JP5180554B2 - Airbag device for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle airbag device that protects an occupant by deploying an airbag in a curtain shape downward from an upper portion of a window on the side of a vehicle body at the time of a side collision of the vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an occupant's head protecting device that protects an occupant's head when a vehicle undergoes a side collision or rolls over, a vehicle airbag device that deploys an airbag in a curtain shape on the side surface of a vehicle interior is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  The vehicle airbag device described in Patent Document 1 is an occupant protection device referred to as a so-called curtain airbag device, and is continuously provided from the front pillar of the vehicle through the roof side rail to the rear pillar. . In a vehicle airbag device, an airbag when not deployed is an elongated cover body (box) installed in a space between a roof lining forming an interior on the vehicle compartment side and an inner member forming a part of the vehicle body. Is housed in a state of being folded in the shape member).

  The cover body is formed of a box body that is disposed obliquely outward and downward along the roof lining in the side lower end of the roof lining. The cover body is formed in an elongated shape substantially straight in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the folded airbag is housed inside, and the lid member at the lower end is clipped to the edge of the opening to open the cover. The part is blocked.

The airbag is inflated by the gas from the inflator at the time of a collision, pushes the lid provided at the lower end of the cover body, and further pushes the lower end of the roof lining toward the passenger compartment to open it. Expand to protect the occupant.
US Pat. No. 5,921,575

  However, when a conventional vehicle airbag device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is installed in a roof lining, a skeleton member such as a center pillar or a vehicle body frame is formed on the vehicle body. It is necessary to bend and form the cover body so as to bypass and avoid those members and the peripheral assembly members. As described above, the cover body that stores the airbag needs to be curvedly arranged three-dimensionally along the shape of the installation surface of the vehicle body.

  In this case, at the inflection point of the airbag, the deployment direction may change depending on the folded state of the airbag, and the stability that the airbag is always deployed in a desired direction may not be obtained. Here, the inflection point refers to a portion where the airbag is twisted or constricted due to a pressure difference caused by a path difference of expansion gas or a cell shape (formed by sewing).

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle airbag device having good airbag deployment characteristics even when the cover body is bent and formed in accordance with the shape of the vehicle body.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the vehicle airbag device according to claim 1 of the present invention is substantially U-shaped covered with roof lining that accommodates the airbag in a folded state along the side of the roof of the vehicle. A vehicle airbag device having a cover-like cover body, wherein the cover body is lowered by a pair of opposed walls substantially parallel to each other, a connection wall connecting the pair of opposed walls, and the pair of opposed walls. And an opening formed by bending in the vehicle width direction according to the shape of the vehicle body, and the cover body has a lower end portion of the opposing wall on the vehicle outer side at the bent portion. The outer wall surface of the vehicle is extended downward so as to coincide with the lower end of the roof lining, and the angle formed between the opening direction of the opposing wall and the vertical direction is approximately in a cross section parallel to the vehicle width direction. Formed to be constant , The bent portion is characterized in that the bent in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the convex shape of the installation surface by pillars fixed to the side of the roof in which the cover member is installed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the vehicle airbag device has the bent portion that is bent in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the shape of the vehicle body, the cover body is formed in accordance with the shape of the installation surface of the vehicle body. can do. The cover body includes a pair of opposed walls that are substantially parallel to each other, a connection wall that connects the pair of opposed walls, and the bent portion, and is formed in a substantially U-shape and is opened downwardly in the vehicle width direction. Are formed so that the angle formed by the opening direction of the opposing wall and the vertical direction is substantially constant. In the cover body formed in this way, since the entire opening is formed in a certain direction (for example, vertically downward), the airbag is smoothly and instantaneously deployed in a desired direction to protect the occupant. Can do. According to the invention described in claim 1, the cover body has the vehicle outer wall surface extended downward so that the lower end portion of the opposite wall on the vehicle outer side in the bent portion matches the lower end portion of the roof lining. Thus, it is possible to guide the airbag to be deployed in a desired direction by regulating the airbag deployment direction on the vehicle outer wall surface. That is, when the airbag is inflated, the opposite wall on the vehicle exterior side of the cover body is pressed in the vehicle exterior direction, and the vehicle exterior wall surface is in close contact with the vehicle body, so that the vehicle exterior wall surface is firmly supported by the vehicle body. . For this reason, the airbag to be deployed can be guided by the vehicle outer wall surface so as to be deployed in a stable state in a desired direction.

  The vehicle airbag device according to claim 2 is the vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion is provided corresponding to the shape of the upper portion of the pillar. .

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cover body is provided with a bent portion corresponding to the shape of the upper part of the pillar, so that there is no unnecessary space in the interior material on the passenger compartment side. Therefore, it can suppress that the interior material becomes the shape which protruded to the vehicle interior side.

  The vehicle airbag device according to claim 3 is the vehicle airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover body has a reinforcing rib parallel to the vehicle width direction on the connection wall. It is characterized by arranging a plurality.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the cover body is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs parallel to the vehicle width direction on the connection wall, whereby the strength against external force from the vehicle width direction is improved, With strong strength and rigidity. Further, the cover body is provided so that the substantially U-shaped cross section and the reinforcing rib are orthogonal to each other, so that the supporting force can be kept unchanged even if the position of the reinforcing rib changes back and forth. Thus, the vehicle airbag device can obtain a substantially uniform deployment direction by the opening, and also has a supporting force for regulating the opening operation of the opposing wall that receives the inflation pressure of the airbag in the vehicle width direction. Since it can be made substantially uniform in the front-rear direction, the deployment direction is more stable.

The vehicle airbag device according to claim 4 is the vehicle airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the bent portion is installed at an installation site of the cover body. It is characterized in that it is bent in the vehicle width direction so as to avoid the attached parts.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the bent portion is bent in the vehicle width direction so as to avoid the mounting component installed at the installation site of the cover body. by Rukoto, to match the convex shape of the installation surface which are I Do in raised state can be formed by bending.

  According to the vehicle airbag apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle airbag apparatus having good airbag deployment characteristics even when the cover body is formed by bending according to the shape of the vehicle body.

Next, a vehicle airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, the description will be made assuming that the traveling direction of the vehicle is “front”, the backward direction is “rear”, and the vehicle width direction is “left” and “right”. First, before describing a vehicle airbag device (hereinafter simply referred to as “airbag device”), a vehicle and a vehicle body on which the airbag device is mounted will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing the airbag apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic side view of the main part showing the attached state of the cover body. FIG. 3 is a view showing a reinforcing rib of the cover body of the airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and (a) is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing an installation state of the curving prevention rib and the convex rib, b) is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing the installation state of the bending prevention rib and the protruding piece-like rib. FIG. 4 is an AA enlarged end view of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view taken along the line BB of FIG. FIG. 6 is a CC enlarged end view of FIG. FIG. 7 is a DD enlarged end view of FIG. FIG. 8 is an EE enlarged end view of FIG.

≪Vehicle configuration≫
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes an airbag device 2 that includes windows on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 11 and includes airbags 3 that are deployed to cover the left and right windows.
In addition, the vehicle 1 should just be a motor vehicle which has a window, and the model etc. of the vehicle 1 are not specifically limited. Hereinafter, the airbag apparatus 2 will be described by taking a passenger car as an example.
Further, the vehicle 1 on which the airbag device 2 is mounted includes, for example, a car having a single row seat of only the front row seat, or two rows or more such as three rows composed of a front row seat, a middle row seat, and a rear row seat. Although the present invention can be used in the same manner for a vehicle having a seat, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below by taking as an example a vehicle 1 having two rows of seats (not shown) including a front row seat and a rear row seat. To do.

<Body structure>
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 11 includes, for example, a front pillar 13 provided on the front side of a front row seat (not shown) and a center provided near the center between the front row seat (not shown) and the rear row seat. The upper end of the pillar 14 and the quarter pillar 15 and the rear pillar 16 provided on the rear side of the rear row seat are connected by the roof side rail 17 and the floor (not shown) and the roof 12 are connected. . A door opening 11a is provided between the front pillar 13 and the center pillar 14 of the vehicle body 11, and a side door on the front row seat side is disposed in the door opening 11a. Between the center pillar 14 and the quarter pillar 15 of the vehicle 1, there is a door opening 11b, and a side door for the rear row seat is disposed.

<Configuration of roof side rail>
As shown in FIG. 2, the roof side rail 17 is a frame member that forms the periphery of the upper portion 11 c of the door openings 11 a and 11 b, the upper part is joined to the roof 12 (see FIG. 1), and the lower part is the center pillar. 14 is joined to a pillar such as a quarter pillar 15. The joint portion between the roof side rail 17 and each pillar 13, 14, 15, 16 is raised to the inside of the vehicle by the thickness of the pillar 13, 14, 15, 16. The roof side rail 17 includes an inner member that is an inner layer, a center member that is an intermediate layer, and an outer member that is an outermost layer.

<Roof configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the roof 12 is a member that forms a ceiling portion of the vehicle 1, and an interior material 9 (see FIGS. 4 to 8) that is the innermost layer with respect to the passenger compartment side and an inner layer that is the inner layer. It is comprised from the member (not shown), the center member (not shown) which is an intermediate | middle layer, and the outer member (not shown) which is the outermost layer. The lower end portion of the roof 12 and the upper end portion of the roof side rail 17 are joined by welding or the like.

<Composition of interior materials>
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the interior material 9 is an interior plate member that forms the surface of the passenger compartment, and is formed of a member having buffering properties, heat insulation properties, and rigidity. The interior material 9 includes a roof lining 91 that forms a ceiling surface of the passenger compartment and covers the cover body 4, and a pillar garnish (not shown) that covers the pillars 13, 14, 15, 16 such as the center pillar 14 and the quarter pillar 15. ).
The roof lining 91 is installed on the vehicle compartment side so as to cover the entire cover body 4, and the bottom end of the roof lining 91 is installed so as to match the bottom end of the cover body 4.

≪Configuration of airbag device≫
As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag device 2 has door openings 11 a and 11 b or pillars 13 when an impact of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied to the side of the vehicle 1 in a side collision or the like. , 14, 15, 16 is a so-called curtain airbag device that protects the occupant's head and the like by deploying the airbag 3 disposed in the upper portion 11c. The airbag device 2 is disposed along the roof side rail 17 at a portion from the front pillar 13 through the roof side rail 17 to the rear pillar 16, for example. The airbag device 2 includes an airbag 3, a cover body 4, an inflator 6 (see FIG. 2), a pipe P, a collision detection sensor (not shown), and an electronic control unit (not shown). It is configured.
Since the airbag device 2 has the same configuration and operation on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 11 and operates in the same manner, only the device installed on the right side will be described and the device installed on the left side. The description of is omitted.

≪Airbag configuration≫
As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 3 is a bag body that is deployed between a window glass of a side door and a seated occupant to restrain and protect the occupant from the side direction. The cloth is formed by sewing a cloth into a substantially bag shape. The airbag 3 is normally folded in a long shape and stored in the cover body 4 and restrained by the binding band 5 together with the cover body 4, so that the cover body 4 is fixed to the fixture 7 and the clip 47 (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 6). It fixes to the vehicle body 11 by fixing to the roof side rail 17 by FIG. 8). The airbag 3 is provided with a strap 31 for fixing the airbag 3 to the vehicle body 11 and an attachment piece 32 (see FIG. 8) on the outer peripheral portion. The airbag 3 is inflated when gas is supplied from the inflator 6 at the time of a collision, breaks the binding band 5, pushes and opens the interior material 9 (see FIG. 8) such as the roof lining 91 (see FIG. 8), After the airbag 3 is deployed, it is formed so that gas escapes and deflates.

  In addition, a gas supply port (not shown) to which a pipe P for supplying gas connected to the inflator 6 is attached to the airbag 3 and a gas flowing in from the supply port is sent and inflated. An inflatable portion (not shown) that protects the gas, a non-inflatable portion (not shown) that does not swell without being supplied with gas, and a stitched portion that is sewn to form an inflatable portion, a non-inflatable portion, etc. And) are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the strap 31 is a string for fixing the airbag 3 to the front pillar 13, and is sewn to the front end portion of the airbag 3.
The attachment piece 32 is a protruding piece for fixing the airbag 3 to the roof side rail 17. In the airbag 3, the upper end portion of the inflating portion that is deployed on the front seat side and the inflating portion that is deployed on the rear seat side. It is installed at the upper end.

≪Composition of cover body≫
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the cover body 4 has a substantially U-shaped airbag housing portion that houses the airbag 3 in a folded state along the side of the roof 12 of the vehicle 1. The case is a case without a synthetic resin lid extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 11. The cover body 4 is opened downward by a pair of opposed walls 41, 42 that are substantially parallel to each other, a connection wall 43 that connects the pair of opposed walls 41, 42, and the opposed walls 41, 42 and the connection wall 43. The opening 48 formed in this manner, the bent portion 44 bent in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the shape of the vehicle body 11, and the reinforcing rib 46 are integrally formed.
The cover body 4 is formed so that the angle formed by the opening direction of the opposing walls 41 and 42 and the vertical direction is substantially constant in a cross section parallel to the left-right direction (vehicle width direction). In this embodiment, the opening direction of the opening part 48 of the opposing walls 41 and 42 is formed facing right below. The angle made with the vertical direction matches at 0 degree.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the cover body 4 is in a state in which the opening 48 is directly below the vehicle inner surface of the roof side rail 17 extending from the front pillar 13 (see FIG. 1) to the rear pillar 16 (see FIG. 1). And is covered with interior material 9 such as roof lining 91 and pillar garnish.

<Configuration of airbag storage unit>
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the airbag storage portion 45 is a portion in which the folded airbag 3 is stored, and is formed in a downward groove shape from the front end to the rear end of the cover body 4. The airbag housing portion 45 is mainly formed by a connection wall 43 that forms the ceiling surface of the cover body 4, an opposing wall 41 that forms the side wall on the outside of the vehicle, and an opposing wall 42 that forms the side wall on the inside of the vehicle. The lower surface is open.

<Configuration of facing wall>
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the opposing walls 41 and 42 are plate-like members that form the side walls of the downwardly U-shaped cover body 4 when viewed from the front, and are vertically provided facing each other at equal intervals. It has been.
The opposite wall 41 on the vehicle exterior side is made of a plate-like member that is formed to hang vertically downward from the end of the connection wall 43 on the vehicle exterior side. An inner wall surface 41a, a vehicle outer wall surface 41b, a projecting piece-like rib 46c, and a clip 47 (see FIGS. 6 and 8) are integrally formed on the opposite wall 41 on the vehicle outer side.
The inner wall surface 41a is the surface of the inner wall on the vehicle exterior side of the airbag housing portion 45, and has a function of guiding the deployment direction of the airbag 3 so that it is directly below when the airbag 3 is deployed.
The vehicle outer wall surface 41b is a surface facing the vehicle body 11 on which the cover body 4 is installed, and a desired number of protruding piece-like ribs 46c are formed at appropriate intervals. In the cover body 4, a vehicle outer wall surface 41 b in a bent portion 44 described later extends downward and has a long vertical length.
The projecting piece-like ribs 46c are ribs for reinforcing the opposing wall 41 on the vehicle outer side, and are made of a plate-like member that is protruded from the opposing wall 41 toward the outside of the vehicle. The projecting piece-shaped rib 46 c is in contact with the surface of the roof side rail 17 on the vehicle inner side and is supported by the vehicle body 11.
The facing wall 42 on the vehicle inner side is formed of a plate-like member that is formed to hang vertically downward from an end of the connection wall 43 on the vehicle inner side. The opposing wall 42 on the vehicle interior side is formed with an inner wall surface 42a that guides together with the inner wall surface 41a so that when the airbag 3 is deployed, the deployment direction is directly downward.

<Composition of connection wall>
As shown in FIG. 4, the connection wall 43 is a portion that forms the upper surface of the cover body 4 and the ceiling surface of the airbag storage portion 45, and is formed in a substantially flat shape. On the upper surface of the connection wall 43, a desired number of bending preventing ribs 46a and convex ribs 46b, pipe installation portions 43a (see FIG. 6), bracket fixing portions 43b (see FIG. 7), and through holes 43c are provided. Is formed.
As shown in FIG. 6, the pipe installation part 43 a is a part for installing the pipe P having one end attached to the supply port of the airbag 3 on the cover body 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the pipe installation portion 43 a is installed, for example, in the vicinity of a portion where the roof side rail 17 and the quarter pillar 15 are joined.
As shown in FIG. 7, the bracket fixing portion 43 b is a part for attaching the bracket 8 for fixing the cover body 4 to the vehicle body 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket fixing portions 43 b are installed at, for example, two places on the left and right of the upper surface of the connection wall 43.
As shown in FIG. 8, the through hole 43 c is a slit-like hole for allowing the attachment piece 32 of the airbag 3 to pass through the upper surface of the connection wall 43 from within the airbag housing portion 45 of the cover body 4. For example, the through holes 43 c are installed at two places on the left and right of the upper surface of the connection wall 43.

<Configuration of bent part>
As shown in FIG. 2, the bent portion 44 is a shape of the inner surface of the vehicle body 11 of the upper portion 11 c of the pillar such as the center pillar 14 where the cover body 4 is installed, and peripheral mounting parts installed at the installation site. It is the part formed and arranged correspondingly so as to avoid. That is, since the installation surface of the cover body 4 of the roof side rail 17 is raised by the members such as the center pillar 14 and the quarter pillar 15 that are fixed to the roof side rail 17, the bending portion 44 has its installation surface. It is formed by bending to match the convex shape of the three-dimensional curve. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, a protruding piece-like rib 46 c is further provided on the vehicle outer side wall surface 41 b of the bent portion 44 so as to extend downward.

<Structure of reinforcing rib>
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the reinforcing ribs 46 are portions for preventing deformation that are formed integrally with a plurality of protrusions on the outer peripheral surface of the elongated cover body 4. The reinforcing rib 46 includes a bending prevention rib 46a, a convex rib 46b, and a protruding piece rib 46c. In the cover body 4, at least a plurality of reinforcing ribs 46 parallel to the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) are installed on the connection wall 43.
The anti-bending rib 46a is a linear rib extending in the longitudinal direction at a substantially central portion of the connecting wall 43 of the cover body 4 in a plan view. The curving prevention rib 46a is formed so as to bulge out from the surface of the cover body 4 when viewed from the front, and is mainly formed to prevent the cover body 4 from being curved.
The convex ribs 46b are convex portions formed so as to project at a suitable interval from the outer peripheral surface of the connection wall 43 of the cover body 4 to the outer peripheral surfaces of the opposing walls 42 and 43 so as to be orthogonal to the curving prevention rib 46a. Thus, the ribs are for improving the strength of the cover body 4.
The projecting piece-like ribs 46c are convex portions formed by projecting at a suitable interval on the opposing wall 42 on the vehicle outer side of the cover body 4 so as to be orthogonal to the curving prevention ribs 46a. It is a rib for improving.

<Clip configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the clip 47 is a locking member for fixing the cover body 4 to the vehicle body 11 by engaging with a locking hole 17 a formed in the roof side rail 17. The cover body 4 is integrally formed with the vehicle outer wall surface 41 b of the facing wall 41.
The clip 47 is not particularly limited as long as it can temporarily fix the cover body 4 to the vehicle body 11. For example, the clip 47 may be a general-purpose clip that is separate from the cover body 4.

≪Bracket structure≫
As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 8 is a metal fitting for fixing the cover body 4 to the vehicle body 11, and both ends are attached to bracket fixing portions 43 b formed on the cover body 4. The bracket 8 has a hole through which a fixing tool 7 such as a bolt is inserted at the center, and is fixed to the vehicle body 11 by screwing the fixing tool 7 to the roof side rail 17.

≪Configuration of inflator≫
The inflator 6 includes an ignition device (not shown) electrically connected to a collision detection sensor (not shown) that detects an impact from the left side surface of the vehicle 1, and a gas generating agent (such as sodium azide) ( (Not shown) and the like. In the inflator 6, an ignition device (not shown) instantly burns a gas generating agent according to an impact signal from a collision detection sensor, generates high-pressure nitrogen gas, and supplies the air bag 3 to the air bag 3. Inflating device. This inflator 6 is installed in the quarter pillar 15, for example.

The pipe P is a metal pipe member that connects the airbag 3 and the inflator 6.
The collision detection sensor is a detector that detects a force applied from a lateral direction such as a side collision and rollover of the vehicle 1, and includes, for example, an acceleration sensor (G sensor). The collision detection sensors are disposed at a plurality of locations of the vehicle 1.

≪Attaching the airbag device≫
Next, with reference to FIGS. 1-8, attachment to the vehicle body 11 of the airbag apparatus 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
When the airbag 3 is mounted on the vehicle body 11, the airbag 3 shown in FIG. 1 is first folded into a long length and stored in the airbag storage portion 45 (see FIGS. 4 to 8) of the cover body 4. A pipe P having one end connected to the inflator 6 is attached to the supply port of the airbag 3. Then, a plurality of locations of the airbag 3 and the cover body 4 are respectively held by the binding band 5 and tied so that the airbag 3 does not fall off from the cover body 4. Then, the strap 31 at the front end portion of the airbag 3 is fixed to the front pillar 13, and the attachment pieces 32 provided at a plurality of locations at the upper end portion of the airbag 3 are fixed to the roof side rail 17.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the clip 47 of the cover body 4 is pushed into the locking hole 17 a of the roof side rail 17 from the inside of the vehicle to fix the cover body 4 to the vehicle body 11.
Further, the three brackets 8 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) attached to the cover body 4 are fixed to the roof side rail 17 with the fixture 7 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). When the cover body 4 is fixed to the vehicle body 11 with the bracket 8 interposed by the fixing tool 7, the cover body 4 is fixed to the vehicle body 11 by the clip 47, so that the cover body 4 is fixed to the vehicle body 11. Is easy to do.
Then, the cover body 4 is covered with the roof lining 91, and the strap 31, the pipe P, the inflator 6 and each pillar are covered with a pillar garnish (not shown), whereby the attachment of the airbag device 2 to the vehicle body 11 is completed.

The cover body 4 fixed to the vehicle body 11 in this way has a bent portion 44 that is bent in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the shape of the installation portion of the vehicle body 11, and the bent portion 44 is formed on the upper portion 11c of each pillar. Since it is installed corresponding to the shape and position, there is no unnecessary space in the interior material 9 on the passenger compartment side, so that the interior material 9 can be prevented from projecting to the passenger compartment side. it can.
Further, since the cover body 4 includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs 46 formed in parallel to the vehicle width direction on the connection wall 43, the strength and rigidity against an external force from the vehicle width direction can be appropriately improved.

≪Operation of airbag device≫
Next, with reference to FIGS. 1-8, operation | movement of the airbag apparatus 2 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the impact in the side surface direction is not applied to the vehicle 1, the airbag 3 is maintained in a state of being folded and stored in the airbag storage portion 45 of the cover body 4.

  When an impact of a predetermined magnitude or larger is applied to the side surface of the vehicle 1, the collision detection sensor detects the impact and transmits a collision signal to an electronic control unit (not shown). When the electronic control unit determines that a side collision has occurred based on the collision signal, an ignition signal is sent from the electronic control unit to the inflator 6, and the gas generating agent in the inflator 6 burns at high speed to generate high-pressure gas. The high-pressure gas is supplied to the airbag 3 through the pipe P.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the airbag 3 folded in the cover body 4 is inflated by the high-pressure gas, breaks the binding band 5 (see FIG. 1), pushes the roof lining 91 to the inside of the vehicle, and opens the opposing wall. While being guided by the inner wall surfaces 41a, 42a of 41, 42, it develops directly downward. At this time, the airbag 3 has no cover on the cover body 4, the opening 48 is always open, and the airbag storage portion 45 is formed by a pair of opposed walls 41, 42 that open downward and are substantially parallel to each other. Is formed so that the angle formed by the opening direction of the opposing walls 41 and 42 and the vertical direction is the same angle and the vertical direction (substantially constant), and smoothly and instantaneously expands in the desired direction toward the vertical direction. And can protect the passengers.

  Particularly, in the bent portion 44 where the cover body 4 is bent in a three-dimensional curved shape in plan view, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vehicle outer wall surface 41 b of the opposing wall 41 extends downward. The airbag 3 can be guided to be deployed in a desired direction by regulating the deployment direction of the airbag 3 by the vehicle outer wall surface 41b. Further, the projecting piece-like rib 46 c having the vehicle outer wall surface 41 b is firmly fixed to the vehicle body 11 by being placed in contact with the vehicle body 11. Since the cover body 4 is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 46 parallel to the vehicle width direction on the connection wall 34, the strength against an external force from the vehicle width direction is improved, and appropriate strength and rigidity are provided. Furthermore, the cover body 4 is provided so that the substantially U-shaped cross section and the reinforcing rib 46 are orthogonal to each other, so that the supporting force is kept unchanged even if the position of the reinforcing rib 46 changes back and forth. Can do.

As a result, the vehicle airbag device 2 can obtain a substantially uniform deployment direction through the opening 48, and in addition, the opening operation in the vehicle width direction of the opposing walls 41 and 42 that receives the inflation pressure of the airbag 3 is achieved. Since the supporting force that regulates can be made substantially uniform in the vehicle front-rear direction, the deployment direction can be further stabilized.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, the airbag 3 is guided by the opposing walls 41 and 42 and the vehicle outer wall surface 41 b and smoothly and smoothly deploys vertically downward (arrow Y direction). The window opening W can be developed so as to cover it quickly.

  In this way, the airbag 3 is deployed so as to cover the entire left side of the passenger compartment toward the side of the front row seat (not shown) and the rear row seat (not shown). Thus, the airbag 3 can restrain and protect the head of the occupant and can suppress the occupant from jumping out of the vehicle.

  The airbag device 2 is also provided with the same configuration and action on the left side body of the vehicle 1 and operates in the same manner as when a predetermined impact or more is applied to the right side portion of the vehicle 1.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea. The present invention extends to these modifications and changes. Of course.

  For example, the bent portion 44 of the cover body 4 shown in FIG. 2 is not limited to being formed at a joint portion between the roof side rail 17 and the center pillar 14, and is not limited to the vehicle body 11 on which the cover body 4 is installed. What is necessary is just to form suitably in a suitable place according to the shape of an installation surface, and you may form in another site | part. Further, the bent portion 44 may be formed by bending or bending in a state of being depressed toward the inside of the vehicle.

Further, the means for fixing the cover body 4 and the airbag 3 to the vehicle body 11 may be simply fixed by a fastening member such as a screw or other fixing tool, and the fixing means is not particularly limited.
In the above embodiment, the case where the cover body 4 is formed of a synthetic resin has been described. For example, a light alloy such as an aluminum alloy capable of forming a crushable zone that is recessed when pressed from the vehicle inner side to the vehicle outer side. It may be formed by.
The vehicle 1 can be applied to any type of automobile as long as the cover body 4 can be installed on the upper portions 11c of the door openings 11a and 11b.

It is a schematic side view which shows the airbag apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the airbag apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a principal part schematic side view which shows the attachment state of a cover body. It is a figure which shows the reinforcing rib of the cover body of the airbag apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) is a principal part expansion perspective view which shows the installation state of the rib for bending prevention, and a convex-shaped rib, (b) is curved. It is a principal part expansion perspective view which shows the installation state of a rib for prevention and a protrusion piece-like rib. FIG. 3 is an AA enlarged end view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a BB enlarged end view of FIG. 2. It is CC expanded end elevation of FIG. FIG. 3 is a DD enlarged end view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged end view of EE in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vehicle 2 Airbag Device (Vehicle Airbag Device)
3 Airbag 4 Cover body 11 Car body 11c Upper part 12 Roof 13 Front pillar (pillar)
14 Center pillar (pillar)
15 Quarter pillar (pillar)
16 Rear pillar (pillar)
17 Roof side rail 41 Opposite wall (opposite wall) outside the car
41b Car exterior wall surface 42 Car interior wall (opposite wall)
43 Connection Wall 44 Bent Part 46 Reinforcement Rib 46a Curvature Prevention Rib 46b Convex Rib 46c Projection Rib 48 Opening

Claims (4)

A vehicle airbag device including a substantially U-shaped cover body covered with roof lining that accommodates an airbag in a folded state along a side of a vehicle roof,
The cover body includes a pair of opposing walls that are substantially parallel to each other;
A connection wall connecting the pair of opposing walls;
An opening formed by opening the lower side by the pair of opposing walls;
A bent portion that is bent in the vehicle width direction according to the shape of the vehicle body,
The cover body has a vehicle outer wall surface extending downward so that a lower end portion of the opposing wall on the vehicle outer side in the bent portion coincides with a lower end portion of the roof lining, and is parallel to the vehicle width direction. In the cross section, the angle formed by the opening direction of the opposing wall and the vertical direction is formed to be substantially constant,
The vehicle airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion is bent in a vehicle width direction in accordance with a convex shape of an installation surface by a pillar fixed to a side of the roof on which the cover body is installed.   The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion is provided corresponding to a shape of an upper portion of the pillar.   3. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the cover body includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs parallel to a vehicle width direction on the connection wall.   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bent portion is bent in the vehicle width direction so as to avoid a mounting part installed at an installation site of the cover body. Air bag device.

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