JP4407548B2 - Pedestrian airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is a pedestrian that is mounted on a hood panel or cowl of a vehicle and includes an airbag that covers the vicinity of the front side of the left and right front pillars from the vicinity of the cowl when inflating gas flows in. The present invention relates to an air bag device.

  Conventionally, in a pedestrian airbag device, the airbag is folded and stored in a storage portion on the front side of the front windshield, and is configured to protrude and expand from the storage portion when inflating gas flows in (for example, And Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In addition, the airbag has an inflated shape, a lateral inflating portion that covers the vicinity of the upper surface side of the cowl and has an inflow portion for the inflating gas on the lower surface side, and extends from the left and right sides of the lateral inflating portion to the rear side. And a vertical expansion portion that covers the front side of the front pillar, and has a substantially U shape when viewed from above (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
JP 2003-200800 A Utility Model Registration No. 2521011 JP 2003-252138 A

  However, in the conventional pedestrian airbag device, the airbag protruding from the storage portion is easy to protrude so as to float upward at the beginning of deployment, and quickly approaches and deploys to a portion such as a cowl to be covered. There was room for improvement.

  In particular, the airbag at the time of completion of inflation includes a lateral inflating portion that covers the vicinity of the upper surface side of the cowl and has an inflow port portion as an upstream side end portion of the inflation gas on the lower surface side, and from the left and right of the lateral inflating portion. And a longitudinally expanding portion that extends to the rear side and covers the front side of the left and right front pillars. If it is lifted upward, the left and right vertical expansion parts protruding rearward from the horizontal expansion part are likely to shake back and forth and left and right, and it is difficult to quickly cover the front side of the front pillar.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and at the beginning of the inflation of the airbag, the airbag can be deployed so that the lift is suppressed and not only the vicinity of the cowl but also the front pillar can be covered quickly. It aims at providing the airbag apparatus for pedestrians.

The pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention is folded and stored in a storage portion on the front side of the front windshield of the vehicle, and is configured to protrude and expand from the storage portion when inflating gas flows in,
As the expansion completion shape, a lateral expansion part that covers the vicinity of the upper surface side of the cowl and has an upstream end of the expansion gas disposed on the lower surface side, and extends from the left and right of the lateral expansion part to the rear side, and the left and right front pillars A longitudinally inflating portion that covers the front side of the airbag, and a substantially U-shaped airbag as viewed from above,
A pedestrian airbag device comprising:
Airbag
The upper wall part and the lower wall part that constitute the bag-like peripheral wall of the airbag and face each other in the substantially vertical direction when the inflation is completed are overlapped with each other and flattened.
The front side portion of the front side of the upstream end portion in the lateral expansion portion is wound on the side of the lower wall portion so that the front edge of the horizontal expansion portion is close to the upstream end portion, roll-folded, and upstream side A roll is formed by winding a rear side portion composed of a lateral expansion portion and a left and right vertical expansion portion on the rear side of the end portion on the side of the lower wall portion so that the rear edge of the left and right vertical expansion portions approaches the upstream end portion. Fold,
The roll-folded rear side part is arranged above the upstream end, and the roll-folded front part is placed above the rear side part.
Then, fold it so that the width dimension in the left-right direction is narrowed,
Stored in the storage area ,
The air bag's lateral inflating part connects the upper and lower wall parts to each other so that the separation distance between the upper and lower wall parts can be restricted when the inflation is completed. It is characterized by being arranged and arranged so as to extend to the vicinity of the boundary portion between the left and right vertical expansion portions and the horizontal expansion portion along the direction .

  In the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention, if the inflation gas flows into the airbag stored in the storage portion from the upstream end, the folding is canceled in a process substantially opposite to the folding process. , Expands and expands.

  That is, since the airbag that is deployed and inflated first expands in the vicinity of the upstream end portion of the lateral inflating portion, the vicinity of the upstream end portion of the rear side portion inflates, and the airbag expands the width dimension in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the front side part arranged above the rear side part is pushed up so as to protrude from the storage part. Then, as the inflating gas flows from the upstream end, the lateral expansion portion further expands to expand the front portion and the rear portion.

  At the time of deployment, the front side part and the rear side part are respectively roll-folded on the lower wall side of the edge side of the front end side and the rear end side. The airbag is deployed while being kept close to the vehicle body, and is restrained from rising from the vehicle body side, and is smoothly arranged not only on the upper surface side near the cowl, but also on the front surfaces of the left and right front pillars, and Inflates to increase the thickness.

  Therefore, in the airbag device for pedestrians according to the present invention, at the beginning of the airbag inflation, the airbag can be deployed so that the lift is suppressed and not only the vicinity of the cowl but also the front pillar can be covered quickly. . And since the air bag can be quickly deployed and inflated to the part to be covered, even if the pedestrian quickly reaches the upper side of the cowl or the front side of the front pillar, the air bag is inflated smoothly. The airbag can protect a pedestrian.

The lateral inflating portion of the airbag of the pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention is a thickness regulation that connects the upper and lower wall portions so that the separation distance between the upper and lower wall portions can be regulated at the time of completion of the inflation. the part, in the front side of the upstream end, I along the lateral direction, to extend to the vicinity of the boundary portion between the vertical chamber and the horizontal expansion part of the left and right, so disposed, is constructed.

  In such an airbag, the laterally inflating portion is not increased in volume by the thickness restricting portion disposed along the left-right direction, that is, without being unnecessarily thickly inflated upward, The vicinity of the upper surface of the cowl can be covered in a plate shape with a wide width.

  Further, in such an airbag, the upstream end portion into which the inflation gas flows is disposed not on the front side of the thickness regulating portion but on the rear side of the thickness regulating portion, and the longitudinal inflation portion is From the initial stage of expansion and expansion, it can be accurately arranged on the front side of the front pillar. That is, when the upstream end is disposed on the front side of the thickness regulating portion, the expansion gas flowing in from the upstream end portion inflates the front side of the thickness regulating portion in the lateral expansion portion, From the vicinity of both left and right ends of the thickness restricting portion, it flows to the rear side, expands the left and right vertical expansion portions, and then flows to the portion on the rear side of the thickness restricting portion in the lateral expansion portion to expand the rear side portion. . When the rear part of the lateral expansion part is inflated, the inflation gas flowing to the rear part of the lateral expansion part flows so as to pull the left and right vertical expansion parts to the center side in the left and right direction of the vehicle. The vertical expansion portion is shifted from the front side of the front pillar to the center side in the left-right direction. However, when the upstream end is disposed on the rear side of the thickness restricting portion, the expansion gas flowing in from the upstream end expands the rear side of the thickness restricting portion in the lateral expansion portion, From the vicinity of both left and right ends of the thickness regulating portion, the left and right vertical expansion portions are expanded by the expansion gas flowing to the front side and the rear side and flowing to the rear side, and at the same time, the expansion gas flowing to the front side is The front part of the thickness restricting part in the inflating part is inflated, and the left and right longitudinal inflating parts and the part in front of the thickness restricting part in the lateral inflating part are almost completed at the same time. The part is not affected as much as possible by the expansion gas flowing to the front part of the thickness restricting part in the lateral expansion part, and as a result, the left and right vertical expansion parts are deployed without shifting from the front side of the front pillar. Expansion can be completed.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A pedestrian airbag device M according to the embodiment is mounted on a rear portion 8a side of a hood panel 8 of a vehicle V as shown in FIGS. An airbag 34, an inflator 25 for supplying inflation gas to the airbag 34, a case 21 for storing the folded airbag 34 and the inflator 25, and a cover 16 that is pushed by the airbag 34 and opened. Configured.

  In this specification, the front-rear and up-and-down directions are based on the direction corresponding to the front-rear and up-and-down of the vehicle V, respectively, and the left and right directions are the left and right directions when the rear side is viewed from the front side of the vehicle V. Based on direction.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle V is provided with a sensor 6 capable of detecting or predicting a collision with a pedestrian on the front bumper 5, and an airbag operation circuit (not shown) When the sensor 6 inputs a signal from the sensor 6, the inflator 25 is operated and the airbag 34 is deployed and inflated by the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 25.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the hood panel 8 is made of sheet metal formed of aluminum (aluminum alloy) that can be bent plastically deformed, and is positioned on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the outer panel 13. 13 and an inner panel 9 whose strength is improved from 13. The hood panel 8 is connected and supported on the body (vehicle body) 1 side of the vehicle V via hinges (not shown) in the vicinity of both left and right edges of the rear edge 8b, and is a front opening type.

  The outer panel 13 is provided with a disposing hole 14 penetrating vertically in a substantially rectangular shape, and the inner panel 9 is a box for storing a case 21 of the airbag apparatus M corresponding to the opening of the disposing hole 14. An arrangement recess 10 having a shape is formed. The peripheral edge of the disposition hole 14 is formed by providing a step 13b that falls downward together with the peripheral edge of the disposition recess 10, and when the outer peripheral edge of the cover 16 is fitted into the step 13b, the upper surface 16a of the cover 16 is The outer panel 13 is configured to be continuous with the upper surface 13a.

  The bottom surface of the arrangement recess 10 is configured as a mounting seat 11, and a plurality of mounting holes (not shown) through which bolts 27 and 31 extending from the inflator 25 and the retainer 30 are inserted in the mounting seat 11. .

  The cover 16 is made of sheet metal, and a plurality of locking legs 17 project downward from the lower surface of the outer peripheral edge, and a plurality of flexible connecting pieces 18 are connected to the lower surface side of the rear edge. I am letting. Each locking leg 17 is inserted into a locking hole 22 b provided in the flange portion 22 a of the case 21 and locked to the flange portion 22 a, and the connecting piece 18 has a lower end side of the peripheral wall portion 22 of the case 21. A set screw 19 is attached to the rear wall 22c side. When the cover 16 is pressed by the inflating airbag 34, each locking leg 17 is pulled out from the locking hole 22 b by the pressing force of the airbag 34 to open the opening 21 a of the case 21. At that time, the connecting piece 18 prevents the cover 16 from being detached from the case 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the case 21 is made of sheet metal and includes a peripheral wall portion 22 having a substantially rectangular tube shape and a bottom wall portion 23 that covers a lower portion of the peripheral wall portion 22. The upper end opening 21 a is disposed so as to be covered by the cover 16. The opening 21 a on the upper end side of the peripheral wall portion 22 corresponds to the disposition recess 10 of the inner panel 9 and the disposition hole 14 of the outer panel 13, and has a central portion in the left-right direction along the rear edge 8 b of the hood panel 8. The shape is curved so as to protrude forward.

  At the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 22, a flange portion 22 a that abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the arrangement hole 14 of the outer panel 13 is projected outward, and the flange portion 22 a is locked as described above. A plurality of locking holes 22b for inserting and locking the legs 17 are formed. Further, as described above, the lower end of the connecting piece 18 is fixed to the rear wall portion 22 c on the rear side of the peripheral wall portion 22 by the set screw 19. Note that, in the case of the embodiment, the locking holes 22b are formed at the five locations of the vicinity of the left and right ends and the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction before and after the flange portion 22a corresponding to the locking legs 17, respectively. The fixing portions of the screw 19 are four places on the rear wall portion 22 c corresponding to the number of the connecting pieces 18.

  A plurality of mounting holes 23 a and 23 b through which the bolts 27 and 31 of the inflator 25 and the retainer 30 are inserted are penetrated in the bottom wall portion 23 in the vertical direction. In the case of the embodiment, each of the bolts 27 and 31 penetrates not only the bottom wall portion 23 but also the mounting seat 11 of the inner panel 9 and is fixed to the nuts 28 and 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, two inflators 25 are used as a cylinder type, and the tip 25 a side where the gas discharge ports 26 are arranged is arranged on the left and right outer sides, respectively. It arrange | positions so that it may be divided into right and left from the center vicinity of the part 23. FIG. Each inflator 25 is provided with a plurality of stepped mounting bolts 27 that protrude downward, and each mounting bolt 27 passes through the inner panel 9 through the mounting hole 23a of the bottom wall portion 23 of the case 21, By fixing the nut 28, the inflator 25 is attached to the case 21 and is also attached to the inner panel 9 together with the case 21. Each inflator 25 is inserted into the insertion port 42a of the insertion port 42 in the inlet 41 of the airbag 34 (see FIG. 7), and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion port 42 is tightened by a clamp 68, thereby The bag 34 is connected to the insertion port 42 of the inlet 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 6, 7, and 15, the air bag 34 is inflated by inflating the inflation gas G discharged from the inflator 25 and uses polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like. Made of woven fabric. The airbag 34 includes an airbag main body 35 having a gas inflow portion 36 through which the inflation gas G can flow, and a plurality of attachment pieces 59 for holding the airbag main body 35 in the case 21. Yes.

  The gas inflow portion 36 of the airbag main body 35 includes an inflating portion 37 that inflates from a folded state when the inflating gas G flows in. The inflating portion 37 allows the inflating gas G to flow into the inflating portion 37. An inlet 41 as an upstream end is disposed so as to communicate. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inflating portion 37 is formed in a substantially U-shape that is wide in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. A lateral expansion portion 38 disposed along the longitudinal expansion portion 39 extending from the left and right ends of the lateral expansion portion 38 to the rear side so as to cover the front side of the front pillars 4 and 4 and serving as a pillar cover portion. 39.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 12, the lateral inflating portion 38, when the inflation of the airbag 34 is completed, extends from the upper surface near the rear portion 8 a of the hood panel 8 to the vicinity of the lower portion 3 a of the front windshield 3. It is comprised so that it may cover the substantially full length of a direction. A cowl 2 including a cowl panel 2a and a cowl louver 2b disposed above the cowl panel 2a is disposed between the hood panel 8 and the front windshield 3. Therefore, the laterally inflating portion 38 of the airbag 34 functions as a cowl cover portion, and can be configured to cover substantially the entire surface of the rear portion 8a of the hood panel 8 and the upper side of the cowl 2 when inflation is completed. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the inflow port portion 41 is disposed in the vicinity of the left and right sides on the lower surface side on the rear side of the lateral expansion portion 38, and the insertion port portion 42 for inserting the tip 25 a of the inflator 25. In addition, it is configured as an L-shaped cylindrical shape including a communication portion 43 that bends in a substantially orthogonal direction from the end portion of the insertion port portion 42 away from the insertion port 42a to the lateral expansion portion 38 side. The left and right inflow ports 41 are disposed with the insertion ports 42a facing each other and the axial direction of each insertion port 42 being substantially in the left-right direction.

  In addition, on the inner side of each inflow port portion 41 of the lateral inflating portion 38 in the airbag main body 35, a cylindrical rectifying portion 45 that communicates with the communicating portion 43 and that has the axial direction substantially along the left-right direction is arranged. It is installed. The rectifying unit 45 causes the expansion gas G from the inlet 41 side to flow out from the gas outlets 45a and 45a at the left and right ends to both sides in the left-right direction.

  In the case of the embodiment, the inflow port portion 41 and the rectifying portion 45 connected thereto are formed from a gas introduction cylinder portion 51 that is integrally formed as a separate body from the inflating portion 37 of the airbag body 35. . In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the gas introduction cylinder portion 51 is configured so that the flat-deployed cylindrical fabric material 52 is separated from the inflating portion 37 of the airbag main body 35 in the insertion port portion 42. The side is formed as a fold F0, and the outer peripheral edges are stitched together with the insertion port 42a of the insertion port 42 and the gas outlets 45a and 45a of the rectifying unit 45 opened. . Furthermore, in the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cylindrical cloth material 52 is formed from a woven cloth using polyester yarn or the like, and includes a main body cloth 53 and an inlet portion in the main body cloth 53. 41 and the reinforcing cloth 54 disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the vicinity of the inflow port portion 41 of the rectifying portion 45.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 10, the gas inflow portion 36 (inflatable portion 37) of the airbag main body 35 includes two base cloths 47 that form the peripheral wall 36 a of the gas inflow portion 36. -It is formed from 48. The base fabrics 47 and 48 are formed of a woven fabric using polyester yarn or the like, and have the same outer shape. The upper fabric wall 47 is located on the upper surface side when the airbag body 35 is completely inflated. The lower wall portion 48 that constitutes the portion 47 and is arranged so that the base fabric 48 is located on the lower surface side and in contact with the upper surface side of the cowl 2 and the pillar 4 on the vehicle body side when the inflation of the airbag body 35 is completed. Will be constructed.

  The lower wall portion 48 is formed with a gas introduction port 49 for causing the inflow port portion 41 of each gas introduction cylinder portion 51 to protrude from the airbag body 35. Each of the gas introduction cylinders 51 is connected to the inflating part 37 of the airbag main body 35 by stitching the vicinity of the inlet 41 of the rectifying part 45 to the periphery of the gas introduction port 49.

  The lateral expansion portion 38 is provided with a thickness regulating portion 56 along the left-right direction at a central portion in the front-rear direction of the lateral expansion portion 38 on the front side of the gas introduction port 49. The thickness restricting portion 56 expands the lateral expansion portion 38 at the time of expansion into a plate shape (rectangular plate shape) arranged on the rear edge 8b side of the hood panel 8 so that the thickness direction is along the vertical direction. Is provided for this purpose. In the case of the embodiment, the thickness regulating portion 56 is formed by stitching the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 with a suture thread 56a. The thickness restricting portion 56 extends to the vicinity of the boundary portion between the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and the horizontal expansion portions 38.

  Furthermore, in the case of the embodiment, the thickness restricting portion 57 is also formed at each of the longitudinally expanding portions 39 and 39 so as to cover the front pillar 4 as a plate shape having a restricted thickness. Each thickness restricting portion 57 is formed by stitching the tips of strip-shaped cloth materials 57 a stitched to the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 8, and 9, the attachment piece 59 for holding the airbag main body 35 on the case 21 is formed from a woven fabric using polyester yarn or the like. The base portion 59a connected to the portion 38 side and the mounting end portion 59b attached to the case 21 side are provided. In the case of the embodiment, the base portion 59a is disposed before and after the vicinity of the left and right inlet portions 41. ing.

  Each attachment piece 59 is formed as a folded band, the attachment end 59b is configured as a loop portion 61 having a U-shaped cross section, and the base 59a is attached to the case 21 of the loop portion 61. The belt portion 60 includes two belt portions 60 and 60 that extend in a bifurcated manner from the position and are connected to the laterally inflating portion 38 side of the airbag body 35. Each belt portion 60 is connected to the lower wall portion 48 of the lateral expansion portion 38 by stitching the front end thereof.

  In the case of the embodiment, the tip of each loop portion 61 is attached to the bottom wall portion 23 of the case 21 by a retainer 30 as a fixing means fixed to the case 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the retainer 30 is formed as a horizontal U-shape when viewed from above, and extends in the left-right direction, and two horizontal bar portions 30 a and 30 a and ends of the horizontal bar portions 30 a and 30 a And a vertical bar portion 30b for connecting the parts to each other. Bolts 31 projecting downward are provided in the vicinity of the left and right ends of each horizontal bar portion 30a. And each horizontal bar part 30a is inserted in the loop part 61 before and behind each inflow port part 41, the loop part 61 is arrange | positioned between the volt | bolts 31 * 31 of each horizontal bar part 30a, and each bolt 31 is attached to a case. Each of the attachment pieces 59 is attached to the case 21 by passing through the attachment hole 23b of the bottom wall portion 23 of the 21 and protruding from the inner panel 9 and being fastened with the nut 32. Further, together with the case 21, the inner panel 9 will be fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 13, each attachment piece 59 is attached to the base portion 59 a so that the lateral inflation portion 38 protrudes upward from the vicinity of the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 22 of the case 21 when the airbag 34 is inflated. A length dimension with the end portion 59b is set.

  In addition, the vertical dimension of the communication portion 43 in the inlet portion 41 of the airbag 34 is the connecting portion between the communication portion 43 and the lateral expansion portion 38 when the lateral expansion portion 38 protrudes from the case 21, that is, The length is set such that a tensile force does not act on the stitched portion 55 with the gas introduction tube portion 51 at the periphery of the gas introduction port 49. In other words, the case bottom wall of the laterally inflated portion 38 when the airbag 34 is inflated so that a tensile force that causes breakage does not act on the stitched portion 55 with the gas introducing cylinder portion 51 at the periphery of the gas introducing port 49. The separation distance from the portion 23 is regulated by each mounting piece portion 59.

  The manufacture of the airbag 34 will be described. The upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 that have been cut into a predetermined shape are previously stitched with the cloth materials 57a and 57a that form the thickness regulating portions 57, respectively. The gas introduction ports 49 are formed in the lower wall portion 48, and the belt portions 60 and 60 of the attachment piece portions 59 are sewn. Further, the reinforcing cloth 54 is overlapped on the main body cloth 53 of the tubular portion cloth material 52, folded in two at the crease F0, and the portion of the area 52a indicated by the alternate long and short dash line between the outer peripheral edges is sewn as shown in FIG. Then, the inflow port portion 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the parts on the lower edge side of the rectifying portion 45 are stitched together. The suturing is performed using a suture S such as a polyester thread.

  Then, the inflow port portion 41 is inserted into each gas introduction port 49 of the lower wall portion 48 so that the inflow port portion 41 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface side to the outer peripheral surface side of the airbag body 35. The area 52b (see FIG. 11) indicated by the two-dot chain line of the cylinder cloth 52 and the gas introduction The periphery of the mouth 49 is sutured.

  Then, if the area 52c of the edge part in the side which forms the rectification | straightening part 45 in the cylinder part fabric material 52 is piled up and sewed together, the rectification | straightening part 45 will be formed and the gas introduction cylinder part 51 will be manufactured. can do.

  Thereafter, the ends of the cloth material 57a are sewn together, the upper wall portion 47 is overlapped on the lower wall portion 48, the outer peripheral edges of the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 are sewn together, and the thickness regulating portion The airbag 34 can be manufactured by sewing the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 using the suture thread 56a at 56 sites. Each attachment piece 59 may be coupled to the lower wall portion 48 immediately before the outer peripheral edges of the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 are stitched together.

  The airbag 34 manufactured in this manner is folded so as to be housed in the case 21, connected to the inflator 25, and attached to the case 21 using the retainer 30.

  The airbag 34 is folded in the left-right direction so that the width of the front-rear direction can be reduced from the state in which the upper wall portion 47 and the lower wall portion 48 are overlapped with each other and flattened. Folding is performed through a horizontal folding step for folding, and a vertical folding step for folding in the front-rear direction so as to narrow the width dimension in the left-right direction. In the case of the embodiment, after the horizontal folding process, the folding process is completed by folding in the vertical folding process.

  Then, in the lateral folding step, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, from the state in which the upper wall portion 47 and the lower wall portion 48 overlap each other and are spread flat, first, the left and right sides of the lateral expansion portion 38 are left and right. The front side portion 63 which is the front side of the inflow port portions 41 and 41 is wound on the side of the lower wall portion 48 so that the front edge 38a of the lateral expansion portion 38 is brought close to the inflow port portion 41, and then roll-folded. The rear side portion 64 including the lateral expansion portion 38 and the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 on the rear side of the left and right inflow port portions 41 and 41 is made to approach the rear edge 39a of the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 to the inflow port portion 41. In this way, it is wound on the side of the lower wall portion 48 and rolled. Next, as shown in FIGS. 12B and 12C, the rear-side portion 64 that has been rolled is disposed above the inflow port portions 41 and 41, and further, as shown in FIGS. 12C and 12D, the rear-side portion 64 A roll folding completion body 66 is formed so that the front-side portion 63 that is roll-folded is placed above the front-side portion 63 so that the width dimension in the front-rear direction corresponds to the width dimension in the front-rear direction in the opening 21 a of the case 21. Complete the folding process.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 12D and 12E, the left and right end portions 66b are formed so as to narrow the width dimension of the roll folding completed body 66 in the left-right direction corresponding to the width dimension in the left-right direction of the opening 21a of the case 21. If the vertical folding process is completed by folding 66b from the upper side to the center 66a side, the folding process of the airbag 34 can be completed.

  After the airbag 34 is folded, the folded airbag 34 is wrapped with a wrapping material for preventing collapse, and then the inflators 25 and 25 are inserted into the inlets 42 in the inlet portions 41 of the airbag 34. Inserting it into the opening 42a, fastening the retaining ring 68a of the clamp 68 with bolts 68b and nuts 68c, pressing the insertion opening 42 against the tip 25a of the inflator 25, and connecting the airbag 34 and each of the inflators 25, 25. To do. And the horizontal bar part 30a of the retainer 30 is inserted into the loop part 61 of each connection piece part 59, the airbag 34 and the inflator 25 are accommodated in the case 21, and each bolt 27 * 31 of the inflator 25 and the retainer 30 is attached. The case 21 is protruded from the mounting holes 23a and 23b of the bottom wall portion 23, and a spring washer (not shown) for preventing the bolt from coming out of the bottom wall portion 23 is fitted to each of the bolts 27 and 31. If the cover 16 in which each connecting piece 18 is fixed to the portion 22c with the screw 19 is inserted and locked into the locking hole 22b and the locking leg 17 is inserted and locked into the case 21, the airbag device M for pedestrians is used. Can be assembled.

  Then, with respect to the inner panel 9 of the hood panel 8 assembled on the body 1 side of the vehicle V, the bolts 27 and 31 are passed through the mounting seat 11 of the inner panel 9, and the nuts 28 and 31 are inserted into the bolts 27 and 31. If 32 is fastened, the pedestrian airbag device M can be mounted on the vehicle V.

  When the pedestrian airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle V, an operation signal input lead wire from an airbag operation circuit (not shown) is connected to the inflator 25 side.

  And in the pedestrian airbag apparatus M of this embodiment, if an operation signal is input to the inflators 25 and 25 from the airbag operation circuit in the vehicle mounted state, the inflation gas G is discharged from each inflator 25, The airbag 34 is inflated with the inflation gas G flowing in. Then, the cover 16 covering the opening 21a of the case 21 is pushed by the airbag 34, and the locking leg 17 is pulled out from the locking hole 22b, thereby opening the opening 21a. Projecting upward from the end, the expansion is completed.

  In the pedestrian airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment, if the inflation gas G flows into the airbag 34 stored in the case 21 as a storage part from the inflow port 41, the process is substantially the reverse of the folding process. The process expands and expands while eliminating folding.

  That is, the airbag 34 that is deployed and inflated first inflates the vicinity of the inflow port portions 41 and 41 of the lateral inflating portion 38, so that the inflow port portions 41 and 41 of the rear side portion 64 as shown in FIGS. The vicinity expands, and the airbag 34 pushes up the front side portion 63 arranged above the rear side portion 64 so as to protrude from the case 21 while increasing the width dimension in the left-right direction. Then, as the inflating gas flows from the inflow port 41, the lateral inflating portion 38 is further expanded to expand the front side portion 63 and the rear side portion 64.

  At the time of this expansion, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 14, the front side portion 63 and the rear side portion 64 are respectively connected to the lower wall portion 48 on the side edges 38a and 39a of the front end side and the rear end side. Since the roll wrapping is performed on the side, the end edges 38a and 39a are deployed as close as possible to the hood panel 8 and the front pillar 4 on the vehicle body 1 side. It is developed with restrained lift from the pillar 4 and is smoothly arranged not only on the upper surface side of the hood panel 8 in the vicinity of the cowl 2 but also on the front surface side of the left and right front pillars 4 so as to increase the thickness. Inflates to.

  Therefore, in the airbag device M for pedestrians of the embodiment, the airbag 34 is deployed so that not only the vicinity of the cowl 2 but also the front pillar 4 can be covered quickly at the beginning of deployment of the airbag 34. Can be made. And since the airbag 34 can be quickly deployed and inflated to a portion to be covered, even if a pedestrian quickly reaches the upper side of the cowl 2 or the front side of the front pillar 4 smoothly. The inflated airbag 34 can protect the pedestrian.

  The lateral inflating portion 38 of the airbag 34 of the pedestrian airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment can regulate the separation distance between the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 when the inflation is completed. 48. Thickness restricting portions 56 that connect each other are arranged on the front side of the inflow port portions 41 and 41 so as to extend in the left-right direction.

  Therefore, in the airbag 34, the lateral inflating portion 38 is not increased in volume by the thickness restricting portion 56 disposed along the left-right direction, that is, unnecessarily thickly inflated, The vicinity of the upper surface side of the cowl 2 can be covered in a plate shape having a wide width dimension in the front-rear direction.

  Further, in such an airbag 34, the inflow ports 41 and 41 through which the inflation gas flows are arranged not on the front side of the thickness regulating unit 56 but on the rear side of the thickness regulating unit 56. The left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and 39 can be accurately arranged on the front side of the front pillars 4 and 4 from the initial stage of expansion and expansion. That is, when the inflow port portion 41 is disposed on the front side of the thickness restricting portion 56, the expansion gas flowing in from the inflow port portion 41 passes through the front side of the thickness restricting portion 56 in the lateral expansion portion 38. Inflate and flow from the vicinity of both right and left ends of the thickness restricting portion 56 to the rear side, expand the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and 39, and then flow to the rear side portion of the thickness restricting portion 56 in the lateral expansion portion 38 Then, the rear side portion is expanded. When the rear portion of the lateral expansion portion 38 is expanded, the expansion gas flowing to the rear portion of the lateral expansion portion 38 pulls the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and 39 toward the center side in the left-right direction of the vehicle V. As a result, the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and 39 are shifted from the front side of the front pillars 4 and 4 to the center side in the left-right direction. However, when the inflow port portions 41 and 41 are arranged on the rear side of the thickness regulating portion 56 as in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. The gas G inflates the rear side of the thickness restricting portion 56 in the lateral inflating portion 38, flows from the vicinity of the left and right ends of the thickness restricting portion 56 to the front side and the rear side, and flows by the expansion gas GB flowing to the rear side. The left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and 39 are expanded, and at the same time, the portion of the lateral expansion portion 38 on the front side of the thickness regulating portion 56 is expanded by the expansion gas GF flowing to the front side. 39 and 39 and the expansion of the lateral expansion portion 38 at the front side of the thickness regulating portion 56 are substantially simultaneously completed, and the left and right vertical expansion portions 39 and 39 Of the expansion gas GF flowing to the front part of the Without being as much as possible, as a result, the left and right vertical inflatable portions 39, 39 are not shifted from the front side of the front pillar 4, 4, it is possible to complete the deployment and inflation.

  In the embodiment, the case where the inflator 25 for supplying the inflation gas G is arranged on the outside of the airbag 34 is shown. However, the inflator 25 is arranged on the inside of the lateral inflating portion 38 of the airbag 34. In this case, the upstream end portion of the inflation gas in the airbag 34 is a lower surface side portion in the lateral inflation portion 38 in the vicinity of the gas discharge port 26 of the inflator 25.

  Further, in the airbag 34 of the embodiment, the thickness regulating portion 56 disposed in the lateral inflating portion 38 is shown as being formed by directly stitching the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48 together. Like the restricting portion 57, the thickness restricting portion 56 may be formed using a band-shaped cloth material connected to the upper and lower wall portions 47 and 48.

  Further, in the embodiment, the case where the end portions 66b and 66b of the roll folding completed body 66 are simply folded back to the upper side of the center 66a in the longitudinal folding process of the airbag 34 has been shown. The folding may be performed by reducing the width dimension of the folded body 66 in the left-right direction, and may be folded by roll folding, bellows folding, or the like in which the ends 66b and 66b are wound on the lower surface side of the roll folding completed body 66.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the portion of the hood panel 8 is illustrated as the mounting location of the pedestrian airbag device M, but not the hood panel 8 but the portion on the body 1 side such as the front side of the cowl 2, You may mount the airbag apparatus M for pedestrians.

1 is a side view of a vehicle on which a pedestrian airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. It is a top view of the vehicle carrying the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view along the vehicle front-back direction of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the III-III site | part of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the airbag, the inflator, the retainer, and the case in the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment. It is a top view of the state where the air bag used for the pedestrian air bag device of an embodiment was inflated alone. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VI-VI site | part of FIG. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VII-VII site | part of FIG. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the downward side of the airbag of embodiment, and shows the inflow part vicinity. It is a partial fracture perspective view seen from the upper side of the airbag of an embodiment, and shows the rectification part neighborhood. It is a top view which shows the member which comprises the airbag of embodiment. It is an expanded view which shows the cloth material for cylinder parts used for the airbag of embodiment. It is a figure explaining the folding process of the airbag of an embodiment in order. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation | movement initial stage of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation state of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment, and shows the state after FIG. It is a figure explaining the flow of the gas for expansion | swelling at the time of the action | operation of the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

3 ... Front windshield,
21 ... (storage part) case,
34 ... Airbag,
36a ... peripheral wall,
38 ... Lateral expansion part,
39 ... longitudinal expansion part,
41 ... (upstream end portion) inlet portion,
47 ... Upper wall,
48 ... lower wall,
56 ... Thickness regulating part,
63 ... front part,
64 ... rear part,
66 ... Roll folded body,
V ... Vehicle,
G, GB, GF ... expansion gas,
M: Air bag device for pedestrians.

Claims (1)

It is folded and stored in the storage part on the front side of the front windshield of the vehicle, and is configured to protrude and expand from the storage part when inflating gas flows in,
As the expansion completion shape, a lateral expansion portion that covers the vicinity of the upper surface side of the cowl and has an upstream end of the expansion gas disposed on the lower surface side, and extends from the left and right of the lateral expansion portion to the rear side, A longitudinally inflating portion that covers the front side of the pillar, and an airbag that is substantially U-shaped when viewed from above,
A pedestrian airbag device comprising:
The airbag is
The upper wall portion and the lower wall portion, which constitute the bag-shaped peripheral wall of the airbag and face each other in the substantially vertical direction when the inflation is completed, are overlapped with each other and spread flatly.
A front side portion that is the front side of the upstream end portion in the lateral expansion portion is wound on the side of the lower wall portion so that the front edge of the lateral expansion portion approaches the upstream end portion, and is rolled Folding the rear portion of the lateral expansion portion and the left and right vertical expansion portions on the rear side of the upstream end portion so that the rear edges of the left and right vertical expansion portions approach the upstream end portion Wrap it on the side of the lower wall, fold it,
The roll-folded rear part is disposed above the upstream end, and the roll-folded front part is placed above the rear part,
Then, fold it so that the width dimension in the left-right direction is narrowed,
Stored in the storage part ,
A thickness regulating portion for connecting the upper and lower wall portions to each other so that the separation distance between the upper and lower wall portions when the inflation is completed can be regulated by the lateral inflating portion of the airbag. A pedestrian airbag characterized by being arranged to extend to the vicinity of a boundary portion between the left and right longitudinally inflated portions and the laterally inflated portions on the front side in the left-right direction. apparatus.

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