JP5061893B2 - Airbag device for motorcycle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus for a motorcycle that is mounted on a motorcycle and includes an airbag for protecting an occupant during a collision.

  Conventionally, as an airbag apparatus for a motorcycle, when an inflating gas flows in, an occupant who expands and inflates upward from a storage part near the left and right legs of the occupant seated on the seat and moves to the front side. The air bag is configured to include an airbag that can be received to complete the inflation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This airbag is disposed by connecting and holding a bottom wall portion having an inflow opening for allowing an inflating gas to flow into an accommodating portion. In addition, the airbag device includes a support member disposed on the front side of the airbag so as to be able to support the front side of the airbag when the inflation is completed. Furthermore, the airbag device is configured to include a connecting belt that connects the upper portion of the front surface side and the upper portion of the support member on the outer peripheral side of the airbag when the inflation is completed.

  The airbag has a front chamber and a rear chamber. The front chamber is a driving source that pulls up the support material using a connecting belt, and is arranged on the front side when the airbag is completely inflated so that the support material can be pulled up so that the support material protrudes upward from the storage part. At the same time, a connecting belt is connected to the upper part on the front wall side, and the expansion is completed first when the inflating gas first flows. The rear chamber is arranged around the front chamber on the rear surface side when the inflation of the airbag is completed, and the rear surface when the inflation is completed is used as a restraining surface that receives the occupant.

Further, some motorcycle airbag devices are provided with a reinforcing belt so as to connect the rear surface side and the storage site side of the outer peripheral side of the airbag when inflation is completed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ). The reinforcing belt has an inflow opening connected to a storage portion when the airbag after completion of inflation receives the occupant and the rear surface of the airbag in contact with the occupant is pulled upward and frontward. In order to prevent the gas leakage by preventing the breakage of the connecting portion to the storage portion in the bottom wall portion of the airbag by dispersing the tensile force because the strong tensile force acts upward on the bottom wall portion. It was arranged for reinforcing the airbag.
JP 2007-125983 A JP 2007-1406 A

  However, in the conventional airbag apparatus for a motorcycle, the support material that supports the front surface of the airbag when the inflation is completed is configured to be lifted from the storage portion as the front chamber of the airbag is inflated. The connection belt connected to the upper part needs to be connected to the upper part of the front chamber which is located above the upper part of the support member arranged at the support position of the airbag.

  Therefore, when the inflation is completed, the upper end of the front chamber is located above the upper part of the support member disposed at the support position of the airbag, and the front side is not supported by the support member.

  When the expansion of the front chamber is completed, it is inevitable that the upper end of the front chamber gets over the support material and expands to the front side, and the upper end side of the rear chamber is once pulled forward by the behavior. After that, the upper end of the rear chamber easily swings back and forth so that it falls back and repeats its behavior due to the reaction, and the airbag changes the thickness in the front-rear direction including the rear chamber. However, there was a problem in securing a certain thickness and promptly facing the restraint surface to the occupant.

  In the conventional airbag apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the reinforcing belt connected to the rear surface of the airbag is the rear surface (rear wall) of the airbag that is tilted forward when the passenger is restrained after completion of inflation. It is arranged to oppose the tensile force acting on the airbag, and is provided to reinforce the bottom wall of the airbag. It is difficult to control the behavior of the airbag during the expansion. .

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an airbag for a motorcycle that can ensure a constant thickness and can quickly face a restraint surface to an occupant when the inflation is completed. An object is to provide an apparatus.

The airbag apparatus for a motorcycle according to the present invention is an occupant that expands and inflates upward from a storage site near the left and right legs of an occupant seated on a seat when inflating gas flows in, and moves forward. An air bag that is disposed so that the bottom wall portion having an inflow opening for allowing the inflating gas to flow in is received and connected to the storage portion, and is received and completed.
A support member disposed on the front side of the airbag so as to be able to support the front side of the airbag when the inflation is completed;
And configured with
A connecting belt that connects the upper part of the front surface side and the upper part of the support material on the outer peripheral side of the airbag when the inflation is completed is disposed,
Airbag
As a drive source that pulls up the support material using the connecting belt, the support material can be pulled up so that the support material protrudes upward from the storage part side, and is disposed on the front side when the airbag is completely inflated and the front wall A front chamber which is disposed by connecting a connecting belt to the upper part on the side, and completes the expansion first at the beginning of the inflow of the expansion gas;
A rear chamber disposed around the front chamber on the rear surface side when the inflation of the airbag is completed, and the rear surface when the inflation is completed as a restraining surface for receiving an occupant;
A motorcycle airbag device comprising:
The front chamber of the airbag
Comprising a bottom wall with an inflow opening,
An outflow port for inflating the rear chamber by causing the inflation gas flowing in from the inflow opening to flow out to the rear chamber is arranged on the upper side, and is configured.
On the upper end side above the outlet, it is possible to form a gas reservoir that can store the expansion gas at the beginning of the inflow and pull up the support material, from the bottom wall portion to the upper end side of the connection portion with the upper connection belt, It is configured as a tapered shape that narrows the volume while bringing the rear wall closer to the front wall,
Regulation belt,
The upper end is connected to the rear side of the rear chamber, the lower end is connected to the rear side of the storage part, and arranged,
The length of the restraint surface of the airbag when it is inflated can be placed at the occupant's receiving position, and the forward movement of the upper side of the airbag when inflated can be restricted, and the upper end of the restriction belt is connected. It is characterized by being arranged as a length dimension that leaves a length so as to provide a tack at the lower end portion in the vicinity of the storage portion below the connected portion on the rear side of the rear chamber .

  In the airbag apparatus for a motorcycle according to the present invention, when the airbag is in operation, the inflation gas flows into the front chamber from the inflow opening and the expansion of the front chamber is completed first. As the connecting belt connected to the wall side expands and expands so as to extend upward from the bottom wall of the front chamber, the support material that connects the connecting belt to the top is also connected to the upper end of the front chamber As the belt rises, the airbag is pulled up to the support position.

  At this time, in the airbag apparatus according to the present invention, the front chamber constituting the drive source for pulling up the support material extends from the bottom wall portion to the upper end side of the connection portion with the upper connection belt, and the rear wall approaches the front wall. However, it is configured as a tapered shape that narrows the volume, and the time for completing the expansion by applying the internal pressure to the upper end can be shortened. The support material is pulled up from the bottom wall portion of the front chamber to the vicinity of the upper end of the front chamber to which the connecting belt is connected. Thus, since the start time can be shortened to the internal pressure value that can be pulled up, the support material can be quickly lifted immediately after the operation of the airbag device. Arrangement up to its own support position can be performed quickly.

  The airbag has a length dimension that regulates forward movement of the upper side of the airbag during inflation even if the upper end of the front chamber and the upper end of the rear chamber extend above the support member disposed at the support position. The regulation belt connects the rear side of the airbag and the rear side of the storage part, and the rear side of the airbag is pulled to the rear lower side, which is the rear side of the storage part, and the upper end of the airbag This suppresses the phenomenon of overcoming the upper part of the support member arranged at the support position and protruding forward. For this reason, the airbag is completely inflated so that the rear chamber is restrained from swinging in the front-rear direction by the inflation gas flowing in from the outlet of the front chamber, and the thickness is smoothly increased. As a result, the restraint surface can be quickly faced to the occupant while suppressing the swinging in the front-rear direction.

  Of course, the restriction belt is set to a length that allows the restraint surface of the airbag to be placed at the position where the occupant is received when inflation is completed, and it is suppressed from being pulled too much to pull down or tilt the restraint surface. In other words, since the state in which the front surface side of the airbag that has been inflated is largely separated from the rear surface of the support member can be suppressed, the airbag after the completion of the expansion is supported by the support member as a restraint surface. Thus, the occupant moving forward can be received without hindrance. Even if the airbag catches the occupant and tries to fall forward, the regulation belt reinforces the bottom wall of the airbag against the tensile force acting on the rear surface (rear wall) of the airbag Therefore, damage to the bottom wall portion of the airbag can be prevented.

  Therefore, in the airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag at the completion of the inflation can ensure a certain thickness, and can quickly face the restraint surface to the occupant, and further, the front chamber Due to the tapered shape of the completed inflation, the support material itself is quickly placed at the support position of the airbag, so that the restraint surface that receives the occupant after the operation of the airbag device can be quickly and accurately It can be placed forward.

  The rear chamber of the airbag is preferably disposed so as to cover both the left and right sides and the rear side of the front chamber when the inflation is completed, and has a volume larger than the volume of the front chamber.

  In such a configuration, the ratio of the volume of the front chamber out of the total volume of the airbag can be reduced. In other words, at the beginning of the flow of the inflation gas into the airbag, the front chamber is It is possible to complete the inflation by increasing the speed of the vehicle, and the placement of the support material at the support position can be completed more quickly, even if the occupant enters the airbag during the inflation. The expansion can be completed while maintaining a certain internal pressure, and the occupant can be received in the front chamber supported forward by the support member.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. An airbag apparatus for a motorcycle (hereinafter simply referred to as an airbag apparatus) 10 according to an embodiment is a scooter type motorcycle as shown in FIG. (Hereinafter, simply referred to as a two-wheeled vehicle) 1. The two-wheeled vehicle 1 is a step of placing the foot F of the occupant D between the seat 7 on which the occupant D is seated and the handle 5 in front of the seat 7. 6 is disposed, and the airbag device 10 is disposed near the front end of the seat 7.

  Note that the front-rear and left-right directions in the specification and the like of the present application are based on the two-wheeled vehicle 1 at the time of forward movement, and coincide with the front-rear, left-right directions of the occupant D seated on the two-wheeled vehicle 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the airbag device 10 stores and holds the airbag 11, the inflator 44 that supplies the inflation gas to the airbag 11, and the folded airbag 11, and also holds the inflator 44. A case 48, a support member 57 that supports the front surface 11c side of the inflated airbag 11 on the rear surface 57b side, a connection belt 32 for lifting the support member 57, and a regulation belt that restricts the forward movement of the upper portion 11a of the airbag 11. 37.

  The case 48 constitutes a housing part for the folded airbag 11 and is made of a box-shaped sheet metal having an upper opening, and has a rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall portion 49 and the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 49. And a peripheral wall portion 50 having a substantially rectangular tube shape extending upward. The bottom wall portion 49 is formed with a circular opening 49a into which the main body portion 45 of the inflator 44 is inserted from below. The case 48 is provided with a connection bracket (not shown), and this connection bracket is connected and fixed to the bracket 4 extending from the frame 3 on the body (vehicle body) 2 side of the motorcycle 1 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the case 48 holding the airbag 11 and the inflator 44 is disposed in the vicinity of the left and right knees K (KL, KR, see FIG. 14) of the seated occupant D near the front end of the seat 7. The two sides are connected and fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inflator 44 includes a cylindrical main body 45 having a plurality of gas discharge ports 45 a on the upper side, and a flange 46 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 45. The flange portion 46 is fixed to the lower surface side of the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48.

  In addition, a substantially square annular retainer 41 having bolts 41a at four corners is arranged at the periphery of the inflow opening 12a of the airbag 11. Then, the bolt 41a of the retainer 41 is passed through the peripheral edge of the inflow opening 12a of the airbag 11, the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48, and the flange portion 46, and is fastened to the nut 42, thereby fixing the flange portion of the inflator 44. 46 is fixed to the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48 together with the airbag 11.

  The inflator 44 is electrically connected to a control circuit (not shown) mounted on the two-wheeled vehicle 1 via a lead wire (not shown), and when the shock is applied to the two-wheeled vehicle 1, the control circuit detects a predetermined detection sensor. The operation signal is output to the inflator 44.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the airbag 11 has a bottom wall portion 12, a front wall portion 13, a rear wall portion 14, a left side wall portion 15, a right side wall portion 16, and a ceiling wall as a shape when inflation is completed. A substantially quadrangular prism shape having a portion 17 is provided. More specifically, in the airbag 11 of the embodiment, the shape seen from the front side as the shape at the time of completion of inflation is an approximately broadened shape in which the width dimension in the left-right direction on the upper part 11a side is larger than the lower part 11b side. A taper that increases the thickness dimension in the front-rear direction toward the rear side as the shape viewed from the side is changed to a trapezoidal shape and the rear surface 11d that receives the occupant D is the restraining surface 22 from the lower side 11b side to the upper side 11a side. It is configured as a shape.

  And when the airbag 11 protrudes from the case 48 which is a storage part and completes the inflation, the width dimension in the left-right direction is set to the left and right thighs TL, TR of the occupant D seated on the seat 7 on the lower portion 11b side. (See FIG. 14) The upper 11a side is within a range where the occupant D's waist W and chest B can be restrained, and the occupant D seated in the seat 7 is in the riding posture. The dimension is set so as not to interfere with the arm portion A. In the case of the embodiment, the upper portion 11a side is set so that the width dimension in the left-right direction is substantially equal to the width dimension in the left-right direction of the waist W of the occupant D.

  The bottom wall portion 12 of the airbag 11 is formed with a circular inflow opening 12a for allowing an inflating gas to flow in. A mounting hole through which each bolt 41a of the retainer 41 is inserted in the periphery of the inflow opening 12a. 12b (see FIGS. 7 and 8) is formed. The peripheral edge of the inflow opening 12a is pressed by the retainer 41 to become an attachment fixing portion 11e attached to the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48 (see FIG. 2).

  The airbag 11 according to the embodiment is partitioned into two front and rear chambers of a front chamber 20 and a rear chamber 21 by a partition wall 18. The front chamber 20 has a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape extending upward from the entire region of the rectangular bottom wall portion 12 in a state where the front wall 20a is overlapped with the central portion 13a in the left-right direction of the front wall portion 13 and shared. 18 has a U-shaped cross section and is arranged so that the tip of the “U” -shaped horizontal bar is connected to the front wall portion 13. When the inflation of the airbag 11 is completed, the rear chamber 21 is disposed so as to cover the rear side and the left and right sides of the front chamber 20 except for the portion of the bottom wall portion 12. The rear chamber 21 is configured to expand using the expansion gas flowing into the front chamber 20 so that the expansion of the front chamber 20 is completed first at the beginning of the flow of the expansion gas. Yes. That is, the outlet 19 that opens in a circular shape is disposed at a portion of the partition wall 18 on the upper end 20t side of the rear wall 20b of the front chamber 20, and after the front chamber 20 completes substantially expanding, The rear chamber 21 is configured to expand by the expansion gas flowing out to the chamber 21 side.

  In the case of the embodiment, the outflow port 19 has a height position substantially equal to the horizontal bar portion 58 (upper portion 57 a) that is a connection portion with the connection belt 32 in the support material 57 arranged at the support position SP, and is formed in the partition wall 18. (See FIG. 13). A portion (upper end portion) on the upper end 20t side of the front chamber 20 above the outlet 19 becomes a gas reservoir portion 20c for storing an expansion gas when the support member 57 is pulled up, and this gas reservoir portion 20c. However, as the upper end portion of the front chamber 20 to which the connecting belt 32 is connected, it is pushed up by the inflating gas flowing in from the inflow opening 12a, and the support material 57 is pulled up (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

  Furthermore, the airbag 11 of the embodiment is configured by disposing a bag-like inner bag 27 in a bag-like outer bag 23. The outer bag 23 forms an outer peripheral wall when the airbag 11 is completely inflated. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, one first base cloth 24 and two second base cloths. 25, 25. The first base fabric 24 is configured as a long shape having portions disposed on the bottom wall portion 12, the front wall portion 13, the rear wall portion 14, and the ceiling wall portion 17, and two second base fabrics 25. Respectively constitute portions disposed on the left side wall portion 15 and the right side wall portion 16. The outer bag 23 is formed by sewing the outer peripheral edge 25a of the second base cloth 25 to the left and right left edges 24a and right edge 24b of the first base cloth 24, respectively.

  The inner bag 27 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the outer bag 23, and includes a bottom wall portion 12 of the airbag 11, a central portion 13 a in the left-right direction of the front wall portion 13, and a portion disposed on the partition wall 18. Configured. This inner bag 27 is formed by folding in two so that both end portions 28a of the belt-like third base fabric 28 are overlapped, and stitching the overlapped outer peripheral edges 28b. Both end portions 28a are semicircular.

  In addition, the 1st base fabric 24, the 2nd base fabric 25, and the 3rd base fabric 28 are formed from the woven fabrics, such as a flexible polyamide and polyester.

  In manufacturing the airbag 11, first, in the third base fabric 28 of the inner bag 27, the central portion 13 a of the front wall portion 13 on the inner peripheral surface side of the airbag 11 in the first base fabric 24 constituting the outer bag 23. The coupling portions 30 and 30 are formed so that the portion to be the front wall portion 13 of the airbag 11 is sewn and coupled. The coupling portions 30, 30 have an upper end 30 a disposed at the upper portion 13 b of the central portion 13 a that connects the upper end 32 a of the coupling belt 32, and a lower end 30 b near the periphery of the inflow opening 12 a at the portion of the bottom wall portion 12. It is arranged.

  Then, after the third base fabric 28 is stitched and joined to the first base fabric 24, the inflow opening 12a and the mounting hole are formed in the bottom wall portion 12 of the first base fabric 24 and the third base fabric 28. 12b is provided, and the outflow port 19 is provided in the third base cloth 28. The inflow opening 12a, the mounting hole 12b, and the outflow port 19 may be appropriately formed in the first base cloth 24 or the third base cloth 28 in advance. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a reinforcing cloth (not shown) may be provided on the periphery of the inflow opening 12 a including the arrangement area of the attachment hole 12 c.

  Thereafter, both end portions 28 a and 28 a of the third base fabric 28 are overlapped, and the overlapped outer peripheral edges 28 b are stitched together to form the inner bag 27. And if the outer periphery 25a of each 2nd base fabric 25 is each stitch | sutured and joined to the left edge 24a and the right edge 24b of the 1st base fabric 24, the airbag 11 can be formed.

  In the airbag 11 of the embodiment, the inner bag 27 itself is formed by folding the belt-like third base fabric 28 in two, and the front wall portion 13 of the outer bag 23 and the inner bag 27 in the left-right direction is formed. The parts to be the central part 13a are connected to each other. Therefore, the front chamber 20 formed by the inner bag 27 is provided with a retainer 41 so that the bottom wall portion 12 has a rectangular shape and is wide in the front-rear direction, and both end portions 28a of the third base fabric 28 are formed. The upper ends 27a (see FIG. 13) of the inner bag 27 are reduced in thickness in the front-rear direction by being joined to each other in a semicircular tapered shape. Further, since the inner bag 27 is coupled to the central portion 13a in the left-right direction of the front wall portion 13 in the outer bag 23, the front chamber 20 has an expanded shape, and the rear wall 20b approaches the front wall 20a. Thus, the taper is configured as a tapered shape that narrows the volume on the upper end 20t side (see FIGS. 4, 12, and 13).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the connection belt 32 has an upper end 32 a sewn and connected to the upper portion 13 b side of the central portion 13 a in the left-right direction of the front wall portion 13 of the front surface 11 c of the airbag 11. The connecting belt 32 is formed by overlapping two woven fabrics such as flexible polyamide and polyester. The lower end 32 b side is connected to the horizontal bar portion 58 of the support member 57. The lower end 32b has a bifurcated shape that wraps the horizontal bar portion 58, and is sandwiched between metal abutting plates 33, 33, and the abutting plates 33, 33 are coupled together using a plurality of bolts 34 and nuts 35. Thus, the horizontal bar portion 58 is wrapped and connected to the horizontal bar portion 58.

  The length LF (see FIG. 2) between the upper end 32a and the lower end 32b of the connection belt 32 is determined when the airbag 11 that is folded and accommodated is inflated by inflating with an inflation gas. Using the belt 32, the support member 57 is pulled up from the state of being stored in front of the case 48, and the support member is brought to a height position where the airbag 11 can be supported on the front surface 11c side of the airbag 11 when the inflation is completed. 57 is set so that 57 can be pulled up.

  Further, on the rear surface 11d side of the airbag 11, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4-5, a regulating belt 37 is arranged by connecting the upper end 38 side to the lower portion 14a side of the rear wall portion 14 when the inflation is completed. It is installed. The regulation belt 37 is connected at the lower end 39 side to the rear end 49 b of the bottom wall portion 49 protruding rearward from the peripheral wall portion 50 of the case 48. The regulation belt 37 is formed of a flexible woven fabric such as polyamide or polyester, and an upper end 38 is sewn and connected to the lower portion 14a in the center of the rear wall portion 14 in the left-right direction. 39 side is connected with the fixed rod 52 (refer FIG. 2). The regulation belt 37 is formed by folding a single belt-like cloth material in half and arranging a crease on the lower end 39 side to connect the upper end 38 side to the airbag 11. Therefore, the lower end 39 side is formed in a loop shape. A fixing rod 52 is inserted into the loop-shaped lower end 39, and the fixing rod 52 is wound around the fixing rod 52 so that the lower end 39 can swing around the fixing rod 52. 52.

  The length LB (see FIG. 2) of the main body portion 37a between the upper end 38 and the lower end 39 of the regulation belt 37 is such that the restraint surface 22 on the rear surface 11d side of the airbag 11 is positioned to receive the occupant D when the inflation is completed. The length of the air bag 11 is such that it can be placed and the forward movement of the airbag 11 on the side of the upper portion 11a during inflation can be restricted. In the case of the embodiment, this length dimension LB is determined by using the connecting portion 14b of the upper end 38 to the airbag 11 not only after the regulation belt 37 is inflated but also in the middle of inflation. The upper end 38 is connected to the belt 11 when the inflation of the airbag 11 is completed, compared to a conventional belt for reinforcing the bottom wall 12 of the airbag 11. It is set so as to increase the tensile force that pulls the connecting portion 14b of the airbag 11 toward the lower fixing rod 52 side. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower end portion 14 c in the vicinity of the case 48 below the connection portion 14 b of the rear wall portion 14 leaves a length so that a tack can be provided by the restriction belt 37, and the restriction belt The regulation belt 37 applies a downward tensile force to the connecting portion 14b so as to swell toward the side 37.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing rod 52 is provided with a gap h between the rear wall 49a of the case 48 and the upper surface 49c of the rear end 49b of the bottom wall 49 behind the rear wall 50a. It is fixed to the end 49b. The fixing rod 52 has mounting holes 53 penetrating in the vertical direction in the vicinity of both left and right edges. The fixing rod 52 has a cylindrical collar (not shown) disposed between the fixing rod 52 and the upper surface 49c of the bottom wall portion 49, and the bolt 54 is inserted through the mounting hole 53 and the collar. By tightening to the rear end 49 b of the bottom wall portion 49, a gap h for swinging the lower end 39 of the regulating belt 37 is provided between the upper surface 49 c of the rear end 49 b of the bottom wall portion 49. It is fixedly attached to the rear end 49b.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support member 57 is disposed adjacent to the front side of the case 48, and in the case of the embodiment, the horizontal bar portion 58 extending in the left-right direction and the left and right ends of the horizontal bar portion 58. It is formed from the pipe material made into the reverse U-shaped integral structure provided with the vertical bar parts 59 and 59 extended below. In the support member 57, vertical bar portions 59 and 59 are held by a guide sleeve 61 so as to be vertically movable. The guide sleeve 61 is fixed to a bracket (not shown) extending from the frame 3 on the body 2 side.

  The support member 57 is configured such that the width dimension in the left-right direction can protrude upward from between the knee portions KL and KR of the occupant D. In addition, when the airbag 11 that has completed the upward protrusion of the support member 57 is disposed at the support position SP, the position of the upper portion 57a can support the front side of the upper portion 11a of the airbag 11 that has been inflated. The rear surface 57b side is covered with the upper portion 11a.

  Further, since the support member 57 and the airbag 11 are covered with the cover 8 constituting the front end side of the seat 7 in the housed state, the cover 8 is pushed open when protruding upward. , Projecting upward.

  Next, the outline of mounting the airbag device 10 on the motorcycle 1 will be described. First, the airbag 11 is folded. In this folding, the retainer 41 is accommodated in the airbag 11 so that each bolt 41a protrudes from the mounting hole 12b. First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the front surface 11c side and the rear surface 11d side Unfold them flatly so that they overlap in the front-rear direction. At this time, in order to facilitate the flat development, a tack 64 that extends in the vertical direction is provided on the left and right in the vicinity of the center, and the bottom wall portion 12 is also deployed flatly. In FIG. 8, the connection belt 32 and the regulation belt 37 are not shown, but both the upper ends 32 a and 38 are already connected to predetermined portions of the airbag 11.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, along the vertical direction so as to correspond to the width dimension of the case 48 in the left-right direction, that is, slightly smaller than the width dimension of the case 48 in the left-right direction. Left and right reduced folds are made to make the crease and reduce the left and right width dimensions. In the case of the embodiment, the left-right reduced fold is a roll fold, and the left and right edges 65, 66 of the deployment airbag 63 that is flatly deployed are wound close to the center on the rear surface 11d side. Incidentally, in the embodiment, the edges 65 and 66 are wound on the rear surface 11d side, but the edges 65 and 66 may be rolled on the front surface 11c side.

  After that, the front-rear reduced fold is performed by folding in the left-right direction so that the width in the front-rear direction can be accommodated in the case 48. In the case of the embodiment, the front-rear reduced folding is performed by bellows folding so that the upper end 68 of the intermediate folded airbag 67 after the left-right reduced folding is brought closer to the bottom wall 12 side.

  The airbag 11 that has been folded is wrapped with a wrapping material that can be broken so as not to collapse. Incidentally, the connecting belt 32 and the regulation belt 37 have the lower ends 32b and 39 projecting from the wrapping material, and the bolts 41a of the retainer 41 are also projecting from the wrapping material. The opening 12a is also opened so that the main body 45 of the inflator 44 can be inserted.

  The airbag 11 that has been folded is accommodated in the case 48 so that the bolts 41a protrude from the bottom wall portion 49, and the bottom wall of the case 48 is inserted while the bolts 41a are inserted through the flange portions 46. The main body 45 of the inflator 44 is inserted into the openings 49a and 12a from below the portion 49, and the nut 42 is fastened to each bolt 41a.

  Thereafter, the fixing rod 52 is inserted into the loop-shaped lower end 39 of the regulation belt 37, and the bolts 54 are inserted into the left and right mounting holes 53 and the collar (not shown) disposed on the upper surface 49c of the case 48. The bolts 54 are fastened to the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48, and the fixing rod 52 is fixed to the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48.

  The case 48 is attached to the bracket 4 using a connection bracket (not shown), and the lower end 32b of the connection belt 32 is attached to the frame 3 using the contact plate 33, the bolt 34, and the nut 35. It connects with the horizontal bar part 58 of the used support material 57. FIG.

  Thereafter, a lead wire for inputting a predetermined operation signal is connected to the inflator 44 and the airbag device 10 can be mounted on the two-wheeled vehicle 1 by attaching the seat 7.

  In the two-wheeled vehicle 1 of this embodiment, when the airbag apparatus 10 is operated by colliding with a four-wheeled vehicle or the like during traveling, the inflator 44 inserted into the inflow opening 12a of the airbag 11 is connected to each gas discharge port. Since the inflation gas is discharged from 45a, the airbag 11 into which the inflation gas has flowed is formed in the left and right leg portions LL and LR of the occupant D seated on the seat 7, as shown in FIGS. Inflate and expand upward from the storage part (case 48) in the vicinity of the vehicle to complete at least the waist portion W of the occupant D moving forward.

  At that time, since the airbag 11 causes the inflation gas G to flow into the front chamber 20 from the inflator 44 inserted into the inflow opening 12a and completes the expansion of the front chamber 20 first, As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the connecting belt 32 connected to the wall 20 a side moves upward as it expands upward from the bottom wall portion 12 of the front chamber 20, and the connecting belt 32 is moved upward. The support member 57 connected to 57 a is also pulled up to the support position SP of the airbag 11 as the upper end 20 t of the front chamber 20 and the connection belt 32 rise.

  At this time, in the airbag apparatus 10 according to the embodiment, the front chamber 20 that constitutes a drive source for pulling up the support member 57 has the upper end 20t side (gas reservoir 20c) of the connection portion between the bottom wall portion 12 and the upper connection belt 32. ), The rear wall 20b approaches the front wall 20a and is tapered to reduce the volume (see FIG. 13), and the time for completing the expansion by applying the internal pressure to the upper end 20t can be shortened. Then, as shown in FIG. 10 from the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the support member 57 is pulled up near the upper end 20 t of the front chamber 20 where the connecting belt 32 is connected from the bottom wall portion 12 in the front chamber 20 (gas reservoir portion). Until 20c), the expansion gas G is filled to some extent, and if the internal pressure rises to a value at which the support material 57 can be pulled up, it can be started, so the achievement time to the pullable internal pressure value can be shortened, As a result, the pulling up of the support member 57 is quickly performed immediately after the operation of the airbag device 10, and the support member 57 itself can be quickly arranged up to the support position SP.

  11 and 12, when the airbag 11 is inflated, the upper end 20t of the front chamber 20 and the upper end 21t of the rear chamber 21 extend above the support member 57 disposed at the support position SP. The restriction belt 37 having a length LB for restricting the forward movement of the airbag 11 on the upper portion 11a side is a rear end 49b of the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48 on the rear surface 11d side of the airbag 11 and the rear side of the storage portion. The side is connected. Therefore, the rear surface 11d side of the airbag 11 is pulled toward the rear lower side of the rear end 49b side of the bottom wall portion 49 of the case 48 by the restriction belt 37, and the upper end 11t of the airbag 11 is at the support position SP. The phenomenon of overcoming the upper part 57a of the disposed support member 57 and protruding forward is suppressed. Therefore, the airbag 11 is restrained from swinging in the front-rear direction by the inflation gas G that the rear chamber 21 flows from the outlet 19 of the front chamber 20. That is, in the airbag 11, the swinging motion in the front-rear direction that repeats the state shown by the two-dot chain line and the state shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 12 is suppressed, and from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. In the state shown in the two-dot chain line, and further in the state shown in the solid line in FIG. 13, the expansion is completed so as to smoothly increase the thickness, and as a result, without swinging back and forth, It is possible to quickly face the restraint surface 22 to the occupant D.

  Therefore, the airbag 11 that has been inflated is restricted from moving forward by the support member 57 disposed at the support position SP, and the occupant D moving forward supports the front surface 11c side by the support member 57. The waist 11 is restrained by the airbag 11 in a state of being made, kinetic energy is absorbed, and the airbag 11 is appropriately protected.

  Of course, the restriction belt 37 is set with a length dimension LB that allows the restraint surface 22 of the airbag 11 to be disposed at the receiving position of the occupant D when the inflation is completed, and is pulled too much to pull down or tilt the restraint surface 22. In other words, since the state in which the front surface 11c side of the airbag 11 that has been inflated is largely separated from the rear surface 57b of the support member 57 can also be suppressed, As a state of being supported by the support material 57, the restraint surface 22 can catch the occupant D moving forward without any trouble. And even if the airbag 11 receives the occupant D and tries to fall forward, the regulation belt 37 opposes the tensile force acting on the rear surface (rear wall) 11d of the airbag 11 that falls forward. Since the bottom wall portion 12 of the airbag 11 can be reinforced, damage to the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 12b in the bottom wall portion 12 of the airbag 11 can be prevented.

  Therefore, in the airbag apparatus 10 according to the embodiment, the airbag 11 at the completion of the inflation can ensure a certain thickness and quickly face the restraint surface 22 to the occupant D, and further The arrangement of the support member 57 at the support position SP of the airbag 11 is also performed quickly due to the tapered expansion completion shape of the front chamber 20, so that the restraint for catching the occupant D after the operation of the airbag device 10 is performed. The surface 22 can be quickly and accurately placed in front of the occupant D.

  In the embodiment, the rear chamber 21 of the airbag 11 is disposed so as to cover the left and right sides and the rear side of the front chamber 20 when the inflation is completed, and has a volume larger than the volume of the front chamber 20 (about About 5 times). Therefore, in the embodiment, the ratio of the volume of the front chamber 20 in the entire volume of the airbag 11 can be reduced, in other words, at the beginning of the inflow of the inflation gas G into the airbag 11, The chamber 20 can be expanded more rapidly by increasing the internal pressure and completing the expansion. As a result, in the airbag device 10 of the embodiment, the placement of the support member 57 at the support position SP can be completed more quickly, and even if the occupant D enters the airbag 11 in the middle of inflation, a certain amount of The expansion can be completed while maintaining the internal pressure, and the occupant D can be received in the front chamber 20 supported forward by the support member 57.

  Further, in the airbag device 10 of the embodiment, during operation, the airbag 11 is unfolded and deployed and inflated in the reverse order of the folding process. Since the folding of the bellows fold is easier to eliminate than the roll folding, the ceiling wall portion 17 on the upper end 68 side is immediately accompanied with the expansion of the front chamber 20. The vicinity of the center 17a in the left-right direction in FIG. At that time, the left and right left side wall portions 15 and the right side wall portion 16 near the left and right edges 65 and 66 are roll-folded so that the folding is difficult to be eliminated. Therefore, the vicinity of the center 17a of the ceiling wall portion 17 is the airbag 11. 14, the rear chamber 21 into which the expansion gas G flows in from the outlet 19 is unfolded, and expands to the left and right simultaneously with the rearward expansion. As shown in A and B, the airbag 11 widens the width dimension in the left-right direction. Therefore, the airbag 11 can smoothly protrude upward from a narrow gap H (see FIG. 14) between the left and right thighs TL and TR of the occupant D at the initial stage of deployment and inflation, and thereafter can restrain the waist W. In order to ensure the width dimension in the left-right direction, it is possible to smoothly expand and expand in the left-right direction.

  In addition, although the case where the front chamber 20 of the airbag 11 was formed from the inner bag 27 was shown in the embodiment, a single partition wall is provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer bag 23 to provide the front wall portion 13. An anterior chamber may be formed in the central portion 13a in the left-right direction. However, in the structure in which the front chamber 20 is formed while the bag-like inner bag 27 is coupled to the outer bag 23 using the coupling portion 30 as in the embodiment, the airtightness of the front chamber 20 itself is ensured. The airbag 11 provided with the front chamber 20 can be easily manufactured.

  In the embodiment, the upper end 38 of the restriction belt 37 is connected to the lower portion 14a side of the rear wall portion 14. However, if there is no problem in restraining the occupant D by the restraint surface 22, the rear wall portion 14 is used. The upper end 38 of the regulation belt 37 may be connected to an arbitrary position up to an area exceeding the vicinity of the middle in the vertical direction of the (rear surface 21a of the rear chamber 21).

  Further, the support member 57 is not formed from an inverted U-shaped pipe member having an integrated structure that can be reduced in weight as in the embodiment, but is made by connecting rods such as a plurality of pipe members having rigidity such as a pipe member. Or may be formed from a plate material such as metal.

  Further, in the embodiment, the case where the airbag 11 and the support member 57 are stored near the front end of the seat 7 is shown. However, during operation, the lumbar portion of the occupant who moves forward with the support member supported on the front side can be restrained. In addition, the airbag and the support member may be housed on the body 2 side on the front side of the seat 7 as long as the airbag and the support member are disposed on the front side of the waist portion of the occupant.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the airbag device 10 is mounted near the front end of the seat 7. However, in the case of a tandem seat, the airbag device of the present invention may be mounted near the front end of the rear seat.

  Furthermore, in the case of the illustrated example, the case where the airbag device 10 is mounted on the scooter type motorcycle 1 is shown. However, the airbag device of the present invention is mounted on other motorcycles such as sports bike types. May be.

1 is a side view of a motorcycle equipped with a motorcycle airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view along the front-back direction of the airbag apparatus of embodiment. It is the schematic explanatory drawing which looked at the airbag apparatus of embodiment from the front side. It is a perspective view showing the state where the airbag used for the airbag device of an embodiment was inflated independently in the state where the retainer was provided. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction at the time of completion of expansion | swelling of the airbag of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the VV site | part of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view along the left-right direction at the time of completion of inflation of the airbag of the embodiment, and corresponds to the VI-VI part of FIG. It is a top view which shows the constituent material used for the airbag of embodiment. It is a figure explaining the folding process of the airbag of an embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction explaining the action | operation time of the airbag apparatus of embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction explaining the action | operation time of the airbag apparatus of embodiment, and shows the state after FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction explaining the action | operation time of the airbag apparatus of embodiment, and shows the state after FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction explaining the action | operation time of the airbag apparatus of embodiment, and shows the state after FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-back direction which shows the time of completion | finish of the action | operation of the airbag apparatus of embodiment. It is the schematic explanatory drawing which looked at the time of the action | operation of the airbag apparatus of embodiment from the front side.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... (auto) motorcycles,
10 ... (for motorcycles) airbag device,
11 ... Airbag,
11a ... upper part,
11c ... front,
11d ... rear side,
12 ... bottom wall,
12a ... inflow opening,
19 ... Outlet,
20 ... The front room,
20a ... front wall,
20b ... rear wall,
21 ... Rear room,
22 ... restraint surface,
32. Connection belt,
37 ... Regulation belt,
48 ... (storage part) case,
57 ... support material,
LL, LR ... leg,
D ... Crew.

Claims (2)

When the inflation gas flows in, the inflation gas expands and expands upward from the storage portion near the left and right leg portions of the occupant seated on the seat, and the occupant moving to the front side can be received to complete the inflation gas. An air bag disposed by connecting and holding a bottom wall portion having an inflow opening for allowing inflow to the storage portion;
A support member disposed on the front side of the airbag so as to be able to support the front side of the airbag when the inflation is completed;
And configured with
A connecting belt that connects the upper part of the front surface side and the upper part of the support member on the outer peripheral side of the airbag at the time of completion of the inflation;
The airbag is
As a drive source for pulling up the support member using the connecting belt, the support member can be pulled up so that the support member protrudes upward from the storage site side, and is disposed on the front side when the airbag is completely inflated. And a front chamber which is arranged by connecting the connecting belt to the upper part on the front wall side and completes expansion first at the beginning of inflow of the expansion gas,
A rear chamber disposed around the front chamber on the rear surface side of the airbag when the inflation is completed, and the rear surface when the inflation is completed as a restraint surface for receiving an occupant;
A motorcycle airbag device comprising:
The front chamber of the airbag is
Comprising the bottom wall with the inflow opening;
An outflow port for inflating the rear chamber by allowing the inflation gas flowing in from the inflow opening to flow out to the rear chamber is arranged on the upper side, and is configured.
On the upper end side above the outlet, it is possible to form a gas reservoir that can store the expansion gas at the beginning of the inflow and pull up the support material, and is connected to the connecting belt above the connecting belt from the bottom wall. It is configured as a tapered shape that narrows the volume while approaching the front wall toward the upper end side,
Regulation belt,
The upper end is connected to the rear side of the rear chamber, the lower end is connected to the rear side of the storage part, and is disposed,
The restraint belt has a length dimension that allows the restraint surface of the airbag at the time of completion of inflation to be disposed at an occupant receiving position and restricts forward movement of the upper side of the airbag at the time of inflation. An automatic is characterized in that it is arranged as a length dimension that leaves a length so as to provide a tack at the lower end portion in the vicinity of the storage portion below the connecting portion on the rear surface rear side to which the upper end of the rear chamber is connected. Airbag device for motorcycles. The rear chamber is disposed so as to cover both the left and right sides and the rear side of the front chamber when the expansion is completed, and is configured as a volume larger than the volume of the front chamber. The airbag apparatus for motorcycles according to 1.

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