JP4947022B2 - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for a vehicle that protects an ankle of an occupant in a front seat from dorsiflexion or twisting in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle.

  A toe board is provided in front of the front seat (driver's seat) of the vehicle, and various operation pedals such as an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a clutch pedal, and a footrest are arranged. When the vehicle is traveling, an occupant (driver, passenger in the passenger seat, etc.) uses at least one of the various pedals, the footrest and the toe board as a footrest mounting portion, and places the foottip thereon. The occupant also puts his heels on the floor carpet on the vehicle floor in front of the front seat. In this state, when the vehicle collides with the front and the footrest mounting part moves to the rear side of the vehicle due to the impact, a moment in the front-rear direction with the heel as a fulcrum acts on the occupant's foot, and the ankle is bent back (A phenomenon in which the angle of the ankle becomes narrow) may occur.

Thus, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 describe an occupant protection device in which an airbag is disposed between a vehicle floor and a floor carpet so that the airbag is inflated with inflation gas in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Has been. In this occupant protection device, the heel of the occupant is pushed up by an airbag to reduce the moment in the front-rear direction, thereby suppressing ankle dorsiflexion.
JP 2000-289562 A Special table 2003-526565 gazette JP 2006-248358 A

  However, when the footrest mounting part moves to the rear side of the vehicle due to an impact at the time of a frontal collision, a moment in the vehicle width direction may act on the foot in addition to the moment in the front-rear direction with the heel as a fulcrum. is there. The latter moment is a phenomenon in which the ankle is twisted in the vehicle width direction (the phenomenon of twisting toward the other leg is called “varus”, and the phenomenon of twisting away from the other leg is “valgus”. Called).

  In this regard, in the occupant protection devices described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the moment in the vehicle width direction is merely pushed up on the floor carpet where the ridge is placed substantially parallel to the vehicle floor. No measures have been taken for. Therefore, although the above occupant protection device can suppress ankle dorsiflexion, it cannot suppress torsion such as varus and valgus.

  Patent Document 3 describes an occupant protection device in which a leg protection structure is provided near the front of an operation pedal. The leg protection structure is provided with a support portion that supports the foot tip from the side when it comes into contact with the pedal arm. According to this occupant protection device, when the ankle is about to twist in the vehicle width direction with the movement of the foot rest portion toward the vehicle rear side, the foot tip is supported from the side by the support portion. As a result, excessive twisting of the ankle is suppressed, thereby reducing the impact on the ankle.

  Therefore, it is also conceivable to suppress the ankle dorsiflexion and twist by applying the technique of Patent Document 3 to Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2. However, in this combination technique, the support portion that is greatly separated forward from the operation pedal before the frontal collision only approaches the operation pedal due to an impact at the time of the frontal collision. Even when the support portion is closest to the operation pedal, the support portion remains in the vicinity of the side of the operation pedal. Therefore, the technique of the above combination receives the moment in the vehicle width direction when the support portion comes into contact with only the outer edge portion of the foot, which makes it difficult to sufficiently suppress the torsion of the ankle. In particular, in the third embodiment in Patent Document 3, a relatively large gap is generated between the operation pedal and the support portion at the time of a frontal collision. Therefore, a phenomenon that the outer edge portion of the foot enters the gap and the ankle is twisted easily occurs.

  Furthermore, although the torsion of the ankle occurs in the region from the heel to the toe, the support portion only supports the toe from one side in the vehicle width direction and does not support the heel. Therefore, since the moment in the vehicle width direction is received only at the toe of the foot, the moment cannot be sufficiently received, and there is a possibility that the ankle twist cannot be suppressed as intended.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle occupant capable of reliably suppressing dorsiflexion and twisting of an ankle of a front seat occupant during a frontal collision of the vehicle. It is to provide a protective device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a heel placing portion on which a heel of an occupant's foot is placed and a toe placing portion on which the foot of the same foot is placed are located in front of the front seat. Applied to a vehicle provided, a push-up unit that pushes up the eaves-loading part at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, and the eaves-loading part that is pushed up by the push-up part at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle And a foot support part for receiving at least one of the heels pushed up together with the heel rest part from at least one of the vehicle width direction, and the surface on the occupant side of the foot support part, The gist is that it is formed continuously on the surface of the occupant side of the saddle rest portion.

  Here, the footrest placing portion is a place on which a front seat occupant, for example, a driver seated in the driver's seat places his feet. The members that are the target of the foot rest include accelerator pedals, brake pedals, clutch pedals, and other operation pedals that the occupants (drivers) operate with their feet when driving the vehicle, as well as footrests and toe boards. Is also included.

  At the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, due to the impact, the footrest mounting part in front of the front seat moves to the rear of the vehicle, puts the heel on the heeling part, and on the foot of the occupant who puts the toe on the footing part There are cases where a moment in the front-rear direction and a moment in the vehicle width direction act on the heel as a fulcrum. These moments cause dorsiflexion and torsion in the occupant's ankle.

  However, in the first aspect of the invention, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the lifting portion pushes up the heel placing portion and the foot heel thereon. For this reason, even if the footrest is moved rearward of the vehicle and a moment in the front-rear direction with the heel as a fulcrum acts on the occupant's foot as described above, a phenomenon (dorsiflexion) in which the angle of the ankle becomes narrow occurs Hateful.

  On the other hand, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the foot catching portion protrudes to a position higher than the heel placing portion pushed up by the pushing-up portion. The foot catching portion catches at least the heel of the foot pushed up together with the heel placing portion from at least one in the vehicle width direction. Here, the heel is a portion that becomes a fulcrum when the ankle is twisted due to a moment in the vehicle width direction. At least the moment in the vehicle width direction is received at this saddle, so that the moment can be received more efficiently than when the moment is received only at the toes. Therefore, even if a moment in the vehicle width direction with the heel serving as a fulcrum acts on the foot, an effect of suppressing ankle torsion is sufficiently obtained.

  In addition, since the occupant side surface of the foot support portion is formed continuously with the occupant side surface of the heel mounting portion, there is no gap between both surfaces. Therefore, the phenomenon that the outer edge portion of the foot enters the gap and the ankle is twisted does not occur.

Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the dorsiflexion and twisting of the ankle of the front seat occupant is reliably suppressed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the push-up portion is lowered so that the push-up portion becomes farther away from the heel toward one side in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. It consists of an inclined push-up portion that pushes up the heel-resting portion in an inclined state, and the foot support portion protrudes upward from the vicinity of the lowermost portion of the heel-resting portion in the inclined state upon the frontal collision of the vehicle. The gist is to receive at least the heel of the foot pushed up together with the part.

  According to the above configuration, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the heel mounting portion is pushed up in an inclined state by the inclined pushing-up portion. Along with this, the occupant's heel on the heel rest is also pushed up. For this reason, even if the foot rest portion moves rearward of the vehicle and a moment in the front-rear direction using the heel as a fulcrum acts on the occupant's foot, dorsiflexion is unlikely to occur at the ankle.

  Moreover, in the said inclination state, a heel mounting part is made so low that it leaves | separates from the heel to either one side of a vehicle width direction. Due to the inclination accompanying the pushing-up of the heel mounting portion, a moment toward the lower side of the heel mounting portion acts on the foot on the heel mounting portion with the heel serving as a fulcrum. As described above, a moment acting only in one specific direction in the vehicle width direction acts on the foot. By this moment, the foot is forcibly tilted toward the lower side of the heel rest with the heel as a fulcrum. The foot does not tilt in the opposite direction (side away from the foot receiving portion) with the heel as a fulcrum.

  On the other hand, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the foot support portion protrudes upward from the vicinity of the lowermost portion of the tilted saddle rest portion. This foot catcher catches at least the heel of the foot on the heel rest that is pushed up and tilted as described above from the tilted side. As a result, the effect of suppressing ankle torsion is reliably obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the inclined push-up portion is in an airbag that is inflated by an inflating fluid upon a frontal collision of the vehicle, and is lower than the saddle-loading portion. And tethers for restricting the expansion of the inclined push-up portion are provided at a plurality of locations in the vehicle width direction of the space so that the height decreases as the distance from the heel toward the one side increases. In summary, the gutter mounting portion is inclined by the inclined push-up portion in which the expansion is restricted.

  According to the above configuration, the airbag is inflated by the inflation fluid at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Along with this, the inclined push-up part constituted by the space below the heel placing part in the airbag is also inflated, and the heel placing part is pushed up quickly. At this time, the expansion of the inclined push-up portion is restricted by the tether so that the height decreases as the distance from the heel toward the one side in the vehicle width direction increases. By the inclined push-up portion where the expansion is restricted, the eaves-loading portion is inclined so as to become lower as it moves away from the eaves to one side in the vehicle width direction in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. As described above, (i) the inclined push-up portion is configured by the space in the airbag that is inflated by the inflation fluid, and (ii) the expansion of the inclined push-up portion is regulated by a plurality of tethers. In this case, it is possible to quickly bring the heel mounting portion into an inclined state.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second or third aspect, at least a part of the foot stopper is configured by an airbag that is inflated by an inflating fluid in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. This is the gist.

  According to the above configuration, the airbag is inflated by the inflation fluid at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Accordingly, at least a part of the foot support portion, which is constituted by an airbag, quickly protrudes upward from the vicinity of the lowermost part of the tilted heel mounting portion, so that at least the heel of the foot on the inclined heel mounting portion is Take it. Thus, while having a simple configuration in which the airbag is used as at least a part of the foot receiving portion, at least the heel of the foot on the heel mounting portion in the inclined state can be quickly received by the foot receiving portion.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the gist of the invention according to claim 4, wherein the foot support part includes a plurality of inflating parts arranged in parallel in the vertical direction and inflated by the inflating fluid. To do.

  According to the above configuration, when a frontal collision of the vehicle occurs, the inflation fluid is supplied to the airbag, and the plurality of inflating portions arranged in parallel in the vertical direction are inflated. By expanding all the inflatable portions, even if the height of each inflatable portion when inflated is slightly high, the foot receiving portion becomes high as a whole, and a wider area of the occupant's feet can be received by the foot receiving portion.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the footrest mounting portion is disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the brake pedal, The gist of the inclined push-up part is to push up the saddle-loading part in a state where it is lowered so as to move away from the brake pedal in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle.

  In a vehicle, an accelerator pedal is usually arranged on one side of the brake pedal in the vehicle width direction. In addition, there are vehicles in which a footrest and a clutch pedal are arranged on the other side in the vehicle width direction. When these accelerator pedals, footrests, clutch pedals, and the like are used as foot rests, it is difficult to incline the saddle rests so that they become lower toward the brake pedal in the vehicle width direction. This is because the foot catcher provided near the lowermost part of the heel rest may interfere with the brake pedal.

  On the other hand, on the opposite side to the brake pedal with the heel mounting portion interposed therebetween, that is, on the side away from the brake pedal in the vehicle width direction with respect to the heel mounting portion, there is generally not provided anything that interferes with the foot catching portion. Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 6, the inclined push-up portion is provided in the vicinity of the lowermost portion of the saddle-loading portion by inclining the saddle-loading portion so as to become lower as the distance from the brake pedal in the vehicle width direction. It is possible to actuate the foot receiving portion that is provided without causing interference with other members including the brake pedal.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the main airbag according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the push-up portion is a main airbag inflated by an inflating fluid upon a frontal collision of the vehicle. In the main airbag, a flow for allowing the inflation fluid to flow out of the main airbag is provided in the vehicle airbag in the vehicle width direction of the main airbag. The gist of the invention is that an outlet is provided, and at least a part of the foot receiving portion is constituted by an auxiliary airbag that is inflated by the inflation fluid flowing out from the outlet.

  According to the above configuration, the main airbag is inflated by the inflation fluid at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. In the main airbag, the push-up portion, which is a portion located below the heel mounting portion, is also inflated, and the heel mounting portion is quickly pushed up. Along with this, the heel of the occupant's foot on the heel rest is also pushed up.

  Further, a part of the inflation fluid supplied to the main airbag flows out of the main airbag through an outflow port provided in the vehicle airbag in the vicinity of the saddle mount portion in the main airbag. The auxiliary airbag is inflated by the inflated fluid that has flowed out, and at least a part of the footrest holding portion that is configured by the auxiliary airbag protrudes to a position higher than the heel mounting portion pushed up by the push-up portion. The heel pushed up together with the heel mounting portion is received by the foot receiving portion.

  The invention according to claim 8 is summarized in that, in the invention according to claim 7, the auxiliary airbag is accommodated outside the main airbag before being inflated by the inflation fluid.

  According to said structure, the auxiliary | assistant airbag is located in the exterior of the main airbag from the stage before the expansion | swelling by an expansion fluid. Therefore, the auxiliary airbag does not need to jump out of the main airbag through the outlet in the course of its expansion, and the auxiliary airbag can be inflated at an early stage.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the auxiliary airbag is accommodated in the main airbag before being inflated by the inflation fluid, and is subjected to a frontal collision of the vehicle. The gist of the invention is that the inflation fluid jumps out of the main airbag through the outlet and inflates.

  According to the above configuration, at the time of a non-frontal collision of the vehicle, a part of the inner space of the main airbag is used as a space for arranging the auxiliary airbag, and the auxiliary airbag is accommodated inside the main airbag. Yes. Therefore, the space occupied by both the main airbag and the auxiliary airbag is small, and at the time of non-frontal collision, these main airbags and auxiliary airbags are placed on the footrest mounting portions and the footrest mounting portions. Hard to get in the way.

  At the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the pressure of the inflation fluid is applied to the auxiliary airbag in the process of inflating the main airbag by the inflation fluid. With this pressure, the auxiliary airbag is pushed out of the main airbag through the outlet. Further, part of the inflation fluid in the main airbag flows out from the outlet and flows into the auxiliary airbag. The auxiliary airbag is inflated by the inflowing inflation fluid. Here, if a narrow slit-shaped outlet is adopted as the outlet, the inflated thickness of the auxiliary airbag at the outlet and the vicinity thereof is regulated by the outlet. Therefore, the auxiliary airbag can be inflated even in a narrow space.

  According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, it is possible to reliably suppress dorsiflexion and twisting of the ankle of the front passenger in the frontal collision of the vehicle.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front (front of the vehicle), and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear (rear of the vehicle). Further, the left-right direction in the following description is the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and coincides with the left-right direction when the vehicle moves forward.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 5, a floor carpet 13 formed in accordance with the shape of the upper surface of the vehicle floor is laid on the vehicle floor constituting the bottom of the passenger compartment 11 of the vehicle body. Has been. In FIG. 5, the floor carpet 13 is not shown. A driver's seat 14 and a passenger seat (not shown) are juxtaposed in the vehicle width direction as front seats on the front portion on the vehicle floor. The driver's seat 14 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 15 that supports the lower body of the driver D (occupant) from the lower side, and a seat back that is disposed at the rear end portion of the seat cushion 15 and supports the upper body of the driver D from the rear side. (Backrest part) 16 and a headrest 17 disposed on the seat back 16 and supporting the head of the driver D from the rear side are configured.

  An instrument panel 18 in which meters and switches are incorporated is provided in the front part of the passenger compartment 11. A steering device for arbitrarily changing the traveling direction of the vehicle is provided near the front of the driver's seat 14 in the passenger compartment 11. A part of the steering device is configured by a steering wheel 19 which is a place where an operation by the driver D is performed.

  The engine room (not shown) and the vehicle compartment 11 are partitioned by a partition wall. A portion of the partition corresponding to the lower part of the instrument panel 18 constitutes a toe board 21. Various operation pedals such as an accelerator pedal 22 and a brake pedal 23 and a footrest 24 are arranged below the instrument panel 18 and in the vicinity of the rear of the toe board 21 (see FIG. 5). The positional relationship between these members is as follows. With the brake pedal 23 as a reference, the accelerator pedal 22 is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction (the vehicle outer side), and the footrest 24 is located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (the vehicle inner side). Under such an arrangement, in the first embodiment, the accelerator pedal 22 is used as a footrest mounting portion on which the foottip Pt of the right foot Fr is placed by the driver D (see FIG. 1) seated on the driver's seat 14. Yes. Further, the footrest 24 is a footrest placing portion on which the foottip Pt of the left foot Fl is placed by the driver D.

  In the floor carpet 13, a portion in the vicinity of the rear of the accelerator pedal 22 is a heel placing portion 25 for the right foot Fr. The heel placing portion 25 is a place where the driver D who places the foot Pt of the right foot Fr on the accelerator pedal 22 places the heel Ph. Similarly, in the floor carpet 13, the rear vicinity of the footrest 24 is a heel placing portion 26 for the left foot Fl (see FIG. 5). The heel placing portion 26 is a place where the driver D who places the foot tip Pt of the left foot Fl on the footrest 24 places the heel Ph.

In the passenger compartment 11, a seat belt device for restraining the driver D seated in the driver's seat 14 is provided, but the seat belt device is not shown in FIG.
When a toe board 21 and the above-mentioned toe-mounting part (accelerator pedal 22 and footrest 24) move to the vehicle rear side when a frontal collision is applied to the vehicle, the driver D's ankle Pa is bent and Equipped with an occupant protection device that protects against twisting.

  The occupant protection device includes an inflator 30 as an inflation fluid generation source, and an airbag 40 that is inflated by being supplied with an inflation gas G (see FIG. 6) as an inflation fluid generated by the inflator 30. The inflator 30 and the airbag 40 are disposed on the front side of the driver's seat 14 (hereinafter referred to as “driver's seat floor 41”) on the vehicle floor and between the floor carpet 13 and the upper floor carpet 13. ing.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 2, the inflator 30 has a long shape, and the driver's seat floor 41 is aligned with its axis line aligned with the vehicle width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2). The rear end of the driver seat 14 (seat cushion 15), more specifically, is disposed below the front end. The location where the inflator 30 is disposed is that (i) the inflator 30 is unlikely to obstruct the getting on and off of the driver D and driving operation (especially pedal operation), and (ii) the appearance is not impaired as much as possible. Because it satisfies. The inflator 30 is provided with a bracket 31, and the inflator 30 is fixed to the driver's seat floor 41 with bolts and nuts (not shown).

  There are a plurality of types of inflators 30 due to differences in the manner of generating the expansion gas G. Here, the inflator 30 called a pyrotype is used. Inside this type of inflator 30, a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates the expansion gas G is accommodated. A plurality of gas ejection holes 32 through which the expansion gas G generated by the gas generating agent is ejected are provided at a position inside the vehicle of the inflator 30.

  As the inflator 30, a type different from the pyro type may be used. Such types include a stored gas type in which a partition wall of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with a high-pressure expansion gas G is broken with explosives and the like, and a combination of both a pyro type and a stored gas type The hybrid type etc. are mentioned.

  On the other hand, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 and 3, the airbag 40 has a pair of base fabrics stacked one above the other (here, an outer base fabric 42 </ b> A for distinguishing from a tether base fabric described later). , 42B). In FIG. 2, for illustration of the lower outer base fabric 42 </ b> B, a part of the upper outer base fabric 42 </ b> A is shown in a broken state. Each of the outer base fabrics 42A and 42B is formed of a material that has high strength and is flexible and can be easily deformed, such as a woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like. The upper and lower outer base fabrics 42A and 42B have a size and shape that covers substantially the entire upper surface of the driver's seat floor 41 (see FIG. 1).

  The airbag 40 may be constituted by one outer base cloth in addition to the two outer base cloths 42A and 42B as described above. In this case, the outer base fabric having a predetermined shape is folded in two at the central portion.

  Both the outer base fabrics 42A and 42B are coupled in an airtight state at a peripheral coupling portion 43 provided at the peripheral portion thereof. In the first embodiment, the peripheral joint portion 43 is configured by sewing the peripheral portions of the outer base fabrics 42A and 42B mainly with sewing threads. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the peripheral joint 43 is indicated by a thick broken line. However, in FIG. 2, the peripheral joint portion 43 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in a portion shown by breaking a part of the upper outer base fabric 42 </ b> A. The peripheral joint portion 43 may be configured by means different from the sewing using the sewing thread, for example, bonding using an adhesive. In the airbag 40, the space surrounded by the peripheral edge coupling portion 43 (the region indicated by the collection of points in FIG. 3) is inflated by the inflation gas G. Therefore, the outer shape when the airbag 40 is inflated is generally determined by the peripheral edge coupling portion 43.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 and 5, a non-inflatable portion that is not inflated by the inflating gas G is provided at a position below the accelerator pedal 22, below the brake pedal 23, and below the footrest 24 in the airbag 40. 44 to 46 are provided. These non-expandable portions 44 to 46 are located at portions corresponding to the accelerator pedal 22, the brake pedal 23, and the footrest 24, rather than the peripheral portions of the upper and lower outer fabrics 42A and 42B. It is formed by entering inward (rear).

  In addition, as the non-expandable portions 44 to 46, notches may be provided at locations corresponding to the foot-tip mounting portions in the upper and lower outer base fabrics 42A and 42B. In this case, a notch is provided along the peripheral joint portion 43.

  The above-described “illustration of the peripheral joint portion 43 using a thick broken line and a two-dot chain line” and “joining using an adhesive instead of stitching” also apply to the inner joint portion 67 and the peripheral joint portion 71 described later. It is the same.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 7 (A), 7 (B) and 8 (A), 8 (B), the space S in the airbag 40 and below the right saddle rest 25 is formed. In the case of a frontal collision of the vehicle, it is a push-up unit that pushes up the eaves portion 25. More specifically, the space S is an inclined push-up portion 47 that pushes up the heel mounting portion 25 in an inclined state so as to become lower as it moves away from the heel Ph toward either side in the vehicle width direction. In the first embodiment, the inclined push-up portion 47 is set so as to be pushed up in a state in which the saddle-loading portion 25 is inclined so as to become lower from the brake pedal 23 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 8 (B)).

  Therefore, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 4 and 8A, 8B, a pair of upper and lower inner base fabrics 48A, 48B each having a planar rectangular shape are arranged in the space S. . The inner base fabrics 48A and 48B are formed of the same material as the outer base fabrics 42A and 42B. The upper inner fabric 48A is sewn to the upper outer fabric 42A of the airbag 40 with sewing threads. The lower inner base fabric 48B is sewn to the lower outer base fabric 42B of the airbag 40 with a sewing thread. Both the upper and lower sewing portions 49 formed by these sewing threads have a planar oval shape (see FIG. 4).

  The upper and lower inner base fabrics 48A and 48B are sewn together by sewing threads on the outer side in the vehicle width direction from the sewing portion 49. The stitched portion 51 by the sewing thread has a linear shape extending along the vehicle front-rear direction. Further, the upper and lower inner base fabrics 48A and 48B are sewn together with a sewing thread on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the sewing portion 49. The stitched portion 52 by the sewing thread has a linear shape extending along the vehicle front-rear direction. In the upper and lower inner base fabrics 48 </ b> A and 48 </ b> B, a portion sandwiched between the sewing portion 49 and the stitching portion 52 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is a tether 53 that regulates the expansion height of the inclined push-up portion 47. . Similarly, in the upper and lower inner base fabrics 48A and 48B, a portion sandwiched between the sewing portion 49 and the stitching portion 51 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is a tether 54 that regulates the expansion height of the inclined push-up portion 47. It has become.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the airbag 40 in a non-inflated state, the distance between the sewn portion 49 and the stitched portion 52 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is D1, and the sewn portion 49 If the distance between the stitching portion 51 and the outer stitching portion 51 in the vehicle width direction is D2, in the first embodiment, the positions in the vehicle width direction of the stitching portions 51 and 52 in both tethers 53 and 54 are set so that D1> D2. Has been. By the two tethers 53 and 54 set in this way, the expansion of the inclined push-up portion 47 is regulated so as to become lower as it goes away from the tether 53 in the vehicle width direction. The height of the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the inclined push-up portion 47 is regulated by the tether 53 to “D1 × 2”. Further, the height of the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the inclined push-up portion 47 is restricted to “D2 × 2” by the tether 54.

  In the airbag 40, a portion 40 </ b> A that is near the outside in the vehicle width direction with respect to the inclined push-up portion 47 constitutes a part of the foot support portion 55. The remaining part of the foot catch portion 55 is constituted by a location 27 that contacts the location 40 </ b> A of the airbag 40 in the floor carpet 13. The surface 27 </ b> A of the portion 27 constitutes the surface on the driver D side of the foot support portion 55, and is continuous with the surface 25 </ b> A on the driver D side of the footrest portion 25. Thus, since the surface 27A of the location 27 and the surface 25A of the heel mounting portion 25 are continuous, there is no gap between the surfaces 27A and 25A.

  The function performed by the foot catcher 55 is to catch at least the heel Ph of the right foot Fr pushed up together with the heel rest 25 from one side (outer side) in the vehicle width direction. In order to realize this function, the foot catcher 55 is moved upward from the vicinity of the lowermost portion 56 in the tilted saddle mount 25 in the case of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Projects to a position higher than the portion 25. And the width | variety about the vehicle width direction of the foot support part 55 at the time of the non-inflation of the airbag 40 is set sufficiently wide (refer FIG. 4).

  Also, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 to 4, in the airbag 40, the space below the saddle placing portion 26 on the inner side (left side) in the vehicle width direction is placed on the saddle when a frontal collision of the vehicle occurs. This is a push-up portion that pushes up the portion 26. More specifically, the space is tilted and pushed up in a state in which the saddle placing portion 26 is inclined so as to become lower as it moves away from the kite Ph to either one side in the vehicle width direction (in the first embodiment, the vehicle width direction inside). A raising portion 57 is provided. In the first embodiment, the inclined push-up portion 57 is set so as to be pushed up in a state in which the saddle-loading portion 25 is inclined so as to become lower from the brake pedal 23 (see FIG. 5) as a reference and away from the inside in the vehicle width direction. Has been. This inclined state is opposite to the inclined state by the inclined push-up portion 47 across the brake pedal 23. Further, in the airbag 40, a foot retainer 58 is configured by a portion 40B near the inside in the vehicle width direction with respect to the inclined push-up portion 57 and a portion (not shown) in contact with the portion 40B on the floor carpet 13. ing.

  The surface of the above-mentioned portion in the floor carpet 13 constitutes the surface on the driver D side of the foot support portion 58 and is continuous with the surface on the driver D side of the footrest portion 26. The foot support portion 55 described above. This is similar to the point that the surface 27 </ b> A is continuous with the surface 25 </ b> A of the heel mounting portion 25.

  Further, a tubular gas supply unit 61 is provided at the rear portion of the airbag 40 and at the center in the vehicle width direction. A part of the inflator 30 including the gas ejection hole 32 (a part inside the vehicle) is inserted into the gas supply unit 61. The gas supply unit 61 is fastened and fixed in an airtight state to the inflator 30 by a fastener 73 such as a fastening band disposed on the outside thereof. The entire inflator 30 may be disposed in the airbag 40.

  In the airbag 40, a pair of gas inflow blocking portions 62 and 63 that block inflow of the inflation gas G are provided in front of the gas supply portion 61 in a state of being arranged in the vehicle width direction. In the airbag 40, the space outside the gas inflow prevention portion 62 in the vehicle width direction and the space between the gas inflow prevention portions 62 and 63 mainly include the inclined push-up portion 47 and the inflation gas G from the inflator 30. Gas flow paths 64 and 65 for guiding to the foot receiving portion 55 are formed. Further, in the air bag 40, the space on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the gas inflow prevention portion 63 is a gas flow channel 66 for guiding the inflation gas G from the inflator 30 mainly to the inclined push-up portion 57 and the foot catching portion 58. It has become. In the first embodiment, both the outer base fabrics 42A and 42B are coupled in an airtight state by a pair of endless inner coupling portions 67 provided on the inner side of the peripheral edge coupling portion 43. The gas inflow blocking portions 62 and 63 are configured by the coupling portion 67. Each inner coupling portion 67 is configured by sewing both outer base fabrics 42A and 42B with sewing threads. Note that an opening may be provided at a location surrounded by the inner coupling portion 67 in both outer base fabrics 42A and 42B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, an inner tube 68 is disposed in the rear portion of the airbag 40 including the gas supply unit 61. The inner tube 68 is a member that functions as a gas distributor that distributes the expansion gas G ejected from the gas ejection holes 32 of the inflator 30 to the gas flow paths 64 to 66. Like the airbag 40, the inner tube 68 is formed by sewing one or two base fabrics made of woven fabric or the like. In FIG. 6, one base fabric 69 is folded in half at the central portion and joined in a bag shape by a peripheral joint portion 71 provided at the peripheral portion thereof. In the inner tube 68, outlet ports 72 are opened at locations facing the gas flow paths 64 to 66. The inner tube 68 is fastened and fixed to the inflator 30 together with the gas supply unit 61 by the fastener 73 in an airtight state.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the airbag 40 is used for a driver's seat at a plurality of locations in the airbag 40 that are not involved in inflation, for example, the non-inflating portions 44 to 46, the gas inflow blocking portions 62 and 63. A mounting hole 74 used for fixing to the floor 41 is formed. Bolts are inserted into the mounting holes 74, and nuts are fastened to the bolts, whereby the airbag 40 is fixed to the driver's seat floor 41.

  The occupant protection device further includes an impact sensor 75 and a control device 76. The impact sensor 75 includes an acceleration sensor or the like, and detects an impact applied to the vehicle from the front. The control device 76 controls the operation of the inflator 30 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 75.

  The occupant protection device according to the first embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation of this occupant protection device will be described. Here, only the action of protecting the right foot Fr by the footrest portion 25 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, the inclined push-up portion 47, the foot catching portion 55, etc. will be described. The same applies to the action of protecting the left foot Fl by the portion 57, the foot catching portion 58 and the like.

  When the vehicle is traveling, the control device 76 does not output a command signal for operating the inflator 30. Therefore, the inflation gas G is not ejected from the inflator 30, and the airbag 40 is not inflated and maintains a flat state. At this time, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 5 and 7A, the driver D places the toe Pt of the right foot Fr on the toe placing portion (accelerator pedal 22), and the heel Ph on the floor carpet 13. Is mounted on the heel mounting portion 25.

  When a frontal collision occurs while the vehicle is running, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 (B), the toe board 21, the foot rest (accelerator pedal 22), etc. may move to the vehicle rear side due to the impact at the time of the collision. is there. In addition, the dashed-two dotted line in 7 (B) has shown the state of each part before a frontal collision generate | occur | produces. Along with these movements, there are cases where a moment in the front-rear direction and a moment in the vehicle width direction act on the right foot Fr as a fulcrum. These moments cause dorsiflexion and torsion in the ankle Pa of the right foot Fr.

  On the other hand, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the vehicle from the front due to the frontal collision, and this is detected by the impact sensor 75, the occupant protection device causes the control device 76 to the inflator 30 based on the detection signal. A command signal for operating this is output. In response to this command signal, the inflator 30 generates the expansion gas G by the gas generating agent. As shown in FIG. 6, the expansion gas G is ejected from the gas ejection holes 32 into the inner tube 68, flows through the inner tube 68, exits from each outlet 72, and has three gas flow paths 64. Distributed to ~ 66.

  A part of the expansion gas G that has flowed through the gas flow paths 64 to 66 flows into the inclined push-up portion 47 and the foot support portion 55. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 7 (B) and 8 (B), the inclined push-up portion 47 is expanded by the expansion gas G, and accordingly, the heel mounting portion 25 of the floor carpet 13 and the right foot thereon. Fr 踵 Ph is pushed up quickly. However, the expansion gas G is not supplied to the non-expandable portion 44 provided in the vicinity of the front side of the saddle placement portion 25, and the non-expandable portion 44 does not expand. On the right foot Fr, the lifting force due to the expansion of the inclined pushing-up portion 47 acts only on the heel Ph or the vicinity thereof through the heel mounting portion 25. Therefore, the ankle Pa of the right foot Fr is pushed up while maintaining the ankle angle α. In the right foot Fr of the driver D, a phenomenon in which a portion other than 踵 Ph is directly pushed up hardly occurs. Therefore, even if the toe board 21, the toe mounting portion (accelerator pedal 22) and the like move to the vehicle rear side due to the impact at the time of collision and the moment in the front-rear direction with the heel Ph as a fulcrum acts on the right foot Fr, The phenomenon that the ankle angle α becomes narrow (ankle Pa dorsiflexion) hardly occurs.

  Further, the expansion of the inclined push-up portion 47 due to the inflow of the expansion gas G is separated from the bag Ph to one side (outside) in the vehicle width direction by the tethers 53 and 54 provided at a plurality of locations in the vehicle width direction. It is regulated so that the height becomes lower. By the inclined push-up portion 47 in which the expansion is restricted, the saddle-loading portion 25 is inclined so as to become lower as it moves away from the saddle Ph toward the one side in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Due to the inclination of the heel mounting portion 25, a moment toward the lower side of the heel mounting portion 25 acts on the upper right foot Fr with the heel Ph as a fulcrum. As described above, a moment directed only in one specific direction in the vehicle width direction acts on the right foot Fr. By this moment, the right foot Fr is forcibly tilted toward the lower side (outer side in the vehicle width direction) of the heel mounting portion 25 with the heel Ph as a fulcrum. The side on which the right foot Fr is tilted is the side closer to the foot catcher 55, and the right foot Fr is not tilted to the opposite side (the side away from the foot catcher 55).

  On the other hand, due to the inflow of the expansion gas G, the foot support portion 55 expands from the vicinity of the lowermost portion 56 in the tilted heel mounting portion 25 and protrudes upward. This protrusion protrudes to a position where the foot support part 55 is higher than the heel rest part 25 pushed up by the inclined push-up part 47. As described above, the foot catcher 55 catches at least the heel Ph of the right foot Fr on the heel rest 25 that is pushed up and tilted together with the heel rest 25 from the tilted side. Here, 踵 Ph is a location that becomes a fulcrum when the right foot Fr is twisted by a moment in the vehicle width direction. Since the moment in the vehicle width direction is received at least at the heel Ph, the moment is received more efficiently than when only the foot tip Pt is received. Further, the foot catching portion 55 is located between the vicinity of the lowermost portion 56 of the tilted heel placing portion 25 and a position higher than that (here, a position higher than 踵 Ph). A wider region of the right foot Fr is received from the side than when only the foot tip Pt is received.

  Further, since the surface 27A on the driver D side of the foot catch portion 55 is formed continuously with the surface 25A on the driver D side of the footrest portion 25, there is no gap between both surfaces 27A and 25A. . Therefore, unlike Patent Document 3, the phenomenon that the outer edge portion of the right foot Fr enters the gap does not occur.

  Here, when the airbag 40 is inflated, it is conceivable to incline the heel mounting portion 25 so as to become lower toward the brake pedal 23 in the vehicle width direction, but it is difficult to realize. This is because the foot catching portion 55 provided near the lowermost portion 56 of the heel placing portion 25 may interfere with the brake pedal 23.

  On the other hand, on the side opposite to the brake pedal 23 with respect to the footrest portion 25, that is, on the side away from the brake pedal 23 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the footrest portion 25, it usually interferes with the foot rest portion 55. No member is provided. For this reason, in the first embodiment in which the heel mounting portion 25 is inclined by the inclined push-up portion 47 so as to become lower with increasing distance from the brake pedal 23 in the vehicle width direction, the foot support portion 55 and other members including the brake pedal 23 Does not interfere.

  Note that, when the airbag 40 is inflated, the airbag 40 tends to rise from the driver's seat floor 41. However, the airbag 40 is fixed to the driver's seat floor 41 at attachment holes 74 provided at a plurality of locations. For this reason, the above-described lifting of the airbag 40 from the driver seat floor 41 is suppressed.

According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) As an occupant protection device, a push-up portion (inclined push-up portion 47, 57) that pushes up the heel mounting portions 25, 26 in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, and a position higher than the raised heel mounting portions 25, 26 The thing provided with the leg receiving part 55 and 58 which protrudes is used. Then, at least the heel Ph of the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl pushed up together with the heel placing portions 25 and 26 is received by the foot receiving portions 55 and 58 from one side in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the surface 27A on the driver D side of the foot catching portions 55 and 58 is made to be continuous with the surface 25A on the driver D side of the footrest portions 25 and 26. Therefore, the dorsiflexion and torsion of the ankle Pa are greater than those of the occupant protection devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, and more than the occupant protection device of Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 combined with Patent Document 3. It can be surely suppressed.

  (2) The lifting portion is configured by the inclined lifting portions 47 and 57, and the saddle-loading portions 25 and 26 are lowered so as to become lower as they move away from the saddle Ph toward one side in the vehicle width direction in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. It pushes up in an inclined state. Therefore, the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl of the driver D can be forcibly tilted toward the foot support portions 55 and 58 by the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57.

  Further, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the foot support portions 55 and 58 are protruded upward from the vicinity of the lowermost portion 56 in the leaning portions 25 and 26 in the inclined state. Then, at least each heel Ph of the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl that are pushed up and inclined together with the heel placing portions 25 and 26 is received by the foot receiving portions 55 and 58. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ankle Pa of the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl that are forcibly tilted from being twisted.

  Thus, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl of the driver D can be received by the foot support portions 55 and 58 without exception, and the effect of suppressing the torsion of the ankle Pa is further ensured. be able to.

  (3) The inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 are constituted by the space S below the heel mounting portions 25 and 26 in the airbag 40 inflated by the inflation gas G. Tethers 53 and 54 for restricting expansion of the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 are provided at a plurality of locations in the vehicle width direction of the space S so that the height decreases as the distance from the kite Ph increases to one side in the vehicle width direction. ing. Then, the heel mounting portions 25 and 26 are inclined by the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 whose expansion is restricted by the tethers 53 and 54.

  As described above, (i) the airbag 40 that is inflated by the inflation gas G is used, and a part thereof (the internal space S) is used as the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57. (ii) By the plurality of tethers 53 and 54 Although the configuration is simple, such as restricting the expansion of the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57, it is possible to quickly bring the heel mounting portions 25 and 26 into the inclined state.

  (4) In the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the foot retainer 55 is constituted by a part (location 40A) of the airbag 40 that is inflated by the inflation gas G and a location 27 that contacts the part (location 40A) on the floor carpet 13. , 58. While having such a simple configuration, the foot catching portions 55 and 58 can be rapidly projected upward from the vicinity of the lowermost portion 56 of the inclined heel mounting portions 25 and 26 by the expansion, and the inclined ridge mounting At least each heel Ph of the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl on the portions 25 and 26 can be quickly received by the foot receiving portions 55 and 58.

  (5) The accelerator pedal 22 and the footrest 24 disposed on both sides in the vehicle width direction with the brake pedal 23 as a reference are used as the foot rests. The inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 are pushed up in a state in which the saddle-loading portions 25 and 26 are inclined so that the distance from the brake pedal 23 decreases in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Therefore, the foot support portions 55 and 58 provided in the vicinity of the lowermost portion 56 of the heel mounting portions 25 and 26 can be operated (expanded) without causing interference with other members including the brake pedal 23.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The major difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the foot support portion 55 is constituted by a pair of inflating portions 81 and 82 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and these inflating portions 81 are provided at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. , 82 are expanded by the expansion gas G.

  At this time, when both the expanding portions 81 and 82 are expanded by the expansion gas G from the single inflator 30, the both expanding portions 81 and 82 are communicated with each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a communication location 84 may be set at the vehicle front end of each of the inflating portions 81 and 82. In this case, the vertically inflating portions 81 and 82 are connected by means such as sewing. The code | symbol 83 in FIG. 9 has shown the sewing part by a sewing thread.

  In this way, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the inflation gas G is supplied to the airbag 40, and the pair of inflating portions 81 and 82 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction are inflated. The approximate height of the foot catcher 55 from the driver seat floor 41 is obtained by adding the height of the inflating part 81 to the height of the inflating part 82 and is higher than that of the first embodiment.

Although not shown, the foot retainer 58 can be modified in the same manner as described above.
Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the same effects as (1) to (5) described above can be obtained, and the following effects can also be obtained.

  (6) A pair of inflating portions 81 and 82 that are juxtaposed in the vertical direction and inflated by the inflating gas G constitute at least a part of the foot support portions 55 and 58. For this reason, even if the height at the time of expansion of each expansion part 81 and 82 is slight, the height of the foot catching parts 55 and 58 as a whole can be increased, and a wider area of the right foot Fr and the left foot Fl of the driver D in the vehicle width direction. Can be received by the foot receiving portions 55 and 58 from one of the two.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 focusing on differences from the first embodiment. 12 and 13A show a state when the occupant protection device is not in operation, and FIG. 13B shows a state when the occupant protection device is in operation.

  A main airbag 85 is disposed between the driver seat floor 41 and the floor carpet 13. The main airbag 85 corresponds to the airbag 40 of the first and second embodiments. The upper base fabric 86A and the lower base fabric 86B are overlapped, and the peripheral portions thereof are peripheral connection portions. It is formed by bonding with 43. The main airbag 85 is inflated by supplying the inflating gas G ejected from the inflator 30 (see FIG. 13B). The space inside the main airbag 85 and below the saddle placement portion 25 is inflated by the inflation gas G in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, so that the saddle placement portion 25 of the floor carpet 13 is in a substantially horizontal state. A push-up part 87 is pushed up.

  In the base fabric 86A on the upper side of the main airbag 85, an outlet 88 for allowing the inflation gas G to flow out to the outside of the main airbag 85 is provided in the vicinity of the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the heel mounting portion 25. It has been. In 3rd Embodiment, the slit extended in the front-back direction is put in the said location, and the outflow port 88 is comprised by this slit.

  An auxiliary airbag 89 having an inflow port 90 for the inflation gas G at its lower end is accommodated at a location between the floor carpet 13 and the main airbag 85 in the vicinity of the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the saddle mount portion 25. At the time of this accommodation, the auxiliary airbag 89 is disposed with its own inflow port 90 positioned on the lower side (see FIG. 13A). The peripheral edge portion of the inflow port 90 in the auxiliary airbag 89 is coupled to the base fabric 86 </ b> A on the upper side of the main airbag 85 around the outflow port 88. Here, the peripheral edge portion of the auxiliary airbag 89 is sewn to the main airbag 85 with a sewing thread. Reference numeral 89 </ b> A in FIGS. 12 and 13 indicates a sewn portion of the auxiliary airbag 89 with respect to the main airbag 85. The auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated by the inflation gas G flowing from the inflow port 90 (see FIG. 13B). The auxiliary air bag 89 in an inflated state is thin in the vehicle width direction, and has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction. The auxiliary airbag 89 may be accommodated in a folded state before being inflated, or may be accommodated in an unfolded state.

  The inflated auxiliary airbag 89 and the portion 91 in contact with the auxiliary airbag 89 on the floor carpet 13 constitute a foot stopper 92. The foot catcher 92 protrudes to a position higher than the heel placing portion 25 pushed up by the push-up portion 87 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, and at least 踵 Ph of the right foot Fr pushed up together with the heel placing portion 25 is set to the vehicle width. Take from the outside about the direction.

  The surface 91 </ b> A of the location 91 constitutes the surface on the driver D side of the foot support portion 92, and is continuous with the surface 25 </ b> A on the driver D side of the footrest portion 25. Due to this continuous formation, no gap is formed between the both surfaces 91A and 25A.

  A portion having a substantially line-symmetrical relationship with respect to the push-up portion 87 and the foot support portion 55 with respect to the non-inflatable portion 45 is provided with a push-up portion 93 and a foot for suppressing dorsiflexion and valgus of the left foot Fl. A receiving part 94 is provided. The left foot Fl push-up portion 93 and foot retainer 94 have the same structure as the right foot Fr push-up portion 87 and foot retainer 92 described above. The foot catching portion 94 is configured by an auxiliary airbag 95 similar to the auxiliary airbag 89 and a portion in contact with the auxiliary airbag 95 on the floor carpet 13.

Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same parts and members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
Next, the operation of the occupant protection device having the above configuration will be described. Here, only the function of protecting the right foot Fr by the heel mounting portion 25, the push-up portion 87, the foot catching portion 92, etc. on the outer side in the vehicle width direction will be described. The same applies to the action of protecting the left foot Fl by the foot catching portion 94 or the like.

  When the vehicle travels, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13A, the control device 76 does not output a command signal for operating the inflator 30. Therefore, the inflation gas G is not supplied from the inflator 30 to the main airbag 85, and therefore the main airbag 85 does not expand and remains flat. Accordingly, the inflation gas G is not supplied to the auxiliary airbag 89, and the auxiliary airbag 89 maintains a substantially flat accommodation state on the main airbag 85. For this reason, the floor carpet 13 is located near the upper side of the driver's seat floor 41. At this time, the driver D places the toe Pt of the right foot Fr on the toe placing part (accelerator pedal 22) and places the heel Ph on the heel placing part 25 of the floor carpet 13.

  When a frontal collision occurs while the vehicle is running, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 (B), the toe board 21, the foot rest (accelerator pedal 22), etc. may move to the vehicle rear side due to the impact at the time of the collision. is there.

  On the other hand, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the vehicle from the front due to the frontal collision, and this is detected by the impact sensor 75, the occupant protection device causes the control device 76 to the inflator 30 based on the detection signal. A command signal for operating this is output. In response to this command signal, the inflation gas G is supplied from the inflator 30 into the main airbag 85.

  With the supplied inflation gas G, in the main airbag 85, at least the push-up portion 87 and a portion in the vicinity of the portion that is on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the push-up portion 87 are inflated. Along with this, on the floor carpet 13, the portion in contact with the inflated portion of the main airbag 85 (the push-up portion 87 and the side vicinity thereof) is pushed up substantially horizontally. Since the above portion includes the heel placing portion 25, the right foot Fr on the heel placing portion 25 is also pushed up.

  On the right foot Fr, the lifting force due to the expansion of the lifting portion 87 acts only on the heel Ph or its vicinity through the heel placing portion 25. Therefore, the ankle Pa of the right foot Fr is pushed up while maintaining the ankle angle α (see FIG. 7B). In the right foot Fr of the driver D, a phenomenon in which a portion other than 踵 Ph is directly pushed up hardly occurs. Therefore, even if the toe board 21, the toe mounting portion (accelerator pedal 22), etc. move to the vehicle rear side due to the impact at the time of the collision, and the moment in the front-rear direction acts on the right foot Fr, the ankle angle α becomes narrower. The phenomenon (ankle dorsiflexion) is unlikely to occur.

  Further, a part of the inflation gas G supplied to the main airbag 85 passes through an outlet 88 provided on the base fabric 86A on the upper side of the main airbag 85 in the vicinity of the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the saddle rest portion 25. It flows out of the main airbag 85. The inflation gas G flows into the auxiliary airbag 89 accommodated between the main airbag 85 and the floor carpet 13 and inflates the auxiliary airbag 89. As a result of this expansion, the foot stopper 92 comprising the auxiliary airbag 89 and the portion 91 in contact with the auxiliary airbag 89 on the floor carpet 13 protrudes to a position higher than the heel mounting portion 25 pushed up by the push-up portion 87. To do.

  Here, the auxiliary airbag 89 is located outside (upper side) of the main airbag 85 from the stage before the inflation with the inflation gas G. Therefore, the auxiliary airbag 89 does not need to jump out of the main airbag 85 through the outlet 88 in the process of its expansion, and the auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated early.

  Then, at least the heel Ph of the right foot Fr pushed up together with the heel placing portion 25 is received from one side (outer side) in the vehicle width direction by the foot receiving portion 92. At this time, the foot catching portion 92 is located between the heel placing portion 25 and a position higher than the heel placing portion 25 (position higher than the heel Ph), and has a wider area of the right foot Fr than when only the foot tip Pt is received. Take it. Therefore, the twist of the ankle Pa is efficiently suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the surface 91A on the driver D side of the foot support portion 92 is formed continuously with the surface 25A on the driver D side of the footrest portion 25, a gap is formed between both surfaces 91A and 25A. Therefore, the outer edge portion of the right foot Fr enters the gap and the ankle Pa is not twisted.

  Therefore, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the above (1), the following effects can be obtained. Here, only the effects of the heel placing portion 25, the pushing-up portion 87, the foot catching portion 92, etc. on the outer side in the vehicle width direction will be described, but the heel placing portion 26, the pushing-up portion 93, and the foot catching portion 94 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction will be described. The same applies to the effects of the above.

  (7) The push-up portion 87 is configured by a portion of the main airbag 85 in an inflated state that is positioned below the heel mounting portion 25. Further, in the main airbag 85, an outlet 88 for flowing out the inflation gas G to the outside of the main airbag 85 is provided in the vehicle width direction vicinity of the heel mounting portion 25, and the inflation gas G is inflated by the inflation gas G. An auxiliary airbag 89 is provided. The auxiliary airbag 89 and the portion 91 that contacts the auxiliary airbag 89 on the floor carpet 13 constitute a foot support 92 (see FIG. 13B). For this reason, the push-up portion 87 and the foot catching portion 92 can be established, and the surface 91A on the driver D side of the foot catching portion 92 can be made continuous with the surface 25A on the driver D side of the footrest portion 25. Thus, the effect (1) described above that reliably suppresses dorsiflexion and twisting of the ankle Pa can be achieved.

  (8) The auxiliary airbag 89 is accommodated outside (upper side) of the main airbag 85 before the inflation with the inflation gas G (see FIG. 13A). Therefore, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated early to form the foot catching portion 92, and the right foot Fr can be reliably prevented from being twisted.

  (9) Whether the auxiliary airbag 89 is folded or not folded, the operation is performed outside the main airbag 85. Because it is a work in a large space, it is easy to work.

Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
<Matters related to the second embodiment>
-Three or more inflating parts may be provided on condition that the inflating parts are juxtaposed in the vertical direction and are inflated by the inflating gas G, respectively.

  A plurality of inflators may be used, and the expansion gas G may be supplied from the different inflators to the respective expansion portions 81 and 82. In this case, the number of inflators is the same as or less than the number of inflatable portions. In the case of the same number, the inflator and the expansion part are associated with each other one to one, and the expansion gas G is supplied from each inflator to the corresponding expansion part.

<Matters concerning the third embodiment>
-You may accommodate the auxiliary | assistant airbag 89 before the expansion | swelling by the gas G for expansion | swelling in the location different from 3rd Embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, a part of the internal space of the main airbag 85 is used as a space for arranging the auxiliary airbag 89, and the auxiliary airbag 89 is accommodated in the main airbag 85. May be.

  In this way, the installation space for the main airbag 85 and the auxiliary airbag 89 can be reduced during a non-frontal collision of the vehicle, and the main airbag 85 and the auxiliary airbag 89 can be placed on the footrest mounting portion (accelerator pedal 22, The footrest 24 or the like) and the toe Pt placed on the toe-mounting part thereof are not easily obstructed.

  Further, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the pressure of the inflation gas G is applied to the auxiliary airbag 89 in the process in which the main airbag 85 is inflated by the inflation gas G. With this pressure, the auxiliary airbag 89 is pushed out of the main airbag 85 through the outlet 88 as shown in FIG. Further, a part of the inflation gas G in the main airbag 85 flows out from the outlet 88 and flows into the auxiliary airbag 89. The auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated by the inflowing inflation gas G. In the state in which the auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated, the relationship between the front and back is opposite to that when the auxiliary airbag 89 is accommodated in the main airbag 85. Here, if an outlet 88 having a narrow slit shape is adopted, the outlet 88 regulates the inflated thickness of the outlet 88 and the auxiliary airbag 89 in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, the auxiliary airbag 89 can be inflated even in a narrow space.

  The auxiliary airbag 89 may be inflated on both sides of the right foot Fr in the vehicle width direction, and in addition to or instead of this, the auxiliary airbag 89 may be inflated on both sides of the left foot Fl in the vehicle width direction. . 15 and 16 show an example in which the auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated on both sides of the right foot Fr in the vehicle width direction. In this way, if the auxiliary airbag 89 is inflated on both sides of the right foot Fr in the vehicle width direction, the right foot Fr becomes difficult to move in any direction in the vehicle width direction. Can be more reliably suppressed.

  In the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 are provided as push-up portions. Then, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, it may be pushed up in a state where the eaves mounting portions 25 and 26 are inclined so as to become lower as they move away from either side of the eaves Ph in the vehicle width direction.

<Matters common to the first and second embodiments>
If the vehicle does not cause interference with the foot pedals 55 and 58 and the brake pedal 23, or if the interference can be avoided by another means, the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 can You may make it push up in the state which inclined the saddle-loading parts 25 and 26 so that it may become so low that it approaches the brake pedal 23 about.

  In this connection, one of the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 is pushed up in a state where the saddle-loading portions 25 and 26 are inclined so as to become lower toward the brake pedal 23 in the vehicle width direction. May be pushed up in a state in which the saddle-loading portions 25 and 26 are inclined so that the distance from the brake pedal 23 becomes lower in the vehicle width direction.

  The inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 may be configured by means different from the airbag 40. For example, a combination of a push-up plate and an actuator is used as an inclined push-up portion, and this is disposed below the saddle mount portions 25 and 26. Then, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the actuator may be operated to raise the push-up plate to push up the saddle-loading portions 25 and 26 in an inclined state.

  A tether may be provided at three or more locations in the vehicle width direction of the space S. However, in this case, the length (height) according to the tether expansion restriction is set so that the height of the inclined push-up portions 47 and 57 decreases as the distance from the bag Ph toward the one side in the vehicle width direction.

<Matters common to the first to third embodiments>
-In a vehicle equipped with a clutch pedal, the clutch pedal may be used as a foot rest.
-A footrest mounting part is a location where the front seat occupant mounts the foottip Pt when the vehicle travels. Therefore, in a vehicle having such a place in the passenger seat as well as the driver's seat, this place may be used as a footrest mounting portion and the occupant protection device of the present invention may be applied. In this case, for example, the toe board 21 may be used as the footrest mounting portion.

-Instead of the floor carpet 13, a part of the airbag 40 (upper outer fabric 42A) may be used as the ridges 25 and 26.
The occupant protection device of the present invention can be applied to a vehicle in which a sheet made of resin or the like is laid on the floor instead of the floor carpet, or a vehicle that is not laid on the floor at all. In the latter case, the occupant protection device may be used in an exposed state, or may be used in a state hidden by a floor mat or the like.

  The airbag 40, the main airbag 85, and the auxiliary airbags 89 and 95 may be inflated by a different type of inflation fluid from the inflation gas. In this case, a source different from the inflator 30 is used as an inflation fluid generation source for supplying inflation fluid to the airbag 40 or the like.

1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle occupant protection device according to a first embodiment that embodies the present invention, with a part thereof broken away. The top view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of airbag about the passenger | crew protection apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The top view which shows the inflation area | region of an airbag about the passenger | crew protection apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The top view which shows the state which removed the outer base fabric of the upper side of an airbag about the passenger | crew protection apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The partial top view which shows the front part of the airbag in 1st Embodiment. The partial top view which shows the rear part of the passenger | crew protection apparatus in 1st Embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment, (A) is a sectional side view which shows the relationship between an accelerator pedal and a right foot at the time of non-operation of a passenger protection device, (B) is an accelerator pedal and a right foot at the time of operation of a passenger protection device. FIG. It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment, (A) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of non-operation of a passenger protection device with a right foot, (B) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of operation of a passenger protection device with a right foot . In the second embodiment embodying the present invention, a partial plan view of an occupant protection device in which a foot retainer is configured by a pair of upper and lower inflatable portions. In 2nd Embodiment, it is a figure which shows the state of the foot support part at the time of the non-operation of a passenger | crew protection apparatus, and sectional drawing which shows the cross-section along the XX line of FIG. In 2nd Embodiment, the schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of the action | operation of a passenger | crew protection device with a right leg. The top view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of airbag about the passenger | crew protection device in 3rd Embodiment which actualized this invention. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment, (A) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of non-operation of a passenger protection device with a right foot, (B) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of operation of a passenger protection device with a right foot . It is a figure which shows another embodiment which accommodated the auxiliary | assistant airbag in the inside of the main airbag, (A) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of non-operation of a passenger protection device with a right leg, (B) is a passenger protection device. The schematic sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of action | operation of a with a right leg. The fragmentary top view of the passenger | crew protection apparatus which shows another embodiment made to inflate an auxiliary | assistant airbag on the vehicle width direction both sides of a right leg. The schematic sectional drawing which shows a state when the passenger | crew protection device of FIG. 15 act | operates with a right foot.

Explanation of symbols

  13 ... Floor carpet, 14 ... Driver's seat (front seat), 22 ... Accelerator pedal (toe mounting portion), 23 ... Brake pedal, 24 ... Footrest (toe mounting portion), 25, 26 ... Saddle mounting portion, 25A, 27A, 91A ... surface, 40 ... airbag, 47,57 ... inclined push-up part (push-up part), 53, 54 ... tether, 55, 58, 92, 94 ... foot rest part, 56 ... bottom part, 81, 82 ... Inflatable part, 85 ... Main airbag, 87, 93 ... Push-up part, 88 ... Outlet, 89, 95 ... Auxiliary airbag, D ... Driver (occupant), Fr ... Right foot (foot), Fl ... Left foot (Foot), G ... Expansion gas (expansion fluid), Ph ... Spear, Pt ... Foot tip, S ... Space.

Claims (9)

The heel mounting portion on which the heel of the occupant's foot is mounted and the toe mounting portion on which the foot of the same foot is mounted are applied to a vehicle provided in front of the front seat,
In the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle,
At the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, at least one of the legs that protrudes to a position higher than the heel placing portion pushed up by the raising portion and is pushed up together with the heel placing portion in the vehicle width direction. With a foot catching part that catches from
The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein a surface on the occupant side of the foot support portion is formed continuously with a surface on the occupant side of the saddle rest portion. The push-up part is composed of an inclined push-up part that pushes up in a state where the eaves-mounting part is inclined so as to become lower as it moves away from the eaves to any one side in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle,
The foot catching portion is configured to catch at least the heel of the foot that protrudes upward from the vicinity of the lowermost portion of the heel placing portion in an inclined state and is pushed up together with the heel placing portion in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1. The inclined push-up portion is configured by a space below the saddle placement portion in an airbag that is inflated by an inflating fluid upon a frontal collision of the vehicle,
A plurality of locations in the vehicle width direction of the space are provided with tethers that regulate the expansion of the inclined push-up part so that the height decreases as the distance from the bag toward the one side increases.
The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein the heel mounting portion is inclined by the inclined push-up portion in which the expansion is restricted. 4. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of the foot support portion is configured by an airbag that is inflated by an inflating fluid in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. 5. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 4, wherein the foot support portion includes a plurality of inflating portions that are juxtaposed in the vertical direction and that are respectively inflated by the inflating fluid. The footrest mounting portion is disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the brake pedal,
The said inclination pushing-up part pushes up in the state which inclined the saddle-loading part so that it may become so low that it distances from the said brake pedal about the vehicle width direction at the time of the front collision of the said vehicle. The vehicle occupant protection device described. The push-up part is a main airbag inflated by an inflating fluid at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, and is configured by a part below the saddle-loading part,
In the main airbag, an outflow port for flowing out the inflation fluid to the outside of the main airbag is provided in the vehicle width direction vicinity of the saddle-loading portion,
The occupant protection device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least a part of the foot support portion is configured by an auxiliary airbag that is inflated by the inflation fluid flowing out from the outflow port. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 7, wherein the auxiliary airbag is accommodated outside the main airbag before being inflated by the inflation fluid. The auxiliary air bag is accommodated in the main air bag before being inflated by the inflating fluid, and is inflated by jumping out of the main air bag through the outflow port by the inflating fluid at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 7.

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