JP5638284B2 - Curtain airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called curtain airbag device that protects an occupant by deploying between a vehicle body side wall and an occupant in the event of a vehicle collision.

  The airbag device is arranged inside a driver airbag device housed inside the steering wheel, a curtain airbag device arranged along the upper edge of the window frame, or an instrument panel (instrument panel). There are various types such as an airbag device for a passenger seat.

  In general, a curtain airbag device includes a gas generator that generates inflation gas; and an airbag (cushion) that is folded in a long shape in an accommodated state and is deployed by gas supplied from the gas generator. In the curtain airbag, it is required to suppress the movement of the occupant in the vehicle outward direction when a rollover occurs.

  The head protection airbag device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-328503 includes a head protection inflating area in which the airbag has an inflatable portion with a large thickness located on the side of the head of the occupant, and the head protection. And an extended inflating area having a thin inflating part extending from the lower end of the inflating area to a position below the door belt line. However, in the head protection airbag device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-328503, the rigidity of the expansion area extending below the door belt line is low, and the effect of preventing the passenger from releasing outside the vehicle is not sufficient. That is, when the occupant comes into contact with the airbag during the rollover, the airbag is bent at the boundary between the head protection inflating area and the extended inflating area, and there is a risk that the occupant is discharged from the lower end of the airbag .

  Further, the head protection airbag device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-208410 employs an airbag having one upper chamber for protecting the head and another chamber straddling the door belt line. . With such a configuration, it is presumed that there is a function of preventing the passenger from releasing outside the vehicle. However, since the head protection airbag device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-208410 is configured to inflate the airbag using two inflators, the device is complicated, large, and expensive. . Further, similar to the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-328503, the airbag is easily bent in the vicinity of the belt line, and the effect of preventing the passenger from releasing outside the vehicle is insufficient.

  Incidentally, there is a concept of providing a delay chamber in addition to the main chamber in order to prevent the passenger from being released from the vehicle when a rollover occurs. The delay chamber is literally a part that develops behind the main chamber, and is often provided below the main chamber integrally. However, when the airbag is actually deployed and the occupant comes into contact with the airbag, the airbag is bent from the seam between the main chamber and the delay chamber, and it is difficult to reliably prevent the occupant from releasing the vehicle. there were.

JP 2001-328503 A JP 11-208410 A

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a curtain airbag device that can reliably prevent the passenger from being released from the vehicle while having a simple configuration.

  The present invention is applied to a curtain airbag device that is housed along a roof side rail of a vehicle, inflated and deployed in a curtain shape in an emergency, and protects an occupant in the vehicle. And in order to solve the said subject, the curtain airbag apparatus which concerns on this invention is equipped with the gas generator which generate | occur | produces inflation gas, and the cloth-made airbag which expand | deploys with the gas supplied from the said gas generator. Here, the airbag mainly includes an inflatable main chamber for protecting a passenger's head; and a subchamber inflatable below the main chamber. The sub-chamber is configured such that the lower end extends below the door belt line when deployed. Further, a baffle region functioning as a partition is formed at a boundary portion between the main chamber and the sub chamber. Further, an opening communicating with the main chamber and the sub chamber is formed in a part of the baffle region.

  The main chamber and the sub-chamber can be configured by separate base fabrics. In this case, the baffle region may be constituted by a part of the main chamber or the sub chamber. The sub-chamber preferably has a configuration partially overlapping with the main chamber. Furthermore, the main chamber and the sub chamber can be made of the same fabric material.

  In addition, the main chamber and the sub chamber may be formed of the same base cloth, and the baffle region may be formed as a separate member from the main chamber and the sub chamber.

  According to the airbag device of the present invention, since the baffle region functioning as a partition is formed at the boundary portion between the main chamber and the sub chamber, the thickness (in comparison with the case where the boundary portion is sewn) Volume) can be kept large, and the rigidity of the boundary portion as an airbag is improved. As a result, the airbag does not bend at the boundary portion, and it is possible to reliably prevent the passenger from being released from the vehicle.

Further, if the sub-chamber and the main chamber are partially overlapped, the rigidity at the boundary portion can be further improved.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a conventional curtain airbag device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a conventional curtain airbag device. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a curtain airbag device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the curtain airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a base fabric constituting a sub chamber used in the curtain airbag device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the curtain airbag device according to the first embodiment, and shows a state during manufacture. FIG. 7: is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the curtain airbag apparatus which concerns on 1st Example, and shows the state in the middle of manufacture. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the curtain airbag device according to the first embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a sub-chamber base fabric applicable to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a curtain airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the curtain airbag device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view (A) and a cross-sectional view (B) showing the structure of the main part of the curtain airbag device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the curtain airbag device according to the present invention.

  First, an example of a conventional curtain airbag device will be briefly described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of an airbag (cushion) of a conventional curtain airbag apparatus, which is a connection between a main chamber 1 that protects the head of an occupant and a sub-chamber 2 connected therebelow. Indicates the part. As shown in the figure, the sub-chamber 2 extends below the door belt line, thereby preventing the passenger from being released from the vehicle during the rollover. The structure shown in FIG. 1 generally corresponds to the invention described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-32853. In this apparatus, a main chamber 1 and a sub chamber 2 are partitioned by sewing 3.

  In the conventional airbag device having the above-described structure, immediately after the airbag is deployed, the main chamber 1 and the sub-chamber 2 are vertically extended as shown in FIG. Is done. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the occupant's head collides with the main chamber 1 due to a rollover or the like, the airbag is bent in the vicinity of the door belt line, and there is a risk of the occupant releasing from the vehicle. . Here, the “door belt line” is a lower part of the side window frame, and the window is positioned above the line.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the curtain airbag device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the non-actuated state, the airbag device 10 is folded in a long shape and is housed in a state covered with a head lining (not shown) disposed on the upper edge of the vehicle window. And the passenger | crew in a vehicle is protected by inflate-deploying downward from the clearance gap between a headlining and an inner panel (not shown) at the time of an action | operation.

  The airbag device 10 includes a gas generator 14 that generates inflation gas; and a fabric airbag (cushion) 12 that is deployed by gas supplied from the gas generator 14. The gas generator 14 is disposed in the gas introduction part 18 of the airbag 12 and feeds gas into the airbag 12. The airbag 12 is fixed to the vehicle by a tab 16. As the airbag 12, a plurality of sheets (for example, two or three sheets) overlapped and formed into a bag shape by stitching, bonding, or welding, or a bag portion formed by weaving a single sheet is adopted. be able to.

  The airbag 12 is connected to the gas introduction unit 18 described above, a duct 20 extending in the longitudinal direction and connected to the gas introduction unit 18, and main chambers 22 a, 22 b, 24 a, which are inflatable mainly to protect the occupant's head. 24b and a sub chamber 26 that is expandable below the main chamber 22a. Here, of the main chambers 22a, 22b, 24a, and 24b, the chambers 22a and 22b are first chambers that are developed first, and the other chambers 24a and 24b are delay chambers that are developed with a delay. In FIG. 3, a large arrow indicates a large gas flow, and a small arrow indicates a small gas flow.

  The sub chamber 26 is configured such that the lower end extends below the door belt line when deployed. In this embodiment, the main chambers 22a, 22b, 24a, 24b and the sub-chamber 26 are configured as separate members, but are formed of the same base fabric (woven fabric).

  FIG. 4 shows a state of a connecting portion between the main chamber 22a and the sub chamber 26. FIG. 5 shows the structure of the sub chamber 26. A baffle region 39 that functions as a partition is formed at a boundary portion between the main chamber 22a and the sub chamber 26. Furthermore, an opening 28 communicating with the main chamber 22 a is formed in a part of the baffle region 39 of the sub chamber 26, and the inflation gas flows from the main chamber 22 a to the sub chamber 26 through the opening 28. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sub-chamber 26 can be formed from a rectangular base cloth 27. The base cloth 23 constituting the main chamber 22a and the base cloth 27 constituting the sub chamber 26 are fixed by sewing 32a and 32b. The periphery of the base fabric 27 constituting the sub-chamber 26 is closed by sewing 30 to form a bag shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the base fabric 23 constituting the main chamber 22a and the base fabric 27 constituting the sub chamber 26 are partially overlapped (40).

  Next, a procedure for connecting the main chamber 22a and the sub-chamber 26 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 6, with the lower end of the main chamber 22a open, the base fabric 27 for the sub-chamber 26 is bent into a convex shape with the opening 28 up, and both sides are sewn 32a, 32b. To the base fabric 23 for the main chamber. The width of the baffle region (39) is generally determined by the length (width) of the base fabric 27 from the sewing 32a to 32b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper part of the base fabric 27 is bent downward. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the sub-chamber 26 is formed by closing the periphery of the base fabric 27 by sewing 30. FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 4, but shows a state close to an actual state. In particular, the slack at the top of the sub-chamber 26 is due to the flexibility of the base fabric 27.

  FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the base fabric 27 that forms the sub-chamber 26 described above. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the base fabric 27 may have a shape other than a rectangle, and the shape, number, and arrangement of the openings 28 can be appropriately changed.

  FIG. 10 shows another aspect of the embodiment described above. In this example, the sub chamber 26 is connected not only to the main chamber 22a but also to another main chamber 22b. As described above, the number of sub-chambers 26 may be two or more, but the position is preferably a position corresponding to the window on the side of the vehicle.

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the curtain airbag device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. In the first embodiment described above, the baffle region 39 is formed by the base cloth 27 constituting the sub-chamber 26 and the opening 28 is provided in the base cloth 27. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the baffle region 139 is formed by the base cloth 123 constituting the main chamber 122a, and the opening 142 is provided in the base cloth 123.

  In this embodiment, when the sub-chamber 126 is formed, it is sufficient to sew both side surfaces in addition to the sewing 132a and 132b with the base fabric 123. In addition, the base fabric 127 constituting the sub chamber 126 is sewn to the outside of the base fabric 123 constituting the main chamber 122a to form an overlap region 140.

  12A and 12B show the structure of the main part of a curtain airbag device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12A is a plan view around the sub-chamber 226, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of an AA direction. In the present embodiment, the outline of the sub-chamber 226 is formed by the lower portion of the base cloth 223 constituting the main chamber 222a without using a special base cloth constituting the sub-chamber 226. A baffle panel 239 as a partition is provided by sewing at a boundary portion between the main chamber 222a and the sub chamber 226. An opening 242 is provided in a part of the baffle panel 239. Both ends of the baffle panel 239 partially overlap (240) with the base fabric 223.

  Next, the operation and action of the curtain airbag device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. When an emergency such as rollover, side collision, or rollover occurs while the vehicle is running, a sensor provided in the vehicle catches the abnormal vibration and sends an ignition signal to the inflator 14 based on the signal. A propellant (not shown) that drives the inflator 14 in response to the ignition signal from the sensor is provided inside the inflator 14. By the operation of the inflator 14, the inflation gas flows into the duct 20 of the airbag main body 12 through the gas introduction part 18.

  The gas first flows into the main chambers 22a and 22b, and then flows into the delay chambers 24a and 24b and the sub chambers 26 (126 and 226). As a result, as shown in FIG. (A), the airbag is deployed and inflated downward along the window to protect the head of the occupant.

  Thereafter, even when the head of the occupant collides with the main chamber 22a due to rollover or the like, the airbag is not locally bent in the vicinity of the door belt line, and the occupant is surely prevented from being released from the vehicle. Is possible. Such an effect is attributed to the high rigidity of the connecting portion between the main chamber 22a and the sub-chamber 26. That is, by providing the baffle 39 (139, 239), the thickness (volume) can be kept larger than when the boundary portion is sewn, and the rigidity of the boundary portion as an airbag is improved. To do. Further, since the sub-chamber and the main chamber are partially overlapped (40, 140, 240), this also further improves the rigidity at the boundary portion.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the technical idea described in the claims. is there.

10: Curtain airbag device 12: Air bag 14: Inflator 22a, 122a, 222a: Main chamber 23, 123, 223: Main chamber fabric 26, 126, 226: Sub chamber 27, 127, 227: Sub chamber base Cloth 39, 139, 239: Baffle area 40, 140, 240: Overlap area 28: Opening

Claims (3)

In a curtain airbag device that is stored along a roof side rail of a vehicle, inflated and deployed in a curtain shape in an emergency, and protects a passenger in the vehicle,
A gas generator for generating inflation gas;
A cloth-made airbag that is deployed by gas supplied from the gas generator;
The airbag mainly includes an inflatable main chamber for protecting the occupant's head; the main chamber is constituted by a separate base cloth, and a part of the base cloth includes a base cloth constituting the main chamber; A sub-chamber located inside the main chamber so as to partially overlap and inflatable below the main chamber,
The sub-chamber is configured such that the lower end extends below the door belt line when deployed,
The boundary portion between the main chamber and the sub chamber has a baffle region that is configured by a part of the sub chamber and functions as a partition ,
In the baffle region, a pair of side surfaces of the sub-chamber is sewn to two opposing surfaces of the main chamber, thereby forming a predetermined width in the thickness direction of the airbag,
A curtain airbag device, wherein an opening communicating with the main chamber and the sub chamber is formed in a part of the baffle region.   In a curtain airbag device that is stored along a roof side rail of a vehicle, inflated and deployed in a curtain shape in an emergency, and protects an occupant in the vehicle,
  A gas generator for generating inflation gas;
  A cloth-made airbag that is deployed by gas supplied from the gas generator;
  The airbag mainly includes an inflatable main chamber for protecting the occupant's head; the main chamber is constituted by a separate base cloth, and a part of the base cloth includes a base cloth constituting the main chamber; A sub-chamber located outside the main chamber so as to partially overlap and inflatable below the main chamber,
  The sub-chamber is configured such that the lower end extends below the door belt line when deployed,
  The boundary portion between the main chamber and the sub chamber has a baffle region that is configured by a part of the main chamber and functions as a partition,
  In the baffle region, a pair of side surfaces of the main chamber are sewn to two opposing surfaces of the sub chamber, thereby forming a predetermined width in the thickness direction of the airbag,
  A curtain airbag device, wherein an opening communicating with the main chamber and the sub chamber is formed in a part of the baffle region. 3. The curtain airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the main chamber and the sub chamber are made of the same fabric material.

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