JP4931512B2 - Airbag device for passenger seat - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device for a passenger seat, and more particularly to an airbag device for a passenger seat that can prevent or reduce damage when the airbag is deployed in a situation where the passenger seat is not properly seated.

  Conventionally, as an airbag device mounted on an automobile, the vent hole is closed with an extended strap when the airbag is deployed, and when the load is applied to the airbag, the strap loosens and opens the vent hole. A device that quickly reduces the internal pressure of an airbag is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The airbag device 21 disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The airbag device 21 includes an airbag 22 and an inflator 23 that inflates and deploys the airbag 22 by injecting gas into the airbag 22. The airbag 22 is provided with a vent hole 24 around the inflator 23 for releasing gas so that the internal pressure does not become higher than a predetermined value, and a strap 25 that regulates the inflated state of the airbag 22 at one end. 25 a is fixed to the ceiling portion 26 facing the inflator 23 on the inner surface of the airbag 22, and the other end 25 b is penetrated from the inner surface side to the outer surface side of the airbag 22 in the vicinity of the vent hole 24 to block the vent hole 24. And is fixed to the periphery of the vent hole 24.

  With this configuration, when the inflator 23 is activated, the airbag 22 is deployed while the vent hole 24 is closed by the strap 25, and the inflation and deployment of the airbag 22 is completed in a short time as shown in FIG. Then, when the occupant P abuts on the outside of the ceiling portion 26 of the airbag 22 and a load is applied, the strap 25 is blocked by loosening, as shown in FIG. 7B. The vent hole 24 is quickly opened, and the internal pressure of the airbag 22 can be reduced.

  Further, when the passenger's airbag device is activated, a detection means such as a distance sensor that detects whether there is an occupant or the like in an alarm region where the inflation of the airbag may be inappropriate for the occupant. And detecting the presence in the alarm area by the detecting means, and generating an alarm or changing the operation method of the airbag are known (for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3). reference).

As shown in FIG. 8, the air bag 32 is divided into a first space 35 in which air is ejected from the inflator 33 and a vent hole 34 is provided, and a second space 36 having no vent hole. There is also known an airbag device 31 that is partitioned by a partition member 37 and provided with a one-way valve 38 that prevents gas from flowing out from the second space 36 to the first space 35 (for example, (See Patent Document 4).
JP-A-6-127330 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1000085 JP 2002-172999 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-20857

  By the way, the airbag device for a passenger seat has a structure corresponding to a normally seated adult. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, an occupant P such as a small child is placed on the instrument panel 40 on the passenger seat S. When sitting in an approaching state, when the inflator of the airbag device 41 disposed in the instrument panel 40 in front of the passenger seat S is activated and the airbag 42 is inflated and deployed, the deployment process of the airbag 42 is performed. Thus, there is a problem in that there is a risk that a shock is locally applied to the head of the passenger P such as a child or a high temperature gas blown out from the vent hole is blown. Further, even if the airbag device 21 having the configuration as shown in FIG. 7 is applied to the passenger seat airbag device, there is the same problem depending on the riding situation of a child or the like.

  On the other hand, when the means as described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 are incorporated, the above problem can be solved, but the burden on the cost increases, and it cannot be applied to an inexpensive automobile. There is. On the other hand, although it is conceivable to reduce the output of the inflator, there arises a problem that the restraining performance at the time of a vehicle collision with respect to a normal seated occupant is lowered, and it is difficult to balance both. Note that the means described in Patent Document 4 is not directly related to the above problem, and is given as reference information known in connection with a preferred configuration example in the present invention described later.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device for a passenger seat that can prevent or reduce damage when the airbag is deployed in a situation where the airbag is not properly seated on the passenger seat. .

The airbag device for a passenger seat according to the present invention includes an airbag having a vent hole, an inflator for injecting gas into the airbag to deploy the airbag, one end on the inner surface of the airbag, and the other end in the vicinity of the vent hole. A strap that extends in the deployed state of the airbag, closes the vent hole, and opens the vent hole by loosening, and includes at least a vehicle lower portion of the air bag interior space. A partition member for partitioning is provided, and a one-way valve for preventing outflow of air from the space below the vehicle is provided on the partition member, and one end of the strap is fixed to the partition member, and a vent hole is attached to one end of the strap. It is arranged above the fixing part.

  According to this configuration, the inflator is activated when a passenger such as a child is not seated at the proper position of the passenger seat (for example, standing in front of the passenger seat or leaning against the instrument panel). In this case, if the lower part of the airbag is in contact with a passenger such as a child, one end of the strap is pushed in, the strap is loosened, and the vent hole is securely opened. , There is no risk of a large impact locally on children and other passengers. In addition, since the vent hole is disposed above, there is no risk of high temperature gas being blown to a passenger such as a child to cause burns. Thus, it is possible to ensure the safety of children, etc. in a situation where the seat is not properly seated in the passenger seat with a simple and low-cost configuration and without adversely affecting the restraint performance at the time of collision with a regular seated occupant. it can.

Further, the closed space partitioned by one-way valve, can be transmitted to the strap receiving reliably input from the passenger, such as a child in a wide range, and it is possible to further improve the safety of the children, etc. Is preferred.

  According to the airbag device for a passenger seat of the present invention, the strap that closes the vent hole is loosened when coming into contact with the vehicle lower portion of the airbag, the vent hole is opened, and the internal pressure of the airbag is quickly reduced. High-temperature gas can be blown out from the vent hole located above and there is no risk of burns, so it can be used in the passenger seat with a simple and low-cost configuration and without adversely affecting the restraint performance of a regular seated occupant during a collision. It is possible to ensure the safety of children in situations where they are not seated properly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the airbag device for a passenger seat according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(First embodiment)
First, a passenger seat airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 1 denotes an airbag device for a passenger seat, and an airbag 2 and an inflator that inflates and deploys the airbag 2 by injecting gas into the airbag 2 when acceleration of a predetermined level or more is applied. 3 and is attached to the inside of the front part of the passenger seat of the instrument panel 5 of the vehicle by the mounting member 4. The airbag 2 is accommodated and disposed inside the instrument panel 5 in a normally folded state, and the weak strength portion provided in the instrument panel 5 is broken by the deployment force when the airbag 2 is inflated and deployed. The airbag 2 is configured to bulge out in front of the passenger seat as shown.

  The airbag 2 is provided with one or a plurality of vent holes 6 at the upper part of the vehicle of the airbag 2 for releasing gas to the outside so that the internal pressure does not become higher than a predetermined level. Further, a strap 7 is disposed in the airbag 2, and one end 7a thereof is fixed to the inner surface of the lower portion of the vehicle of the airbag 2, and the other end side of the strap 7 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, the airbag 2 passes through the slit 8 formed in the vicinity of the vent hole 6 from the inside to the outside, extends so as to close the vent hole 6 from the outer surface side, and the other end 7b is the vent hole 6. It is fixed in the vicinity. And in the deployment state of the airbag 2, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 2A, when the strap 7 is extended, the vent hole 6 is closed, and when the strap 7 is loosened, as shown by the solid line, The vent hole 6 is configured to be opened. In addition, the vent hole 6 that is closed and opened by the strap 7 is disposed on the upper portion of the airbag 2.

  According to the above configuration, in a state where the passenger P such as a child is not seated at a normal position of the passenger seat (for example, standing in front of the passenger seat or leaning on the instrument panel 5 side), When the inflator 3 is actuated to inflate and deploy the airbag 2 and the vehicle lower portion of the airbag 2 comes into contact with an occupant P such as a child, one end 7a of the strap 7 is pushed in as shown in FIG. Since the strap 7 is loosened and the vent hole 6 is reliably opened, the internal pressure of the airbag 2 is quickly reduced, and there is no risk of applying a large impact locally to the passenger P such as a child, improving safety. To do.

  Further, since the vent hole 6 closed / opened by the strap 7 is arranged at the upper part of the airbag 2, the hot gas is located farthest from the passenger P such as a child contacting the lower portion of the airbag 2 in the vehicle. There will be no risk of burns when high temperature gas is blown to the passenger P such as a child.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, an occupant such as a child who is not properly seated in the passenger seat with a simple and low-cost configuration in which the strap 7 is devised and arranged in the airbag 2. The safety of P can be ensured, and the restraining performance by the airbag 2 at the time of a collision with the occupant P who is seated normally is not adversely affected.

  In the example described above, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the strap 7 made of a single strip is taken out to the outer surface side of the airbag 2 through the slit 8 near the vent hole 6, Although an example in which the vent hole 6 is configured to be closed is shown, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), a strap 7 composed of two strips 9a and 9b is adopted, and the center of the vent hole 6 is adopted. Pull out to the outer surface side of the airbag 2 through the part and unfold the two strips 9a, 9b on both sides and fix their tips to the vicinity of the vent hole 6, respectively, and vent the two strips 9a, 9b You may comprise so that the hall | hole 6 may be closed half by half.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a passenger seat airbag apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description of the embodiment, the same components as those in the preceding embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof will be omitted, and only differences will be described.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which only the strap 7 having one end 7a fixed to the vehicle lower portion of the airbag 2 is provided in the airbag 2 is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. ), A strap 10 having one end 10a fixed thereto is provided at the vehicle rear portion of the airbag 2 with which a normally seated occupant contacts in the event of a collision. In the example of FIG. 4A, the strap 7 and the strap 10 are configured to block the common vent hole 6, and the vent hole 6 is opened when one of the straps 7 or 10 is loosened. In the example of FIG. 4B, a vent hole 6 that is blocked by the strap 7 and a vent hole 6 that is blocked by the strap 10 are provided separately. 6 is configured to be opened.

  According to this configuration, when a child or the like is not in a regular state on the passenger seat, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and an adult occupant is normally seated on the auxiliary seat. Even in the event of a collision in the state, if the occupant hits the rear part of the airbag 2 inflated and deployed, the strap 10 is loosened and the vent hole 6 is opened, so that the impact energy can be applied without giving an excessive impact to the occupant. It can be absorbed smoothly and higher safety is ensured.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a passenger seat airbag apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the partition member 13 that partitions the vehicle lower portion space 11 in the inner space of the airbag 2 and the other main space 12 in the airbag 2. The partition member 13 is provided with a one-way valve 14 for preventing air from flowing out from the vehicle lower portion space 11 to the main space 12, and one end 7 a of the strap 7 is fixed to the partition member 13. In the example of FIG. 5A, only the vehicle lower part space 11 is partitioned by the partition member 13. In the example of FIG. 5B, the partition member 13 partitions the space including both the vehicle lower part space 11 and the vehicle rear part space 15 with respect to the main space 12, and the vehicle lower part space 11 of the partition member 13. One end 7a of the strap 7 is fixed to a portion facing the vehicle, and one end 10a of the strap 10 is fixed to a portion facing the vehicle rear space 15.

  According to this configuration, the space including the vehicle lower portion space 11 closed by the one-way valve 14 can reliably receive an input from a child or the like in a wide range and transmit it to the strap 7. It is preferable because safety can be further improved.

  In the present invention, the strap that closes the vent hole loosens when it contacts the lower part of the air bag of the air bag, the vent hole is opened, the internal pressure of the air bag quickly decreases, and the high temperature gas flowing out of the vent hole Because there is no risk of being burned by being blown, children in situations where they are not properly seated in the passenger seat with a simple and low-cost configuration and without adversely affecting the restraint performance at the time of collision with a regular seated occupant Therefore, it is useful for a safety mechanism of an automobile seat.

The schematic structure of 1st Embodiment of the airbag apparatus for passenger seats of this invention is shown, (a) is a vertical side view, (b) is a side view which shows the operation state at the time of a collision. The detailed structure of the vent hole vicinity part in the embodiment is shown, (a) is a sectional view, (b) is a perspective view seen from the airbag inner side. The detailed structure of the vent hole vicinity part in the other structural example of the embodiment is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view, and (b) is a perspective view as seen from the airbag inner side. The 2nd Embodiment of the airbag apparatus for passenger seats of this invention is shown, (a) is a schematic diagram of a 1st structural example, (b) is a schematic diagram of a 2nd structural example. 3 shows a third embodiment of an airbag device for a passenger seat according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a schematic diagram of a first configuration example, and (b) is a schematic diagram of a second configuration example. It is a side view which shows the operation state in the conventional passenger seat airbag apparatus. The airbag apparatus of a prior art example is shown, (a) is a longitudinal side view in a deployed state, and (b) is a longitudinal side view in an operational state. The airbag apparatus of another prior art example is shown, (a) is a longitudinal side view in a developed state, and (b) is a longitudinal side view in an operating state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airbag apparatus for passenger seats 2 Airbag 3 Inflator 6 Vent hole 7 Strap 7a One end 7b Other end 11 Vehicle lower part space 13 Partition member 14 One-way valve

Claims (1)

An airbag having a vent hole, an inflator for inflating the airbag by injecting gas into the airbag, one end fixed to the inner surface of the airbag and the other end in the vicinity of the vent hole, and extending in the deployed state of the airbag And a strap member that closes the vent hole and opens the vent hole by loosening , and a partition member is provided in the airbag so as to include at least the vehicle lower portion of the airbag inner space. A one-way valve for preventing the outflow of air from a space on the vehicle lower part side is provided, one end of the strap is fixed to the partition member, and a vent hole is disposed above the fixing part of the strap one end. Airbag device for passenger seats.

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