JP3748691B2 - Air belt device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air belt device that inflates a belt that restrains an occupant to a seat in a vehicle collision with high-pressure gas supplied from an inflator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An air belt device that stores a bag in a seat belt and inflates the bag to restrain a passenger softly in the event of a vehicle collision is already known from, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-560001.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in order to prevent the seat belt from constraining the movement of the occupant's body during normal times other than when the vehicle collides, the belt can be freely pulled out from the retractor. When inertial force acts on the occupant's body due to a vehicle collision, the belt cannot be restrained if the belt can be pulled out freely from the retractor, so the belt is forcibly pulled into the retractor and locked. There is known a pretensioner that generates tension on the belt.
[0004]
In an air belt device in which the belt itself can be expanded, the longitudinal dimension of the belt contracts as the belt expands in addition to the expansion of the belt even if the retractor is not provided with a pretensioner. A certain amount of tension can be generated in the belt simply by locking the belt so that it cannot be pulled out. However, the tension generated by the belt expansion is not necessarily sufficient as compared with the tension generated by the pretensioner.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to increase the restraint performance of an occupant by generating sufficient tension in the belt when the air belt device is operated without using a pretensioner.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a belt in which an inflatable bag is housed and one end is supported by a fixed portion, and a tongue device provided at the other end of the belt. And a buckle device that is supported by a fixed part and to which the tongue device can be coupled, and an inflator connected to the buckle device, and the high-pressure gas generated by the inflator at the time of a vehicle collision passes through the buckle device and the tongue device. In the inflatable belt device that inflates the bag by supplying the bag, the buckle device includes an anchor member fixed to the fixing portion, and a buckle housing slidably supported by the anchor member and coupled with the tongue device. The buckle housing is slid against the anchor member by the high pressure gas generated by the inflator. And wherein the generating force.
[0007]
According to the above configuration, the high-pressure gas generated by the inflator at the time of the collision of the vehicle is supplied from the buckle device to the belt through the tongue device, and inflates the bag stored inside the belt. At this time, the buckle housing moves with respect to the anchor member fixed to the fixed portion by the pressure of the high pressure gas supplied to the buckle housing of the buckle device, so that the tongue device is pulled to generate tension on the belt, Restraint performance is improved. Without using a complicated pretensioner, high-pressure gas generated by the inflator is used to generate tension on the belt, which not only reduces the number of parts and costs, but also prior to bag expansion. Since tension can be generated on the belt, the occupant's restraining performance is further enhanced.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the structure of the first aspect, the buckle housing includes a gas inlet connected to the inflator and a gas outlet connected to the tongue device, and the piston provided on the anchor member slides. A cylinder that is movably fitted is provided, and the high-pressure gas supplied to the gas inlet moves the cylinder relative to the piston so that the gas inlet communicates with the gas outlet.
[0009]
According to the above configuration, when the high pressure gas generated by the inflator flows into the cylinder from the gas inlet of the buckle housing, the cylinder moves with respect to the piston by the pressure, and tension is generated in the belt. Since the high-pressure gas flows into the belt through communication with the gas outlet, it is possible to reliably generate tension on the belt prior to the expansion of the bag.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, when the cylinder relatively moves with respect to the piston and the gas inlet and the gas outlet communicate with each other, the cylinder is fixed to the piston. A locking means is provided.
[0011]
According to the above configuration, when the cylinder is moved relative to the piston and tension is generated in the belt, the locking means restricts movement of the cylinder relative to the piston, so that the belt is prevented from slacking and tension is secured, Communication between the gas inlet and the gas outlet is ensured.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.
[0013]
1 to 11 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a side view of a front seat portion of a vehicle, FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 5 in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram at the time of a vehicle collision, and FIG. is there.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an air belt device for restraining an occupant (driver in the embodiment) to a front right seat 1 includes a shoulder belt retractor 3 provided at a lower portion of a center pillar 2, and the shoulder belt A lap belt retractor 4 provided on the lower side of the retractor 3, a shoulder belt 6 drawn out from the shoulder belt retractor 3 and extending around a slip guide 5 provided on the upper portion of the center pillar 2, and a lap belt retractor 4, a lap belt 7 pulled out from the shoulder 4, a tongue device 8 fixed to the shoulder belt 6 and the end of the lap belt 7, a buckle device 9 fixed to the seat base 10 to which the tongue device 8 is coupled, and a buckle device 9 and an inflator 11 provided integrally therewith.
[0015]
The known shoulder belt retractor 3 and lap belt retractor 4 wind up the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 so that they can be pulled out, respectively, and in a normal time when an acceleration sensor (not shown) does not detect an acceleration exceeding a predetermined value. The belts 6 and 7 can be pulled out to allow the occupant to move, and when the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration exceeding a predetermined value during a vehicle collision, the belts 6 and 7 are locked so that they cannot be pulled out. The passenger is restrained. The known inflator 11 is ignited when the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and generates high-pressure gas due to combustion of the propellant.
[0016]
The lap belt 7 is composed of a plain belt of ordinary synthetic fibers. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the portion of the shoulder belt 6 that contacts the chest of an occupant is composed of a rubber bag 12 formed in a cylindrical shape and a cover 13 that covers the outside. The cover 13 made of circular knitted knit has the property of being easily stretchable in the radial direction and difficult to stretch in the longitudinal direction. The bag 12 and the cover 13 are normally flat band-like, but when high-pressure gas is supplied from the inflator 11 to the bag 12, the bag 12 and the cover 13 are inflated to the state shown in FIGS.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the buckle housing 21 constituting the main body portion of the buckle device 9 has the inflator 11 fixed to the lower part thereof and the buckle 22 fixed to the upper part thereof. A piston 24 is slidably fitted into a cylinder 23 formed inside the buckle housing 21, and an anchor member 25 extending downward from the piston 24 extends through the lower wall of the cylinder 23 to the outside. The lower end of the anchor member 25 is pivotally supported on the side wall of the seat base 10 by a bolt 26 so as to be swingable back and forth.
[0018]
A gas inlet 23 ₁ and a gas outlet 23 ₂ are formed at the lower and upper portions of the cylinder 23, respectively. The gas inlet 23 ₁ is connected to the inflator 11 via a gas passage 27, and the gas outlet 23 _2. Is communicated with a connection port 29 opened in the upper wall of the buckle housing 21 through the gas passage 28. A spring 30 is contracted between the upper surface of the piston 24 and the upper wall of the cylinder 23. The piston 24 biased downward by the elastic force of the spring 30 is provided with a stopper 31 provided on the lower surface thereof. 23 abuts against the lower wall. At this time, the gas inlet 23 ₁ opens at the lower surface of the piston 24. When the piston 24 moves upward and the stopper 32 provided on the upper surface thereof contacts the upper wall of the cylinder 23, the gas outlet 23 ₂ opens on the lower surface of the piston 24.
[0019]
The bag 12 and cover 13 of the shoulder belt 6 fitted to the upper outer peripheral surface of the tongue housing 33 of the tongue device 8 and the lap belt 7 superimposed on the outside thereof are fastened and fixed by an annular holder 36. A tongue 37 having an upper half embedded in the tongue housing 33 is fixed to the tongue housing 33 with a bolt 38 that penetrates the holder 36, the lap belt 7, the cover 13, and the bag 12. A connecting pipe 39 that can be inserted into the connection port 29 of the buckle housing 21 protrudes from the lower surface of the tongue housing 33. A gas passage 40 that allows the connection port 29 to communicate with the interior of the bag 12 is formed inside the connection pipe 39.
[0020]
The locking means 41 provided on the side wall of the buckle housing 21 includes a hook member 43 pivotally supported via a pin 42, and a spring 44 that urges the hook member 43 in a direction to protrude into the cylinder 23. And a screw 45 for locking one end of the spring 44. The hook member 43 is capable of abutting against the cam surface 43 ₁ to the upper surface of the piston 24, the locking surface 43 ₂ capable of contacting the lower surface of the piston 24, the swinging of the hook member 43 in the direction in which the spring 44 is extended and a stopper surface 43 ₃ to regulate.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 7, the buckle device 9 and the tongue device 8 are separated when the air belt device is not attached. When the tongue 37 of the tongue device 8 is coupled to the buckle 22 of the buckle device 9 in order to attach the air belt device from this state, the connecting pipe 39 of the tongue device 8 is inserted into the connection port 29 of the buckle device 9 as shown in FIG. Is done.
[0023]
When the acceleration sensor detects acceleration of a predetermined value or more due to a vehicle collision, the inflator 11 is ignited to generate high-pressure gas, and the generated high-pressure gas is formed in the gas passage 27 and the gas inlet formed in the buckle housing 21 of the buckle device 9. Through 23 ₁ , it is supplied to the lower part of the piston 24 slidably fitted into the cylinder 23. As shown in FIG. 10, since the piston 24 is fixed to the seat base 10 via the anchor member 25, the buckle housing 21 is relative to the piston 24 by the pressure of the high-pressure gas supplied to the lower portion of the cylinder 23. The tongue device 8 coupled to the buckle housing 21 is also lowered. At this time, the shoulder belt retractor 3 and the lap belt retractor 4 that support one end of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 are locked so that they cannot be pulled out, so that the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 coupled to the tongue device 8 When the other end is pulled down, the slack of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 disappears and tension is generated.
[0024]
In the course of the cylinder 23 against the piston 24 is lowered, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the upper surface of the piston 24 abuts against the cam face 43 ₁ of the hook member 43 of the locking means 41, the hook member 43 Spring 44 Retreat from the cylinder 23 against the resilience of. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the piston 24 gets over the hook member 43, the hook member 43 protrudes into the cylinder 23 again by the elastic force of the spring 44. And Thus, locking surface 43 ₂ of the hook member 43 engages the lower surface of the piston 24, and the stopper surface 43 ₃ of the hook member 43 comes into contact with the buckle housing 21 to restrict the swinging of the hook member 43 As a result, the cylinder 23 is locked against the piston 24 so as not to rise.
[0025]
When the cylinder 23 is lowered with respect to the piston 24 in this way, as shown in FIG. 10, the gas inlet 23 ₁ and the gas outlet 23 ₂ of the cylinder 23 communicate with each other, and the high pressure gas generated by the inflator 11 is buckled. The gas is supplied from the gas passages 27 and 28 of the housing 21 through the gas passage 40 of the tongue device 8 into the bag 12 of the shoulder belt 6, and the bag 12 is inflated. When the shoulder belt 6 is inflated in this manner, the contact area with the chest of the occupant increases as compared to the shoulder belt 6 before being inflated, so that the occupant can be restrained more softly.
[0026]
Thus, since tension can be generated in the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 using the high-pressure gas generated by the inflator 11, it is necessary to provide a pretensioner for the shoulder belt retractor 3 and the lap belt retractor 4. This can contribute to cost reduction. Moreover, since the tension of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 is generated prior to the expansion of the bag 12, the occupant restraining performance of the airbag device can be further enhanced.
[0027]
As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention can perform a various design change in the range which does not deviate from the summary.
[0028]
For example, although the inflator 11 is provided integrally with the buckle device 9 in the embodiment, it is also possible to provide the inflator 11 separately from the buckle device 9 and connect them with a flexible pipe. Further, in the embodiment, the buckle device 9 is provided on the seat base 10 as the fixing portion, but the buckle device 9 is provided on the upper portion of the center pillar 2 as the fixing portion, and the buckle housing 21 is lifted upward in the event of a vehicle collision. Tension can be generated in the belt 6.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the high pressure gas generated by the inflator at the time of the collision of the vehicle is supplied from the buckle device to the belt through the tongue device, and the bag accommodated in the belt is inflated. At this time, the buckle housing moves with respect to the anchor member fixed to the fixed portion by the pressure of the high pressure gas supplied to the buckle housing of the buckle device, so that the tongue device is pulled to generate tension on the belt, Restraint performance is improved. Without using a complicated pretensioner, high-pressure gas generated by the inflator is used to generate tension on the belt, which not only reduces the number of parts and costs, but also prior to bag expansion. Since tension can be generated on the belt, the occupant's restraining performance is further enhanced.
[0030]
According to the invention described in claim 2, when the high-pressure gas generated by the inflator flows into the cylinder from the gas inlet of the buckle housing, the cylinder moves with respect to the piston by the pressure, and tension is applied to the belt. After the generation, the gas inlet and the gas outlet communicate with each other and the high-pressure gas flows into the belt, so that tension can be reliably generated in the belt prior to the expansion of the bag.
[0031]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the cylinder moves relative to the piston and tension is generated in the belt, the locking means restricts the movement of the cylinder relative to the piston, so that the belt is prevented from slackening. Tension is ensured and communication between the gas inlet and the gas outlet is ensured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a front seat portion of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view taken along two directions in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an air belt device. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is an exploded sectional view of the buckle device and tongue device. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the action at the time of a vehicle collision. FIG.
2 Center pillar (fixed part)
6 Shoulder belt (belt)
8 Tongue device 9 Buckle device 10 Seat base (fixed part)
11 Inflator 12 Bag 21 Buckle housing 23 Cylinder 23 ₁ Gas inlet 23 ₂ Gas outlet 24 Piston 25 Anchor member 41 Locking means

Claims (3)

A belt (6) in which an inflatable bag (12) is housed and one end is supported by a fixing part (2);
A tongue device (8) provided at the other end of the belt (6);
A buckle device (9) supported by a fixing portion (10) to which the tongue device (8) can be coupled;
An inflator (11) connected to the buckle device (9);
An inflatable belt for inflating the bag (12) by supplying the high pressure gas generated by the inflator (11) to the bag (12) through the buckle device (9) and the tongue device (8). In the device
The buckle device (9) includes an anchor member (25) fixed to a fixing portion (10), and a buckle housing (slidably supported by the anchor member (25) and coupled with a tongue device (8)). 21), and the buckle housing (21) is slid relative to the anchor member (25) by the high-pressure gas generated by the inflator (11) to generate tension on the belt (6). Air belt device. The buckle housing (21) includes a gas inlet (23 ₁ ) connected to the inflator (11) and a gas outlet (23 ₂ ) connected to the tongue device (8), and a piston (24) provided on the anchor member (25). ) Is slidably fitted into the cylinder (23), and the high-pressure gas supplied to the gas inlet (23 ₁ ) moves the cylinder (23) relative to the piston (24) to move the gas. The air belt device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet (23 ₁ ) communicates with the gas outlet (23 ₂ ). When the cylinder (23) moves relative to the piston (24) and the gas inlet (23 ₁ ) and the gas outlet (23 ₂ ) communicate with each other, the cylinder (23) is fixed to the piston (24). The inflatable belt device according to claim 2, further comprising locking means (41).

Images