JP5128836B2 - Vehicle airbag - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is intended for an airbag of a type in which a pair of left and right chambers are deployed and inflated toward an occupant. The present invention relates to a vehicle airbag that can be improved.

  Conventionally, as an example of an airbag that has a left-half airbag and a right-half airbag that are inflated on the left and right sides in front of the occupant and that is inflated by a common inflator, Patent Document 1 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-122867. Are known.

In the “airbag and airbag device” of Patent Document 1, the airbag is arranged on the right half side so that the left half airbag and the right half airbag are inflated sufficiently early even if the capacity of the inflator is small. The airbag and the left half airbag, the communication portion that connects the base ends of the right half airbag and the left half airbag, the left and right side surfaces of the right half airbag, and the left half The left and right side surfaces of the airbag are connected to each other, and when the right half airbag and the left half airbag are inflated, the right half airbag and the left half airbag are The left and right side surfaces of the bag are prevented from separating beyond the length of the hanging strap. Thereby, the width in the left-right direction when the right half airbag and the left half airbag are inflated is restricted, and the internal volume is reduced.
JP 2004-244005 A

  By the way, in the background art, the right and left side surfaces of the right half side airbag and the left half side airbag are joined together in order to regulate the width and ensure early inflation, thereby the right half side airbag. Although a space is formed between the left half airbag and the left half airbag, on the occupant side forming the occupant restraint surface, the right half airbag and the left half airbag are almost sealed. Although occupant restraint in the normal position can be secured from the occupant restraint surface, such as when seated with a seat belt, there is a problem that it is difficult to improve the injury value for the occupant located outside the normal position. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the deploying force of the airbag c that is deployed along the front window e is directly applied to the child b standing in front of the instrument panel a as an impact, and the head d There is concern about the occurrence of injuries such as backward bending.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above-described conventional problems, and in addition to an occupant restraint surface, securing restraint action for an airbag in which a pair of left and right chambers are deployed and inflated toward the occupant. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular airbag that can improve the occupant protection performance by providing a portion that can be used.

A vehicle airbag according to the present invention is formed into a bag shape from an outer panel and an inner panel, and a pair of left and right chambers are formed toward the rear by forming a central portion thereof as a front portion to form an inflator. A pair of rear portions of these left and right chambers form an occupant restraint surface when deployed and inflated with gas, and are formed in each chamber of the airbag body from the occupant restraint surface toward the front portion side. An upward convex arch portion is formed in the upper portion of each chamber that expands and expands from the front portion side to the rear portion side, and a downward convex arch portion extends from the front portion side to the rear portion side in the lower portion of each chamber that expands and expands forming a, and a deployment regulating portion to form a constraining spherical space forms between the inner panel of the arch subordinates of the upward convex The expansion restricting portion, and forming a communication hole communicating with the constraining space of at least the occupant restraint surface.

  The expansion restricting portion is formed by overlapping and joining the surfaces of the outer panel and the inner panel.

  It is desirable to provide a connecting member between the pair of left and right chambers for connecting these to restrict expansion of the restraint space.

  It is preferable to form an outside air introduction hole that penetrates the expansion regulating portion and communicates with the restraining space.

In the vehicle airbag according to the present invention, in addition to an occupant restraint surface, a portion capable of securing a restraint action is intended for an airbag of a type in which a pair of left and right chambers are deployed and inflated toward the occupant. The occupant protection performance can be improved. Specifically, in each of the left and right chambers, an upwardly convex arch portion and a downwardly convex arch portion are formed by the expansion restriction portion, and a spherical-shaped restraining space surrounded by these arch portions and between the left and right chambers, A communication hole that communicates from the occupant restraint surface side is formed in the restraint space, so that even if the occupant is located at a position other than the normal position, the occupant's head that moves toward the airbag body can be Can be guided into the restraint space, and the entire head of the occupant can be wrapped in all directions in the restraint space by the pressure of the inflator gas filled in the left and right chambers surrounding the restraint space. It can be received, and the rotation effect of the head can be prevented, so that the occupant protection performance can be greatly improved.

  Hereinafter, an example of a preferred embodiment of a vehicle airbag according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the airbag body 1 is shown in a deployed and inflated state. The airbag main body 1 is folded and stored inside the instrument panel on the front of the passenger seat or inside the horn button of the driver seat. It may be disposed at an appropriate position in front of the vehicle as seen from the occupant for the occupant seated in the rear seat. The airbag main body 1 includes an inner panel 2 and an outer panel 3 that are formed of a known material applied to an airbag. Both the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 are formed in a strip shape that is long in the left-right direction.

  The inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 are joined to each other in an annular shape along their outer peripheral edges, thereby forming a bag-like airbag body 1 having a chamber inside. A portion joined in a ring shape becomes a panel joint portion 4 between the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3. In the present embodiment, for joining the panels 2 and 3, well-known various joining means and methods applicable to the airbag, such as sewing, can be employed.

  The bag-shaped airbag main body 1 is folded at the central portion in the left-right direction, and a central chamber 5 is formed around the folded portion. By setting the central chamber 5 as the front portion on the front side of the vehicle, a pair of left and right chambers 6 and 6 that expand and expand toward the rear side of the vehicle are formed at the folded left and right portions. When the inflator 7 is disposed inside the central chamber 5 and inflator gas is generated and the airbag body 1 is deployed and inflated from the instrument panel 12 along the front window 10, the rear portions of the left and right chambers 6 and 6 are An occupant restraint surface X that faces the occupant is formed. At this time, the panel joint 4 passes from the upper surface of the central chamber 5 to the occupant restraint surface X after passing through the upper surfaces of the left and right chambers 6, 6, and passes through the occupant restraint surface X in the vertical direction. It is located so as to reach the lower surface of the central chamber 5 from the lower surface of 6.

  Each left and right chamber 6 is formed with an expansion restricting portion 8 in order to set the expansion form of these chambers 6. The expansion restricting portion 8 is a portion that suppresses the expansion action of the chamber 6 so that the inflator gas that fills the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 and expands the chamber 6 does not flow. Such an expansion restricting portion 8 is formed in a plate shape by joining the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 so that there is no gap, and the area and area are set according to the joined range. Is done. When sewing is employed for joining, as shown in FIG. 3, the expansion regulating portion 8 is formed by overlapping the surfaces of the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 with each other and sewing them around a desired area or region. Is done.

  The expansion regulating portions 8 formed in the left and right chambers 6 are connected to the airbag main body 1 from the appropriate position of the panel joint 4 appearing up and down on the occupant restraining surface X on the rear side of the airbag main body 1. It is formed toward the front central chamber 5 side. The expansion restricting portion 8 is composed of two parts, a front part 8a and a rear part 8b. The front portion 8a is formed in a circular shape having an upward convex arcuate portion 8c on the upper edge and a downward convex arcuate portion 8d on the lower edge. The rear portion 8b is formed in a funnel shape that gradually becomes wider from the front portion 8a to the panel joint portion 4 toward the occupant restraint surface X side. Accordingly, the expansion restricting portion 8 is formed in a lateral keyhole shape as a whole. Thereby, when each of the left and right chambers 6 is expanded and inflated, an upwardly projecting upper arch portion 6a is formed in the upper portion from the central chamber 5 side to the occupant restraint surface X side. Similarly, downwardly projecting lower arch portions 6b are formed in the lower portions of the left and right chambers 6 from the central chamber 5 side to the occupant restraint surface X side.

  The front portions 8a and 8a of the expansion restricting portions 8 and 8 formed in the pair of left and right chambers 6 and 6 are surrounded by the upper arch portions 6a and 6a and the lower arch portions 6b and 6b of the respective chambers 6 and 6 formed by these. Thus, an approximately spherical restraining space S is formed between the inner panels 2 and 2 facing each other. Further, the rear portions 8b and 8b of the expansion restriction portions 8 and 8 form a laterally-shaped tubular communication hole Y that communicates from the occupant restraint surface X to the restraint space S therebetween.

  A connecting member 9 is provided between the pair of left and right chambers 6 and 6 to restrict the expansion of the constraining space S by connecting them. The connecting member 9 is formed in a wide band shape by a material applied to the airbag. One end of the connecting member 9 is joined to one of the left and right chambers 6 and 6, and the other end is joined to the other. In the illustrated example, the connecting member 9 is provided so as to be joined to the panel joint 4 at each of the upper surface position and the lower surface position of the left and right chambers 6, 6. The attachment position and attachment form of the connecting member 9 may be set in any way as long as the left and right chambers 6 and 6 can be prevented from separating in the left and right direction. For joining the connecting member 9 to the chambers 6 and 6, various known joining means and methods applicable to the airbag, such as sewing, can be employed.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle airbag according to this embodiment will be described. When the inflator gas is generated, the inflator gas is filled in the central chamber 5 and the left and right chambers 6 and 6 of the airbag body 1, and the left and right chambers 6 and 6 are seated on the seats with the seat belts attached. The pair of rear portions of the left and right chambers 6 and 6 face the occupant to form an occupant restraint surface X.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, upper arch portions 6 a and 6 a and lower arch portions 6 b and 6 b are formed by the expansion restriction portions 8 and 8 in the left and right chambers 6 and 6 connected by the connecting member 9. In addition, between the inner panels 2 and 2 of the left and right chambers 6 and 6 surrounded by the arch portions 6a, 6a, 6b, and 6b, a spherical restraint space S and the restraint space S from the occupant restraint surface X side. A cylindrical communication hole Y that communicates is formed. Accordingly, even if the occupant P is located at a position other than the normal position, the head H of the occupant P that moves toward the airbag body 1 can be guided into the restraint space S through the communication hole Y. By the pressure of the inflator gas filled in the left and right chambers 6 and 6 surrounding the restraint space S, the entire head H of the occupant P can be wrapped and received from all directions in the restraint space S, The occupant protection performance can be significantly improved by preventing the rotation action of the head H and the like.

  By forming the upper arch portions 6a and 6a, the neck portion can be properly supported from the back of the occupant P, and the occurrence of injury such as head bending can be prevented appropriately. Of course, the occupant seated in the normal position can be appropriately protected by the action of the occupant restraint surface X. Moreover, since the part which receives the side surface of the passenger | crew head H is the plate-shaped expansion control parts 8 and 8, the pressure from the side can be reduced.

  As described above, in the vehicle airbag according to this embodiment, in addition to the occupant restraint surface X, the airbag of the type in which the pair of left and right chambers 6 is deployed and inflated toward the occupant, Since the restraint space S that can ensure the restraining action is provided, the passenger protection performance can be improved.

  Since the expansion regulating portion 8 is formed by joining the surfaces of the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 so as to overlap each other, an appropriate area or region can be provided at an appropriate location on the airbag body 1 with a simple operation. Thus, the expansion restricting portion 8 can be arbitrarily set. Since the communication hole Y that communicates from the occupant restraint surface X to the restraint space S is formed, the occupant can be accurately introduced from the occupant restraint surface X facing the occupant toward the restraint space S. Since the lower arch portions 6b and 6b are formed, it is possible to protect the periphery of the occupant's jaw while receiving the occupant falling forward of the vehicle. Further, since the left and right chambers 6 and 6 that are going away from each other due to the expansion action are connected and held by the connecting member 9 to restrict the expansion of the restraining space S, the restraining space S having the set capacity. Can be maintained, and passengers can be properly protected. By joining the connecting member 9 to the panel joint portion 4, it can be easily and rationally attached.

  FIG. 8 shows a modification of the above embodiment. In this modification, the front portions 8a, 8a of the expansion restricting portions 8, 8 are formed in a vertically long oval shape, so that the constraining space S is formed in a cylindrical shape that is roughly long in the vertical direction. The If comprised in this way, it can respond to the passenger | crew of various heights, and a flexibility can be improved. FIG. 9 shows still another modification. In this modified example, an outside air introduction hole 11 is formed so as to penetrate the expansion regulating portion 8 and communicate with the restraining space S. It is possible to allow outside air to flow into the restraint space S from the outside of the airbag body 1 simply by penetrating and forming the outside air introduction hole 11 in the plate-like expansion restricting portion 8. The breathing of the occupant P can be ensured in a protected state, and the safety of the occupant P can be further improved. The outside air introduction hole 11 may be provided in at least one of the pair of left and right chambers 6. Even in these modified examples, it is a matter of course that the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment example can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment example, the airbag body 1 has been described by exemplifying the case where the pair of the inner panel 2 and the outer panel 3 are joined and formed into a bag shape. A plurality of airbag elements, such as forming a bag with the inner panel and the outer panel appearing by folding back appropriately, forming the central chamber part and the left and right chamber parts separately and joining each other, etc. You may form combining. In the above embodiment example, the case where the expansion restricting portion 8 is formed from the panel connecting portion 4 appearing on the occupant restraining surface X toward the front portion has been described as an example. However, the expansion restricting portion 8 is the panel connecting portion 4. What is necessary is just to form from the passenger | crew restraint surface X irrespective of the presence or absence, Therefore, the panel junction part 4 may also be set to what position of the airbag main body 1. FIG.

It is a perspective view of the deployment state which shows an example of suitable embodiment of the airbag for vehicles concerning the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle airbag shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle airbag shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle airbag shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, it is an AA arrow directional cross-sectional view. It is a side view for demonstrating an effect | action of the vehicle airbag shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the modification of the airbag for vehicles concerning this invention. It is a side view which shows the other modification of the airbag for vehicles concerning this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the conventional subject.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airbag main body 2 Inner panel 3 Outer panel 4 Panel junction part 5 Center chamber 6 A pair of left and right chambers 6a Upper arch part 6b Lower arch part 8 Expansion restriction part 9 Connection member 11 Outside air introduction hole S Restriction space X Passenger restriction surface Y Communication hole

Claims (4)

A pair of left and right chambers are formed toward the rear by forming a bag shape from the outer panel and the inner panel, with the center portion folded back as a front part, and these left and right chambers are expanded and inflated with inflator gas. An airbag body in which a pair of rear portions of the chamber forms an occupant restraint surface;
In each chamber of the airbag main body, an upward convex arch portion is formed from the front portion side to the rear portion side in the upper portion of each chamber that is formed from the occupant restraint surface toward the front portion side and expands and inflates , forming an arch portion of the downwardly convex over the rear portion side from the front portion side to the lower part of each chamber to be deployed and inflated, the deployment regulating portion to form a constraining spherical space forms between the inner panel of the arch subordinates of the upward convex It equipped with a door,
The vehicle airbag according to claim 1 , wherein the expansion restricting portion forms a communication hole communicating at least from the occupant restraining surface to the restraining space .   The vehicle airbag according to claim 1, wherein the expansion restricting portion is formed by overlapping and joining surfaces of the outer panel and the inner panel. The vehicle airbag according to claim 1, wherein a connecting member is provided between the pair of left and right chambers to connect the left and right chambers to restrict expansion of the restraint space. The vehicle airbag according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein an outside air introduction hole is formed in the expansion regulating portion so as to penetrate the expansion regulating portion and communicate with the restraining space.

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