JP3898404B2 - Air belt device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air belt device in which an inflatable bag is provided in a seat belt portion that comes into contact with a shoulder or chest of an occupant. In particular, the present invention relates to an air belt apparatus that has been improved so as to improve the comfort of a passenger wearing the air belt.
[0002]
[Prior art]
At present, a seat belt device is the mainstream as a device for restraining an automobile occupant to a seat in an emergency such as a collision. A typical seat belt device includes a shoulder webbing extending from an occupant's shoulder through the front of the chest to the waist obliquely and a lap webbing (both are a series) that traverses the front of the waist. The base end of the shoulder webbing is connected to the seat belt retractor. The retractor locks the drawer of the shoulder webbing when an abnormal deceleration is applied to the vehicle, and the locked shoulder webbing prevents the occupant from moving forward.
[0003]
In recent years, technical improvements such as the following (1) and (2) have been made for seatbelt devices in order to further improve the passenger protection function.
▲ 1 ▼ Pretensioner that quickly removes the webbing slack in an emergency and initially restrains the occupant ▲ 2 ▼ Energy Absorbing mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the energy absorbing mechanism) that gradually draws out the webbing when the webbing tension exceeds a predetermined value EA mechanism)
There is also a basic need to lower the pressure between the occupant's shoulders and chest and the webbing and to provide softer protection to the occupant.
[0004]
The inflatable belt device was born out of the above-mentioned technical trends and requests for seat belts. That is, the air belt device is provided with an emergency inflatable bag in a portion of the shoulder webbing of the seat belt that touches the shoulder or chest of the passenger. Normally, the bag is folded in a belt shape, and gas is supplied in an emergency such as a vehicle collision, so that the bag is inflated. Since it shrinks in the longitudinal direction when inflated, it is possible to remove the slack of the webbing and also to act as a pretensioner for the seat belt. Further, since the bag acts as an air cushion, the pressure applied to the occupant's body becomes softer. Furthermore, an EA mechanism can be realized by gradually removing the gas from the bag at an appropriate timing.
As described above, the air belt device is expected to be used in the near future as it can further improve the safety performance of the currently mainstream seat belt devices.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the air belt is somewhat bulky compared to a normal seat belt, it is necessary to further improve the comfort of the occupant when the air belt is worn in order to spread it among people who are used to the seat belt.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable belt device that can further improve the comfort of an occupant when the inflatable belt is mounted.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, an air belt device of the present invention includes an air belt having an emergency inflatable bag extending obliquely from a shoulder of the occupant to a chest and a waist for restraining the occupant to a seat. an inflator for supplying emergency inflation gas into the bag, to allow locking remove the lower end of the air belt sheet or to the vehicle body, a locking means comprising a tongue and a buckle, which is connected on the air belt end, An air belt apparatus comprising a webbing that is a belt-like woven fabric similar to a webbing in a normal seat belt, and a retractor having a webbing take-up mechanism and an emergency lock mechanism, further comprising means for blowing conditioned air from the surface of the air belt And the air belt has a cover that covers the outside of the folded bag, and The bag is circulated between the bag and the cover, blown out from the cover surface, the conditioned air is supplied to the air belt through the locking means, and the tongue is inserted into the buckle and is engaged with a latch mechanism in the buckle. A tongue plate to be combined, a gas air passage that guides the expansion gas from the inflator, a gas blowing pipe provided at the upper end of the air passage, and an air conditioning air passage that guides conditioned air from the air conditioning duct, The lower end of the bag is fitted into the gas blowing pipe, the lower end of the cover is fitted into the upper end of the tongue, and the upper end of the air conditioning air passage is in communication with the inside of the cover. Features.
[0008]
According to the present invention, since the conditioned air blows out from the air belt worn by the occupant, the ambient temperature around the occupant can be quickly brought to a comfortable temperature even when the temperature inside the vehicle is too high or too low. Alternatively, when it is hot, the sensible temperature of the occupant can be lowered by applying cool dry air directly to the occupant. The comfort improves the wearing rate of the air belt and contributes to safety measures.
In addition, air-conditioned air can be provided to passengers from places as close as possible to passengers, so energy for air-conditioning can be saved and air-conditioning power itself can be reduced. For this reason, energy consumption that is not related to driving of the car can be reduced while maintaining a comfortable state, and it corresponds to the environmental measures that the automobile should come, such as idling stop control when stopping and power saving measures when stopping the hybrid car It also helps.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of an air belt apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing the air belt of this embodiment. 2B and 2C are schematic cross-sectional views taken along lines BB and CC in FIG. 2A, respectively. FIG. 3A is a plan view schematically showing a state where the air belt of this embodiment is expanded. FIGS. 3B and 3C are schematic cross-sectional views taken along lines BB and CC in FIG.
[0010]
In FIG. 1, the occupant 11 is shown sitting on the seat 1. The seat 1 includes a seat cushion 5 on which an occupant 11 sits, a seat back 3 that is a backrest, and the like. Below the seat cushion 5, there is a seat frame 7 that supports the seat 1 and connects to the vehicle body.
[0011]
The air belt device 21 includes the following parts.
1. An air belt 31 that extends obliquely from the shoulder of the occupant 11 to the chest and waist when the belt is worn, normally blows out conditioned air, and expands in an emergency.
2. Shoulder webbing 25, which is a belt-like fabric similar to the webbing of a normal seat belt, connected to the upper end of the air belt 31
3. Deflector 27 for deflecting shoulder webbing 25
[0012]
4. Retractor 23 that winds up the shoulder webbing 25 and locks the drawer in an emergency
5. A tongue 33 connected to the lower end portion of the air belt 31 for locking the air belt 31 to the vehicle body via a buckle 35.
6. Buckle 35 fixed to seat frame 7 with anchor bracket 37
7. Inflator 39 for generating gas for inflating the air belt 31
8. Gas hose 91 connecting inflator 39 and buckle 35
9. Wrap webbing 41 extending to the occupant's waist
10. A retractor 43 that winds up the base end of the lap webbing 41 and locks it in an emergency.
11. Although not shown, an acceleration sensor and an electric circuit for operating the inflator 39 in an emergency
12. Air conditioning hose 93 for sending conditioned air from air conditioning duct 92 etc. to buckle 35
[0013]
In the state of FIG. 2, the bag 53 of the air belt device 21 is deflated and folded. The air belt 31 is composed of three layers of a bag 53, a mesh webbing (not shown), and a cover 82 from the inside to the outside.
In the air belt 31 shown in FIG. 2A, air-conditioned air flows between the bag 53 and the cover 82 covering the bag 53 and is blown out from the surface of the cover 82. Therefore, the cover 82 has a structure for blowing conditioned air from the surface, for example, a large number of holes 82a.
2B and 2C are views of FIG. 2A viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. It should be noted that the drawing is drawn with exaggeration of each part more than actual. In the cross section (B), the bag 53 is folded three times. In the cross section of (C), the bag 53 is folded once.
[0014]
The bag 53 is formed by joining (bonding and sewing) a plain weave made of, for example, nylon coated with silicone resin into a bag shape, and a portion that comes into contact with the shoulder or chest of an occupant is wide. The bag 53 is sewn on the mesh webbing that covers the outside of the bag 53 and the upper and lower portions of the bag 53.
Note that the mesh webbing is obtained by knitting polyester yarn, for example, in a cylindrical shape.
The cover 82 covers the outside of the bag 53 and the mesh webbing and is stitched weakly at the seam 83. In addition to blowing out the air-conditioned air as described above, the cover 82 is also used for compactly storing the entire air belt 31 and improving the touch. Incidentally, the dimensions of the cover 82 are, for example, a width of 6 cm and a thickness of 2 cm.
[0015]
FIG. 3 shows a state when the bag 53 is inflated. At the portion of the bag 53 that contacts the shoulder or chest of the occupant, the seam 83 that sews the cover 82 is cut and the cover 82 is removed, but the seam 83 does not come off after the bag is inflated at the end portion that hardly expands.
When the inflation gas enters the bag 53 and begins to inflate, the mesh webbing swells along the outer surface of the bag 53. At this time, since the mesh webbing shrinks in the longitudinal direction, the belt is slackened to give pre-tension. Note that the bag 53 itself contracts in the longitudinal direction when inflated.
[0016]
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the tongue of the air belt device of the present embodiment.
The tongue 33 has a tongue plate 33a inserted into a buckle (35 in FIG. 4B). On the right side of the tongue 33, a tongue gas air passage 33 g penetrates in the vertical direction, and a gas blowing pipe 33 d is provided at the upper end portion thereof. Further, on the left side of the figure of the tongue 33, a tongue air-conditioning air guide path 33h is provided so as to penetrate in the vertical direction.
[0017]
A bag 53 and a cover 82 are attached to the upper portion of the tongue 33 in the figure.
The lower end of the bag 53 is sewn in a ring shape and is fitted on the outside of the gas blowing pipe 33d. Further, the bag 53 and the tongue 33 are connected by tightening the outside with a ring 33i. With such a connection structure, the inside of the bag 53 and the tongue gas air passage 33g communicate with each other.
The lower end of the cover 82 is also sewn in a ring shape and is fitted on the outer periphery of the upper end of the tongue 33. Further, the outer side is fastened with a ring 33j, and the cover 82 and the tongue 33 are connected. The outer surface of the tongue 33 is covered with a synthetic resin cover 34. With such a connection structure, the upper end of the tongue air-conditioning air guide path 33h is opened in the cover 82, and both communicate with each other.
[0018]
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the buckle of the air belt device of the present embodiment.
The buckle 35 has a hole 35d opened at the top for inserting the tongue plate 33a. A known latch mechanism (not shown) for locking the inserted tongue plate 33a is provided in the buckle 35 at the back of the hole 35d.
A release button 35 a is also provided on the upper portion of the buckle 35. When the release button 35a is pushed down, the latch mechanism is released and the tongue 33 comes out.
An anchor bracket 37 projects from the lower part of the buckle 35. The bracket 37 is fixed to the seat frame 7 or the like with bolts.
[0019]
A buckle gas passage 35k is formed in the right portion of the buckle 35 in the figure, and a gas hose 91 is attached to the lower portion thereof.
A buckle air conditioning passage 35m is formed on the left side of the buckle 35 in the figure, and an air conditioning hose 93 is attached to the lower part thereof.
[0020]
The flow of expansion gas and conditioned air will be described.
The inflation gas is blown out by the inflator 39 (see FIG. 1) being ignited at the time of a vehicle collision or the like. The blown-out expanded gas passes through the gas hose 91 shown in FIG. 4B and proceeds to the buckle gas passage 35k ahead. Further, the gas passes through the tongue gas conduit 33g of FIG. 4A and is supplied into the bag 53 through the gas blowing pipe 33d.
On the other hand, the conditioned air is guided through an air conditioning hose 93 shown in FIG. Then, it passes through the buckle air conditioning passage 35m, and is supplied into the cover 82 through the tongue air conditioning conduit 33h of FIG.
[0021]
While the air belt device according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the comfort of an occupant wearing an air belt can be improved, and with the widespread use of air belts, safety measures by improving the wearing rate of air belts, and further the arrival of automobiles It helps to cope with environmental measures and power saving measures.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an overall configuration of an air belt device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing an air belt of the present embodiment. (B) is typical sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. 2 (A). (C) is typical sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. 2 (A).
FIG. 3A is a plan view schematically showing a state where the air belt of the present embodiment is inflated. FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. (C) is typical sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. 3 (A).
FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a tongue of the inflatable belt device of the present embodiment. (B) is sectional drawing of the buckle of the air belt apparatus of a present Example.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 seat 3 seat back 5 seat cushion 7 seat frame 11 occupant 13 chest 15 waist 21 air belt device 23 retractor 25 shoulder webbing 27 deflector 31 air belt 33 tongue 33a tongue plate 33b gas passage 33c hook portion 33d gas blowing pipe 33f lower end opening 33g tongue gas guide Air passage 33h Tang air conditioning air passage 33i, 33j Ring 34 Synthetic resin cover 35 Buckle 35k Buckle gas passage 35m Buckle air conditioning passage 35a Release button 37 Anchor bracket 39 Inflator 41 Wrap webbing 43 Retractor 53 Bag 55 Shoulder webbing 57 Hollow part 58 Crease 59 Junction 61 Bent hole 63 Film 63 'Patch cloth 65 Junction 71 Mesh webbing tongue connection 73 bags tongue connection portion 75 gas channel 77 gas blowing inlet 79 tightening band 82 covers 82a hole 83 seam 91 Gas hose 92 air conditioning duct 93 air conditioning hoses

Claims (1)

An inflatable belt having an inflatable bag for restraining an occupant to a seat and extending obliquely from the occupant's shoulder to the chest and waist when worn;
An inflator for supplying emergency inflation gas into the bag;
A locking means comprising a tongue and a buckle for removably locking the lower end of the air belt to the seat or the vehicle body;
Connected on the air belt end, and the webbing is webbing same cloth strip in the normal seat belt,
A retractor having the webbing take-up mechanism and an emergency lock mechanism;
An air belt device comprising:
Further comprising means for blowing out conditioned air from the surface of the air belt,
The air belt has a cover that covers the outside of the folded bag, circulates the conditioned air between the bag and the cover, and blows out from the cover surface.
Supplying the conditioned air to the air belt through the locking means;
The tongue includes a tongue plate that is inserted into the buckle and engages with a latch mechanism in the buckle, a gas introduction path that guides an expansion gas from the inflator, a gas blowing pipe provided at an upper end of the introduction path, and , Has an air-conditioning air passage that guides conditioned air from the air-conditioning duct
The lower end portion of the bag is fitted in the gas blowing pipe, the lower end portion of the cover is fitted in the upper end portion of the tongue, and the upper end of the air conditioning air passage is in communication with the inside of the cover. An inflatable belt device.

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