness direction due to the overlapping of the stitched portions.

[0017] In addition, the trapezoidal shape is limited, et al. In an isosceles trapezoid shape
In addition, it is possible that the width decreases toward the tip of the airbag, and conversely, the width increases.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the shaft of the inflator is provided.
Of the airbag before folding only in the direction perpendicular to the
Even when the shape is a parallelogram shape in which the upper and lower sides are inclined with respect to the folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator, when the airbag is folded, it has the shape along the folding direction of the airbag. The stitched portions are shifted in the width direction without overlapping, and similarly to the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the airbag in the folded state from increasing in the folded state due to the overlapping of the stitched portions.

Further, the right angle to the axial direction of the inflator is formed.
The shape of the airbag before being folded only in the direction of the corner is not limited to a trapezoidal shape or a parallelogram shape, and as described in claim 3,
If the upper and lower sides are inclined at different angles from each other with respect to a folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator, when the airbag is folded, the sewn portions along the folding direction of the airbag overlap. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the airbag from increasing in the thickness direction in the folded state due to the overlapping of the sewn portions as in the first and second aspects.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of an airbag of a side collision airbag device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the drawing, the front of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow FR, the outside in the vehicle width direction is indicated by an arrow OUT, and the upper side of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow UP.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a side collision airbag device is mounted inside a seat back 12 of a vehicle seat 10. In the side collision airbag device,
The module case 14 is attached to the seat back frame 16 on the side of the seat back. In the module case 14, a cylindrical inflator 18 is accommodated on the back side of the seat back, and an airbag 20 is folded and accommodated on the front side of the seat back.

An opening 22 is formed on the side of the seat back and the front side of the seat back of the module case 14, and the opening 22 is closed by a lid 24.

At the time of a vehicle side collision, for example, a side collision sensor (not shown) detects the side collision state of the vehicle, and the inflator 1
8, an ignition current flows, and the inflator 18 operates. As a result, the gas generating agent in the inflator 18 is ignited to generate gas, and this gas is supplied into the airbag 20 from the ejection port 26 formed on the peripheral surface of the inflator 18, and the airbag 20 is inflated. . Due to the inflation of the airbag 20, the lid 24 is pressed from the inside, and the lid 24 is deployed outward from the front side of the seat back to the rear side of the seat back. The seat cover 28 that covers the lid 24 is sewn along the edge of the lid 24 on the front side of the seat cover, and the suture 30 is broken by the developing pressure of the lid 24, and the seat cover 28 is peeled off to remove the lid 24. Deployment is allowed. As the lid 24 is deployed, the airbag 20 is deployed outside the module case 14 between the inside of the vehicle and the side of the occupant 32 (the deployed state is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3).

Here, the airbag 20 is a long bag as shown in FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. 8, a cloth is overlaid and the outer periphery thereof is sewn (sutures are indicated by 34). It is formed in such a way that the front and back are repeated later. The longitudinal base end of the airbag 20 is attached so as to cover the periphery of the inflator 18, and the ejection port 26 of the inflator 18 communicates with the inside of the airbag 20. The longitudinal end of the airbag 20 is a free end. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the airbag 20 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which the width dimension gradually decreases toward the front end in the longitudinal direction.
As shown in (1), it is alternately folded and folded along the longitudinal direction so as to have a fold along the width direction (bellows fold or accordion fold).

That is, the shape of the airbag 20 before being folded is a trapezoidal shape in which the folding direction is the trapezoidal height direction. The folding direction of the airbag 20 is a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator 18.

According to the above configuration, the airbag 20 is normally folded and stored outside the side of the seat back frame 16 of the vehicle seat 10, and inflates when the vehicle collides with the vehicle. That is, the airbag 20 is deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant 32 side so that the airbag 20 is unfolded from the folded state.

Since the shape of the airbag 20 before folding is a trapezoidal shape with the folding direction being the trapezoidal height direction, when the airbag 20 is folded, as shown in FIG. The sewn portion (sewn portion) of the outer peripheral portion of the airbag having the folding direction is shifted in the width direction without overlapping. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the dimension A (see FIG. 9) in the thickness direction in the folded state of the airbag 20 from being increased due to the overlapping of the stitched portions.

As a result, the size A of the folded airbag 20 in the thickness direction is kept small, and the size of the airbag 20 at the time of storage is reduced, the storage space of the airbag 20 is reduced, and the seat back frame 16 is reduced. The airbag 20 can be easily accommodated in a limited space outside the side part, particularly for a small vehicle seat, and the effect of increasing the degree of freedom in design can be obtained.

Referring to FIG. 1, module case 1
4, the dimension B protruding outward from the side from the seat back frame 16 is suppressed to a small size, and the size of the side collision airbag device in the seat width direction is reduced.

The trapezoidal shape of the airbag 20 before being folded is not limited to the equilateral trapezoidal shape, and although not shown, the airbag 20 as in the first embodiment is not shown. Conversely, the width can be increased toward the tip (free end).

In folding the airbag 20, in addition to the bellows fold or the accordion fold, as shown in FIG. 10, roll fold to take up in one direction and fold inward as shown in FIG. Cactus folds to fold in are possible, as well as various other folds.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
3 will be described. In the present embodiment, the airbag 5
The shape before folding 0 is formed in a parallelogram shape in which the folding direction is the parallelogram height direction. The folding direction of the airbag 50 is a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator 18.

Also, as shown in FIG. 13, when the airbag 50 is folded, the sewn portions along the folding direction of the airbag 50 are shifted in the width direction without overlapping, so that the first embodiment is not limited. The same effect as the embodiment can be obtained.

The shape of the airbag before folding is as follows:
The shape of the airbag is not limited to the trapezoidal shape according to the first embodiment and the parallelogram shape according to the second embodiment, but may be any shape having sides inclining along the folding direction along the folding direction. When the airbag is folded, the sewn portions along the folding direction of the airbag are shifted in the width direction without overlapping, whereby the effect described in the first embodiment is exerted.

Further, according to the present invention, in folding the airbag, various folds such as bellows fold, accordion fold, roll fold, and cactus fold are applied as described in the first embodiment. It is possible.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, the size of the airbag when folded is reduced in the thickness direction to reduce the size of the airbag at the time of storage. It has an excellent effect that the airbag can be easily stored in the limited space outside the side of the back frame, especially for the seat of a small vehicle, and the design flexibility can be increased.
You.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a side collision airbag apparatus to which an airbag according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from above a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a deployed state of the airbag.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the deployed state of the airbag according to the first embodiment as viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a shape of the airbag according to the first embodiment before being folded.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a shape of the airbag according to the first embodiment before being folded, as viewed from a thickness direction.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing a folded state of the airbag.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a folded state of the airbag.

8 is an end view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an end view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a view showing another folding method of the airbag, viewed from the width direction of the airbag.

FIG. 11 is a view showing still another folding method of the airbag.
It is a figure corresponding to 0.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a shape of an airbag according to a second embodiment before being folded, as viewed from a thickness direction.

FIG. 13 is a view corresponding to FIG. 12, showing a folded state of the airbag.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a side collision airbag device of a comparative example as viewed from above a seat.

FIG. 15 is a view showing the deployed state of the airbag of the comparative example, as viewed from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a shape of an airbag of a comparative example before being folded.

FIG. 17 is a view corresponding to FIG. 16, showing a folded state of the airbag of the comparative example.

FIG. 18 is an end view taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is an end view taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 17;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 vehicle seat 12 seat back 16 seat back frame 18 inflator 20, 50 airbag 34 suture

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masanori O ▲ bu 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (56) References JP-A-7-228213 (JP, A) JP-A Sho 48-30250 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/16-21/32

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A side impact airbag device having an inflator mounted outside a side portion of a seat back frame of a vehicle seat and disposed along a side portion of the seat back frame, wherein an outer peripheral portion is provided. In an airbag that is sewn into a bag, folded and stored, and deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant side at the time of a vehicle side collision, the shape of the airbag before folding is changed in the axial direction of the inflator. that the folding direction perpendicular trapezoidal height direction
An airbag for a side collision airbag device, wherein the airbag is formed in a trapezoidal shape to be seen only . 2. A side impact airbag device having an inflator mounted on a side of a seat back frame of a vehicle seat and disposed along a side of the seat back frame, wherein an outer peripheral portion is provided. An airbag that is sewn into a bag, folded and stored, and deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant side in the event of a vehicle side collision, is folded only in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator.
The shape of the airbag before being folded is formed in a parallelogram shape in which two upper and lower sides are inclined with respect to a folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator, Airbag. 3. A side impact airbag device having an inflator mounted outside the side of a seat back frame of a vehicle seat and disposed along the side of the seat back frame, wherein an outer peripheral portion is provided. An airbag that is sewn into a bag, folded and stored, and deployed between the vehicle inner side and the occupant side in the event of a vehicle side collision, is folded only in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator.
The airbag device for side collision , wherein the shape of the airbag before being folded is formed in a shape having a side inclined along a folding direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflator along the folding direction. Airbag.