JP3470219B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention protects an occupant's side by deploying an airbag housed in a seat back into a vehicle cabin during a side collision of the vehicle. The present invention relates to an airbag device. 2. Description of the Related Art An airbag device for protecting a side portion of an occupant in an automobile includes a module having a folded airbag and an inflator. This module is housed inside the seat back, and when the vehicle collides from the side, the sensor detects the collision and gas is generated from the inflator, and the airbag is deployed to move the occupant to the side. It protects from the department. [0003] In this type of airbag device, the emphasis is on protecting the occupant's chest or head. Therefore, the airbag in the airbag device is required to be deployed at a relatively high position such as the occupant's chest. At this time, in order to deploy the bag at a relatively high position such as the occupant's chest, it is conceivable to store the module at a high position in the seat back. However, the side portion of the seat back is generally designed to be thinner as it goes to a higher position in order to ensure the riding comfort of an occupant. Therefore,
Storing the module at a high position on the side of the seatback may cause problems such as impairing the ride comfort of the occupant. Therefore, it is desirable to store the module at a position as low as possible on the side of the seatback. [0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to store a module at a low position on the side of a seat back so as not to impair the ride comfort of the occupant, and to relatively high positions such as the chest of the occupant. To ensure the protection of SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, which has solved the above-mentioned problems, comprises an airbag which is mounted on a module and which is disposed in a folded state on a side of a seat back from an inflator at the time of a vehicle collision. In an airbag device, which is inflated by generated gas and deployed between an occupant and an inner surface of a side portion of a vehicle body, the module is provided in a seat back.
The longer side of the module is
It is stored along the vertical direction of the seat back,
The airbag is larger than a longitudinal side of the module
From the base side having a wide width and the respective ends of the base side
Base end surrounded by two curved sides that curve upward and extend
Part and two fronts extending in a substantially horizontal direction from the curved side
The extension side and the direction extending from the front extension side and approaching each other
Connecting two bent sides and the lead connecting the two bent sides
A protection portion surrounded by a right side, and
The distance between the upper and lower curved sides, and the upper and lower front
The distance between the extending sides extends all the way to the vertical side of the protective part.
This is characterized in that they are formed almost equally . ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a module can be accommodated in the low position of the side part in a seatback, and a comparatively high position, such as an occupant's chest, can be reliably protected, without impairing the occupant's riding comfort. Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2
As shown in FIG. 1, a front seat S on the right side of an automobile includes a seat cushion 1 disposed substantially horizontally, a seat back 2 extending rearward and upward from a rear end of the seat cushion 1,
And a headrest 3 provided at an upper end of the seat back 2. A center pillar 4 faces the right side surface of the seat back 2, and a front door 5 is arranged in front of the center pillar 4. A module M is housed inside the right side of the seat back 2 of the front seat S, and when the module M is activated, the airbag 6 breaks a sewn portion of the seat back 2 and pushes open to open the occupant sitting on the front seat S. It is deployed diagonally forward so as to block between the right side and the left side of the center pillar 4 and the front door 5. As shown in FIG. 3, a metal module mounting bracket 12 extending forward of the vehicle body is attached to a pipe frame 11 extending vertically along the right edge of the seat back 2.
And a metal retainer 13 extending inside the vehicle body are fixed by welding. On the right side of the module mounting bracket 12, the module M is provided with two bolts 14, 14 each.
And nuts 15, 15 (see FIG. 5). A shape-preserving material 16 made of a coarse blanket extends from the front surface of the module M to the left side of the vehicle body through the middle part in the thickness direction of the seat back 2, and is connected to a pipe frame (not shown) on the left side of the vehicle body. . A mesh-shaped spring 17 having an end attached to the outside of the pipe frame 11 is stretched on the back side of the shape-retaining material 16.
A pad 18 made of a sponge is attached to a portion surrounded by the front surface of the base material, the rear surface of the shape retaining material 16 and the side surface of the module mounting bracket 12. A pad 19 also made of sponge is mounted on the front surface of the shape-retaining material 16. A central portion of the front surface of the seat back 2 is covered with a first covering material 20, and both left and right sides and an upper portion of the first covering material 20 are covered with a second covering material 21. The left and right side surfaces and the upper surface of the seat back 2 connected to the second covering material 21 are covered with a third covering material 22, and the rear surface of the seat back 2 is covered with a fourth covering material 23. The first coating material 20 and the second coating material 21 are sewn at a sewing portion 24, and the second coating material 21 and the third coating material 22 are sewn at a sewing portion 25. Sewing part 2
5 has a bead 26 integrally sewn. On the other hand, a clip 28 is provided at the tip of the tongue piece 27 extending from the sewing portion 24, and the clip 28 is locked to the spring 17 so that the first coating material 20 and the second coating material 21 are fixed.
Are held in a predetermined shape. Also, a clip 30 is attached to the tip of the tongue piece 29 extending from the sewn portion at the rear end of the third coating material 22.
The third covering member 22 is fixed by locking the clip 30 to the retainer 13. The structure of the module M will be further described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a metal holder 31 includes a main body 31A having a substantially J-shaped cross section,
It has a pair of clamps 31B, 31B extending from one side edge of the main body 31A. A substantially cylindrical inflator 32 filled with a propellant (not shown) is supported on a circular cross-section formed by the main body 31A and the clamps 31B, 31B. The holder 31 and the inflator 32 are wrapped around the rear end of the folded airbag 6. Bolts 14 and 14 are holders 31
Are fastened by nuts 34, 34 through the clamp portions 31B, 31B, the main body 31A and the side plate 33, and further fastened by the nuts 15, 15 through the module mounting bracket 12. The holder 31, the side plate 33, the inflator 32, and the folded airbag 6 are housed in a module case 35 integrally formed of a synthetic resin. The module case 35 includes a tray-shaped main body 35A that opens toward the right side of the vehicle body, and the main body 35A.
35C connected to the rear edge of the cover via a hinge 35B
And five locking claws 35D provided on the upper edge, front edge and lower edge of the main body 35A are provided on the upper edge, front edge and lower edge of the lid 35C. Locking holes 35E, 3
5E, the cover 35C is fixed so as to cover the opening of the main body 35A. Note that reference numeral 40 is
A harness cover for protecting a harness (not shown) connected to the inflator 32. Next, the shape of the airbag 6 in the airbag device according to the present invention will be described. In the present invention, the shape of the airbag 6 is characteristic. As shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 6 is formed by a base end 6A and a protection part 6B. The shape of the airbag 6 will be described. Curved sides 6b, 6b extending upward from respective ends of a base end 6a of a linear base end 6A extend. The airbag 6 is attached so that the base side 6a is located along the longitudinal direction of the module M. The curved sides 6b, 6b have substantially the same shape, and extend slightly upward, further upward, and eventually turn substantially in the horizontal direction. From these curved sides 6b, 6b, front extending sides 6c, 6c extending in a substantially horizontal direction extend respectively. Further, bent sides 6d, 6d extend from the front extending sides 6c, 6c.
The bent sides 6d, 6d are in the direction approaching each other (vertical direction)
And the bent sides 6d, 6d are connected by a vertical side 6e. The airbag 6 has these sides, and a portion surrounded by the base side 6a and the curved sides 6b, 6b becomes the base end 6A, and the front extension sides 6c, 6c, the bending sides 6d, 6d, and The portion surrounded by the vertical side 6e becomes the protection portion 6B. The airbag 6 is housed in the seat back 2 and, when deployed, the air bag 6 is housed in the seat back 2 such that the vertical side 6e is oriented substantially vertically. In this state, the front extension side 6
c and 6c are oriented substantially horizontally. The airbag 6 having such a shape is housed in the seat back 2. FIG. 7 shows a state when the airbag 6 is deployed. As shown in FIG.
Is relatively lower along the height direction of the seat back 2, and the base end 6 </ b> A of the airbag 6 is deployed in an upward direction Q than in a direction P orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the module M. I do. Considering that the occupant's chest and the like are protected by an airbag 6 'which is deployed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the module M as a whole, as shown by a virtual line in FIG. It must be stored above the seat back 2. As described above, when the module M is arranged above the seat back 2, since the pad above the seat back 2 has few (thin) pads, the stiffness of the module case 35 that stores the module M depends on the occupant's back and shoulders. And impair the ride comfort of the occupants. On the other hand, as in the case of the airbag 6 in the airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag device is configured to expand in the upward direction Q rather than in the direction P perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the module M. Even if the module M is stored below the seat back 2, the airbag 6 reaches the occupant's chest and the like, and the occupant's chest and head can be reliably protected. For this reason, since the module M can be arranged in a sufficiently thick lower part of the seat back 2, the module case 35 accommodating the module M is provided.
The stiffness is not transmitted to the occupant's back and shoulders and does not impair the occupant's ride. The airbag 6 has a base end 6A.
Expands upward, and the protection portion 6B expands forward. Thus, the occupant can be reliably protected by the protection portion 6B. Next, the procedure for folding the airbag 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the airbag 6 before folding is formed in a flat bag shape obtained by sewing two base cloths 36 and 37 at a sewing portion 38 on the outer periphery, and has bases 36A and 37A (rear end portions). ) Holder 31
And the inflator 32 is fixed so as to be enveloped. This will be further described with reference to FIG. 5. The bases 36A and 37A of the two base cloths 36 and 37 are
In a state sandwiched between the main body portion 31A and the side plate 33, the main body portion 31A is fastened and fixed by bolts 14, 14 penetrating therethrough. The base portion 36A of the base cloth 36 on the outer side in the left-right direction of the vehicle body extends forward to a point a in a state of wrapping the outer periphery of the inflator 32 for approximately 360 °, from which the front folded portion 36B is folded. The base 37A of the base cloth 37 on the inner side in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is
A extends backward, bypassing point b at the front end of A, and the inflator 3
After being folded forward at point c at the front position of No. 2, the front folding portion 37B is folded from there. Now, the folded portions 36B and 37B of the airbag 6 expanded in the state of FIG. 6 are shown in FIGS.
As shown in (a), it is folded in a bellows shape from the front side to the rear side. Subsequently, FIGS. 8B and 9B
The airbag 6 is folded to the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8A, the upper and lower portions of the folded airbag 6 are bent downward and upward, respectively, in order to reduce the vertical height. And FIG.
As shown in (c), in order to reduce the width in the left-right direction,
The left and right halves of the folded airbag 6 are crushed so as to fall forward. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, a protection cover 39 made of a cloth wrapping the folded airbag 6 is provided.
Are fixed in a state where both ends of the airbag 6 are sandwiched between the main body 31A of the holder 31 and the side plate 33. With the protection cover 39, the airbag 6 that has been folded is separated from the inflator 32, the holder 31, and the side cover 33. It is packaged compactly so that it does not fall apart. When the airbag 6 is deployed, the protect cover 39 is easily broken, so that the deployment is not hindered. Next, the operation of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described. Inflator 3 at the time of vehicle collision
When the 2 generates gas, the airbag 6 expands inside the module case 35. When the pressure at which the airbag 6 is inflated acts on the lid 35C of the module case 35, the locking claws 35D, 35D are disengaged from the locking holes 35E, 35E and the lid 35C rotates around the hinge 35B (FIG. 5, the main body 35A is opened. When the pressure for opening the cover 35C shown in FIG. 3 is transmitted to the third covering material 22 of the seat back 2, the sewing portion 25 is broken and the second covering material 21 and the third covering material 22 are separated. As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag 6 that has passed through the gap expands obliquely forward along the center pillar 4 and the front door 5 in plan view. When the airbag 6 starts to inflate, the airbag 6 is not straight forward but laterally outward (in the deployment direction shown in FIG. 5), that is, the center pillar 4.
And it is inflated diagonally forward toward the front door 5 in plan view. By deploying in this direction, the opening of the module case 35 and the breakage of the sewn portion 25 can be accurately performed, and the airbag 6 can be correctly deployed between the occupant and the center pillar 4 and the front door 5. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5, c at the base 37A of the base cloth 37 inside the airbag 6 in the left-right direction.
The portion from the point to the point b is referred to as surplus portions b to c, and the surplus portions b to c are arranged along the right side surface of the main body 31A of the holder 31. Therefore, when the airbag 6 is inflated, the surplus portions b to c of the base cloth 37 on the inner side in the left-right direction are b
By rotating the airbag 6 counterclockwise around the point, the airbag 6 can freely move to the right (outward in the left-right direction), and can be directed diagonally right without interfering with the occupant's right flank or right arm. And can be deployed smoothly. FIG. 11 is a process diagram showing a process of deploying the airbag 6. As shown in FIG. 5, since the airbag 6 is folded so that a gas passage R is formed at the center, the gas emitted from the inflator 32 directly hits the sewing portion 38 of the airbag 6. Then, FIG.
As shown in (a), the airbag 6 starts deploying in the front direction simultaneously with the vertical direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the airbag 6 is gradually deployed as it is, and as shown in FIG. 11 (c).
As shown in FIG. Since the fully deployed airbag 6 extends forward, it is possible to reliably protect the occupant's chest and the like. As described above, according to the present invention, the sheet
Module in the lower part of the back that is thick enough
Module can be placed in the
The stiffness of the joule case is transmitted to the occupant's back and shoulders,
There is no loss of ride comfort. In addition, the module is stored in a low position on the side of the seat back,
Even if the ride comfort of the occupant is not impaired, it is possible to reliably protect a relatively high position such as the occupant's chest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat provided with an airbag device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where the airbag is deployed. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line iii-iii of FIG. 1; 4 is a side view of the airbag device according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line vv of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a side view of the deployed state of the airbag. FIG. 7 is a side view of the airbag device according to the present invention in a deployed state. FIG. 8 is a side view of an airbag folding process. FIG. 9 is a plan view of a process of folding the airbag. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the folded airbag. FIG. 11 is a process diagram showing an airbag deployment process. [Description of Signs] 2 Seat back 6 Airbag 6A Base end 6B Protective part M Module S seat

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-10-315891 (JP, A) JP-A-8-169294 (JP, A) JP-A-5-139232 (JP, A) JP-A-3-3 108564 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 64-7053 (JP, U) Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication No. 11-510765 (JP, A) US Patent 5,673,243 (US, A) Registered Utility Model 3014439 (JP, U) Registered Utility Model 3013763 (JP, U) JP, U) WO 97/006985 (WO, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/22 B60R 21/16

Claims (1)

(57) [Claim 1] An airbag attached to a module and arranged on a side portion of a seat back in a folded state is inflated by gas generated from an inflator at the time of a vehicle collision. In the airbag device deployed between the occupant and the inner surface of the vehicle body side portion, the module has a thickness of a side portion of the seat back.
At a certain lower part, the long side of the module is
The airbag is housed along the vertical direction, and the airbag is larger than a longitudinal side of the module.
From the base side having a wide width and the respective ends of the base side
Base end surrounded by two curved sides that curve upward and extend
Part and two fronts extending in a substantially horizontal direction from the curved side
The extension side and the direction extending from the front extension side and approaching each other
Connecting two bent sides and the lead connecting the two bent sides
A protective portion surrounded by the right side, the airbag at the time of deployment, the distance between the upper and lower curved sides,
And the distance between the upper and lower front extending sides is
An airbag device characterized in that the airbag device is formed substantially equally over the entire vertical side .