JP4645550B2 - Air bag device for rear impact - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rear impact airbag apparatus that inflates and deploys an airbag to protect an occupant when an impact is applied to the vehicle from behind.

  2. Description of the Related Art An airbag device is widely known as a device that protects an occupant from an impact applied to the vehicle. This airbag device includes an inflator and an airbag, and is made compact by folding the airbag. Among such airbag apparatuses, for example, in a rear collision airbag apparatus that protects an occupant from an impact applied from the rear of the vehicle, the rear portion of the roof of the vehicle, more specifically, between the rear portion of the roof panel and the rear roof head lining. Is used as a storage space, and the folded airbag is stored therein. In this rear-impact airbag device, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the rear, the inflator is activated to inject gas into the airbag. Due to the ejected gas, the airbag is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape downward from the storage space, covers the entire rear window, and protects the occupant from the impact.

  By the way, some types of vehicles have a substantially trapezoidal rear window that is wider toward the lower side. Correspondingly, the airbag has a substantially trapezoidal shape that is wider toward the lower side when deployed. Formed. Therefore, when storing the airbag, when the airbag is simply folded from below to above, it becomes longer than the lateral width of the storage space and cannot be stored.

In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that the left and right side portions of the airbag are folded inward to equalize the width of the upper end portion of the rear window (the left and right width of the storage space), and thereafter from below to above. A rear-impact airbag device is described which is folded into a long shape extending in the vehicle width direction and can be stored in a storage space.
JP 2004-338639 A

  Here, in the rear impact airbag device, it is desirable that the airbag is generally deployed downward in a wide state from the viewpoint of improving the deployment performance by covering substantially the entire rear window as quickly as possible. However, in the rear impact airbag device described in Patent Document 1 described above, when gas is ejected from the inflator in response to an impact, the airbag first expands downward from the storage space by the gas, and then In addition, the left and right side portions expand in the left-right direction (outward in the vehicle width direction), the expansion in the left-right direction is slow, and there is room for improvement in obtaining sufficient expansion performance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to exhibit sufficient deployment performance while compactly storing an airbag in a storage space at the rear of the roof, which is limited in size in a vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a rear-impact airbag device that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a vehicle having a rear window that is wider toward the lower side at the rear, and an airbag that is wider toward the lower side when deployed, The length corresponding to the width of the upper end portion of the rear window is formed by extending the outer end portions of the rear window at least inward to provide a folded portion. The airbag of the storage configuration is stored in a storage space in the rear part of the roof of the vehicle and above the rear window, and the airbag is stored by the gas supplied from the inflator. A rear impact airbag device that is inflated and deployed downward from the storage space so as to cover substantially the entire area of the rear window, wherein the airbag is configured in the storage configuration. It is provided that a direction changing portion is provided outside the outer end portions of the airbag to change the flow direction of the gas flowing into the airbag from the outer side in the vehicle width direction to the lower side when the outer end portions are deployed. And

  According to the above-described configuration, when the airbag is stored in the storage space, the airbag in the deployed state is folded upward to have a long shape extending in the vehicle width direction. Further, the airbag has a length corresponding to the width of the upper end portion of the rear window by providing the folded portion by folding both outer end portions of the long airbag inwardly. It becomes a form of use. Therefore, even if an airbag has a maximum width when deployed (width at the widest part) longer than the storage space, it can be stored in the storage space by using the storage configuration as described above. it can.

  When an impact is applied from behind to the vehicle in which the airbag is stored and gas is ejected from the inflator, the pressure of the gas acts on each part of the storage-type airbag. With this pressure, each part of the airbag starts to inflate and tries to eliminate the folded state, but the folded portions at both outer ends of the long airbag prevent the downward inflation. Therefore, the airbag in the storage form is inflated and deployed as follows.

  First, the gas flows outward in the vehicle width direction in the long airbag, and tries to cancel the folded state while inflating the folded portions at both outer ends. Along with this cancellation, the folded portion tries to expand outward in the vehicle width direction. At the time of expansion, the folded portion hits the direction changing portion, and further gas flow is restricted from flowing outward in the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, the gas from the inflator continues to flow outward in the vehicle width direction. The airbag cannot be deployed upward from the storage space. For this reason, the flow direction of the gas which hits the direction change part is changed from the vehicle width direction outer side to the lower side. With this downward gas, the folded portion exits from the storage space to the lower rear window side while unfolding, and expands outward in the vehicle width direction. When this deployment proceeds to some extent, the airbag can be deployed downward.

  In parallel with the deployment of both folded portions in the vehicle width direction, the airbag starts to deploy downward. The airbag is deployed not only in the lateral direction of the vehicle but also in the downward direction while eliminating the folded state. As a result, the airbag expands downward while expanding in the vehicle width direction. When the airbag expands to the lowest position where it can be taken, the entire airbag is expanded. Therefore, it is possible to cover substantially the entire area of the rear window faster than the airbag that deploys downward and then deploys outward in the vehicle width direction, and the deployment performance is improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the airbag configured as the storage configuration includes a gas supply unit from the inflator at a central portion in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the gist of the invention is that the both folded portions are provided by folding both outer end portions of the airbag in a manner that is in a line-symmetric relationship with respect to the vehicle width direction.

  According to said structure, the gas from an inflator is supplied to the center part about the vehicle width direction of the airbag made into the accommodation form through a gas supply part. This gas flows toward both outer ends in the vehicle width direction, that is, in directions opposite to each other. Both folded portions are folded in such a manner as to have a line-symmetric relationship with each other. For this reason, the two folded portions are deployed substantially equally outward in the vehicle width direction at substantially the same timing in a manner that is in a line-symmetric relationship with each other.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage space is provided at a location higher than the upper ends of the pair of rear pillar garnishes at the rear of the vehicle, The gist is that it is arranged in the vicinity of each upper end.

  When gas flows outward in the vehicle width direction in the long airbag in the storage mode, the folded state of the folded portions of both outer end portions expands and tries to cancel the folded state. At this time, if the folded portion enters the space outside the upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish, the folded portion may be caught by the upper end portion and may not easily come out of the space. In this case, it will interfere with the subsequent deployment of the airbag.

  In this respect, in the invention according to claim 3 in which the direction changing portion is provided in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish, the gas flow direction is changed to the vehicle direction when the folding state of the folded portion is canceled. The width is changed from the outer side to the lower side. With this gas whose direction has been changed downward, the folded portion does not enter the space outside the upper end of the rear pillar garnish so that the folded state is released while the folded state is released to the rear window side below the storage space. Expand outward in the vehicle width direction. When the folded state of the folded portion is eliminated, the upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish is not caught and interference hardly occurs. Therefore, there is little possibility that the airbag will be hindered from expanding outward in the vehicle width direction due to interference with the rear pillar garnish, and smooth deployment becomes possible.

  The invention according to a fourth aspect is the invention according to the third aspect, wherein each of the direction changing portions is disposed at a position biased outward in the vehicle width direction from an upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish, and the direction of the vehicle width is The gist is that a space between the upper end portion and the direction changing portion is a part of the storage space, and the folded portion is arranged in the space.

  As described above, by including the space between the upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish and the direction changing portion in the vehicle width direction in the storage space, the storage space becomes longer in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, by storing the elongated airbag in the storage form in this elongated storage space, the folded portion of the airbag is disposed above the upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish, thereby folding the folded portion. It becomes possible to shorten the length in the vehicle width direction. Along with this, the length for expanding the folded portion is shortened, and rapid deployment in the vehicle width direction becomes possible. In addition, the movable region of the folded portion when the folded state is eliminated is reduced, and interference with objects and passengers in the passenger compartment is unlikely to occur, and the deployment is performed smoothly.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, an attachment piece for fixing the airbag to the roof is provided on the airbag in the storage form. And the direction changing portion is provided on the mounting piece.

  According to said structure, the airbag made into the accommodation form is fixed to the roof of a vehicle in an attachment piece in the case of the accommodation to storage space. Simultaneously with this fixing, the direction changing portion provided on the mounting piece is arranged at a predetermined location. Therefore, the number of work steps can be reduced as compared with the case where the work of fixing the airbag to the roof and the work of arranging (fixing) the direction changing portion at a predetermined location are performed separately.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the attachment piece is fixed to the roof via an attachment auxiliary member that is attached to the attachment piece and has higher rigidity than the attachment piece. The gist of the invention is that the direction changing portion is integrally formed with the attachment assisting member.

  According to the above configuration, since the direction changing portion is integrally formed with the mounting auxiliary member, when the mounting auxiliary member is attached to the mounting piece, the direction changing portion is simultaneously attached to the mounting piece via the mounting auxiliary member. It is attached to. Therefore, it is not necessary to mount the direction changing portion on the mounting piece separately from the mounting of the mounting auxiliary member on the mounting piece, and the work for mounting is reduced.

  The direction changing portion may be fixed to a part different from the mounting piece, for example, a member constituting the rear portion of the roof of the vehicle, according to the invention described in claim 7.

  According to the rear impact airbag device of the present invention, sufficient deployment performance can be exhibited while the airbag is compactly stored in the storage space in the rear portion of the roof, the size of which is restricted in the vehicle.

(First embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a rear-impact airbag device installed in a one-box type or two-box type vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, it is assumed that the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle is the front, the backward direction is the rear, and the height direction is the vertical direction. Moreover, about the vehicle width direction (left-right direction), the left-right direction is prescribed | regulated on the basis of the case where a vehicle is seen from back.

  First, the configuration of the rear portion of the vehicle, which is a location where the rear impact airbag device is mounted, will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, rear pillars (so-called C pillars) 12 extending substantially in the vertical direction are provided on both left and right sides of the rear portion of the vehicle 11. Both the rear pillars 12 are inclined so that their distance (horizontal width) gradually increases from the upper end toward the lower side.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 3 to 5, the interior surface of each rear pillar 12 is covered with a rear pillar garnish 13. In each rear pillar garnish 13, fixing clips 14 are provided at a plurality of locations on the surface facing the rear pillar 12, and mounting holes 15 are formed at a plurality of locations on the rear pillar 12. The rear pillar garnish 13 is locked to the rear pillar 12 by engaging the fixing clip 14 in the corresponding mounting hole 15. As described above, the rear pillar garnishes 13 locked to the left and right rear pillars 12 are inclined so that the distance between the rear pillar garnishes 13 gradually increases from the upper end portion 13a downward. The shape of the rear part of the passenger compartment is defined by the left and right rear pillar garnish 13. Since the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13 are inclined as described above, the space at the rear of the passenger compartment has a substantially trapezoidal shape that becomes wider toward the lower side. Further, below each rear pillar garnish 13, a lower garnish 16 that covers a lower portion of the rear portion of the vehicle is disposed. Note that reference numeral 17 in FIG. 3 denotes a seat belt for restraining the occupant P to the last row of seats (hereinafter referred to as the rear seat 25, see FIG. 1).

  In the rear part of the vehicle 11, roofs are provided above the left and right rear pillars 12 and the rear pillar garnishes 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the rear portion of the roof 21 includes a roof panel 22 that is an exterior member, a rear roof head lining 23 that is a decorative member, and an inner panel 24. The roof panel 22 is formed of a steel plate or the like. The rear end 22a of the roof panel 22 is bent downward and is lower than other portions.

  A rear door 26 disposed near the rear of the rear seat 25 in the passenger compartment is mounted on the rear end portion 22a through a hinge mechanism 27 so as to be opened and closed in a substantially vertical direction. In the upper half of the rear door 26, a rear window 18 (see FIG. 5) having a shape in which the lateral width gradually increases from the upper end downward, that is, a substantially trapezoidal shape, is provided. Is installed.

  Further, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 5 and 6, the rear roof head lining 23 is formed of a flexible material such as synthetic resin, for example, and is higher than the upper end portions 13 a of the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13. It arrange | positions upwards and has covered the rear part of the roof panel 22 from the downward direction. Further, the left and right side edges 23 b of the rear roof head lining 23 enter the space S between the both upper ends 13 a and the roof panel 22.

  The inner panel 24 is disposed between the roof panel 22 and the rear roof headlining 23, and is fixed to the roof panel 22 at least at the front end portion 24b and the rear end portion 24a.

  A weather strip 29 for sealing is attached to both rear end portions 22a and 24a of the roof panel 22 and the inner panel 24. The weather strip 29 has a locking piece 29a projecting rearward and downward, and the rear end 23a of the rear roof head lining 23 is engaged therewith. The engagement strength of the rear roof head lining 23 by the locking piece 29a is such that the engagement state is quickly released by the pressing force applied to the rear roof head lining 23 when an airbag 32 described later is inflated. Is set.

  In the space between the roof panel 22 (inner panel 24) and the rear roof head lining 23 and between the upper end portions 13a of the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13, an inflator 31 that generates gas and a gas from the inflator 31 An airbag 32 that is inflated and deployed is provided. The inflator 31 and the airbag 32 constitute the main part of the rear impact airbag device. The airbag 32 is folded into a compact form suitable for storage (hereinafter referred to as “storage form”), and the space is stored as a storage space 34. The storage form will be described later.

  The rear-impact airbag device ejects gas from the inflator 31 when an impact is applied to the vehicle 11 from the rear, and the airbag 32 is directed downward (sometimes referred to as a main deployment direction) from the storage space 34. It is a device that inflates and deploys between the rear seat 25 and the rear window 18 of the rear door 26 to protect the occupant P (see FIG. 1) seated on the rear seat 25.

  The inflator 31 is fixed to the front end 24 b of the inner panel 24. The inflator 31 has a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the vehicle width direction, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates gas by a combustion reaction is accommodated therein. As the inflator 31, instead of the type using the gas generating agent, a type in which a partition of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with a high-pressure gas is broken with explosives or the like to eject gas may be used.

  FIG. 7 shows the airbag 32 in a deployed state without being filled with gas. The airbag 32 is formed into a bag shape by using a material having high strength and flexibility, which can be easily folded, such as a woven fabric, as a base fabric 30, and is sewn. The airbag 32 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the width W in the left-right direction increases toward the lower side so as to cover substantially the entire area of the rear window 18 when deployed. The space protected from the impact by the deployed airbag 32 is referred to as “protection area 20” (see FIG. 12). When the vehicle 11 is viewed from the rear, the protection area 20 has a substantially trapezoid shape that is wider toward the lower side.

  A gas supply unit 35 having a supply port 35 a is provided at the center of the upper side 32 a of the airbag 32. The gas supply unit 35 is a place to which the inflator 31 is connected. At a plurality of locations on the upper side portion 32a, attachment pieces 36 each having a through hole 37 are formed using the same material as the airbag 32. Two of these attachment pieces 36 are located on the left and right side portions of the upper side portion 32a. The other one of the attachment pieces 36 is located near the side of the gas supply unit 35. Each attachment piece 36 may be integrally formed with the airbag 32, or may be constituted by a separate member and retrofitted.

  A plurality of cells 41 a to 41 k that expand in a cylindrical shape when the gas is supplied are defined in the airbag 32 by stitching the base fabric 30. These cells 41 a to 41 k are for controlling the flow of the gas supplied from the inflator 31 to control the deployment operation of the airbag 32.

  The cell 41a is formed in the upper part of the airbag 32 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction along the upper side portion 32a. The cell 41k is formed to extend in the vehicle width direction along the lower side portion 32b in the lower portion of the airbag 32. The cells 41b to 41j are formed so as to extend in the direction along the left and right side edges of the airbag 32 (substantially up and down direction) between the upper and lower cells 41a and 41k. These cells 41a to 41k are in a connected state by not partially sewing the base fabric 30. Specifically, the cells 41b, 41f and 41j communicate with the upper and lower cells 41a and 41k at their upper and lower ends. The cells 41d and 41h communicate with the cell 41a only at their upper ends. The cells 41c, 41e, 41g, and 41i communicate with the cell 41k only at their lower ends. In addition, the shape of the said cells 41a-41k, a communication state, etc. are only examples, and can be changed suitably.

  Next, a storage form of the airbag 32 having the above configuration will be described. In this storage configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the airbag 32 has a long shape extending in the vehicle width direction, which is a direction substantially orthogonal to the main deployment direction (downward). Further, the airbag 32 is provided with folding portions 45 at both outer end portions in the vehicle width direction, so that the length L in the vehicle width direction is shortened.

Such a storage form is obtained by folding the airbag 32 in the deployed state as follows.
First, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the airbag 32 in the deployed state is folded in a spiral shape in order along the fold lines 40 a to 40 d from the lower side portion 32 b side to the upper side portion 32 a. The folding direction is opposite (upward) to the main deployment direction. By this folding, a spiral portion 42 (see FIG. 6) is formed at a predetermined distance from the upper side portion 32a toward the lower side portion 32b, and the lower side portion 32b approaches the upper side portion 32a.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in the airbag 32, the location between the upper side portion 32 a and the spiral portion 42 is along folding lines 40 e and 40 f from the spiral portion 42 side to the upper side portion 32 a side. Then, it is folded in a bellows shape while changing the folding direction alternately by a certain width. Due to this folding, a bellows fold 43 (see FIG. 6) is formed between the upper side 32a and the spiral 42 in the airbag 32. Thus, the spiral part 42 which occupies most parts and the bellows fold part 43 located in the upper part are formed, and the airbag 32 is made into the elongate body 44 extended in a vehicle width direction.

  At this time, the length L of the long body 44 in the vehicle width direction is the maximum length that can be taken, and is the same as the maximum value of the width W (the width at the widest portion) in FIG. This length L is longer than the interval D (see FIG. 5) between the upper end portions 13a of the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13. Therefore, in this state, the long body 44 cannot be stored in the storage space 34 between the roof panel 22 and the rear roof head lining 23 and between the upper end portions 13a of the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13.

  Therefore, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 5, 12, and 14, folding portions 45 are provided at both outer ends of the long body 44 in the vehicle width direction, so that the long body 44 is provided. The length L in the vehicle width direction is shortened. Each folded portion 45 is formed on the front side (lower side) in the main development direction by folding both outer end portions of the long body 44 in the vehicle width direction at least inward. In the first embodiment, each folded portion 45 is formed by folding the outer end portion of the long body 44 twice, and includes three layers 46 to 48 having a bellows shape. In each folded portion 45, with respect to both ends in the vehicle width direction of the outermost layer 48 when unfolded, an end closer to the layer 47 adjacent to the inner side is defined as a “base end 48a” and an end farther from the end. Assuming “tip 48b”, in each folded portion 45, the tip 48b is positioned outside of the base end 48a in the vehicle width direction by an even number of turns (twice).

Each said folding part 45 is provided through the procedure shown, for example to Fig.13 (a)-(c).
First, as shown to Fig.13 (a), the valley fold line 51 and the mountain fold line 52 which are each linearly extended to an up-down direction are respectively set with respect to the both outer end parts 44a about the vehicle width direction of the elongate body 44. The In each outer end portion 44 a, the valley fold line 51 is set outside the mountain fold line 52 in the vehicle width direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, the portions 53 outside the valley fold lines 51 in the elongated body 44 are each folded along the valley fold lines 51. That is, the portion 53 is folded back toward the front side of the paper so that the fold line enters the inside.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13C, the portions 54 outside the mountain fold lines 52 in the elongated body 44 are mountain-folded along the mountain fold lines 52. That is, the portion 54 is folded back to the back side of the paper so that the crease is on the outside. Note that the outer end 44 a may be folded back in a different order from the above, that is, in the order of mountain fold along the mountain fold line 52 and valley fold along the valley fold line 51.

  By the above folding, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 5, 12, and 14, folded portions 45 are formed at both outer ends of the long body 44 in the vehicle width direction, and the airbag 32 is stored. It becomes a form of use. In this storage configuration, the length L of the airbag 32 in the vehicle width direction is slightly shorter than the distance D between the upper end portions 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13. Although the elongated body 44 at the stage before the both folded portions 45 are formed is longer in the vehicle width direction than the storage space 34, the airbag 32 is made into the storage space 34 by being in the storage form as described above. It can be stored. Further, the two folded portions 45 are in a line symmetrical relationship with each other in the vehicle width direction.

  The airbag 32 that has been compacted in the above-described storage form is bound by a binding tape (not shown) or the like at a plurality of locations including the left and right folded portions 45. The airbag 32 has the left and right folded portions 45 between the upper end portions 13a of the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13 with the folded portions 45 positioned below the other portions. It is disposed in the storage space 34 on the rear roof head lining 23 so as to be positioned in the vicinity of the inside of the portion 13a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 32 is fixed to the inner panel 24 at each attachment piece 36. Prior to this fixing, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 12 and 15, attachment auxiliary members 55 and 56 made of a material higher in rigidity than the attachment piece 36, for example, a metal plate, are provided on both front and back surfaces of each attachment piece 36. Be placed. Both attachment auxiliary members 55 and 56 are connected to each other by a method such as caulking with the attachment piece 36 interposed therebetween. Each of these attachment assisting members 55 and 56 is formed with a through hole 57.

  A direction changing portion 58 is integrally formed on one of the pair of attachment auxiliary members 55 and 56 (attachment auxiliary member 55) for each of the attachment pieces 36 located on the left and right side portions. Each direction changing portion 58 is positioned outside both outer end portions of the airbag 32 in the storage form, and changes the flow direction of the gas flowing into the airbag 32 when the both outer end portions are deployed. This is for changing from the outside in the width direction downward. Each direction changing portion 58 includes an extended portion 58a extending from the attachment auxiliary member 55 along the attachment piece 36 toward the upper side portion 32a, and a bent portion 58b bent substantially downward from the outer edge of the extended portion 58a. I have. The bent portion 58 b is located in the vicinity of the outer side of the folded portion 45.

  The bolts 61 are inserted through the through holes 37 of the attachment pieces 36 and the through holes 57 of the attachment auxiliary members 55 and 56. As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting pieces 36 are fastened to the inner panel 24 by being screwed into nuts 62 fixed to the inner panel 24. Simultaneously with this fastening, the bent portion 58 b of the direction changing portion 58 formed integrally with the attachment assisting member 55 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end portion 13 a of the rear pillar garnish 13. In addition, the airbag 32 is connected to the inflator 31 at the supply port 35 a of the gas supply unit 35.

  Further, the rear impact airbag device includes a sensor 63 and a control device 64 as shown in FIGS. The sensor 63 detects an impact applied to the vehicle 11 from behind. The control device 64 controls the operation of the inflator 31 based on the detection signal from the sensor 63.

  As described above, the rear impact airbag device of this embodiment is configured. In this rear-impact airbag device, an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the vehicle 11 from the rear, and when this is detected by the sensor 63, a drive current is output from the control device 64 to the inflator 31 based on the detection signal. The By heating based on this drive current, the gas generating agent in the inflator 31 undergoes a combustion reaction to generate gas.

  This gas flows into the airbag 32 through the gas supply unit 35 as shown in FIG. Due to the pressure of the gas, each part of the airbag 32 starts to inflate and tries to cancel the folded state, but both folded portions 45 of the long body 44 hinder downward expansion. Therefore, the airbag 32 in the storage form is inflated and deployed as follows.

  The gas that has flowed into the airbag 32 through the gas supply unit 35 flows into the cell 41a that forms a part of the bellows fold portion 43 from the center in the vehicle width direction. This gas changes direction to the outside (both left and right sides) in the vehicle width direction, that is, in directions opposite to each other in the vehicle width direction, and flows substantially equally in the same direction. Along with this, the gas pressure is transmitted from the central part in the vehicle width direction to both outer sides, and the cells 41a start to expand in order from the central part to the outer side. By this expansion, the binding tape that has bound the airbag 32 is broken, and the airbag 32 can be deployed in the vehicle width direction (the folded state of each folded portion 45 is eliminated).

  The gas tries to cancel the folded state while expanding the folded portions 45 at both outer end portions. Along with this cancellation, each folded portion 45 tries to expand outward in the vehicle width direction, but at the initial stage of deployment, the folded portion 45 hits the bent portion 58b of the direction changing portion 58 as shown in FIG. Further gas flow outward in the vehicle width direction is restricted. On the other hand, the gas from the inflator 31 continues to flow outward in the vehicle width direction. The airbag 32 cannot be deployed upward from the storage space 34. This is because, in the airbag 32, no other cell is provided above the cell 41a. In addition to this, the inner panel 24 having high rigidity is located immediately above the airbag 32. For this reason, the flow direction of the gas bounced off by hitting the direction changing portion 58 is changed from the outer side in the vehicle width direction to the lower side as shown by an arrow in FIG. With this downward gas, the folded portion 45 exits from the storage space 34 to the lower rear window 18 side while unfolding, and expands outward in the vehicle width direction. That is, when gas is sent to each folded portion 45 continuously, in each folded portion 45, the layers 47 and 48 have an arcuate locus downward and outward with the connection portion with the layer 46 as a fulcrum. Try to move (unfold) while drawing. Since both folded portions 45 are folded in a manner that is in a line-symmetric relationship with each other, the layers 47 and 48 for each folded portion 45 are substantially in a manner that are in a line-symmetric relationship with respect to the vehicle width direction. Displace at the same timing.

  Here, if the direction changing portion 58 is not provided, and the outer end portion of the folding portion 45 is greatly entering the space S outside the upper end portion 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13, or the same as the deployment. When the space S is largely entered, it may be difficult to get out of the space S by being caught by the upper end portion 13a. This is because the rigidity of the rear pillar garnish 13 is relatively high and is not easily deformed. In this case, the subsequent deployment of the airbag 32 will be hindered.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, the bent portion 58b of the direction changing portion 58 is located in the vicinity of the outer end portions of the left and right folded portions 45 (outer end portions of the respective layers 46 to 48). The position of the bent portion 58 b is in the vicinity of the inner side of the upper end portion 13 a of the rear pillar garnish 13. Therefore, when the layers 47 and 48 are displaced as described above, the bent portion 58b restricts large entry into the space S. The layers 47 and 48 press the left and right side edges 23b of the rear end portion of the rear roof head lining 23 downward. By this pressing, the side edge portion 23b is bent downward and becomes lower than the upper end portion 13a. When each folded portion 45 is developed in the vehicle width direction, the end portion is not caught by the upper end portion 13a, and interference does not easily occur.

  The layers 47 and 48 start to be displaced so as to draw an arcuate locus as described above while expanding the gap 50 between the rear pillar garnish 13 and the rear roof head lining 23. In the middle of this displacement, as shown in FIG. 17, the layer 48 starts to be displaced while drawing an arc-shaped locus downward and inward with the base end 48a as a fulcrum. In this way, each folded portion 45 starts to expand substantially downward inside the rear pillar garnish 13 while eliminating the folded state. Since both folded portions 45 are folded in a manner that is in a line-symmetrical relationship with each other, the layers 48 for each folded portion 45 are in substantially the same timing in a manner that is in a line-symmetrical relationship with respect to the vehicle width direction. Displace at.

  In addition, as described above, the folded state of each folded portion 45 is eliminated by gas, and the force required to eliminate the folded state eliminates the folded state of each layer 46 to 48 constituting the bellows-like folded portion 45. In some cases, this is smaller than the case where the other folded state, for example, the folded state of the fold-up portion formed in a spiral shape (roll shape) is eliminated. This is because the gas flow resistance is smaller in the former. Therefore, when the gas pressure acts on the bellows-like folded portion 45 as described above, the layers 46 to 48 of the folded portion 45 are sequentially smoother than in the case of the other folded portions. expand.

  At the time of the above development, in each folded portion 45, since both outer end portions of the long body 44 are folded a plurality of times (twice), when folded a single number of times (in the case of two layers) The length of each layer 46 to 48 in the vehicle width direction is shorter. The length in which the layers 46 to 48 are expanded is shortened, and the layers 46 to 48 can be rapidly deployed in the same direction. In addition, the movable region of each layer 46 to 48 when the folded state is eliminated is smaller than when the layers are folded a single number of times, and interference with objects in the passenger compartment and the passenger P is less likely to occur.

  As described above, when the folding of the folded portions 45 progresses to some extent in the vehicle width direction, the bellows folded portion 43 of the elongated body 44 can be deployed downward. The gas supplied from the gas supply unit 35 flows substantially downward through the cells 41b, 41d, 41f, 41h, 41j and the like (see FIG. 7). With this gas, the bellows folding part 43 and the spiral part 42 are started to be developed downward in parallel with the development of the folding parts 45 in the vehicle width direction. The airbag 32 is deployed while eliminating the folded state in addition to the outside in the vehicle width direction.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, a pressing force is applied downward to the rear portion of the rear roof head lining 23. When this pressing force overcomes the force of the locking piece 29a to maintain the engagement state with the rear roof head lining 23, the roof panel 22 (inner panel 24) of the rear roof head lining 23 by the locking piece 29a Is released in a wide region in the vehicle width direction, and the rear portion of the rear roof head lining 23 tends to bend downward. Even after the engagement state is released, the airbag 32 is inflated, whereby the rear portion of the rear roof head lining 23 is displaced downward as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. A wide opening 65 is formed between the panel 24 and the vehicle 24 in the vehicle width direction.

  As the rear portion of the rear roof head lining 23 is pushed down, the opening 65 is enlarged. The airbag 32 expands downward so as to partition the rear seat 25 and the rear window glass 28 along the rear window glass 28 through the opening 65 while eliminating the folded state of the bellows fold portion 43 and the spiral portion 42. expand.

  In this way, the airbag 32 is deployed in a state where the folded state is eliminated in addition to the outside in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the airbag 32 expands downward while expanding in the vehicle width direction. When the airbag 32 expands to the lowest position that can be taken, the entire airbag 32 is expanded. In this state, the airbag 32 has a size and shape corresponding to the protection area 20 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 12, that is, substantially the same trapezoidal shape as the shape between the left and right rear pillar garnishes 13. Covers almost the entire area.

  When the entire airbag 32 is deployed as described above, the occupant P seated on the rear seat 25 and the rear window glass 28 are isolated via the airbag 32 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). Accordingly, not only the impact applied to the rear of the vehicle 11 is absorbed by the inflated and deployed airbag 32, but also the influence on the vehicle interior due to scattered objects and intruders from the rear is reduced. Furthermore, the posture change of the passenger | crew P to the back is suppressed.

According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The airbag 32 in the deployed state is folded upward to form a long body 44 extending in the vehicle width direction. Further, a folded portion 45 is provided by folding both outer end portions of the long body 44 in the vehicle width direction at least inward (FIG. 5). By doing so, the airbag 32 can be in a storage configuration having a length L corresponding to the width of the upper end portion of the rear window 18. Therefore, although the airbag 32 has a maximum width W when deployed (FIG. 7) longer than the storage space 34, it can be stored in the storage space 34 by adopting the storage configuration as described above.

  (2) On the outside of both outer end portions of the airbag 32 in the storage form, when the both outer end portions are deployed, the flow direction of the gas flowing into the airbag 32 is lowered from the outside in the vehicle width direction. A direction changing unit 58 for changing to is provided. For this reason, by changing the flow direction, the folded portion 45 can be surely taken out from the storage space 34 to the rear window 18 side and released outward in the vehicle width direction while canceling the folded state. The airbag 32 can be deployed downward while expanding outward in the vehicle width direction. It is possible to cover substantially the entire area of the rear window 18 faster than that in which the airbag 32 is deployed downward and then deployed outward in the vehicle width direction (Patent Document 1), and the deployment performance can be improved.

  (3) The gas supply part 35 is provided in the center part in the vehicle width direction of the airbag 32 in the storage form, and both outer end portions 44a of the airbag 32 are in a line-symmetric relationship with respect to the vehicle width direction. The folded portion 45 is provided by folding in such a manner. Therefore, the gas can be guided to both the outer end portions 44a of the long body 44 substantially evenly, and the both folded portions 45 can be evenly expanded both outwardly (left and right direction) in the vehicle width direction.

  (4) The direction changing portion 58 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end portion 13 a of the rear pillar garnish 13. Therefore, the direction changing portion 58 can restrict the folding portion 45 from entering the space S outside the upper end portion 13a in the vehicle width direction. When the folded state of the folded portion 45 is canceled, the folded portion 45 is less likely to interfere with the upper end portion 13a and hinder the development in the vehicle width direction, and the folded portion 45 is made smooth. Can be deployed.

  (5) The direction changing portion 58 is provided on the attachment piece 36 through the attachment auxiliary member 55. Therefore, when the airbag 32 in the storage form is stored in the storage space 34, when the airbag 32 is fixed to the inner panel 24 of the vehicle 11 with the attachment piece 36, the direction changing portion 58 is set at the same time as the fixing. (In the vicinity of the upper end portion 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13). Compared to the case where the operation of fixing the airbag 32 to the inner panel 24 and the operation of arranging (fixing) the direction changing portion 58 at a predetermined location are performed separately, the number of work steps can be reduced.

  (6) The direction changing portion 58 is integrally formed with the attachment auxiliary member 55. Therefore, the mounting piece 36 is sandwiched from both the front and back surfaces by the mounting auxiliary members 55 and 56, and the two mounting auxiliary members 55 and 56 are attached to the mounting piece 36, whereby the direction changing portion 58 is interposed via the mounting auxiliary member 55. Can be attached to the mounting piece 36. When the direction change part 58 is provided as a separate member from the attachment auxiliary members 55 and 56, an operation of attaching the attachment auxiliary members 55 and 56 to the attachment piece 36 and an attachment of the direction change part 58 to the attachment piece 36. In this embodiment, only the former work is required, and the work for mounting can be reduced accordingly.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment that embodies the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, a direction changing portion 71 made of a member different from the auxiliary mounting member 55 is used in place of the direction changing portion 58 in the first embodiment. It has been. The direction changing portion 71 is entirely made of a plate material such as a metal plate, and includes a main body portion 71a and a bent portion 71b that is bent from the upper end portion inward in the vehicle width direction. The direction changing portion 71 is disposed at a location deviated from the upper end portion 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13 outward in the vehicle width direction. The direction changing portion 71 is fixed to a constituent member of the roof 21, for example, the inner panel 24 by fastening means such as a bolt 72 in the main body portion 71 a. In addition, the direction change part 71 may be fixed to the structural member of the roof 21 by methods other than fastening. And the bending part 71b for every direction change part 71 inclines so that the space | interval between both the bending parts 71b may become small toward the lower side.

  Further, a space 73 between the upper end portion 13 a of the rear pillar garnish 13 and the direction changing portion 71 is a part of the storage space 34 in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the length of the storage space 34 in the vehicle width direction (length L in FIG. 18A) is the length of the storage space 34 in the first embodiment (see FIG. 18A). 5 is longer than the length L). And in this storage space 34, the airbag 32 of the storage form is stored. In this stored state, the left and right folded portions 45 of the airbag 32 are positioned in the corresponding space 73, and the outer end of the folded portion 45 is in contact with or close to the bent portion 71 b of the direction changing portion 71.

  If the length of the elongate body 44 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the elongate body 44 is also disposed in the left and right spaces 73, so the length of each layer 46 to 48 of the folded portion 45 is the first. It becomes shorter than the embodiment.

In addition, in 2nd Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the member and location similar to 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
According to the second embodiment configured as described above, although the configuration of the direction changing unit 71 is slightly changed, the point of changing the gas flow direction by the direction changing unit 71 is the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in 1st Embodiment, effects other than the effect by providing the direction change part 58 in the attachment piece 36, specifically the effect similar to said (1)-(4) is acquired. In addition, the following effects can be obtained.

  (7) By arranging each direction changing portion 71 at a location that is biased outward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end portion 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13, a space is provided between the upper end portion 13a and the direction changing portion 71 in the vehicle width direction. 73 is formed. And by including this space 73 in a part of the storage space 34, the storage space 34 is lengthened in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, by storing the elongated airbag 32 in the storage form in the extended storage space 34 and arranging the folded portion 45 of the airbag in the space 73, the width of the folded portion 45 is reduced. The length in the direction can be shortened. The length (length of each layer 46-48) which expand | folds the folding part 45 becomes shorter than 1st Embodiment, and the rapid expansion | deployment to the width direction is attained further. In addition, the movable region of the folded portion 45 when the folded state is eliminated is smaller than in the first embodiment, and interference with objects in the passenger compartment and the occupant P is less likely to occur, and the deployment is performed more smoothly.

Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
-You may change the aspect of the folding part 45 as follows.
(I) At least one of the left and right folded portions 45 may be formed in a spiral shape as shown in FIG. In this case, the positions (stacked state) of the layers 46 to 48 in each folded portion 45 are different from those in the first and second embodiments folded in a bellows shape. Layer 48 is located between layers 46 and 47.

  (Ii) The number of times of folding in each folding section 45 may be changed once as shown in FIG. 20 or four times or more although not shown. With this change, the number of layers constituting each folded portion 45 increases or decreases. In the case of FIG. 20, each folded portion 45 is composed of two layers (layers 46 and 47).

  (Iii) As shown in FIG. 20, in each folded portion 45, the tip 47b of the layer 47 folded last may be changed to be located inside the vehicle width direction with respect to the base end 47a. .

  -In 1st Embodiment, similarly to 2nd Embodiment, you may arrange | position each direction change part 58 in the location biased to the vehicle width direction outer side from the upper end part 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13. The same effect as (7) can be obtained.

On the contrary, in the second embodiment, each direction changing portion 71 may be arranged above the upper end portion 13a of the rear pillar garnish 13 in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment.
Further, the direction changing portions 58 and 71 may be fixed to components different from the inner panel 24 among the constituent members of the roof 21. Further, the direction changing portions 58 and 71 may be attached to the rear pillar 12 covered by the rear pillar garnish 13. 71 may be fixed.

  When the airbag 32 in the deployed state is folded upward, the airbag 32 may be folded in a bellows shape, for example, in a manner different from the first and second embodiments in which the airbag 32 is folded in a spiral shape and a bellows shape. Good.

  The center portion in the vehicle width direction, which is the position where the gas supply unit 35 is provided in the airbag 32, is preferably on a fold line generated when the airbag 32 in the deployed state is folded in half in the vehicle width direction. However, it may be slightly off.

The shape and size of the direction changing portions 58 and 71 may be changed to those different from those in the first and second embodiments on the condition that the gas flow direction can be changed from the vehicle width direction outer side to the lower side. .
The left and right folded portions 45 may be folded in a manner that is not line-symmetric with respect to the vehicle width direction.

In order to inflate the airbag 32 between the left and right rear pillars 12 with appropriate tension applied in the vehicle width direction and deploy the airbag 32 to an appropriate shape, the following configuration may be employed.
Guide shafts are provided along the left and right rear pillars 12, respectively, while straps are provided at the lower left and right side edges of the airbag 32 in the deployed state, and guide rings are attached thereto. And when the airbag 32 made into the storage form is stored in the storage space 34, the said guide ring is loosely fitted to each guide shaft. By doing so, the guide ring moves from the upper side to the lower side while being guided along the guide shaft when the airbag 32 is inflated and deployed.

  However, the airbag 32 which is an application mode is limited to the airbag 32 in which the distal end 48b of the layer 48 folded last is positioned outside the base end 48a in the vehicle width direction in each folded portion 45. This is because the front end 48b faces outward to be a condition for loose fitting of the strap to the guide shaft of the guide ring.

1 is a side view showing a rear portion of a vehicle in a first embodiment embodying the present invention. The rear view of a vehicle. The partial perspective view which shows the state of a rear pillar garnish and a lower garnish when it looks toward the vehicle compartment outer side from the vehicle interior side. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the cross-section along line 4-4 in FIG. Schematic which shows the positional relationship of a long body and right-and-left both rear pillar garnish. The sectional side view which shows the cross-section of the roof in a vehicle rear part. The front view which shows the airbag of the expansion | deployment state. It is a figure for demonstrating the folding procedure of an airbag, and is a front view which shows the step in the middle of forming a spiral part. It is a figure for demonstrating the folding procedure of an airbag, and the front view which shows the step in which the spiral part was formed. It is a figure for demonstrating the folding procedure of an airbag, and is a front view which shows the stage in the middle of forming a bellows fold part. It is a figure for demonstrating the folding procedure of an airbag, and is a front view which shows the step in which the bellows fold part was formed and the elongate body was obtained. Schematic which shows the correspondence of the airbag made into the form for storage, and a protection area. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating the folding procedure of an airbag, and is a front view which shows the step which forms a folding part in the both ends of a elongate body. The enlarged view of the X section in FIG. The perspective view which shows the left-right both direction change part integrally formed in the attachment auxiliary member. Explanatory drawing which shows the stage in the middle of the folding state of a folding part being canceled. Explanatory drawing which shows the stage in the middle of the folding state of a folding part being canceled. It is a figure for demonstrating 2nd Embodiment which actualized this invention, (a) is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of a elongate body and both right-and-left rear pillar garnishes, (b) is Y part in (a). Enlarged view of. Explanatory drawing which shows another embodiment of a folding part. Explanatory drawing which shows another embodiment of a folding part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Vehicle, 13 ... Rear pillar garnish, 13a ... Upper end part, 18 ... Rear window, 21 ... Roof, 31 ... Inflator, 32 ... Air bag, 34 ... Storage space, 35 ... Gas supply part, 36 ... Mounting piece, 44a ... Outer end portion, 45 ... folding portion, 55, 56 ... mounting auxiliary member, 58,71 ... direction changing portion, 73 ... space, L ... length, W ... width.

Claims (7)

Applicable to vehicles that have a rear window at the rear that is wider toward the bottom,
An airbag that becomes wider toward the bottom when deployed is folded upward to form a long shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and both outer ends thereof are folded at least inward to provide folded portions. Thus, the storage form having a length corresponding to the width of the upper end portion of the rear window is formed, and the airbag in the storage form is placed in the storage space above the rear window in the rear part of the roof of the vehicle. A rear-impact airbag device that stores and inflates and deploys the airbag downward from within the storage space by gas supplied from an inflator so as to cover substantially the entire area of the rear window;
The flow direction of the gas flowing into the airbag is changed from the outer side in the vehicle width direction to the lower side when the outer end portions are deployed on the outside of the outer end portions of the airbag in the storage form. A rear impact airbag device comprising a direction changing portion. The airbag in the storage form has a gas supply part from the inflator at a central part in the vehicle width direction, and the folded parts are both outer end parts of the airbag. The airbag device for rear impacts according to claim 1, wherein the airbag device is folded in such a manner as to be in a line symmetrical relationship with respect to the vehicle width direction. 3. The rear according to claim 1, wherein the storage space is provided at a location higher than the upper ends of the pair of rear pillar garnishes at the rear of the vehicle, and the direction changing portion is disposed in the vicinity of the upper ends. A crash airbag device. Each of the direction change portions is disposed at a location that is biased outward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end portion of the rear pillar garnish, and a space between the upper end portion and the direction change portion in the vehicle width direction is a part of the storage space. The rear impact airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the folded portion is disposed in the same space. The airbag according to the storage mode is provided with an attachment piece for fixing the airbag to the roof, and the direction changing portion is provided on the attachment piece. The rear impact airbag device according to any one of the above. The mounting piece is attached to the mounting piece, and is fixed to the roof via a mounting auxiliary member having higher rigidity than the mounting piece,
The rear impact airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the direction changing portion is integrally formed with the attachment assisting member. The airbag device for a rear collision according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the direction changing portion is fixed to a member constituting a roof rear portion of the vehicle.

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