JP5131480B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device that protects an occupant from an impact when the vehicle is subjected to an impact from the side.

  A side airbag device including an inflator and an airbag is effective as a device for protecting an occupant from a side impact applied to the vehicle due to a side collision or the like. The airbag is formed by overlapping a pair of fabric portions in the vehicle width direction and connecting them in a bag shape. The inflator is disposed at the rear end portion in the airbag. And the airbag is incorporated in the seat back of the vehicle seat together with the inflator. In this side airbag device, when an impact is applied from the side to a body side portion such as a side door of a vehicle, the inflator jets inflation gas into the airbag. The airbag is inflated in the narrow space between the occupant seated on the vehicle seat and the body side portion by the inflated gas, and the impact from the side transmitted to the occupant through the body side portion is reduced.

  Here, it is generally known that the waist and shoulders are superior to the chest with respect to the impact resistance of the human body side. For this reason, in the case of a side airbag device that protects an occupant over a wide area extending from the waist to the shoulder, it is desirable to protect the chest softer than the waist and shoulder by an inflating airbag.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228620, a seam having a substantially U-shaped side surface inflates the airbag in the vicinity of the side of the occupant's chest and the side of the occupant's shoulder. A side airbag device partitioned into an upper inflatable portion and a lower inflatable portion inflating in the vicinity of the side of the occupant's waist is described. Openings are provided in the upper and lower portions of the inner tube that covers the inflator. In this side airbag device, the inflation gas ejected from the inflator is supplied from the lower opening and the upper opening of the inner tube to the lower inflating portion and the upper inflating portion at substantially the same time, so that both inflating portions are substantially the same. Expansion begins at the same time. The expansion gas supplied to both expansion parts bypasses the seam and is supplied to the central expansion part, and the central expansion part starts to expand behind the lower expansion part and the upper expansion part. And the gas for expansion | swelling with which the center expansion | swelling part was expanded is discharged | emitted from the vent hole provided in the center expansion | swelling part to the exterior of an airbag. For this reason, it is possible to inflate the central inflating part with lower internal pressure than the lower inflating part and the upper inflating part, and to protect the chest of the occupant softer than the waist and shoulders.
JP 2005-22473 A

  However, as described above, the side airbag device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to supply the inflation gas from the inflator to the lower inflation portion and the upper inflation portion first, and then to the central inflation portion. Adopted. Therefore, the expansion of the central expansion portion is slower than the expansion of both the upper and lower expansion portions.

  In addition, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, the chest part that is not so high in impact resistance may be pressed directly by the thickened central inflatable part or indirectly through the arm part of the occupant and may be compressed. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the object thereof is to suppress the central inflating portion from inflating extremely lately than the upper and lower inflating portions, and to occupant at the early stage of inflation of the airbag. It is in providing the side airbag apparatus which can suppress that the chest part of this is pressed too much.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an airbag is seated on a body side portion of a vehicle and a vehicle seat by an inflation gas supplied in response to an impact from the side of the vehicle. In the side airbag device that is inflated with an occupant, the airbag includes an inner bag that is inflated by the inflation gas, and an outer that is inflated outside the inner bag by the inflation gas that has passed through the inner bag. A bag, the outer bag having the inner bag in substantially the entire region thereof, and a central inflating portion that is inflated in the vicinity of a side of the chest of the occupant, communicated with the inner bag, and the occupant An upper inflatable portion that is inflated in the vicinity of the side of the shoulder portion, and a lower inflatable portion that is in communication with the inner bag and inflated in the vicinity of the side of the occupant's waist. By providing a substantially annular thickness regulating portion that regulates the thickness of the nabag in the vehicle width direction, the inner bag is surrounded by an outer peripheral side portion that expands around the thickness regulating portion and the thickness regulating portion. A part of the thickness regulating portion is provided with a communication path that allows communication between the outer peripheral side portion and the inner peripheral side portion. Further, an opening is provided in the inner peripheral side portion. The gist is that is provided.

According to the above configuration, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side, the airbag is inflated by the inflation gas in the following manner.
<Initial inflation of airbag>
The inflation gas is first supplied to the inner bag. In the inner bag, the outer peripheral side portion is inflated by the inflation gas, and the outer outer bag (central inflating portion) on the outer side is pressed to be inflated between the body side portion of the vehicle and the chest of the occupant. Further, part of the inflation gas in the inner bag flows into the upper inflation portion and the lower inflation portion, respectively. The upper inflating part is inflated between the body side part and the shoulder part of the occupant, and the lower inflating part is inflated between the body side part and the waist part of the occupant. The central expansion portion does not expand extremely slowly than the upper expansion portion and the lower expansion portion. Thus, the inflated airbag (inner bag and outer bag) is interposed between the body side portion and the upper body of the occupant, so that the impact from the side of the vehicle transmitted to the occupant through the body side portion is alleviated. The

  Here, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, the flow rate per unit time of the inflation gas flowing from the inner bag to the central inflation portion of the outer bag is the flow rate per unit time of the inflation gas flowing to the upper inflation portion, Less than the flow rate per unit time of the expansion gas flowing to the expansion portion. In order for the inflating gas to flow from the inner bag to the central inflating portion, first, the inflating gas flows until it reaches a communication passage provided in a part of the substantially annular thickness regulating portion, and passes through the inner passage. This is because there are many elements that must move to the side portion and then pass through the opening, and hinder the flow of the inflation gas.

  For this reason, the central expansion portion expands and develops slower than the upper expansion portion and slower than the lower expansion portion. Along with this, the internal pressure of the central inflating part rises slower than the internal pressure of the upper inflating part and slower than the internal pressure of the lower inflating part. And lower than any internal pressure of the lower expansion portion. As a result, the shoulder portion having high impact resistance among the side portions of the occupant is restrained and protected by the upper inflating portion having high internal pressure, and the waist portion having high impact resistance is restrained and protected by the lower inflating portion having high internal pressure. In addition, the chest having low impact resistance is softly restrained and protected by the central inflatable portion having low internal pressure.

  Moreover, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, the thickness of the inner peripheral side portion of the inner bag is regulated by the thickness regulating portion. Along with this, in the central expansion portion, the thickness of the portion corresponding to the thickness regulating portion and the inner peripheral side portion is reduced. Therefore, it is difficult for the chest to be compressed directly by the airbag (outer bag) or through the arm.

<Later air bag inflation>
The inflation gas used for the expansion of the outer peripheral portion of the inner bag flows from the outer peripheral portion to the inner peripheral portion through the communication path, and then flows from the opening to the central expansion portion. The inflation gas expands the central inflation portion located outside the inner bag in the outer bag. With this expansion, the thickness of the central expansion portion increases regardless of the inner bag thickness regulation by the thickness regulation portion. As a result, the central inflating part inflates with the same thickness as that of the conventional central inflating part in which the airbag is configured only by the outer bag, and exhibits the same restraining (protection) performance.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, only the flow of the inflation gas from the inner bag to the upper inflatable portion is allowed to communicate with the communicating portion between the inner bag and the upper inflatable portion. The gist is that a permissible upper valve is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the communicating portion between the inner bag and the lower inflating portion is for the inflating from the inner bag to the lower inflating portion. The gist is that a lower valve that allows only gas flow is provided.

  According to the configuration of the invention described in claim 2, the following effects are exhibited. The configuration of the invention described in claim 3 also exhibits the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 2. Therefore, the operation of the invention described in claim 2 will be described here. Items in parentheses in the description are matters different from the operation of the invention described in claim 2 with respect to the operation of the invention described in claim 3.

  According to the above configuration, when the body side part enters the vehicle due to the impact and the central inflated part in an inflated state is pressed directly or indirectly against the chest of the occupant, the upper valve (lower valve) is in the center. Demonstrates the pressure adjustment function to adjust the internal pressure of the expansion part. That is, the upper valve (lower valve) allows expansion gas to flow from the central expansion portion to the upper expansion portion (lower expansion portion), but the expansion gas in the upper expansion portion (lower expansion portion) is centrally expanded. Regulating the flow to the part (backflow). The expansion gas in the central expansion portion flows to the upper expansion portion (lower expansion portion) and the backflow is restricted, so that the internal pressure of the central expansion portion is reduced and the internal pressure of the upper expansion portion (lower expansion portion) is reduced. To rise. Therefore, a phenomenon in which the internal pressure of the central inflating portion excessively increases during restraint / protection of the occupant is suppressed. Moreover, the internal pressure of the upper expansion part (lower expansion part), which has been increased to an appropriate internal pressure for protecting the occupant, is maintained without a decrease.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thickness regulating portion and the inner peripheral side portion are any one of the arm portion, the chest portion, and the abdomen portion of the occupant. The gist is that the inner bag is provided at a location corresponding to the protection target.

  By providing the thickness restricting portion and the inner peripheral side portion in the above-mentioned location, the location corresponding to the object to be protected (any one of the arm portion, the chest portion, and the abdomen portion) of the inner bag in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag. Thickness is regulated. Along with this, in the central expansion portion, the thickness of the portion corresponding to the thickness regulating portion and the inner peripheral side portion is reduced. When the arm portion is to be protected, the arm portion is not easily pushed by the central inflatable portion (inner bag). The chest and abdomen are less likely to be pressed excessively by being indirectly pressed by the arm. When the chest or abdomen is to be protected, the chest or abdomen is less likely to be pressed excessively by being directly pressed by the central inflatable part (inner bag).

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4, wherein the inner peripheral side portion of the inner bag is formed wider than the object to be protected, and the opening is formed in the inner peripheral side portion. The gist is that it is provided at a location deviated from the object of protection.

  According to said structure, since the inner peripheral side part of an inner bag is wider than a protection object, in the initial stage of the expansion | swelling of an airbag, in the inner bag and the center expansion part, the thickness of the location corresponding to a protection object is ensured. It is regulated and the effect of the invention according to claim 4 described above can be obtained with certainty.

  Further, in the later stage of inflation of the airbag, the inflation gas used for inflation of the outer peripheral side portion flows from the outer peripheral side portion to the inner peripheral side portion through the communication path, and then from the opening at the location deviated from the protection target. It tries to flow to the central expansion part. At this time, if the opening is provided at a position corresponding to the protection target in the inner peripheral side portion, the opening is located between the body side portion and the protection target of the occupant and interferes with the protection target. There is a risk of being blocked by the expanding portion. In this case, there is a concern that the expansion gas that has flowed into the inner peripheral portion through the communication path does not smoothly flow from the opening to the central expansion portion.

  However, in the invention according to claim 5, wherein the opening is provided at a location deviated from the object to be protected, the opening is not positioned between the body side portion and the object to be protected by the occupant and interferes with the object to be protected. It is hard to be blocked by the central expansion part. Therefore, the expansion gas that has flowed into the inner peripheral side portion through the communication passage smoothly flows from the opening to the central expansion portion.

  According to the side airbag device of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the central inflating portion from being inflated extremely later than both the upper and lower inflating portions, and to suppress the occupant's chest from being excessively compressed in the early stage of inflation of the airbag. can do.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the traveling direction (forward direction) of the vehicle will be described as the front.
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 to 3, a vehicle seat 12 is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle side of the body side portion 11 in the vehicle. Here, the body side part 11 refers to the member arrange | positioned at the side part of a vehicle. For example, the body side part 11 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B pillar), or the like. The body side portion 11 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quarter, and the like.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 13 and a seat back (back portion) 14 that stands up from the rear side of the seat cushion 13 and has an inclination adjustment mechanism (not shown). Yes. A storage portion 15 is provided on the side of the seatback 14 on the vehicle exterior side, and an airbag module AM that is a main part of the side airbag device is stored in the storage portion 15. The position of the storage unit 15 is in the vicinity of the rear of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12. The airbag module AM includes an inflator assembly 20 (see FIG. 5) and an airbag AB as main components.

  Next, each of these structural members will be described. Here, in the present embodiment, when the airbag module AM and its constituent members are referred to as “vertical direction” and “front-rear direction”, the seat back 14 of the vehicle seat 12 is used as a reference. The direction in which the seat back 14 stands is referred to as “vertical direction”, and the direction perpendicular to the substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to this direction is referred to as “front / rear direction”. Normally, since the seat back 14 is used in a state of being inclined rearward, the “vertical direction” is not strictly a vertical direction but is slightly inclined. Similarly, the “front-rear direction” is not strictly a horizontal direction but is slightly inclined.

<Inflator assembly 20>
FIG. 4 schematically shows the airbag module AM together with the occupant P in a state where the airbag AB is deployed in a plane without being filled with the inflation gas G. 5 shows the inflator assembly 20 disposed in the airbag AB of FIG. FIG. 6 shows the inflator assembly 20 shown in FIG. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 4 to 6, the inflator assembly 20 includes an inflator 21 as a gas generation source and a retainer 22 that covers the inflator 21 from the outside. The inflator 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the substantially vertical direction, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that reacts in response to an operation signal from the outside to generate an expansion gas G is accommodated therein. .

  A harness (not shown) serving as an operation signal application wiring to the inflator 21 is connected to the top of the inflator 21. Further, on the lower end side of the inflator 21, a gas ejection portion 23 having a substantially cylindrical shape and having a smaller diameter than other portions is provided. A plurality of gas ejection holes 24 through which the expansion gas G generated by the gas generating agent is ejected in a direction (radial direction) perpendicular to the axis L1 of the inflator 21 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the gas ejection portion 23. .

  The inflator 21 may be a type in which the partition wall of the high-pressure gas cylinder filled with the high-pressure gas is broken with explosives or the like and the expansion gas G is ejected instead of the type using the gas generating agent. .

  On the other hand, the retainer 22 is a member that functions as a diffuser and has a function of fixing the inflator 21 to the seat frame 16 (see FIG. 6) in the seat back 14 together with the airbag AB. Most of the retainer 22 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in a substantially vertical direction by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. At least the lower end side of the retainer 22 is an open end 22A (see FIG. 5), and at least a part of the expansion gas G ejected from the gas ejection portion 23 is allowed to pass substantially downward. In FIG. 5, in order to illustrate the open end 22 </ b> A, a part of the lower end portion of the retainer 22 is broken and illustrated.

  In the retainer 22, a window portion 25 is provided above the open end 22 </ b> A and in the vicinity of the gas ejection portion 23 of the inflator 21. The window portion 25 allows at least a portion of the inflation gas G ejected from the gas ejection portion 23 to pass substantially forward.

  A plurality of (two in this embodiment) bolts 26 are fixed to the retainer 22 as locking members for attaching the retainer 22 to the seat frame 16. In other words, the bolt 26 is indirectly fixed to the inflator 21 via the retainer 22. These bolts 26 extend in a direction perpendicular to the axis L <b> 1 of the inflator 21.

The inflator assembly 20 may be one in which an inflator 21 and a retainer 22 are integrated.
<Airbag AB>
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 to 3, the airbag AB is subjected to impact from the outer side (downward in FIG. 2, left side in FIG. 3) to the body side part 11 due to a side collision while the vehicle is running. When added, it is inflated and deployed by the inflation gas G from the inflator 21 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The airbag AB jumps out from the storage portion 15 toward the front of the vehicle in a state where a part of the airbag AB remains in the storage portion 15, and a gap G <b> 1 between the vehicle seat 12 and the body side portion 11. By inflating and expanding, the passenger P is restrained and protected from the impact.

  FIG. 7 shows the internal structure of the airbag module AM. However, in FIG. 7, unlike FIG. 4, the internal structure of the airbag module AM when the seat back 14 is erected substantially vertically is shown. Further, FIG. 7 shows the inner half of the airbag module AM (excluding the inflator assembly 20). As shown in FIG. 7, the airbag AB includes an inner bag 70 inflated by the inflation gas G, and an outer bag 30 inflated outside the inner bag 70 by the inflation gas G that has passed through the inner bag 70. (See FIG. 19). The outer bag 30 includes a first inflatable body 31 and a second inflatable body 32 each having a bag shape. Many portions of the first expansion body 31 are located above the second expansion body 32.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 8 to 10 in addition to FIGS. 4 and 7, (i) the form of the second expansion body 32 alone, and (ii) the first expansion body 31 and the second expansion body 32. Description will be made in the order of the form of the first expansion body 31 alone, and (iii) the form in which the first expansion body 31 and the second expansion body 32 are combined.

  Here, FIG. 8 shows the vehicle interior portions of the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32 constituting the outer bag 30 of FIG. 7 in a state where they are separated in the vertical direction. Further, FIG. 9 shows a state in which the second expansion body 32 and the like are expanded in a planar shape, and FIG. 10 shows a state in which the first expansion body 31 and the like are expanded in a planar shape.

(I) Form of the second inflatable body 32 alone As shown in at least one of FIGS. 4 and 7 to 9, the second inflatable body 32 is a panel cloth (also called a base cloth) 33 made of one piece of cloth. It is formed using. As the panel cloth 33, a material having high strength and flexibility and can be easily folded, for example, a woven cloth formed using polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like is suitable. The panel cloth 33 is overlapped in the vehicle width direction by being folded in two along a fold line 34 set at the center portion thereof. Here, in order to distinguish the above-described two overlapping portions of the outer bag 30, the one located on the vehicle interior side is referred to as a fabric portion 35, and the one located on the vehicle exterior side is referred to as a fabric portion 36. In the panel cloth 33, the outer shapes of the cloth parts 35 and 36 are in a line-symmetric relationship with respect to the folding line 34 as an axis of symmetry.

  Both fabric parts 35 and 36 are connected by a peripheral connecting part 37 provided at the peripheral part except for the upper part thereof. The peripheral joint portion 37 is formed by stitching the fabric portions 35 and 36 together. An expansion gas used for expansion of the second expansion body 32 between the two fabric portions 35 and 36, between the portions not joined (sewn) by the peripheral joint portion 37, more precisely between the section joint portion 61 described later. An exhaust port 40 is provided for discharging G to the outside of the airbag AB. In addition, the peripheral joint part 37 is provided also in the part of this exhaust port 40, both the fabric parts 35 and 36 may be couple | bonded, and the same exhaust port 40 may be block | closed.

  The lower part of the second inflatable body 32 and surrounded by the peripheral edge coupling part 37 is inflated and deployed with a relatively high internal pressure mainly between the waist part PP and the body side part 11 of the occupant P. It is a “lower expansion part EL” that restrains and protects PP. The lower inflating portion EL is located below the central inflating portion EC described later. Further, an upper portion of the second inflatable body 32 and a portion where the peripheral coupling portion 37 is not provided constitutes an insertion portion 38. In the insertion portion 38, a portion in the vicinity of the front side of the fold line 34 constitutes an inflator storage portion 39 for storing the inflator assembly 20 described above.

  Both fabric portions 35 and 36 are not stitched together at the front edge portion 38F of the insertion portion 38. The inflator storage part 39 and the outside (front part) of the insertion part 38 are connected (connected).

(Ii) Form of the first expansion body 31 alone As shown in at least one of FIGS. 4, 7, 8, and 10, the first expansion body 31 is made of the same material as the second expansion body 32. It is formed using a panel cloth 41 made of one piece of cloth. The panel cloth 41 is overlapped in the vehicle width direction by being folded in two along a fold line 42 set at the center portion thereof. Here, in order to distinguish the above-described two overlapped portions of the first inflatable body 31, the one located on the vehicle interior side is referred to as the fabric portion 43, and the one located on the vehicle exterior side is referred to as the fabric portion 44. . In the panel cloth 41, the outer shapes of the cloth parts 43 and 44 are in a line-symmetric relationship with each other with the folding line 42 as the axis of symmetry.

  Both fabric parts 43 and 44 are connected by a peripheral connecting part 45 provided on the peripheral part except for the lower part thereof. A lower portion of the first inflatable body 31 and in the vicinity of the front side of the fold line 42 constitutes an insertion portion 47.

  A tether 51 that extends substantially in the front-rear direction is provided in the upper part of the first expansion body 31. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 7, 10, and 11 (A) and (B), the tether 51 includes a pair of component pieces 52 and 53 in the vehicle width direction. Each of the component pieces 52 and 53 is formed in a rectangular shape that is longer in the front-rear direction than in the up-down direction by the fabric, like the first inflatable body 31. The front end portions of the constituent pieces 52 and 53 reach the upper front ends of the fabric portions 43 and 44, and the rear end portions are spaced forward from the upper rear ends of the fabric portions 43 and 44. The vehicle interior component piece 52 is coupled to the vehicle interior fabric portion 43 by a lower coupling portion 54 provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the lower edge portion thereof. Further, the vehicle exterior component piece 53 is coupled to the vehicle exterior fabric portion 44 by a lower coupling portion 55 provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the lower edge portion thereof. The front ends of these lower coupling portions 54, 55 reach the upper front end of the peripheral coupling portion 45, and the rear ends are located near the center in the front-rear direction of the first expansion body 31. Furthermore, the two component pieces 52 and 53 are coupled to each other by an upper coupling portion 56 provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the upper edge portion thereof. In the present embodiment, the lower coupling portions 54 and 55 and the upper coupling portion 56 are formed by stitching using a sewing thread. In this way, the tether 51 composed of the two component pieces 52 and 53 is bridged between the fabric parts 43 and 44 of the first inflatable body 31 (see FIG. 11B). In the tether 51, when the airbag AB is not inflated, most of the component pieces 52 and 53 are overlapped (see FIG. 11A).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the internal space of the first inflatable body 31 is divided into an upper inflating portion EU and a lower central inflating portion EC with the tether 51 as a boundary. The upper inflating part EU restrains and protects the shoulder part PS by inflating and deploying with a relatively high internal pressure mainly between the shoulder part PS and the body side part 11 of the occupant P (see FIG. 3). Further, the central inflating part EC is located between the chest part PT and the abdomen PB of the occupant P (referred to as “chest part PT etc.” when these need not be distinguished) and the body side part 11, and the upper inflating part EU. The chest PT and the like are restrained and protected by inflating and deploying at a lower internal pressure (see FIG. 3). The tether 51 also has a function of regulating the thickness when the first expansion body 31 is expanded in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 11B).

  In the first inflatable body 31, an annular closing portion 57 is provided at a location corresponding to the arm portion PA of the occupant P, here a location near the rear end of the tether 51. The closing portion 57 is for causing an upper valve 80 provided in an upper opening OU, which will be described later, to function as a check valve, and is formed by sewing both fabric portions 43 and 44 in an annular shape with sewing threads.

(Iii) Form in which the first expansion body 31 and the second expansion body 32 are combined As shown in at least one of FIGS. 7 to 10, the insertion portion 38 of the second expansion body 32 has its folding line 34 connected to the first expansion body 34. The first inflatable body 31 is inserted and arranged in the inserted portion 47 in a state of being substantially matched with the fold line 42. With this arrangement, the insertion portion 47 is superimposed on the outside of the insertion portion 38.

  The vehicle interior portion of the insertion portion 38 is coupled to the vehicle interior portion of the insertion portion 47 by an inner coupling portion 58. Similarly, the vehicle outer side portion of the insertion portion 38 is coupled to the vehicle outer side portion of the inserted portion 47 by the inner coupling portion 59. These inner connecting portions 58 and 59 simply connect the inner portions of the insertion portion 38 and the inserted portion 47 and also connect the outer portions to each other, and connect the inner portion and the outer portion to each other. It does not bind to

  Further, the vehicle interior portion and vehicle exterior portion of the insertion portion 38 and the vehicle interior portion and vehicle exterior portion of the insertion portion 47 that overlap the outside are integrally coupled by a partition coupling portion 61 that extends substantially in the front-rear direction. ing. By the partition coupling portion 61, the internal space of the first expansion body 31 and the internal space of the second expansion body 32 are partitioned vertically. That is, simply inserting the insertion portion 38 into the inserted portion 47 causes the internal space of the first expansion body 31 and the internal space of the second expansion body 32 to communicate with each other. By being provided, both internal spaces are partitioned into two vertically. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle interior portion and vehicle exterior portion of the insertion portion 38 and the vehicle interior portion and vehicle exterior portion of the insertion portion 47 that overlap the outside are the above-described peripheral edges of the first inflatable body 31. It is integrally coupled by a part of the rear portion of the coupling portion 45 (a location indicated by reference numeral 45A).

  The second inflatable body 32, which is partitioned by the section connecting portion 61 and independent from the first inflatable body 31, is inflated and deployed at a relatively high internal pressure mainly in the vicinity of the outside of the lumbar portion PP of the occupant P, thereby forming the lumbar portion PP. It is an expansion part (lower expansion part EL) for restraining and protecting.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the inflator assembly 20 described above is disposed in the inflator accommodating portion 39 of the airbag AB in a posture that is inclined so as to become lower toward the front side. Most of the inflator assembly 20 is located in the central inflation EC. Both bolts 26 fixed to the retainer 22 are inserted into the rear end portion of the fabric portions 35 and 43 on the vehicle inner side (this also includes the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle inner side of the inner bag 70 described later). (See FIGS. 5 and 6). The airbag AB is fastened to the upper end portion of the inflator assembly 20 in an airtight manner by an annular fastener 28 attached to the outside of the airbag AB in the vicinity of the peripheral edge coupling portion 45A.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 7, 9, and 10, an inner bag 70 and an upper valve 80 and a lower valve 90 each comprising a check valve are provided inside the outer bag 30, respectively. Are arranged. Next, these members will be described.

<Inner bag 70>
The inner bag 70 mainly guides the inflation gas G from the inflator 21 in three directions, substantially upward, substantially forward, and substantially downward, in the outer bag 30 and expands itself so that the central inflation portion of the outer bag 30 is expanded. This is for inflating the EC, and is embedded in substantially the entire area of the central expansion part EC.

  Unlike the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32 described above, the inner bag 70 includes a fabric portion 72 located on the inner side of the vehicle and a fabric portion 73 located on the outer side of the vehicle in a state independent of the fabric portion 72. It has. The fabric portion 72 on the vehicle inner side is coupled to the fabric portion 43 on the vehicle interior side of the first inflatable body 31 by the upper portion 58U of the inner coupling portion 58 described above, and the first inflatable body 31 by the remaining portion 58L of the inner coupling portion 58. The vehicle interior side fabric portion 43 and the vehicle interior side fabric portion 35 of the second expansion body 32 are coupled to each other. Further, the upper end portion of the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle interior side is coupled to the fabric portion 43 on the vehicle interior side of the first inflatable body 31 by another inner coupling portion 74 that extends linearly in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The front end of the inner coupling portion 74 reaches the closing portion 57, and the rear end reaches the upper rear end edge of the fabric portion 43.

  Similarly, the outer fabric portion 73 of the inner bag 70 is coupled to the outer fabric portion 44 of the first inflatable body 31 by the above-described upper portion 59U of the inner coupling portion 59 and the remaining portion of the inner coupling portion 59. 59L is connected to the fabric portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side of the first expansion body 31 and the fabric portion 36 on the vehicle exterior side of the second expansion body 32. The upper end portion of the fabric portion 73 on the vehicle exterior side is coupled to the fabric portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side of the first inflatable body 31 by another inner coupling portion 75 that extends linearly in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The front end of the inner coupling portion 75 reaches the closing portion 57, and the rear end reaches the upper rear end edge of the fabric portion 44.

  Both the fabric portions 72 and 73 of the inner bag 70 are integrally coupled to both the constituent pieces 52 and 53 of the tether 51 and both the fabric portions 43 and 44 of the first inflatable body 31 by the closing portion 57 described above. A part of the front edge part of both the fabric parts 72 and 73 in the inner bag 70 is formed by the part of the peripheral joint part 45 described above, so that both the structural pieces 52 and 53 of the tether 51 and the both fabric parts 43 and 44 of the outer bag 30 are formed. Is bound to. Further, the remaining portions of the front edge portions of both fabric portions 72 and 73 are coupled to both fabric portions 43 and 44 of the outer bag 30 by a part of the peripheral edge coupling portion 45. Further, the lower portions of the two fabric portions 72 and 73 are integrated with the two fabric portions 43 and 44 of the first inflatable body 31 and the two fabric portions 35 and 36 of the second inflatable body 32 by the partition coupling portion 61 described above. Are combined.

  FIG. 14 shows one (inner side) fabric portion 72 of the inner bag 70. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 7 and 14, the inner bag 70 is, more precisely, between the closing portion 57 and the upper rear end of the peripheral joint portion 45 in the first inflatable body 31 at its upper end portion. , The inner and outer joint portions 74 and 75 are connected to the fabric portions 43 and 44, but the fabric portions 72 and 73 are not connected to each other. The unbonded portion between the fabric portions 72 and 73 in the inner bag 70 is referred to as an “upper opening OU”. The inner space of the inner bag 70 communicates with the upper inflating part EU through the upper opening OU. The upper opening OU opens toward the upper expansion part EU, here substantially upward.

  Further, the inner bag 70 is internally coupled to the fabric portions 35 and 36 at its lower end portion, more precisely between the rear end of the partition coupling portion 61 and the fold line 34 of the second inflatable body 32. Although it couple | bonds by the parts 58 and 59, the fabric parts 72 and 73 are not couple | bonded. The unbonded portion between the fabric portions 72 and 73 in the inner bag 70 is referred to as a “lower opening OL”. The inner coupling portions 58 and 59 intersect with the partition coupling portion 61 (see FIG. 7). By this intersection, the inner bag 70 is coupled to the fabric portions 35 and 36 of the second inflatable body 32, and the flow of the inflation gas G in the gap between the inner bag 70 and the fabric portions 35 and 36 is blocked. The central inflating portion EC and the lower inflating portion EL are partitioned while the inner bag 70 and the fabric portions 35 and 36 are sealed. The inner space of the inner bag 70 communicates with the lower inflating part EL through the lower opening OL. The lower opening OL opens toward the lower expansion portion EL, here substantially downward.

Here, when the flow area of the upper opening OU is SU and the flow area of the lower opening OL is SL, both flow areas SU and SL are set to be approximately the same.
FIG. 12 shows a state in which a part of the fabric portion 44 on the vehicle outer side in the first inflatable body 31 is cut out and a part of the inner bag 70 is exposed. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the constituent members of the inner bag 70 are separated. As shown in at least one of these FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the inner bag 70 is provided with a thickness restricting portion 65 at a location corresponding to the chest PT of the occupant P. The thickness restricting portion 65 protects a part of the chest PT of the occupant P, and restricts the thickness of the inner bag 70 and thus the outer bag 30 in the vehicle width direction at the above-described location in the initial stage of deployment of the airbag AB. The thickness restricting portion 65 is for restricting that a part of the chest PT is strongly pressed and compressed by the outer bag 30 toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction, thereby protecting the chest PT.

  The thickness restricting portion 65 sews both the fabric portions 72 and 73 of the inner bag 70 and the two annular reinforcing fabrics 66 disposed on the outer sides of the inner bag 70 so as to be substantially annular, leaving a part. It is formed by. By providing the thickness restricting portion 65, the inner bag 70 is partitioned into an outer peripheral side portion 67 that expands around the thickness restricting portion 65 and an inner peripheral side portion 68 surrounded by the thickness restricting portion 65. . In the thickness regulating portion 65, a portion that is not sewn is a communication path 69 that allows communication between the outer peripheral side portion 67 and the inner peripheral side portion 68. In the present embodiment, the position of the communication path 69 is set at the front part of the thickness regulating part 65. With such a configuration, the expansion gas G in the outer peripheral portion 67 can flow into the inner peripheral portion 68 only through the communication passage 69.

  Further, the inner peripheral portion 68 of each of the fabric portions 72 and 73 is provided with an intermediate opening OC that guides the inflation gas G in the inner peripheral portion 68 to the central inflation portion EC of the outer bag 30. The intermediate portion opening OC corresponds to the opening in the claims, and here, the intermediate portion opening OC is provided in the vicinity of the center portion of the inner peripheral side portion 68 in both the fabric portions 72 and 73.

<Upper valve 80>
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 10, 15 and 17A, the upper valve 80 is a valve that allows only the flow of the inflation gas G from the inner bag 70 to the upper inflation part EU. The inner bag 70 is provided at a communicating portion between the upper inflating portion EU. Here, the upper valve 80 is provided in the vicinity of the upper opening OU in the upper expansion portion EU. The position of the upper valve 80 is the rear side of the vehicle when the outer bag 30 is deployed.

  The upper valve 80 includes a fabric portion 81 located on the inner side of the vehicle and a fabric portion 82 located on the outer side of the vehicle in a state independent of the fabric portion 81. The lower end portions of the fabric portions 81 and 82 are disposed inside the upper end of the inner bag 70 in the upper opening OU.

  For coupling the fabric portions 81 and 82 to the inner bag 70 and the outer bag 30, the above-described inner coupling portions 74 and 75 and a part of the closing portion 57 are used. That is, the lower end portion of the fabric portion 81 on the vehicle interior is coupled to the fabric portion 43 on the vehicle interior side of the first inflatable body 31 together with the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle interior side of the inner bag 70 by the vehicle interior coupling portion 74. ing. Further, the lower end portion of the fabric portion 82 on the vehicle exterior side is coupled to the fabric portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side of the first inflatable body 31 together with the fabric portion 73 on the vehicle exterior side of the inner bag 70 by the inner coupling portion 75 on the vehicle exterior side. ing. In this case, the inner coupling portion 74 sews (co-sews) the fabric portions 81 and 72 on the inner side of the upper valve 80 and the inner bag 70 to the fabric portion 43 on the inner side of the first inflatable body 31. It will be formed by. Further, the inner coupling portion 75 is formed by sewing (co-sewing) the fabric portions 82 and 73 on the vehicle exterior side of the upper valve 80 and the inner bag 70 to the fabric portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side of the first inflatable body 31. It will be formed. The lower end portion of the fabric portion 81 on the vehicle interior side and the lower end portion of the fabric portion 82 on the vehicle exterior side are not coupled to each other.

  In addition, the front ends of the fabric portions 81 and 82 are part of the closing portion 57, and together with the fabric portions 72 and 73 of the inner bag 70 and the component pieces 52 and 53 of the tether 51, the first inflatable body. The two fabric portions 43 and 44 are coupled to each other. In this case, the closing portion 57 is formed by sewing (co-sewing) the first inflatable body 31, the tether 51, the inner bag 70, and the upper valve 80.

  Further, a coupling portion 83 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the rear ends of the fabric portions 81 and 82, and the fabric portions 81 and 82 are coupled to each other by the coupling portion 83. A lower end 83L (see FIG. 15) of the connecting portion 83 reaches the upper end portions of the fabric portions 72 and 73 of the inner bag 70, and the lower ends of the rear portions of the fabric portions 81 and 82 are also connected to the inner bag 70. The joint portion 83 is formed by stitching the rear ends of the fabric portions 81 and 82 at the portion of the upper valve 80 that is disposed outside the inner bag 70. Further, the coupling portion 83 is formed by stitching the upper valve 80 and the inner bag 70 at a portion (lower end 83 </ b> L) disposed in the inner bag 70 in the upper valve 80.

  An inclined portion 84 that is inclined so as to be lower toward the front side is provided on the upper portions of the fabric portions 81 and 82. In the inclined portion 84, the fabric portions 81 and 82 are not connected to each other. In addition, as described above, the fabric portions 81 and 82 are coupled to the corresponding fabric portions 72, 73, 43, and 44 of the inner bag 70 and the first inflatable body 31 at the lower ends thereof. The parts 81 and 82 are not joined to each other. Accordingly, the upper valve 80 has a cylindrical shape opened at the inclined portion 84 and the lower end portion.

  As described above, since the fabric portion 81 on the vehicle interior side is coupled to the fabric portion 43 on the vehicle interior side of the first inflatable body 31 by the inner coupling portion 74, the inflation gas G passes between the fabric portions 81 and 43. It is impossible to flow through the upper inflating part EU to the central inflating part EC or vice versa. Similarly, since the fabric portion 82 on the vehicle exterior side is coupled to the fabric portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side of the first expansion body 31 by the inner coupling portion 75, the inflation gas G passes between the fabric portions 82 and 44. It is impossible to flow from the upper expansion portion EU toward the central expansion portion EC or in the opposite direction. The expansion gas G can flow from the upper expansion portion EU toward the central expansion portion EC or in the opposite direction only by passing between the fabric portions 81 and 82 of the upper valve 80 as a flow path. It is.

  Here, the lower ends of the fabric portions 81 and 82 are located in the vicinity of the rear of the tether 51 and face the central expansion portion EC. Further, the inclined portions 84 of the fabric portions 81 and 82 are located in the lower portion in the upper inflating portion EU and in the vicinity of the rear of the tether 51.

  Further, as described above, the fabric portions 81 and 82 are coupled to the fabric portions 43 and 44 of the first inflatable body 31 at the lower end portion and the front end portion thereof. Both fabric portions 81 and 82 are not coupled to the fabric portions 43 and 44 at other locations. A part (upper part) of the upper valve 80 having such a configuration is easier to bend than other parts. The above portion (upper portion) of the upper valve 80 expands to open the upper opening OU when the internal pressure of the central expansion portion EC is higher than the internal pressure of the upper expansion portion EU (see FIG. 17B), and when it is lower, the upper opening The bendable portion 88 is bent so as to close the OU (see FIG. 17C).

<Lower valve 90>
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 9, 16 and 18A, the lower valve 90 is a valve that allows only the flow of the inflation gas G from the inner bag 70 to the lower inflation portion EL. It is provided in the communicating part between the inner bag 70 and the lower inflating part EL. Here, the lower valve 90 is provided in the vicinity of the lower opening OL in the lower expansion portion EL. The position of the lower valve 90 is the rear side of the vehicle in the deployed state of the outer bag 30. The lower valve 90 basically has the same configuration as the upper valve 80 described above. That is, the lower valve 90 includes a fabric portion 91 located on the inner side of the vehicle, and a fabric portion 92 located on the outer side of the vehicle in a state independent of the fabric portion 91. Each upper end part of the fabric parts 91 and 92 is arrange | positioned inside the lower end of the inner bag 70 in lower opening OL.

  In order to couple the fabric portions 91 and 92 with the inner bag 70 and the outer bag 30, a part of the inner coupling portions 58 and 59 and a part of the partition coupling portion 61 are used. In other words, the upper end portion of the fabric portion 91 on the vehicle interior side of the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32 together with the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle interior side of the inner bag 70 is formed by the inner coupling portion 58 (58L) on the vehicle interior side. It couple | bonds with the fabric parts 43 and 35 inside each vehicle. In addition, the upper end portion of the fabric portion 92 on the outside of the vehicle, together with the fabric portion 73 on the outside of the inner bag 70, is connected to the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32 by the inside coupling portion 59 (59L) on the outside of the vehicle. It is connected to the fabric portions 44 and 36 on the outside of each vehicle. In this case, the inner coupling portion 58 includes the fabric portions 91 and 72 on the vehicle interior side of the lower valve 90 and the inner bag 70, and the fabric portions 43 and 35 on the vehicle interior side of the first expansion body 31 and the second expansion body 32. It is formed by sewing (co-sewing). In addition, the inner coupling portion 59 converts the fabric portions 92 and 73 on the vehicle exterior side of the lower valve 90 and the inner bag 70 to the fabric portions 44 and 36 on the vehicle exterior side of the first expansion body 31 and the second expansion body 32. It is formed by sewing (co-sewing). The upper end portion of the fabric portion 91 on the vehicle interior side and the upper end portion of the fabric portion 92 on the vehicle exterior side are not coupled to each other.

  Further, the front end portions of the fabric portions 91 and 92 are coupled to the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32 together with the inner bag 70 by a part of the partition coupling portion 61. In this case, the partition coupling portion 61 is formed by sewing (co-sewing) the first inflatable body 31, the second inflatable body 32, the inner bag 70, and the lower valve 90.

  Further, a coupling portion 93 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the rear end portions of the fabric portions 91 and 92 in the lower valve 90, and the fabric portions 91 and 92 are coupled to each other by the coupling portion 93. . The upper end 93U (see FIG. 16) of the coupling portion 93 reaches the lower end portion of the inner bag 70, and the upper rear portions of the fabric portions 91 and 92 are also coupled to the inner bag 70. The joint portion 93 is formed by stitching the rear ends of the fabric portions 91 and 92 at the portion of the lower valve 90 disposed outside the inner bag 70. Further, the coupling portion 93 is formed by stitching the lower valve 90 and the inner bag 70 at a portion (upper end 93U) disposed in the inner bag 70 in the lower valve 90.

  An inclined portion 94 that is inclined so as to be higher toward the front side is provided below the fabric portions 91 and 92. The inclination aspect of the inclined portion 94 is opposite to the inclination aspect of the inclined portion 84 in the upper valve 80. In the inclined portion 94, the fabric portions 91 and 92 are not coupled to each other. In addition, as described above, the fabric portions 91 and 92 have the fabric portions 72, 73, 43, 44, 35, corresponding to the inner bag 70, the first inflatable body 31, and the second inflatable body 32 at their upper end portions. 36, but the fabric portions 91 and 92 are not joined. Therefore, the lower valve 90 has a cylindrical shape opened at the inclined portion 94 and the upper end portion.

  As described above, since the fabric portion 91 on the vehicle interior side is coupled to the fabric portion 35 on the vehicle interior side of the second inflatable body 32 by the inner coupling portion 58, the inflation gas G is supplied to the fabric portions 91, It is impossible to flow through the gap 35 from the lower expansion portion EL toward the central expansion portion EC or in the opposite direction. Similarly, since the fabric portion 92 on the vehicle exterior side is coupled to the fabric portion 36 on the vehicle exterior side of the second expansion body 32 by the inner coupling portion 59, the inflation gas G flows between the fabric portions 92 and 36 on the vehicle exterior side. It is impossible to flow through the lower inflating part EL toward the central inflating part EC or in the opposite direction. The expansion gas G can flow from the lower expansion portion EL toward the central expansion portion EC or in the opposite direction only by passing between the fabric portions 91 and 92 of the lower valve 90 as a flow path. It is.

  Here, most of the upper ends of the fabric portions 91 and 92 are located in the vicinity of the rear of the partition coupling portion 61 and face the central expansion portion EC. Further, most of the inclined portions 94 of both the fabric portions 91 and 92 are located in the upper part in the lower inflating portion EL and in the vicinity of the rear of the partition coupling portion 61. The retainer 22 of the inflator assembly 20 enters the upper portion of the lower valve 90 only at the lower end portion.

  Further, as described above, the fabric portions 91 and 92 are coupled to the fabric portions 35 and 36 at the upper end portion and the front end portion thereof. Both fabric portions 91 and 92 are not coupled to the fabric portions 35 and 36 at other locations. A part (lower part) of the lower valve 90 having such a configuration is easier to bend than other parts. The above portion of the lower valve 90 expands to open the lower opening OL when the internal pressure of the central expansion portion EC is higher than the internal pressure of the lower expansion portion EL (see FIG. 18B), and closes the lower opening OL when the internal pressure is lower. The bendable portion 98 is bent (see FIG. 18C).

  The airbag module AM is formed into a compact storage configuration by folding the airbag AB (see FIG. 4) in a deployed state, for example, as shown in FIG. This is because the airbag module AM is securely stored in the storage unit 15 having a limited size in the seat back 14.

  In the airbag module AM in the above-described storage form, the bolts 26 inserted into the respective parts of the airbag AB (the first inflatable body 31, the second inflatable body 32, the inner bag 70, etc.) are inserted into the seat frame 16, The nut 17 is fastened to the bolt 26 so that the seat frame 16 is fixed.

The retainer 22 may be fixed to the vehicle (seat frame 16) by a member different from the bolt 26 described above.
The side airbag device includes an impact sensor 111 and a control device 112 shown in FIG. 1 in addition to the airbag module AM described above. The impact sensor 111 is composed of an acceleration sensor or the like, is attached to the body side portion 11 of the vehicle, and detects an impact applied to the body side portion 11 from the outside. The control device 112 controls the operation of the inflator 21 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 111.

  As described above, the side airbag device of the present embodiment is configured. In this side airbag device, when no impact is applied to the vehicle from the side due to a side collision or the like, the airbag AB is in the storage configuration and is continuously stored in the storage portion 15 together with the inflator assembly 20. At this time, the upper valve 80 and the lower valve 90 are both held in a flat state in which the fabric portions 81 and 91 on the vehicle interior and the fabric portions 82 and 92 on the vehicle exterior are in contact with each other (FIG. 17A, FIG. 18 (A)).

  On the other hand, when an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion 11 of the vehicle and this is detected by the impact sensor 111, the control device 112 operates the inflator 21 based on the detection signal. The operation signal is output. In response to this operation signal, in the inflator 21, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the gas generating agent generates a high-temperature and high-pressure expansion gas G from the plurality of gas ejection holes 24 of the gas ejection section 23. It ejects in all directions in the direction (radial direction) orthogonal to the axis L1 of the inflator 21. Most of the inflation gas G is led out through the window 25 of the retainer 22 toward the front of the inner bag 70.

  Further, a part of the expansion gas G is led out downward of the lower expansion portion EL through the lower open end 22A of the retainer 22. That is, the gap between the portion of the retainer 22 different from the window portion 25 and the inflator 21 can serve as a passage for the expansion gas G from some of the gas ejection holes 24. Therefore, the expansion gas G ejected from the gas ejection holes 24 and hitting the retainer 22 changes its flow direction into two directions (substantially upward and substantially downward) along the axis L1 of the inflator 21. However, the portion of the inflator 21 above the gas ejection part 23 has a larger diameter than the gas ejection part 23, and the gap between the retainer 22 is between the gas ejection part 23 and the retainer 22. Smaller than the gap. For this reason, the expansion gas G whose flow direction has been changed hardly flows upward, and easily flows downward. Therefore, most of the inflation gas G whose direction of flow is changed by hitting the retainer 22 as described above passes through the open end 22A on the lower side of the retainer 22 and flows substantially downward in the inner bag 70. It flows into the lower valve 90 and the lower expansion part EL.

The inflation gas G inflates the airbag AB in the following manner.
<Inflation initial stage of airbag AB>
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 7 and 14, the inflation gas G ejected to the inner bag 70 through the window portion 25 of the retainer 22 causes the inner bag 70 to surround the substantially annular thickness regulating portion 65. The outer peripheral side portion 67 of this expands. The central inflating portion EC of the outer bag 30 located on the outer side thereof is pressed by the inflating outer peripheral side portion 67, and starts to inflate.

  A part of the inflation gas G in the inner bag 70 flows to the upper valve 80 through the upper opening OU. At this time, the expansion gas G has not yet flowed into the upper expansion section EU, or has just flowed in slightly, and the internal pressure of the upper expansion section EU is lower than the internal pressure of the central expansion section EC. On the other hand, the inner pressure is high in the inner bag 70 into which the inflation gas G flows. Due to this internal pressure difference, in the upper valve 80, the force that separates the two fabric portions 81 and 82 is superior to the force that causes the approach. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17 (B), both fabric parts 81 and 82 are separated from each other, and the entire upper valve 80 including the bendable part 88 has a cylindrical shape with both upper and lower ends opened, and the expansion gas G is in the upper part. It flows through the flow path in the valve 80 to the upper expansion part EU.

  At this time, the expansion gas G has not yet flowed into the lower expansion portion EL, or has just flowed in slightly, and the internal pressure of the lower expansion portion EL is higher than the internal pressure of the central expansion portion EC. Low. On the other hand, in the inner bag 70 into which the inflation gas G flows, the internal pressure is high as described above. Therefore, due to this internal pressure difference, in the lower valve 90, as in the upper valve 80, as shown in FIG. 18 (B), both fabric portions 91 and 92 are separated from each other, and the lower valve 90 including the bendable portion 98 The whole becomes a cylindrical shape with both upper and lower ends open, and the expansion gas G flows through the flow path in the lower valve 90 to the lower expansion portion EL.

Due to the expansion gas G flowing in this way, the upper expansion portion EU, the lower expansion portion EL, and the central expansion portion EC continue to expand, and the folded state is canceled (deployed).
The airbag AB is deployed between the body side portion 11 and the vehicle seat 12 while eliminating the folded state while the rear end portion of the airbag AB is left in the storage portion 15 of the seat back 14. When the expansion and deployment of the inner bag 70 is completed, the inner bag 70 is positioned in the vicinity of the side of the occupant P, such as at least the chest PT. In this respect, the inner bag 70 is different from an inner tube that does not normally inflate near the side of the occupant P. Therefore, the inner bag 70 also exhibits the function of restraining the passenger P and protecting it from impact.

  When the outer bag 30 is inflated and deployed, as shown in at least one of FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper inflatable part EU includes the body side part 11 and the shoulder part PS of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12. Inflate and deploy between. The central inflating part EC is inflated and deployed between the body side part 11 and the chest PT of the occupant P, and the lower inflating part EL is inflated and deployed between the body side part 11 and the waist part PP of the occupant P. . Unlike Patent Document 1, the central expansion portion EC does not expand extremely slowly than the upper expansion portion and the lower expansion portion. In this manner, the inflated airbag AB (inner bag 70 and outer bag 30) is interposed between the body side portion 11 and the upper body of the occupant P, so that each part of the occupant P corresponds to the outer bag 30. Restrained by the inflatable parts EU, EC, EL. The impact from the side of the vehicle transmitted to the occupant P through the body side portion 11 is reduced, and the occupant P is reliably protected from the impact caused by the side collision.

  Here, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag AB, the flow rate per unit time of the inflation gas G flowing from the inner bag 70 to the central inflation portion EC of the outer bag 30 flows to the upper inflation portion EU through the upper opening OU. It is less than the flow rate per unit time of the expansion gas G and the flow rate per unit time of the expansion gas G flowing through the lower opening OL to the lower expansion portion EL. This is because the inflation gas G has a structure that hardly flows from the inner bag 70 to the central inflation portion EC. The structure is that the inner bag 70 is partitioned into an outer peripheral side portion 67 and an inner peripheral side portion 68 by a substantially annular thickness restricting portion 65, and only through a communication passage 69 provided in a part of the thickness restricting portion 65. The outer peripheral side portion 67 and the inner peripheral side portion 68 are communicated with each other.

  Accordingly, the inflation gas G ejected from the inflator 21 flows through the outer peripheral portion 67 along the thickness regulating portion 65 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 14, and flows into the inner peripheral portion 68 through the narrow communication passage 69. However, it cannot flow to the central expansion part EC unless it passes through the intermediate opening OC. There are more elements that hinder the flow of the inflation gas G ejected from the inflator 21 between the inflator 21 and the upper expansion part EU and between the inflator 21 and the central expansion part EC than between the inflator 21 and the lower expansion part EL. . As a result, a difference occurs in the flow rate per unit time as described above.

  Therefore, the central expansion portion EC shown in FIG. 4 expands and develops later than the upper expansion portion EU and slower than the lower expansion portion EL. Along with this, the internal pressure of the central inflatable part EC rises later than the internal pressure of the upper inflatable part EU and the internal pressure of the lower inflatable part EL. The internal pressure is lower than any internal pressure of the upper expansion part EU and the lower expansion part EL. As a result, the shoulder portion PS having high impact resistance among the side portions of the occupant P is restrained and protected by the upper inflating portion EU having high internal pressure, and the waist portion PP having high impact resistance is restrained by the lower inflating portion EL having high internal pressure. And protected. Further, the chest PT having low impact resistance is softly constrained and protected by the central expansion portion EC having low internal pressure.

  FIG. 19A shows a cross-sectional structure of the airbag AB in the initial stage of inflation along the line AA in FIG. In FIG. 19A, illustration of the reinforcing cloth 66 is omitted. The same applies to FIG. 19B, FIG. 20, FIG. 24 and FIG. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 4 and 19 (A), in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag AB, the thickness of the outer bag 30 increases in the vehicle width direction, but the inner bag 70 At a location corresponding to a part of the chest PT, the thickness of the inner peripheral portion 68 is restricted by the thickness restricting portion 65. Along with this, in the central expansion part EC, the thicknesses of the portions corresponding to the thickness regulating part 65 and the inner peripheral side part 68 are reduced. Therefore, the chest PT, which is a portion of the body of the occupant P that is not very high in impact resistance, is not excessively pressed directly by the airbag AB (outer bag 30). It becomes difficult for the chest PT to be excessively compressed by the airbag AB (outer bag 30).

<Later inflation of airbag AB>
FIG. 19B shows a cross-sectional structure taken along the line AA of FIG. 4 for the airbag AB in the later stage of inflation. FIG. 20 shows a cross-sectional structure along the line BB in FIG. 4 for the airbag AB in the latter stage of inflation. As shown in at least one of FIG. 19B and FIG. 20, the inflation gas G used for the expansion of the outer peripheral side portion 67 of the inner bag 70 passes through the communication passage 69 from the outer peripheral side portion 67 to the inner peripheral side. After flowing into the portion 68, it flows from the intermediate opening OC to the central expansion portion EC. Due to the inflation gas G, the central inflation portion EC located outside the inner bag 70 in the outer bag 30 is inflated. The portion corresponding to the inner peripheral side portion 68 of the inner bag 70 is also included in the inflated portion. With the above expansion, the thickness of the central expansion portion EC increases regardless of the thickness regulation of the inner bag 70 by the thickness regulation portion 65. As a result, the central inflating part EC is inflated with the same thickness as the central inflating part EC in the prior art in which the airbag AB is composed solely of the outer bag 30 and exhibits the same restraining (protection) performance.

  After the ejection period of the inflation gas G in the inflator 21 or after the ejection is stopped, the lower valve 90 is caused to approach both fabric parts 91 and 92 due to an internal pressure difference generated between the lower expansion part EL and the central expansion part EC. The power to separate is better. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18C, the bendable portion 98 of the lower valve 90 is closed and bent. The bent bendable portion 98 closes the flow path in the lower valve 90, and the expansion gas G once flowing into the lower expansion portion EL flows through the lower valve 90 to the central expansion portion EC (backflows). ) Is regulated. Therefore, the internal pressure of the lower expansion portion EL, which has been increased to an appropriate internal pressure to protect the occupant P's lower back portion PP, does not decrease due to the backflow of the expansion gas G to the central expansion portion EC and becomes an appropriate value. Maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 17C, the upper valve 80 also operates (closes) in the same manner as the lower valve 90. The expansion gas G once flowing into the upper expansion section EU is restricted from flowing (backflowing) to the central expansion section EC through the upper valve 80. Therefore, the internal pressure of the upper expansion part EU, which has been increased to an internal pressure appropriate to protect the shoulder part PS of the occupant P, does not decrease due to the backflow of the expansion gas G to the central expansion part EC, and is an appropriate value. Maintained.

  Further, when the body side portion 11 enters the vehicle due to the impact at the time of the side collision and the expanded central expansion portion EC is pressed against the chest PT of the occupant P or the like, the upper valve 80 is connected to the upper expansion portion EU. While exhibiting the pressure regulation mechanism which adjusts an internal pressure, the lower valve 90 exhibits the pressure regulation function which adjusts the internal pressure of the lower expansion part EL. The contents of these pressure adjusting functions are the same in both the upper valve 80 and the lower valve 90.

  In the upper valve 80, when the internal pressure of the central expansion part EC becomes higher than the internal pressure of the upper expansion part EU due to the above pressing, the entire upper valve 80 including the bendable part 88 is moved up and down as shown in FIG. Is opened (valve opened), and the flow of the expansion gas G from the central expansion portion EC to the upper expansion portion EU is allowed. After the pressing, the internal pressure of the upper expansion part EU becomes higher than the internal pressure of the central expansion part EC, and the bendable part 88 of the upper valve 80 is closed and bent as shown in FIG. It is done. By the bent portion 88, the flow path in the upper valve 80 is closed, and the expansion gas G is restricted from flowing (backflowing) from the upper expansion portion EU to the central expansion portion EC. As described above, the expansion gas G in the central expansion portion EC flows to the upper expansion portion EU and the backflow is restricted, so that the internal pressure of the central expansion portion EC is reduced and the internal pressure of the upper expansion portion EU is reduced. To rise. Therefore, it is difficult for the internal pressure of the central inflating part EC to rise excessively when restraining the chest PT or the like.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the inflation gas G only flows through the inner bag 70 and the upper valve 80 between the central inflation portion EC and the upper inflation portion EU, and the central inflation portion without passing through the upper valve 80. The expansion gas G does not flow between the EC and the upper expansion unit EU. Therefore, the pressure regulating function of the upper valve 80 is not impaired due to the flow of the expansion gas G.

  Further, as described above, the impact resistance of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P is higher than the impact resistance of the chest PT or the like. Therefore, there is no problem even if the internal pressure of the upper expansion part EU increases due to the expansion gas G from the central expansion part EC. Rather, the occupant P is pushed to the inside of the vehicle through the shoulder part PS by the upper expansion part EU. The passenger P is more reliably protected from the impact.

  Further, since the lower valve 90 operates with respect to the lower expansion portion EL in the same manner as the upper valve 80, the occupant P is pushed to the vehicle inner side through the waist portion PP having high impact resistance by the lower expansion portion EL. The occupant P is more reliably protected from impact.

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The airbag AB has a double structure including the inner bag 70 and the outer bag 30. Further, the outer bag 30 is partitioned into a central inflating part EC, an upper inflating part EU, and a lower inflating part EL, and the inner bag 70 is partitioned into an outer peripheral part 67 and an inner peripheral part 68 by a substantially annular thickness restricting part 65. ing. A communication passage 69 for communicating between the outer peripheral side portion 67 and the inner peripheral side portion 68 is provided only in a part of the thickness regulating portion 65, and an intermediate portion opening OC is provided in the inner peripheral side portion 68 (FIG. 7). Therefore, it can suppress that center expansion part EC expand | swells extremely late | slower than upper and lower both expansion part EU and EL. In addition, it is possible to prevent the chest PT of the occupant P, which is not so high in impact resistance, from being excessively compressed in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag AB.

  Further, at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag AB, the internal pressures of the upper inflatable part EU and the lower inflatable part EL can be increased faster than the internal pressure of the central inflatable part EC. The high shoulder portion PS and the waist portion PP can be constrained and protected by the upper expansion portion EU and the lower expansion portion EL having high internal pressure. Further, the chest PT having low impact resistance can be softly restrained and protected by the central inflatable portion EC having low internal pressure.

  (2) The inner bag 70 is internally provided in substantially the entire region of the central inflating part EC (FIG. 7). Therefore, the inner bag 70 can also exert a function of restraining the occupant P and protecting it from an impact, and the restraint / protection performance is improved as compared with the case where the occupant P is restrained and protected by the outer bag 30 alone. be able to.

  (3) By changing the position of the communication passage 69 in the substantially annular thickness restricting portion 65, the expansion gas G in the outer peripheral side portion 67 sequentially passes through the communication passage 69 and the intermediate opening OC, and the central expansion portion EC. The internal pressure of the central expansion part EC can be adjusted by adjusting the timing of flowing to the center.

  (4) The upper valve 80 is provided in the communication part between the inner bag 70 and the upper inflating part EU (FIG. 15). Therefore, while suppressing the phenomenon in which the internal pressure of the central inflating part EC increases excessively when restraining / protecting the occupant P, the internal pressure of the upper inflating part EU, which has been increased to an appropriate internal pressure to protect the occupant P, is reduced. Can be maintained without.

  (5) By making the central expansion part EC and the upper expansion part EU independent from each other, the flow of the expansion gas G between the central expansion part EC and the upper expansion part EU is performed only through the upper valve 80. (FIG. 17B). Therefore, the expansion gas G is restricted from flowing between the central expansion portion EC and the upper expansion portion EU without passing through the upper valve 80, and the pressure regulation function of the upper valve 80 is impaired due to the distribution. Thus, the effect (4) can be further ensured.

  (6) A lower valve 90 is provided at the communication portion between the inner bag 70 and the lower inflating portion EL (FIG. 16). Therefore, while suppressing the phenomenon in which the internal pressure of the central inflating portion EC excessively increases when the occupant P is restrained, the internal pressure of the lower inflating portion EL that has been increased to an appropriate internal pressure to protect the occupant P can be reduced. Can be maintained.

  (7) By making the central expansion portion EC and the lower expansion portion EL independent from each other, the flow of the expansion gas G between the central expansion portion EC and the lower expansion portion EL is performed only through the lower valve 90. (FIG. 18B). Therefore, the expansion gas G is restricted from flowing between the central expansion part EC and the lower expansion part EL without passing through the lower valve 90, and the pressure adjustment function of the lower valve 90 is impaired due to the distribution. Thus, the effect of the above (6) can be further ensured.

  (8) A part of the chest PT of the occupant P is to be protected, and the thickness restricting portion 65 and the inner peripheral side portion 68 are provided at locations corresponding to the protection target (chest PT) in the inner bag 70. It is possible to reliably suppress the chest PT from being pressed excessively by being directly pressed by the central inflatable portion (inner bag 70).

Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
<Matters related to inflator assembly 20>
-As the retainer 22, you may use the thing by which the upper end part was obstruct | occluded and only the lower end part was open | released, and the upper and lower both ends opened | released together.

The inflator 21 may be directly attached to the seat back 14 without using the retainer 22.
-An inner tube may be arrange | positioned in the rear part inside the inner bag 70, and the inflator assembly 20 may be arrange | positioned in this inner tube. This inner tube is used to rectify the expansion gas G ejected from the inflator 21.

  As the inner tube, for example, one having a structure shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B can be adopted. The inner tube 116 includes a tubular portion 117 that extends in the vertical direction and is open at both upper and lower ends, and a sheet-like portion 118 that extends upward from the upper end on the vehicle inner side of the tubular portion 117. The lower part of the tubular part 117 is formed so that the diameter becomes smaller (the diameter is reduced) toward the lower side. In forming the inner tube 116, a single fabric 119 having an inverted L-shape is used as shown in FIG. In the fabric 119, a bolt hole 121 is formed at an upper portion of a portion that is to become the sheet-like portion 118. Further, a bolt hole 122 is also formed at a place to be the tubular portion 117. And the inner tube 116 which consists of the said tubular part 117 and the sheet-like part 118 is formed by the lower end part of the said fabric 119 being rounded tubular, and also the both ends of the lower end part being stitched | sutured. Reference numerals 123 in FIGS. 21A and 21B and FIG. 22 indicate stitched portions. The vertical dimension of the tubular portion 117 is set to a size that can cover most of the window portion 25 of the retainer 22.

  At least the lower end portion of the tubular portion 117 is disposed inside the lower valve 90. The tubular portion 117 may be coupled to the inner bag 70 and the outer bag 30 (the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32) by means such as sewing. And the lower part of the inflator assembly 20 is arrange | positioned in the tubular part 117 (refer FIG. 21 (A)), and a pair of upper and lower volt | bolts 26 (refer FIG.5 and FIG.6) of the retainer 22 are set to the corresponding bolt holes 121,122. It is inserted. Both bolts 26 are inserted into the seat frame 16 and the nut 17 is tightened, whereby the inner tube 116 is fixed to the seat frame 16 together with the inner bag 70 and the outer bag 30.

  When the inner tube 116 having the above configuration is employed, as shown in FIG. 21 (A), the expansion gas G ejected from the gas ejection portion 23 of the inflator 21 and passed through the window portion 25 hits the tubular portion 117, and the flow direction is changed. The direction is changed along the axis L1 of the inflator 21 (vertical direction). Here, since the diameter of the lower portion of the tubular portion 117 is reduced toward the lower side, the expansion gas G tends to flow upward rather than downward. Therefore, compared with the case where the inner tube 116 is not used, the expansion gas G can be rectified in a desired direction.

<Matters related to outer bag 30>
The first inflatable body 31 may be partitioned into an upper inflatable portion EU and a central inflatable portion EC by a seam instead of the tether 51. In this case, the fabric parts 43 and 44 on the vehicle inner side and the vehicle outer side of the first inflatable body 31 are directly stitched with the sewing thread.

The outer bag 30 may be configured by only one inflating body instead of the two inflating bodies (the first inflating body 31 and the second inflating body 32).
The fabric portions on the vehicle inner side and the vehicle outer side are overlapped and joined only by their peripheral edge coupling portions, that is, without providing the tether 51 and the partition coupling portion 61, and the central expansion portion EC, the upper expansion portion EU, and the lower expansion portion The EL may be partitioned. In this case, as the fabric portions on the vehicle inner side and the vehicle outer side, the portions that are to be the central expansion portion EC and the upper expansion portion EU are connected only in part, and the portions that are to be the central expansion portion EC and the lower expansion portion EL are one. Use one that is connected only in the department.

<Matters related to inner bag 70>
In place of the chest PT of the occupant P, the abdomen PB is to be protected, and the inner bag 70 is placed at a position corresponding to the protection target (abdomen PB) as shown by a thick two-dot chain line in FIG. A peripheral portion 68A may be provided.

  If it does in this way, the thickness of the location corresponding to protection object (abdominal part PB) will be controlled about inner bag 70 at the initial stage of inflation of airbag AB. Along with this, in the central expansion portion EC, the thicknesses of the portions corresponding to the thickness restricting portion 65A and the inner peripheral side portion 68A are restricted. The abdomen PB is less likely to be pressed excessively by being directly pressed by the central inflating part EC (inner bag 70) without passing through the arm part PA.

  The arm portion PA of the occupant P is to be protected, and the inner bag 70 has a portion corresponding to the protection target (arm portion PA) as shown by a thick two-dot chain line in FIG. 68B may be provided.

  If it does in this way, the thickness of the location corresponding to protection object (arm part PA) about inner bag 70 will be controlled at the initial stage of inflation of airbag AB. Along with this, in the central inflating portion EC, the thicknesses of the portions corresponding to the thickness restricting portion 65B and the inner peripheral side portion 68B are restricted. The arm part PA is pressed by the central inflating part EC (inner bag 70), and the chest PT and the abdomen PB located on the vehicle inner side than the arm part PA are indirectly pressed through the arm part PA, so that the chest part PT and the abdomen It becomes difficult for PB to be overstressed.

  Including the above-described embodiment, when any one of the chest part PT, the abdomen PB, and the arm part PA of the occupant P is to be protected, the inner peripheral portions 68, 68A, 68B of the inner bag 70 are wider than the protection target. It is desirable that the intermediate opening OC be formed at a location that is deviated from the protection target in the inner peripheral portions 68, 68A, 68B (see the thick two-dot chain line in FIG. 23).

  In this case, since the inner peripheral portion 68 of the inner bag 70 is wider than the object to be protected (one of the chest PT, the abdomen PB, and the arm PA), the inner bag is in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag AB. In 70 and the central expansion part EC, the thickness of the part corresponding to the protection target is reliably regulated.

  Further, in the later stage of inflation of the airbag AB, the inflation gas G used for the inflation of the outer peripheral side portion 67 flows from the outer peripheral side portion 67 to the inner peripheral side portion 68 through the communication passage 69, and then from the protection target. It tends to flow from the intermediate portion opening OC at the biased portion to the central expansion portion EC. At this time, if the intermediate opening OC is provided at a location corresponding to the protection target in the inner peripheral portion 68, the intermediate opening OC is positioned between the body side portion 11 and the protection target of the occupant P. However, there is a risk of being blocked by the central expansion part EC that interferes with the protection target. In this case, there is a concern that the expansion gas G that has flowed into the inner peripheral portion 68 through the communication passage 69 does not smoothly flow from the intermediate opening OC to the central expansion portion EC.

  However, as described above, by providing the intermediate opening OC at a location deviated from the object to be protected, the intermediate opening OC is not positioned between the body side part 11 and the object to be protected by the occupant P. It is hard to be blocked by the central expansion part EC that interferes with the target. Therefore, the expansion gas G that has flowed into the inner peripheral portion 68 through the communication passage 69 can smoothly flow from the intermediate portion opening OC to the central expansion portion EC.

  From the viewpoint of restraining the chest PT of the occupant P with a relatively low internal pressure (but higher than the atmospheric pressure) by the central inflating part EC, both the vehicle inner side and the vehicle outer side of the inner bag 70 as in the above embodiment. It is desirable to provide the middle part opening OC of the same or comparable magnitude | size in the fabric parts 72 and 73 (refer FIG. 20). This is because the amount of the expansion gas G flowing from the intermediate portion opening OC to the central expansion portion EC can be increased.

However, for the convenience of design, the internal pressure of the central expansion portion EC may become high due to the output characteristics of the inflator 21, for example.
In this case, it is desirable to employ the configuration shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 as the intermediate opening OC. Here, in order to distinguish between the intermediate portion opening OC in the fabric portion 73 on the outside of the vehicle and the intermediate portion opening OC in the fabric portion 72 on the inside of the vehicle, the former is referred to as “intermediate portion opening OC1” and the latter is referred to as “intermediate portion opening OC1”. It is referred to as “opening OC2”. Further, with respect to the central inflating portion EC, the former is referred to as “central inflating portion EC1” and the latter is referred to as “central inflating portion EC2” in order to distinguish the portion that is outside the vehicle from the inner bag 70 and the portion that is inside the vehicle. " In addition, when such distinction is unnecessary, it is simply referred to as “central inflating part EC”.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 24, the middle opening OC2 in the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle inner side is formed smaller than the middle portion opening OC1 in the fabric portion 73 on the vehicle outer side. The following two points can be cited as merits of adopting this configuration.

  (I) In the latter stage of inflation of the airbag AB, the inflation gas G flowing through the intermediate opening OC2 to the central expansion portion EC2 inside the vehicle flows through the intermediate opening OC1 to the central expansion portion EC1 outside the vehicle. It becomes less than the working gas G, and an increase in internal pressure is suppressed at the central expansion portion EC2 on the vehicle inner side. About the fabric part 43 inside the center inflating part EC, the area (projected area) that can protect the chest PT of the occupant P from the outside of the car is not impaired, and the area of the part that becomes high pressure is reduced. This is because the location of the fabric portion 43 on the inner side of the vehicle is the portion corresponding to the outer peripheral side portion 67 that expands around the thickness regulating portion 65 in the inner bag 70. As a result, the chest PT of the occupant P is softly restrained.

  (II) In the later stage of inflation of the airbag AB, because of the difference in size of the intermediate openings OC1 and OC2, there is more inflation gas G for the central inflation portion EC1 on the vehicle outer side than for the central inflation portion EC2 on the vehicle interior side. Flowing. The central expansion portion EC1 outside the vehicle filled with a large amount of the expansion gas G in this way absorbs the energy of the shock (impact energy) when the body side portion 11 (door or the like) enters the vehicle inside due to a side collision or the like. To function). Further, since the central expansion portion EC1 on the vehicle outer side has a higher internal pressure than the central expansion portion EC2 on the vehicle inner side, when the body side portion 11 enters the vehicle inner side due to a side collision or the like as described above. It is not easily crushed. For this reason, the airbag AB is reduced in thickness in the vehicle width direction, and the occupant P and the body side portion 11 such as a hard door are brought into contact with each other only through the non-inflated airbag AB cloth ( The bottoming phenomenon) is suppressed or delayed. As a result, improvement and securing of the protection performance of the airbag AB can be expected.

  The effects (I) and (II) described above increase as the intermediate opening OC2 becomes smaller. In particular, as shown in FIG. 25, when the intermediate portion opening OC1 is provided only in the fabric portion 73 on the outside of the vehicle and the fabric portion 72 on the inside of the vehicle is closed without any intermediate portion opening, (I), (II) It is thought that the effect of is the largest.

  When the configuration shown in FIG. 25 is adopted, the inflation gas G used for the expansion of the outer peripheral side portion 67 of the inner bag 70 passes through the communication passage 69 from the outer peripheral side portion 67 to the inner peripheral side. After flowing into the portion 68, it flows only through the intermediate opening OC1 to the central expansion portion EC1 on the vehicle outer side. The inflation gas G does not flow through the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle inner side and flows to the center expansion portion EC2 on the vehicle inner side. In FIG. 19A described above, the central inflating portion EC2 is in the same state as the portion of the central inflating portion EC that is located on the inner side of the inner bag 70, and the central inflating portion EC1 on the outer side of the vehicle and the central portion on the inner side of the inner side of the vehicle. The internal pressure difference with the expansion part EC2 increases.

24, the intermediate opening OC1 in the fabric portion 73 on the vehicle exterior side may be formed smaller than the intermediate opening OC2 in the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle interior side.
25, the intermediate opening OC2 may be provided only in the fabric portion 72 on the vehicle interior side, and the fabric portion 73 on the vehicle exterior side may be closed without an intermediate portion opening.

  24 and FIG. 25, the inflation gas G flowing through the intermediate opening OC2 to the central inflation portion EC2 inside the vehicle through the intermediate opening OC2 is in the rear side of the airbag AB. More than the expansion gas G flowing through the fabric portion 73 (intermediate portion opening OC1) to the central expansion portion EC1 on the vehicle outer side, the internal expansion at the central expansion portion EC2 on the vehicle inner side is promoted. Therefore, there is an advantage that most or all of the inflation gas G can be used for restraining the chest PT of the occupant P.

  Therefore, the above configuration relates to, for example, an inflator 21 relating to “a side airbag device mounted on a vehicle of a type that does not require much consideration for entering the vehicle side of the body side portion 11 such as a door during a side collision”. This is effective when selecting a type with a small total discharge amount of the expansion gas G.

-On the condition that it is substantially cyclic | annular, you may change the side surface shape of the thickness control part 65 into a thing different from the said embodiment.
-You may change the position of the communicating path 69 in the thickness control part 65 to the position different from the said embodiment.

  The position of the upper opening OU in the inner bag 70 may be changed on the condition that it is on the upper side of the inner bag 70. Therefore, the upper opening OU may be provided at a location slightly deviated from the upper end of the inner bag 70.

  Further, the position of the lower opening OL in the inner bag 70 may be changed on the condition that it is on the lower side of the inner bag 70. Therefore, the lower opening OL may be provided at a location slightly deviated from the lower end of the inner bag 70.

The flow path area SU of the upper opening OU may be different from the flow path area SL of the lower opening OL.
A plurality of at least one of the upper opening OU and the lower opening OL may be provided in the inner bag 70.

-You may change the number of intermediate part opening OC in each fabric part 72,73 of the inner bag 70 to plurality.
-You may provide the communicating path 69 which made the flow-path area small in the multiple places of the thickness control part 65. FIG.

  The inner bag 70 may be a bag in which one piece of fabric is folded in two and joined in a bag shape by means such as stitching, like the first inflatable body 31 and the second inflatable body 32 in the outer bag 30.

  In the formation of the thickness restricting portion 65, the number of reinforcing cloths 66 used may be changed to one or three or more. Alternatively, the reinforcing cloth 66 may be omitted, and the thickness restricting portion 65 may be formed by stitching only both the fabric portions 72 and 73 of the inner bag 70.

<Matters related to the upper valve 80 and the lower valve 90>
The upper valve 80 only needs to be able to restrict the expansion gas G in the upper expansion portion EU from flowing (reversely flowing) to the central expansion portion EC, and has a structure different from that of the above embodiment. Also good. Similarly, the lower valve 90 only needs to be able to restrict the expansion gas G in the lower expansion portion EL from flowing (backflowing) to the central expansion portion EC, and has a structure different from that of the above embodiment. There may be.

-At least one of the upper valve 80 and the lower valve 90 may be omitted.
<Other matters>
At least one of the peripheral coupling portions 37 and 45, the lower coupling portions 54 and 55, the upper coupling portion 56, the inner coupling portions 58, 59, 74, and 75, the partition coupling portion 61, the coupling portions 83 and 93, and the thickness regulating portion 65. You may form one by means different from the said sewing, for example, adhesion | attachment using an adhesive agent.

  The storage portion 15 may be replaced with the seat back 14 and may be provided in the body side portion 11 at a location near the vehicle exterior of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12.

The side view which shows the vehicle seat equipped with the side airbag apparatus with the passenger | crew in one Embodiment which actualized this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a positional relationship between a vehicle seat, an occupant, and a body side part. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing a positional relationship between a vehicle seat, an occupant, and a body side part. The side view which shows the airbag module by which the airbag was made into the expansion | deployment state without being filled with the gas for inflation with a passenger | crew. FIG. 5 is a side view showing an inflator assembly disposed in the airbag of FIG. 4. The top view which shows the state which looked at the inflator assembly of FIG. 5 from diagonally backward upper direction with a seat frame, a nut, an airbag, etc. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of an airbag module when a seat back stands substantially vertically. Sectional drawing which shows each vehicle inner side part of the 1st expansion body and 2nd expansion body in FIG. 7 in the state isolate | separated to the up-down direction. The expanded view which shows the state which expand | deployed the 2nd expansion body etc. planarly. The expanded view which shows the state which expand | deployed the 1st expansion body etc. planarly. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the state of the tether when the airbag is not inflated, and (B) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the state of the tether when the airbag is inflated. The partial side view which shows the state which notched a part of fabric part of the vehicle outer side in a 1st expansion body, and exposed a part of inner bag. The disassembled perspective view which shows the relationship between the both fabric parts and reinforcement cloth of an inner bag, and a thickness control part. Explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the fabric part inside a vehicle in an inner bag, and an upper valve and a lower valve. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the X section in FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the Y section in FIG. (A)-(C) are the fragmentary sectional views explaining the effect | action of an upper valve. (A)-(C) are the fragmentary sectional views explaining the effect | action of a lower valve. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure along the AA line | wire of FIG. 4, (A) is sectional drawing which shows the airbag of an expansion | deployment initial stage, (B) is sectional drawing which shows the airbag of an expansion | swelling stage. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure along the BB line | wire of FIG. 4, and is sectional drawing which shows the airbag of the late | swelling late stage. (A) is a front view which shows another example which arrange | positions an inflator assembly in an inner tube, (B) is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the inner tube from diagonally forward upper direction. The expanded view which shows the state which expand | deployed the inner tube in planar shape. In FIG. 1, the side view which shows another example which provided the thickness control part and the intermediate part opening in the location corresponding to an arm part and an abdominal part. It is a figure which shows another example of the intermediate part opening in the inner peripheral side part of an inner bag, and is sectional drawing which shows the cross-section along the BB line of FIG. 4 corresponding to FIG. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the other example of the intermediate part opening in the inner peripheral side part of an inner bag, and is sectional drawing which shows the cross-section along the BB line of FIG. 4 corresponding to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Body side part, 12 ... Vehicle seat, 30 ... Outer bag, 65, 65A, 65B ... Thickness control part, 67 ... Outer peripheral part, 68, 68A, 68B ... Inner peripheral part, 69 ... Communication path, 70 ... Inner bag, 80 ... Upper valve, 90 ... Lower valve, AB ... Air bag, EC, EC1, EC2 ... Central inflation part, EL ... Lower inflation part, EU ... Upper inflation part, G ... Gas for inflation, OC, OC1 , OC2 ... middle part opening (opening), P ... occupant, PA ... arm part, PB ... abdomen, PP ... waist part, PS ... shoulder part, PT ... chest part.

Claims (5)

In a side airbag device that inflates an airbag between a body side portion of the vehicle and an occupant seated on the vehicle seat with an inflation gas supplied in response to an impact from the side of the vehicle,
The airbag includes an inner bag that is inflated by the inflation gas, and an outer bag that is inflated outside the inner bag by the inflation gas that has passed through the inner bag.
The outer bag has the inner bag in substantially its entire area, and is inflated in the vicinity of the side of the chest of the occupant, and communicated with the inner bag and on the shoulder side of the occupant An upper inflatable portion that inflates near the side, and a lower inflatable portion that communicates with the inner bag and inflates near the side of the waist of the occupant,
By providing a substantially annular thickness regulating portion that regulates the thickness of the inner bag in the vehicle width direction, the inner bag is surrounded by the outer circumferential side portion that expands around the thickness regulating portion and the thickness regulating portion. It is divided into the inner peripheral side part,
A part of the thickness regulating portion is provided with a communication path that communicates between the outer peripheral side portion and the inner peripheral side portion,
Furthermore, the side airbag device is characterized in that an opening is provided in the inner peripheral side portion. 2. The side airbag according to claim 1, wherein an upper valve that allows only the flow of the inflation gas from the inner bag to the upper inflating portion is provided at a communication portion between the inner bag and the upper inflating portion. apparatus. The lower part valve | bulb which accept | permits only the distribution | circulation of the gas for the said expansion | swelling from the inner bag to the lower expansion part is provided in the communication part of the inner bag and the lower expansion part. Side airbag device. 2. The thickness regulating portion and the inner peripheral side portion are provided for protection of one of the occupant's arm, chest, and abdomen, and the inner bag is provided at a location corresponding to the protection target. The side airbag apparatus as described in any one of -3. The said inner peripheral side part of the said inner bag is formed more widely than the said protection object, The said opening is provided in the location biased from the said protection object in the said inner peripheral side part. Side airbag device.

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