JP5626196B2 - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device.

  With the pressing airbag provided on the side door, pillar, or side wall portion of the vehicle, the side airbag that is inflated or inflated toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction during or after the curtain airbag is deflated. By pressing and pressing the end of the occupant outside in the vehicle width direction toward the inside in the vehicle width direction through the side airbag, the curtain airbag moves the occupant's head toward the center in the vehicle width direction. A structure to be promoted is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-240546 A

  However, in the above-described conventional example, the timing when the occupant is pressed by the pressing airbag via the side airbag is during or after the contraction operation of the curtain airbag. Therefore, even if the occupant is moved toward the center in the vehicle width direction by the pressing airbag, it is considered that the occupant's head does not immediately follow the movement and remains in the original position due to inertia.

  Further, in the above-described conventional example, no special consideration is given to the case where the occupant's posture is different from the normal one (so-called “out of position”).

  In view of the above facts, the present invention enables a side airbag to quickly move both the chest and head of the occupant inward in the vehicle width direction when a side collision occurs in a state where the occupant is in an unusual state. The purpose is to be able to secure a deployment space.

  The invention according to claim 1 is configured to be inflated and deployed between the occupant and the side part of the vehicle body at the time of a side collision, and is provided in at least a side airbag corresponding to the chest of the occupant and a side door or a pillar. A lower chamber that is configured to be inflated and deployed in advance of the side airbag upon receiving a supply of inflation gas in a collision, and that is deployed between the chest of the occupant and the side of the vehicle body; And a pressing airbag having an upper chamber that is deployed between the head of the occupant and the side of the vehicle body.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, in the event of a side collision, the pressing airbag provided in the side door or the pillar receives the supply of the inflation gas and inflates and deploys ahead of the side airbag. To do. At this time, even if the occupant's posture is different from normal, for example, leaning on the side of the vehicle body, the lower chamber of the pressing airbag is deployed between the chest of the occupant and the side of the vehicle body, While pushing the chest inward in the vehicle width direction, the upper chamber develops between the head of the occupant and the side of the vehicle body behind the lower chamber, and presses the head inward in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, both the chest and head of the occupant can be moved inward in the vehicle width direction. The occupant is restrained by inflating and deploying the side airbag in the deployment space formed thereby.

  Thus, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, when a side collision occurs in a state where the occupant's posture is different from normal, both the chest and head of the occupant are quickly moved inward in the vehicle width direction. Thus, a deployment space for the side airbag can be secured.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to the first aspect, the upper chamber and the lower chamber are broken when the pressure in the lower chamber becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined level. It is demarcated by a planned fracture portion that allows the inflation gas to flow into the upper chamber.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the second aspect, when the pressing airbag is inflated and deployed, the lower chamber is first deployed by receiving supply of the inflation gas. By this lower chamber, it is possible to press the chest that is generally closer to the side of the vehicle body than the head to the inside in the vehicle width direction.

  Next, when the pressure in the lower chamber becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the rupture planned portion that divides the lower chamber and the upper chamber is broken, and the inflation gas flows from the lower chamber to the upper chamber, expand. With this upper chamber, the head of the occupant can be pressed inward in the vehicle width direction.

  Thus, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 2, when a side collision occurs, both the chest and the head of the occupant are moved inward in the vehicle width direction by the pressing airbag having the lower chamber and the upper chamber. Can do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to the first or second aspect, the volume of the pressing airbag is set smaller than the volume of the side airbag.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 3, the volume of the pressing airbag is smaller than the volume of the side airbag even if the inflation and deployment of the side airbag and the inflation and deployment of the pressing airbag are started simultaneously. Thus, the pressing airbag completes the inflation and deployment earlier than the side airbag. For this reason, it is possible to inflate and deploy the pressing airbag in advance of the side airbag with a simple configuration.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the vehicle occupant protection device is disposed in a folded state along the roof side rail of the vehicle body, and the expansion gas is supplied. A curtain airbag configured to be inflatable and deployable in a curtain shape is received between the occupant and the vehicle body side portion.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 4, when a side collision occurs in a state where the occupant is different from a normal posture, both the chest and the head of the occupant are quickly brought inward in the vehicle width direction by the pressing airbag. After the movement, the occupant's chest is restrained by the side airbag, and the occupant's head is restrained by the curtain airbag. For this reason, a passenger | crew restraint performance can be improved further.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the side airbag further corresponds to the head of the occupant.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the fifth aspect, at the time of a side collision, not only the occupant's chest but also the head is restrained by the side airbag. For this reason, a passenger | crew restraint performance can be improved.

  As described above, according to the vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1 of the present invention, when the occupant's posture is subjected to a side collision in a state different from normal, the occupant's chest and head are both attached. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that it can be quickly moved inward in the vehicle width direction to secure a deployment space for the side airbag.

  According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the second aspect, at the time of a side collision, both the chest and the head of the occupant can be moved inward in the vehicle width direction by the pressing airbag having the lower chamber and the upper chamber. An excellent effect is obtained.

  According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the third aspect, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the pressing airbag can be inflated and deployed prior to the side airbag with a simple configuration.

  According to the vehicle occupant protection device of the fourth and fifth aspects, an excellent effect that the occupant restraint performance can be further improved is obtained.

1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a side view showing a vehicle including a vehicle occupant protection device. It is sectional drawing seen from the vehicle front which shows the state by which the passenger | crew's chest is pressed inside the vehicle width direction by the lower chamber of the pressing airbag. It is sectional drawing seen from the vehicle front which shows the state by which the passenger | crew's head is pressed to the vehicle width direction inner side by the upper chamber of the pressing airbag. In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the second embodiment, from the front of the vehicle, the side airbag is deployed corresponding to the occupant's chest and the curtain airbag is deployed corresponding to the occupant's head. FIG. In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the third embodiment, it is a cross-sectional view seen from the front of the vehicle showing a state in which the side airbag is inflated and deployed corresponding to the chest and head of the occupant.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
1 and 2, the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to this embodiment includes a side airbag 12 and a pressing airbag 14.

  The side airbag 12 is configured to be inflated and deployed between the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side portion 18 at the time of a side collision, and the deployment region thereof is set so as to correspond to at least the chest 16C of the occupant 16. The vehicle body side part 18 is the side door 28 or the side glass 32, for example. The side collision includes not only the case where the side collision actually occurs, but also the case where it is predicted that the side collision cannot be avoided before the side collision.

  The side airbag 12 is normally folded and stored in a module case (not shown) together with an inflator (not shown) that is a supply source of the inflation gas. Thereby, the airbag module 24 is configured. The airbag module 24 is mounted, for example, on the side of the seat back 22 in the vehicle seat 19 on the vehicle direction outer side (side door 28 side).

  The position of the vehicle seat 19 in the vehicle body 26 is not particularly limited. In the illustrated example, the airbag module 24 is mounted on both the front seat and the rear seat.

  The pressing airbag 14 is provided in the side door 28 or the pillar 34, and is configured to be inflated and deployed prior to the side airbag 12 by receiving supply of inflation gas at the time of a side collision.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the side door 28 is configured, for example, by joining an outer panel 36 positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and an inner panel 38 positioned on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. A door trim 42 that is an interior material is provided on the inner side of the inner panel 38 in the vehicle width direction.

  The pressing airbag 14 is normally folded and accommodated in a module case 46 together with an inflator 44 that is a supply source of inflation gas. Thereby, the airbag module 48 is comprised. The airbag module 48 is mounted between the door trim 42 and the inner panel 38 at the upper end portion of the side door 28, for example. The airbag module 48 may be provided on the pillar 34 (FIG. 1).

  When the inflation pressure of the pressing airbag 14 acts on the door trim 42, the door trim 42 is formed with an opening 42A. The pressing airbag 14 is inflated into the vehicle interior through the opening 42A. The height position of the opening 42A corresponds to, for example, the height position of the shoulder 16S when the occupant 16 is an adult male.

  Further, the pressing airbag 14 includes a lower chamber 14A that is deployed between the chest 16C of the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side portion 18, and a space between the head 16H of the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side portion 18 behind the lower chamber 14A. And an upper chamber 14B. The upper chamber 14B and the lower chamber 14A are ruptured when the pressure in the lower chamber 14A becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and the planned rupture portion 50 that allows the inflation gas to flow from the lower chamber 14A to the upper chamber 14B. It is divided by. As the planned fracture portion 50, a tear seam which is controlled sewing can be used.

  The volume of the pressing airbag 14 (the sum of the volume of the lower chamber 14 </ b> A and the volume of the upper chamber 14 </ b> B) is set to be smaller than the volume of the side airbag 12. This is so that even if the inflating and deploying of the pressing airbag 14 and the inflating and deploying of the side airbag 12 start simultaneously, the pressing airbag 14 can be deployed faster than the side airbag 12. It is. That is, the pressing airbag 14 is inflated and deployed prior to the side airbag 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bag thickness of the pressing airbag 14 is such that the upper chamber 14B is smaller than the lower chamber 14A, and the upper chamber 14B bulges inward in the vehicle width direction is relatively small. Is set. In the pressing airbag 14, for example, a non-extensible tether 52 is provided for regulating the bag thickness. Note that the setting of the bag thickness of the upper chamber 14B in the pressing airbag 14 is not limited to this, and may be set equal to the bag thickness of the lower chamber 14A.

  In the pressing airbag 14, the means for deploying the upper chamber 14 </ b> B behind the lower chamber 14 </ b> A is not limited to the planned fracture portion 50 described above. For example, a two-stage pressure type inflator (not shown) is used. It may be used.

(Function)
This embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below. In FIG. 2, in the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the pressing airbag 14 provided in the side door 28 or the pillar 34 receives supply of inflation gas from the inflator 44 at the time of a side collision. The side airbag 12 is inflated and deployed before the side airbag 12. As an example, the inflation and deployment of the side airbag 12 and the inflation and deployment of the pressing airbag 14 are started simultaneously. However, since the volume of the pressing airbag 14 is smaller than the volume of the side airbag 12, The airbag 14 completes the inflation and deployment earlier than the side airbag 12. Therefore, the pressing airbag 14 can be inflated and deployed prior to the side airbag 12 with a simple configuration.

  Specifically, an opening 42A is formed in the door trim 42 of the side door 28 due to the inflation pressure of the pressing airbag 14 in the airbag module 48, and the pressing airbag 14 is inflated into the vehicle interior through the opening 42A. To do. At this time, the posture of the occupant 16 is different from normal, for example, in a state where the shoulder portion 16S leans against the vehicle body side portion 18, or a state where the back (not shown) of the occupant 16 leans against the vehicle body side portion 18. Even if there is, first, the lower chamber 14 </ b> A is supplied with the inflation gas and expands between the chest 16 </ b> C (shoulder 16 </ b> S or back) of the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side 18. With this lower chamber 14A, the chest 16C, which is generally closer to the vehicle body side portion 18 than the head portion 16H, can be pressed inward in the vehicle width direction by the pressing force F1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, when the pressure in the lower chamber 14A becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure by pressing the chest 16C, the planned fracture portion 50 that divides the lower chamber 14A and the upper chamber 14B is broken, The inflation gas flows into the upper chamber 14B from the chamber 14A, and the upper chamber 14B expands between the head 16H of the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side portion 18. By this upper chamber 14B, the head portion 16H can be pressed inward in the vehicle width direction by the pressing force F2.

  The bag thickness in the vehicle width direction of the upper chamber 14B is regulated by the tether 52 and is smaller than that of the lower chamber 14A. Therefore, the pressing force F2 of the head 16H by the upper chamber 14B is changed to the pressing force F1 of the chest 16C by the lower chamber 14A. Compared with, it can be reduced moderately.

  In this way, the chest 16C and the head 16H of the occupant 16 are pressed by the pressing airbag 14 and both move quickly inward in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, a deployment space for the side airbag 12 is formed between the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side portion 18. When the side airbag 12 is inflated and deployed in the deployment space, the occupant 16 can be restrained.

[Second Embodiment]
In FIG. 4, the vehicle occupant protection device 20 according to the present embodiment includes a curtain airbag 54 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

  The curtain airbag 54 is arranged in a folded state along the roof side rail 56 (FIG. 1) of the vehicle body 26, and is inflated in a curtain shape between the occupant 16 and the vehicle body side portion 18 when supplied with the inflation gas. It is configured to be deployable.

  In this vehicle occupant protection device 20, when a side collision occurs in a state where the occupant 16 is different from a normal posture, both the chest 16 </ b> C and the head 16 </ b> H of the occupant 16 are quickly brought inward in the vehicle width direction by the pressing airbag 14. After the movement, the side airbag 12 and the curtain airbag 54 are inflated and deployed. Since the pressing airbag 14 secures a deployment space for the side airbag 12 and the curtain airbag 54, the side airbag 12 and the curtain airbag 54 are stably positioned between the vehicle body side portion 18 and the occupant 16. Can be expanded and deployed.

  At this time, the curtain airbag 54 is deployed below the vehicle, for example, to the vicinity of the upper end of the door trim 42 of the side door 28 so as not to interfere with the side airbag 12. The pressing airbag 14 is inflated and deployed prior to the curtain airbag 54, and the supply of the inflation gas from the inflator 44 to the pressing airbag 14 is completed when the curtain airbag 54 begins to expand and deploy. doing. Therefore, as the curtain airbag 54 is inflated and deployed downward in the vehicle, the pressing airbag 14 is deflated. For this reason, the pressing airbag 14 does not hinder the expansion and deployment of the curtain airbag 54.

  The chest 16C of the occupant 16 is restrained by the side airbag 12 inflated and deployed in this manner, and the head 16H of the occupant 16 is restrained by the curtain airbag 54. For this reason, a passenger | crew restraint performance can be improved further.

  Since other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof is omitted.

[Third Embodiment]
5, in the vehicle occupant protection device 30 according to the present embodiment, the side airbag 12 corresponds to not only the chest 16C of the occupant 16 but also the head 16H. Specifically, the deployment range of the side airbag 12 is expanded to the side of the head 16H of the occupant 16.

  In this vehicle occupant protection device 30, not only the chest 16 </ b> C of the occupant 16 but also the head 16 </ b> H is restrained by the side airbag 12 at the time of a side collision. For this reason, even when there is no roof side rail 56 and the curtain airbag 54 cannot be used together as in a convertible vehicle, the occupant restraint performance against side collision can be enhanced.

  Since other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof is omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle occupant protection device 12 Side airbag 14 Pressing airbag 14A Lower chamber 14B Upper chamber 16 Crew 16C Chest 16H Head 18 Vehicle side 20 Vehicle occupant protection device 26 Vehicle 28 Side door (vehicle side)
30 Vehicle occupant protection device 32 Side glass (vehicle body side)
34 Pillar 50 Planned break 54 Curtain airbag 56 Roof side rail

Claims (5)

A side airbag configured to inflate and deploy between the occupant and the vehicle body side at the time of a side collision, at least corresponding to the chest of the occupant;
Provided in the side door or pillar and configured to receive inflation gas supply and inflate and deploy prior to the side airbag in a side collision, between the chest of the occupant and the side of the vehicle body A pressing airbag having a lower chamber that expands into the upper chamber, and an upper chamber that expands between the head of the occupant and the side of the vehicle body behind the lower chamber;
A vehicle occupant protection device.   The upper chamber and the lower chamber are separated by a planned fracture portion that breaks when the pressure in the lower chamber reaches a predetermined level or more and allows the inflating gas to flow from the lower chamber to the upper chamber. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1.   The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a volume of the pressing airbag is set smaller than a volume of the side airbag.   A curtain airbag that is arranged in a folded state along a roof side rail of a vehicle body, and that is configured to be inflated and deployed in a curtain shape between the occupant and the vehicle body side portion by receiving supply of inflation gas. The vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The occupant protection device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the side airbag further corresponds to a head of the occupant.

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