JP5741369B2 - Crew protection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection structure.

  In a curtain airbag, a technique of extending an extended inflated area having a small thickness extending from the lower end of the head protecting inflated area to a position below the belt line is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). Moreover, in the curtain airbag, a technique is known in which a second deploying portion that extends downward from the belt line is provided at a location other than the seating position of the occupant (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-328503 A JP 2007-161167 A

  By the way, in the structure which protects a passenger | crew with respect to rollover with a curtain airbag, it is possible that it is difficult to obtain sufficient protection performance in a specific part with the same structure as another part.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an occupant protection structure capable of improving the occupant protection performance during vehicle rollover.

The occupant protection structure according to the first aspect of the present invention is housed in a folded state at the upper edge portion of the side window glass arrangement portion of the vehicle body, and receives gas supply at the time of a side collision of the vehicle and a rollover of the vehicle. A first deployment portion that is expanded along the side window glass on the upper side of the belt line, and receives the gas supply, so that the first deployment portion is at least when the vehicle rolls over. The second unfolded portion that is unfolded so that the lower end is located below the belt line at a position that does not overlap in a side view, and at least the unfolded unfolded inner member located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the passenger. the portion expanded portion of the 2 to overlap in a side view, and a, a convex portion that protrudes upwardly from the upper end portion of the vehicle interior side of the interior member along the belt line.

  In the occupant protection structure according to claim 1, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the first deployment part is deployed by receiving gas supply, and the occupant's head is protected against side collision by the first deployment part. Is done. On the other hand, at the time of rollover of the vehicle, the first deployment portion and the second deployment portion are deployed, and the occupant's head extends over a wide range in the vehicle front-rear direction at the first and second deployment portions. Can be restricted from moving outward in the vehicle width direction. That is, the passenger's head is protected.

  When protecting the occupant's head with the second development part, the second development part contacts the interior member, which is the vehicle body part under the belt line, to protect the occupant's head. The reaction force accompanying is supported. Here, in this occupant protection structure, a convex portion is formed along the belt line (lower edge of the side window glass) at a portion where the second development portion overlaps in the side view of the interior member of the vehicle. For this reason, an interior member will contact the lower part of the 2nd deployment part in a portion including a convex part, and the contact area with the 2nd development part will increase compared with the case where there is no convex part. Thereby, in this passenger | crew protection structure, compared with the structure by which a convex part is not provided in an interior member, the movement amount of a passenger | crew head can be suppressed.

Thus, in the occupant protection structure according to the first aspect, the occupant protection performance at the time of rollover of the vehicle can be improved. In addition, since the convex portion protrudes upward, the lower end side of the second deployment portion moves outward in the vehicle width direction while being recessed upward by the convex portion when protecting the passenger's head. Will be. For this reason, compared with the structure which a convex part protrudes to the compartment side, for example, the movement resistance to the vehicle width direction outer side of the lower end side of a 2nd expansion | deployment part becomes large. Thereby, in this occupant protection structure, the occupant protection performance at the time of vehicle rollover can be further improved.

The occupant protection structure according to a second aspect of the present invention is the occupant protection structure according to the first aspect , wherein the convex portion is an impactor that has hit the second expansion portion in a rollover test. It is arranged so that the lower part of is sandwiched vertically.

In the occupant protection structure according to claim 2 , when the impactor hitting the second development part in the rollover test passes over the interior member, the lower end side of the second development part is the convex part of the impactor and the interior member. And sandwiched up and down. At this time, deformation (escape with respect to the convex portion) of the opposite side (contact side with the impactor) of the portion of the second development portion that is recessed by the convex portion is restricted by the impactor. For this reason, the contact part with the convex part of a 2nd expansion | deployment part is crushed by this convex part, and the energy absorption of the impactor by this crushed is achieved. Thereby, in this occupant protection structure, the occupant protection performance at the time of vehicle rollover can be further improved.

  As described above, the occupant protection structure according to the present invention has an excellent effect of improving the occupant protection performance during the rollover of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 2, showing a developed state of a front side sub-chamber constituting the passenger protection structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is the side view seen from the vehicle interior which shows the schematic whole structure of the passenger | crew protection structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is an expanded sectional view which shows the operation state at the time of rollover of the passenger | crew protection structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (B) is an expanded sectional view which shows the operation state at the time of rollover of a comparative example.

  An occupant protection structure 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that arrows FR, UP, and OUT that are appropriately described in the drawings indicate the front direction, the upward direction, and the vehicle width direction outside of the automobile S to which the curtain airbag device 11 is applied, respectively. Hereinafter, when the description is made simply using the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, the front-rear direction of the vehicle and the up-down direction of the vehicle are indicated unless otherwise specified.

  FIG. 2 shows a side view of the automobile S to which the curtain airbag device 11 is applied as viewed from the passenger compartment. As shown in this figure, the passenger protection structure 10 includes a curtain airbag device 11. First, the curtain airbag device 11 will be described, and then the bag support structure 70 formed on the door trim 72 of the front side door 26 described later will be described.

(Overall configuration of curtain airbag device)
As shown in FIG. 2, the curtain airbag device 11 includes a curtain airbag 12. The curtain airbag 12 is formed so as to be deployed in a curtain shape along a side window glass 14 and a center pillar (B pillar) 15 as a vehicle interior side portion. In this embodiment, the curtain airbag 12 is configured to cover the front and rear side window glasses 14 located on the sides of the front seat and the rear seat.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the curtain airbag 12 is, for example, rolled or accordion-folded into a long shape and stored from the front pillar (A pillar) 16 to the roof side portion 18 to the vicinity of the rear pillar 20. Has been. The curtain airbag 12 is deployed along the front and rear side window glasses 14 and the center pillar 15 in a predetermined case described later to protect the heads of the front and rear passengers. In this embodiment, the roof side portion 18 has upper edges of front and rear door openings 22 and 24 as opening portions for getting on and off surrounded by the roof side portion 18, the front pillar 16, the center pillar 15 and the rear pillar 20. Is made. The curtain airbag 12 is accommodated between a roof side rail that forms the roof side portion 18 and a roof head lining.

  The curtain airbag device 11 includes an inflator 25 as a gas generating means for supplying gas into the curtain airbag 12. The inflator 25 employs a combustion type or a cold gas type, and supplies the gas generated by being operated into the curtain airbag 12. The gas outlet of the inflator 25 is in communication with the interior of the curtain airbag 12. In this embodiment, the inflator 25 is disposed on the roof side portion 18. The deployed shape of the curtain airbag 12 and the arrangement of the inflator 25 will be described later.

  The curtain airbag 12 and the inflator 25 described above are provided on both sides of the vehicle S in the vehicle width direction. That is, the curtain airbag device 11 includes a pair of left and right curtain airbags 12 and an inflator 25. Further, the curtain airbag device 11 includes an airbag ECU 34 that is electrically connected to each of the side collision sensor 30 and the rollover sensor 32 as shown in FIG. The side collision sensor 30 is configured to predict or detect a side collision (unavoidable) of the automobile S and output a side collision detection signal to the airbag ECU 34. The rollover sensor 32 is configured to predict or detect a rollover (inevitable) of the automobile S and output a rollover detection signal (hereinafter referred to as an R / O detection signal) to the airbag ECU 34.

  The airbag ECU 34 is electrically connected to the left and right inflators 25 (only the connection to one inflator 25 is shown in FIG. 2), and when a side collision detection signal is input, the side collision side The (near side) inflator 25 is operated. Therefore, when a side collision occurs in the automobile S, the near-side curtain airbag 12 is inflated by receiving the gas supply and is deployed. The airbag ECU 34 is configured to operate the inflators 25 on both sides in the vehicle width direction when an R / O detection signal is input. When the R / O detection signal is input after the side collision, the airbag ECU 34 operates the inflator 25 on the side opposite to the side collision side that has already been operated.

(Composition of curtain airbag)
Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the curtain airbag 12 will be described. Unless otherwise specified, the configuration (shape) of the inflated and deployed state of the curtain airbag 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the curtain airbag 12 includes a gas supply passage 35, a main chamber 36 serving as a first deployment portion, a front side sub-chamber 40 serving as a second deployment portion communicating with the main chamber 36, and And a rear sub chamber 42.

  The gas supply passage 35 is developed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction along the roof side portion 18, and the inflator 25 is connected to an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction so that gas can be supplied. Thereby, the gas supply passage 35 is configured to supply the gas from the inflator 25 to the respective parts of the curtain airbag 12 while distributing the gas back and forth. The inflator 25 may be disposed on the center pillar 15 or the rear pillar 20 (C pillar or D pillar).

  The main chamber 36 is inflated and deployed in a head protection area against a side collision (see region B shown in FIG. 2). More specifically, the main chamber 36 includes a front main chamber 36F that is inflated and deployed including a head protection area Bf against a side collision for the front seat, and a head protection area Br against a side collision for the rear seat. And a rear main chamber 36R that is inflated and deployed. The front main chamber 36F and the rear main chamber 36R are communicated with each other through the gas supply passage 35 so that the gas from the inflator 25 is supplied through the gas supply passage 35, respectively.

  The front main chamber 36 </ b> F is disposed below the gas supply passage 35 extending along the roof side portion 18 and reaching the front sub chamber 40. The front main chamber 36F is configured to receive gas supply from the gas supply passage 35 through a gas passage 54 located at a substantially middle portion in the front-rear direction. Before and after the gas passage 54, the gas supply passage 35 and the front main chamber 36 </ b> F are partitioned (partitioned) by seams 56 and 58.

  The rear seam 56 is continuous with the seams 60 to 64. The seam 60 partitions the gas supply passage 35 and the rear sub chamber 42, the seam 62 partitions the rear main chamber 36R and the rear sub chamber 42, and the seam 63 partitions the rear sub chamber 42 in the front-rear direction. The seam 64 partitions the rear sub chamber 42 and the front main chamber 36F. On the other hand, the front seam 58 is disposed apart from the seams 65 and 56 between the upper end of the seam 65 and the front end of the seam 56 that define the front sub chamber 40 and the front main chamber 36F. That is, the seam 58 is formed (arranged) in a floating island shape.

  As described above, the front main chamber 36F is configured to be developed in a cylindrical shape that is long in the front-rear direction under the gas supply passage 35, that is, the seams 56, 58. The rear end side of the front main chamber 36F is a pillar wrap portion 36FP that overlaps the center pillar 15 in a side view.

  The front sub-chamber 40 as the second deploying portion is deployed in front of the front main chamber 36F to constitute the front end portion of the curtain airbag 12, and the head of the front seat occupant is placed on the front side of the front seat at the time of rollover. It comes to protect with. The front sub chamber 40 has an upper end overlapped with the front pillar 16 in a side view, and a lower end thereof is positioned below the belt line BL and overlaps with a front portion of the front side door 26 as a side door. It is a configuration.

  In this embodiment, the front sub chamber 40 is communicated with the front end of the gas supply passage 35 that is deployed along the roof side portion 18 via the gas flow path 38 of the curtain airbag 12 at the upper portion thereof. Although not shown, the front sub chamber 40 is developed in a substantially cylindrical shape (vertically long) having a central axis in the vertical direction. The gas from the inflator 25 is supplied to the front sub chamber 40 via the gas supply passage 35 and the front main chamber 36F. The front main chamber 36F may be configured to supply the gas from the inflator 25 to the front sub chamber 40 independently (in parallel) by an inner tube or the like passing through the gas supply passage 35.

  Here, a region A indicated by a thin solid line in FIG. 2 is a test point (impactor impact point or impact point) for applying an impactor I (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the head of the occupant in the front seat in the rollover test (FMVSS226 standard). ). In the curtain airbag 12, the front sub chamber 40 covers the frontmost test point (the hit point A1 shown in FIG. 2) in the rollover test. In addition, other test points for the front seat occupant in the rollover test (the hit points A2 to A4 shown in FIG. 1) are covered by the front main chamber 36F.

  The rear sub chamber 42 is deployed in front of the rear main chamber 36R and constitutes a portion between the rear main chamber 36R and the front main chamber 36F. In this embodiment, the rear sub chamber 42 communicates with a front lower portion of the rear main chamber 36R through a gas passage 44 at a part of the lower end side thereof. Further, the front end of the rear sub chamber 42 in this embodiment is partitioned from the rear end portion of the front main chamber 36F by a seam 64 described later.

  Further, the rear sub chamber 42 is connected (connected) to the lower edge portion of the gas supply passage 35 via a seam 60 described later, and the lower end side of the rear sub chamber 42 is deployed so as to overlap the rear side door 28. It has become. The rear side sub-chamber 42 protects the head of the rear seat occupant on the front side of the rear seat during rollover.

  Specifically, a region C indicated by a thin solid line in FIG. 2 represents a test point (spot) at which the impactor I is applied to the rear seat in the rollover test (FMVSS226 standard). In the curtain airbag 12, the rear sub chamber 42 covers the frontmost test point in the rear seat in the rollover test. At the foremost test point, the lower end side of the rear side sub-chamber 42 whose upper end is connected to the gas supply passage 35 is engaged (contacted) with the rear side door 28, so that the vehicle width of the occupant's head at the time of rollover It is set as the structure which suppresses the displacement to the direction outer side. The most rearward test point for the rear seat occupant in the rollover test (the intermediate test point is not shown in FIG. 2) is covered by the rear main chamber 36R and the rear subchamber 42. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the curtain airbag 12 is provided with a plurality of attachment pieces 46 along the upper edge thereof. The attachment piece 46 of the curtain airbag 12 is fixed to the vehicle body skeleton (the front pillar 16, the roof side portion 18, and the rear pillar 20) by a fixing tool 48 such as a clip, a bolt, and a nut penetrating each.

  The front end of the curtain airbag 12 described above, that is, the front sub chamber 40 is supported on the lower portion of the front pillar 16 via a support cloth (tension cloth) 50 having a substantially triangular shape in side view. Further, the rear end of the curtain airbag 12, that is, the rear main chamber 36 </ b> R is supported by the rear pillar 20 via a support cloth 52.

  Further, in the curtain airbag 12, at least the surface of the base fabric constituting the front sub chamber 40 is subjected to a texture seal process such as a silicon coat so that the internal pressure can be easily maintained. In this embodiment, a silicon coat is applied to the surface of the base fabric constituting the front side sub chamber 40 and the rear side sub chamber 42.

  The front side sub-chamber 40 may be configured to receive the gas supply from the inflator 25 and develop together with the main chamber 36 and the like. It may be a delay chamber that is deployed with a delay. Similarly, a part or all of the rear sub chamber 42 may be a delay chamber.

(Configuration of bag support structure)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the occupant protection structure 10 has a lower end of the front side sub-chamber 40 when the occupant head is protected in the front side sub-chamber 40 of the curtain airbag 12 constituting the curtain airbag device 11. A bag support structure 70 for supporting the side is provided. This will be specifically described below.

  The bag support structure 70 is configured by forming a convex portion 74 along the belt line BL on a door trim 72 as an interior member that covers a door body (not shown) of the front side door 26 from the vehicle compartment side. Here, the belt line BL can be grasped as the lower edge of the exposed side window glass 14, and can be regarded as being defined by the upper end portion 72 </ b> T of the door trim 72. The convex portion 74 is formed in a range D (see FIG. 2) in which the deployed front sub chamber 40 at the upper end portion 72T of the door trim 72 overlaps in a side view. In addition, the convex part 74 may be formed continuously along the belt line BL, or may be formed intermittently (by arranging a plurality of parts). Moreover, the convex part 74 can be formed in part or all in the range D, and can also be formed exceeding the range D.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the convex portion 74 projects upward from the upper end portion 72 </ b> T of the door trim 72. Further, the convex portion 74 is disposed at a position where the lower end side of the front side sub-chamber 40 is vertically sandwiched by the impactor I when the impactor I hitting the front side sub-chamber 40 passes over the door trim 72. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the convex portion 74 is arranged so as to face the lower end portion Id of the impactor I in a state protruding from the side window glass 14 by a predetermined distance L (for example, 100 mm). Yes.

  Further, in this embodiment, an example of a vertically divided type in which the door trim 72 is configured by the trim upper 72U and the trim lower 72L is shown. In this example, a convex portion 74 is formed on the upper end portion 72T of the trim upper 72U. In addition, the door trim 72 may be an integral structure instead of the vertically divided type.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the curtain airbag device 11 having the above-described configuration, when a side collision occurs in the applied automobile S, the airbag ECU 34 that has received the side collision detection signal from the side collision sensor 30 causes the inflator 25 on the side where the side collision has occurred. Operate. Then, the curtain airbag 12 is inflated by receiving gas supply from the inflator 25, and the main chamber 36, that is, the front main chamber 36F and the rear main chamber 36R of the curtain airbag 12 are deployed. Thereby, the head of the front seat occupant on the side collision side is protected by the front main chamber 36F, and the head of the rear seat occupant on the side collision side is protected by the rear main chamber 36R.

  When rollover occurs in the automobile S following the side collision, the airbag ECU 34 that receives the R / O detection signal from the rollover sensor 32 operates the inflator 25 on the opposite side. On the other hand, when a rollover occurs in the vehicle S independently of the side collision, the airbag ECU 34 that receives the R / O detection signal from the rollover sensor 32 activates the left and right inflators 25. As a result, the curtain airbag 12 is deployed on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and the occupant's head is protected against rollover.

  When the head of the front seat occupant is protected by the front side auxiliary chamber 40 during the rollover, the upper side of the front side auxiliary chamber 40 contacts the front pillar 16 and the lower side of the front side auxiliary chamber 40 is the front side door 26 (door trim). 72). That is, the front auxiliary chamber 40 that is deployed so as to overlap the front pillar 16 and the front side door 26 in a side view moves outward in the vehicle width direction with the protection against the rollover of the occupant head, and the front pillar 16 and the front side door 26 are contacted.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), the front side sub-chamber 40 has the upper and lower ends engaged (contacted) with the front pillar 16 and the front side door 26, and the head of the front seat occupant (impactor I). Suppresses outward displacement in the vehicle width direction.

  Here, in the occupant protection structure 10, a convex portion 74 is formed on the door trim 72. For this reason, the door trim 72 comes into contact with the lower end side of the front side auxiliary chamber 40 in the portion including the convex portion 74, and compared with the door trim 100 of the comparative example (see FIG. 3B) having no convex portion. The contact area with the chamber 40 is increased. As a result, the friction (dynamic friction) force between the front side auxiliary chamber 40 and the door trim 72 is increased, and (a part of) the energy of the impactor I is efficiently absorbed by friction damping. Therefore, in the occupant protection structure 10, the movement amount of the occupant head outward in the vehicle width direction is effectively suppressed as compared with the comparative example of FIG. 3B in which the door trim 72 is not provided with the convex portion 74. Can do.

  Further, the convex portion 74 protrudes upward from the upper end portion 72 </ b> T of the door trim 72. For this reason, the lower end side of the front auxiliary chamber 40 is moved outward in the vehicle width direction in a state where it is recessed upward (crushed) by the convex portion 74 when protecting the passenger's head. The crushing of the front auxiliary chamber 40 also efficiently absorbs the energy of the impactor I and contributes to suppressing the movement amount of the occupant head. In addition, since the front side sub chamber 40 is gradually changed (moved) at the lower end side of the front side sub chamber 40 being crushed by the convex portion 74, the movement resistance of the front side sub chamber 40 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction is increased. This also efficiently absorbs the energy of the impactor I and contributes to the suppression of the movement amount of the occupant head.

  Further, since the convex portion 74 is arranged so as to sandwich the lower end side of the front side sub chamber 40 with the impactor I in the rollover test, it is opposite to the portion crushed by the convex portion 74 on the lower end side of the front side sub chamber 40. The impactor I regulates the side to expand (escape). That is, the energy absorption efficiency due to the collapse of the front sub chamber 40 is good. Thus, energy absorption due to the crushing of the front side auxiliary chamber 40 is efficiently performed at a position where the impactor I protrudes 100 mm from the side window glass 14 (in the vicinity thereof). As a result, the energy of the impactor I can be largely absorbed at a specific position, and the passenger's head can be effectively decelerated to improve the protection performance of the head.

  As described above, the occupant protection structure 10 according to the present embodiment can improve the occupant protection performance when the automobile S is rolled over. In particular, the installation site (the hitting point A1) of the front auxiliary chamber 40 in the curtain airbag 12 is a site where it is difficult to ensure the protection performance of the occupant's head against rollover, but the required protection performance can be achieved by setting the bag support structure 70. It becomes possible to secure.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which the present invention is applied to protection against rollover of a front seat occupant has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a rear seat (such as the rear sub-chamber 42) or a central seat of three rows of seats. That is, for example, the present invention can be applied to various types of vehicles such as a two-door vehicle not including the rear side door 28, a two-seat vehicle not including a rear seat, and a vehicle having three or more rows of seats.

  Moreover, although the convex part 74 protruded upwards from the upper end part 72T of the door trim 72 in above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle width direction accompanying the protection of the occupant's head of the front side sub-chamber 40 such as a convex portion protruding inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end portion 72T of the door trim 72 or a convex portion protruding inward in the vehicle width direction and obliquely upward. It can be set as the structure provided with the convex part of the various structures which can restrict | limit a movement.

  Furthermore, although the upper end of the front side sub chamber 40 was fixed to the front pillar 16 via the attachment piece 46 and the fixture 48 in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper end of the front sub chamber 40 may be configured not to be fixed to the front pillar 16.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the front sub chamber 40 is roll-folded and accommodated in the front pillar 16 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the roll-folded front sub chamber 40 may be folded back to the front end side of the main chamber 36 and housed in the roof side portion 18 together with the main chamber 36. You may arrange | position in a roof along an edge.

  In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Crew protection structure 12 Curtain airbag 14 Side window glass 36 Main chamber (1st expansion | deployment part)
40 Front side subchamber (second development part)
72 Door trim (interior material)
74 Convex BL Beltline I Impactor

Claims (2)

The side window glass is housed in a folded state at the upper edge portion of the side window glass in the vehicle body, expands upon receiving a gas supply at the time of a vehicle side collision and a vehicle rollover, and the side window glass above the belt line. A first deployment portion deployed along
By receiving the gas supply, at least at the time of rollover of the vehicle, the second unfolded so that the lower end reaches below the belt line at a position that does not overlap the first unfolded portion in a side view. The development part of
From the upper end on the vehicle interior side of the interior member along the belt line, at least a portion of the interior of the interior member located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the occupant overlaps the portion where the second deployment portion is unfolded in a side view. and a convex portion that protrudes upward,
An occupant protection structure. The convex portion, the occupant protection structure of claim 1, wherein it is positioned so as to sandwich the upper and lower at the bottom of the second expansion section between impactor striking the second deployment part in rollover tests.

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