JP5743722B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device that inflates and deploys an airbag in a vehicle and protects an occupant with the airbag.

  Airbag devices are used to protect passengers in the event of a vehicle emergency or collision. The airbag device inflates and deploys the airbag with the gas generated by the inflator. The occupant is received and protected by the airbag. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an airbag apparatus that appropriately deploys an airbag by guiding gas to an inflatable portion of the airbag with a diffuser.

  The diffuser is disposed around the inflator in the airbag. The inflator generates gas in the diffuser. The diffuser discharges the gas in a predetermined direction in the expansion part and supplies the gas to the expansion part. At that time, the diffuser may be damaged by the heat and impact of the gas. If the diffuser is damaged by gas, the gas may directly hit the airbag. Further, even when the diffuser is not broken, the air around the diffuser may be damaged by the heat of the gas.

On the other hand, the airbag apparatus which protects the stitching | suture part of an inner tube with a protective cloth conventionally is known (refer patent document 1).
The inner tube surrounds the inflator in the airbag, similar to the diffuser. The inflator generates gas in the inner tube. The protective cloth is sewn on the inner surface of the inner tube to cover the stitched portion. When the inflator generates gas, the protective cloth prevents the gas from hitting the stitched portion.

  However, since the conventional protective cloth is provided in the inner tube, it takes time and labor to sew the protective cloth and the inner tube. Therefore, troublesome work is required when the diffuser is reinforced by the protective cloth to protect the airbag. In addition, the work efficiency is lowered, and the cost may increase.

JP 2010-254057 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to reinforce a diffuser easily and at low cost and to protect an air bag around the diffuser.

  The present invention is an airbag apparatus including an airbag having an inflating portion that is inflated by gas, an inflator that generates gas in the airbag, and a diffuser that is disposed so as to surround the inflator and discharges gas in the inflating portion. And it is an airbag apparatus provided with the protection member which covers a part of outer surface of a diffuser in an airbag.

  According to the present invention, the diffuser can be reinforced easily and at low cost. In addition, the airbag around the diffuser can be protected.

It is a figure which shows the airbag apparatus of this embodiment. It is a front view which shows the expand | deployed airbag. It is a figure which shows a diffuser and a protection member. It is a figure which shows a diffuser and a protection member. It is a figure which shows the airbag which assembled | attached the diffuser. It is a side view which shows an inflator. It is a figure which shows the airbag which assembled | attached the inflator. It is a front view which shows the inflated airbag. It is an enlarged view which shows the diffuser vicinity of FIG. It is a figure which shows the diffuser of a protection member and other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the diffuser of a protection member and other embodiment. It is a front view which shows the airbag before formation. It is a front view which shows the airbag after formation. It is a figure which shows the airbag which assembled | attached the inflator. It is a front view which shows the inflated airbag. It is an enlarged view which shows the diffuser vicinity of FIG.

An embodiment of an airbag device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a curtain airbag device (hereinafter simply referred to as an airbag device) that deploys an airbag in a curtain shape in a vehicle will be described as an example. The airbag device is mounted in a vehicle and receives and protects an occupant with an airbag that is inflated and deployed.

FIG. 1 is a view showing an airbag apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the airbag apparatus 1 mounted in the vehicle 90 is shown as viewed from the passenger compartment. Further, the side wall 91 and the airbag device 1 of the vehicle 90 are schematically shown as viewed from the width direction of the vehicle 90 with the rear side of the vehicle 90 omitted. The airbag device 1 is shown through the inner surface of the vehicle 90.
In the present invention, the front and rear in the vehicle 90 are simply referred to as front and rear, and the front-rear direction in the vehicle 90 is simply referred to as front-rear direction. In addition, the upper and lower portions in the vehicle 90 are simply referred to as upper and lower portions, and the vertical direction in the vehicle 90 is simply referred to as the vertical direction.

  As shown, the vehicle 90 has an upper roof rail 92, a front front pillar (A pillar) 93, a center pillar (B pillar) 94, and a rear rear pillar (C pillar) (see FIG. Not shown). The vehicle 90 includes a front door 95, a rear door 96, and window portions 97 and 98 provided in the doors 95 and 96.

  The airbag device 1 includes an airbag (curtain airbag) 10 and a tubular inflator 2. The airbag device 1 is disposed inside a trim and a head lining (not shown) attached to the vehicle body. The airbag 10 is folded and attached to the vehicle 90 so as to be inflated and deployed. In addition, the airbag 10 is folded along an elongated shape and disposed along the upper portion of the side wall 91. The airbag 10 is attached to the roof rail 92 along the front-rear direction, and is disposed from the rear pillar to the front pillar 93. The folded airbag 10 is fixed to the vehicle body by fixing means (not shown). The front portion 11 of the airbag 10 is attached to the front pillar 93.

  The inflator 2 is a cylinder type gas generator. The inflator 2 is inserted into the airbag 10 and generates gas in the airbag 10. The inflator 2 is disposed above the center pillar 94 and attached to the roof rail 92. The inflator 2 is fixed to the vehicle body by fixing means (not shown). The inflator 2 generates gas and supplies gas to the airbag 10 at the time of vehicle emergency or impact detection. With this gas, the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape from the upper part of the side wall 91 downward.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the deployed airbag 10.
As shown in the figure, the airbag 10 is a rectangular bag, and is manufactured, for example, from a base fabric made of a cloth coated with a resin. Here, the airbag 10 includes a front base fabric (front panel) 12 on the passenger side and a back base fabric (back panel) 13 on the side wall 91 side. The airbag 10 includes a connecting belt 20, a plurality (six in FIG. 2) of fixed fabrics 21 to 26, and a cylindrical insertion portion 40. Inflator 2 (not shown in FIG. 2) is inserted into insertion portion 40.

  The front end of the airbag 10 is connected to the front pillar 93 by the connecting belt 20. The plurality of fixed fabrics 21 to 26 have a rectangular shape and are integrally formed on an upper edge (referred to as an upper edge) of the airbag 10. The connecting belt 20 and the fixing cloths 21 to 26 are fixed to the front pillar 93 and the roof rail 92 by fixing means (not shown) made of bolts or the like.

  The front base fabric 12 and the back base fabric 13 are formed in the same shape, overlapped, and joined along the outer edge joint portion 15. The outer edge joint portion 15 divides the airbag 10 and forms an inflatable portion 30 between the base fabrics 12 and 13. The inflating part 30 is inflated by the gas generated by the inflator 2. The outer edge joint portion 15 defines the outer edge shape of the inflating portion 30. The base fabrics 12 and 13 are joined at the outer edge joint portion 15 only by sewing, or by sewing and adhesion. That is, the base fabrics 12 and 13 are sewn one or a plurality of times along the outer edge joint portion 15, or the one or a plurality of peripheries are sealed with an adhesive, etc. , 13 are joined in an airtight manner at the outer edge joining portion 15.

  In the airbag 10, a front inflating portion 31, a rear inflating portion 32, and a connected inflating portion 33 are formed by the outer edge joint portion 15. The inflating parts 31 to 33 each have a rectangular shape and constitute the inflating part 30 of the airbag 10 as a whole. The front inflating part 31 is formed to be the longest in the front-rear direction in the inflating parts 31 to 33, and is disposed forward in the airbag 10. The front inflating portion 31 inflates at the side of the window 97 of the front door 95 and the center pillar 94, and mainly receives the front seat occupant.

  The rear inflating portion 32 is formed shorter in the front-rear direction than the front inflating portion 31 and is disposed rearward in the airbag 10. The rear inflating part 32 inflates above the rear door 96 and mainly receives the rear seat occupant. The connected expansion part 33 is formed narrower in the vertical direction than the other expansion parts 31 and 32. The connecting inflating portion 33 is provided between the front inflating portion 31 and the rear inflating portion 32 at the upper edge of the airbag 10 and connects the inflating portions 31 and 32. Between the three inflating parts 31 to 33, a non-inflating part 34 is formed upward from the lower edge (referred to as the lower edge) of the airbag 10. The non-expanding part 34 is provided outside the expanding part 30.

  The airbag 10 has first to fourth internal joint portions 16 to 19 in the inflatable portion 30. The base fabrics 12 and 13 are joined by sewing and adhesion at a plurality of internal joint portions 16 to 19. The distal ends of the internal joint portions 16 to 19 are joined in an annular shape (annular portions 16A to 19A) in the expansion portion 30. The plurality of internal joint portions 16 to 19 are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction, and form a gas circulation portion and an air chamber in the expansion portion 30. The first and second internal joint portions 16 and 17 form first and second air chambers 35 and 36 in the front expansion portion 31. The fourth internal joint portion 19 forms a third air chamber 37 in the rear expansion portion 32.

  The insertion part 40 is an opening (gas supply part) for supplying gas into the airbag 10. The insertion portion 40 is formed in the middle of the airbag 10 in the front-rear direction and opens at the rear end of the front inflating portion 31. The base fabrics 12 and 13 protrude obliquely upward from the upper edge of the airbag 10 at the insertion portion 40. The edges of the base fabrics 12 and 13 are joined continuously from the outer edge joint 15 except for the insertion port 41 at the tip. Thereby, the insertion part 40 is formed in the cylinder shape which both ends opened, and is provided in the upper edge of the airbag 10 integrally.

  The insertion portion 40 protrudes linearly from the inflating portion 30 and is inclined at a predetermined angle α with respect to the longitudinal direction of the airbag 10. The angle α is an angle between the direction in which the insertion portion 40 extends and the longitudinal direction of the airbag 10 in a state where the airbag 10 is expanded on a plane. Here, the angle α of the insertion portion 40 is set to an angle of 30 degrees to 60 degrees. The inside of the insertion portion 40 is connected to the outside of the airbag 10 through an insertion port 41 at one end, and is connected to the inside of the inflating portion 30 at the other end. The inflator 2 is inserted into the insertion portion 40 from the insertion port 41 and disposed in the airbag 10. However, the diffuser 50 and the protection member 3 are disposed in the insertion portion 40 in advance. The diffuser 50 and the protection member 3 are inserted into the insertion portion 40 from the insertion port 41 and disposed in the airbag 10.

3 and 4 show the diffuser 50 and the protection member 3. FIG. 3A is a development view of the diffuser 50 and the protective member 3 before formation. 3B, 4A, and 4B show the process of forming the diffuser 50. FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the diffuser 50 and the protection member 3 as viewed in the direction of arrows X1-X1 in FIG. 4B.
The diffuser 50 is a rectifying member that rectifies the gas generated by the inflator 2, and includes a cylindrical member that extends linearly. The diffuser 50 is made of a flexible member or a deformable member. In the present embodiment, the diffuser 50 is made of a deformable base fabric 51 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The diffuser 50 is formed by joining the folded base fabric 51 by sewing. The cloth-like protective member 3 is attached to the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50.

  A base fabric 51 (see FIG. 3A) for the diffuser 50 is folded back at a predetermined folding line L1. At that time, the base fabric 51 is folded back at the center line in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3). The base fabrics 51A and 51B on both sides of the fold line L1 are each formed in an elongated rectangular shape, and are overlapped with their edges aligned. However, one base cloth 51A is longer than the other base cloth 51B. One end in the longitudinal direction of the base fabric 51 (left end in FIG. 3) is formed in a triangular shape.

  The base fabrics 51A and 51B (see FIGS. 3B and 4) are joined together at two joint portions 53A and 53B along the edge after being overlapped. The first joint portion 53 </ b> A is located at the tip of the diffuser 50. The second joint portion 53 </ b> B is located on the side edge of the diffuser 50. The joint portions 53A and 53B close the space between the base fabrics 51A and 51B. The diffuser 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape by joining the overlapped base fabrics 51. At that time, the base fabric 51 is bonded at the first bonding portion 53A and then bonded at the second bonding portion 53B. The diffuser 50 is formed in a linear shape corresponding to the shape of the insertion portion 40 and in an elongated rectangular shape. The tip of the diffuser 50 is formed in a wedge shape that becomes gradually thinner.

  The protection member 3 is a member for protecting the airbag 10 around the diffuser 50. The protective member 3 is also a reinforcing member that reinforces the diffuser 50. The protection member 3 is disposed between the diffuser 50 and the airbag 10. The protective member 3 (see FIG. 3A) is a protective cloth (reinforcing cloth) made of a rectangular base cloth, and is folded back at a predetermined folding line L2. The length H1 of the protective member 3 is the same as the width H2 of the diffuser 50. After the diffuser 50 is joined at the first joining portion 53 </ b> A (see FIG. 3B), the protection member 3 is folded at the longitudinal center line and disposed on the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50.

  The protection member 3 (see FIG. 4A) is disposed so as to wrap a part of the diffuser 50 and overlaps a part of the outer surface 52. Further, the protection member 3 is arranged so as to be wound around the diffuser 50 along the width direction of the diffuser 50. The diffuser 50 is sandwiched between the protective members 3. The bent portion of the protection member 3 (the fold line of the fold line L2) is in contact with one side edge of the diffuser 50. The tip of the protection member 3 is aligned with the other side edge of the diffuser 50. The protection member 3 is in contact with the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50 without a gap.

  When the base fabric 51 of the diffuser 50 is joined at the second joining portion 53B (see FIG. 4B), the protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 50 at the second joining portion 53B. Thereby, the whole front-end | tip of the protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 50 by both surfaces (refer FIG. 4C) of the diffuser 50. FIG. The protection member 3 is sewn to the diffuser 50 at the second joint portion 53 </ b> B so as to be integrated with the diffuser 50.

  The diffuser 50 has a gas flow path 54, an insertion port 55 for the inflator 2, and a plurality (two in FIG. 4B) of gas discharge ports 56A and 56B. The gas flow path 54 is an internal space of the diffuser 50 and an insertion portion of the inflator 2. The gas flow path 54 is formed in a cylindrical shape inside the diffuser 50. The protection member 3 covers the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50 in the middle of the gas flow path 54. The insertion port 55 is an opening provided at one end of the gas flow path 54. The inflator 2 is inserted into the diffuser 50 (gas flow path 54) from the insertion port 55.

  When the inflator 2 generates gas in the diffuser 50, the gas is discharged from the gas discharge ports 56A and 56B through the gas flow path 54. The gas discharge ports 56 </ b> A and 56 </ b> B discharge the gas in the diffuser 50 into the airbag 10. The first gas discharge port 56 </ b> A includes an opening (see FIG. 3A) formed in a slit shape in the base fabric 51, and is provided at the tip of the diffuser 50. The second gas discharge port 56B is composed of a non-joining portion provided between the joining portions 53A and 53B. The second gas discharge port 56B is provided at the tip of the diffuser 50 and on the opposite side of the first gas discharge port 56A. The gas is discharged from the plurality of gas discharge ports 56A and 56B in different predetermined directions (here, opposite directions).

  The insertion part 40 and the diffuser 50 (refer FIG. 2) have the two connection holes 42 and 57, respectively. The insertion portion 40 and the diffuser 50 are connected to the inflator 2 through connection holes 42 and 57 as will be described later. The connection holes 42 and 57 are formed in a circular shape at the ends of the insertion portion 40 and the diffuser 50. The two connecting holes 57 of the diffuser 50 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the diffuser 50. The two connection holes 42 of the insertion portion 40 are arranged at the same interval as the two connection holes 57 of the diffuser 50. The diffuser 50 is inserted into the insertion portion 40 from the tip where the gas discharge ports 56A and 56B are provided. At that time, the diffuser 50 is inserted into the insertion portion 40 from the insertion port 41 and disposed in the insertion portion 40. Thereby, the diffuser 50 is assembled to the insertion portion 40.

FIG. 5 shows the airbag 10 with the diffuser 50 assembled thereto.
The diffuser 50 is inserted straight along the insertion portion 40 from the insertion port 41 to the expansion portion 30 as shown in the figure. The diffuser 50 is inserted to a predetermined position in the inflating part 30, and is linearly arranged from the inserting part 40 to the inflating part 30. At that time, the end of the diffuser 50 is aligned with the end of the insertion portion 40. Further, the positions of the connecting hole 57 of the diffuser 50 and the connecting hole 42 of the insertion portion 40 are aligned. The connection hole 57 and the connection hole 42 are disposed so as to pass through the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40. The diffuser 50 is disposed at a position away from the lower third internal joint 18. The gas discharge ports 56 </ b> A and 56 </ b> B are disposed in the expansion portion 30.

  The diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 are joined by sewing at joint portions 43 and 44. At the joint portions 43 and 44, the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 are sewn along the width direction of the diffuser 50. Further, the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 are joined at a portion (joint portion 43) between the two connecting holes 57. As a result, the diffuser 50 is joined to the insertion portion 40 at the insertion port 41 provided in the insertion portion 40. The diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 are integrated around the insertion port 41 by joining at the joint portions 43 and 44. Moreover, the diffuser 50 and the insertion part 40 are integrated and reinforced. The diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 receive external force jointly without receiving external force alone. As a result, the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 have high strength against external force and are difficult to break. Thus, the joining parts 43 and 44 are reinforcement parts (reinforcement sewing) that reinforce the diffuser 50 and the insertion part 40.

  The protection member 3 is inserted into the insertion portion 40 together with the diffuser 50. The protection member 3 is disposed between the diffuser 50 and the airbag 10 in the insertion portion 40. Thereafter, the insertion port 55 of the diffuser 50 is opened, and the inflator 2 is inserted into the diffuser 50 from the insertion port 55. The inflator 2 is assembled to the airbag 10 together with the diffuser 50.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the inflator 2.
The inflator 2 includes a plurality of gas ejection ports 2A and two connecting members 2B as shown in the figure. One end of the inflator 2 in the longitudinal direction is a gas ejection part 2C (gas generation part) provided with an ejection outlet 2A. 2 A of jet nozzles are arrange | positioned at the whole outer periphery of 2 C of gas ejection parts. The inflator 2 (see FIG. 6A) ejects gas radially from the plurality of ejection ports 2A. The two connecting members 2 </ b> B are arranged apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the inflator 2 and are fixed to the inflator 2. The connecting member 2 </ b> B is a bolt and projects to the side of the inflator 2. For example, the connecting member 2B is integrally fixed to the inflator 2 by welding. The connection holes 42 and 57 described above are formed at the same interval as the connection member 2B.

  A guide tube 4 is attached to the inflator 2 (see FIG. 6B). The guide cylinder 4 has a cylindrical shape and surrounds the inflator 2 in the diffuser 50. The guide cylinder 4 is disposed around the gas ejection part 2C and guides the gas generated by the inflator 2 toward the diffuser 50. The guide cylinder 4 is composed of a cloth-like member 4A formed in a band shape by a base cloth. The cloth-like member 4 </ b> A is wound around the outer periphery of the inflator 2 a plurality of times to form a cylinder. 4 A of cloth-like members are arrange | positioned so that it may protrude from 2 C of gas ejection parts, and discharge | release gas from opening of one end. The gas is rectified by the guide tube 4 and supplied from the guide tube 4 in a predetermined direction.

  The guide cylinder 4 has a plurality of connection holes 4B formed in the cloth-like member 4A. Two connecting holes 4B are formed in the cloth-like member 4A at the same interval as the interval between the connecting members 2B. Two connecting holes 4B are formed in the cloth-like member 4A at a predetermined interval. The plurality of connecting holes 4B are sequentially inserted into the connecting member 2B when the cloth-like member 4A is wound around the inflator 2. The cloth-like member 4A is wound around the inflator 2 while passing the connecting member 2B through the connecting hole 4B. Two connecting holes 4B are inserted into the two connecting members 2B every time the cloth-like member 4A is wound around the inflator 2 once. Thereby, the cloth-like member 4 </ b> A is temporarily fixed to the inflator 2. The connecting member 2B connects the cloth-like member 4A (guide cylinder 4) to the inflator 2. The inflator 2 is inserted into the diffuser 50 together with the guide cylinder 4.

FIG. 7 is a view showing the airbag 10 with the inflator 2 assembled thereto.
The inflator 2 is inserted into the diffuser 50 so that at least the jet outlet 2 </ b> A is located in the diffuser 50 as illustrated. Thereby, a predetermined range including the gas ejection part 2 </ b> C of the inflator 2 is arranged in the diffuser 50. The guide tube 4 is disposed between the inflator 2 and the diffuser 50.

  The diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40 are wound around the inflator 2. At that time, the connecting member 2 </ b> B of the inflator 2 is inserted into the connecting holes 42 and 57 that penetrate the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40. The connecting member 2 </ b> B connects the inflator 2 to the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40. After wrapping the inflator 2 with the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40, the band 5 is disposed on the outer periphery of the insertion portion 40. The insertion portion 40, the diffuser 50, and the guide tube 4 are fastened with a band 5 and are fixed to the inflator 2 in an airtight manner. As a result, the inflator 2 is assembled to the diffuser 50 and the insertion portion 40.

  The diffuser 50 surrounds the gas ejection part 2 </ b> C of the inflator 2 and the guide cylinder 4. The protection member 3 covers a part (predetermined part) of the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50 and partially reinforces the diffuser 50 in the airbag 10. 2 C of gas ejection parts and the guide cylinder 4 are arrange | positioned in the part covered with the protection member 3 of the diffuser 50 within the airbag 10. FIG. The protection member 3 surrounds the entire gas ejection part 2C. The gas ejection part 2 </ b> C and the guide cylinder 4 are disposed inside the protection member 3. Thereafter, the airbag device 1 is mounted on the vehicle 90. The airbag apparatus 1 operates the inflator 2 when receiving the operation signal to inflate and deploy the airbag 10.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the airbag 10 inflated and deployed. In FIG. 8, the gas flow in the airbag 10 is indicated by arrows. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the diffuser 50 of FIG.
As shown, the inflator 2 is attached to the vehicle body along the front-rear direction. Along with this, the insertion portion 40 and the diffuser 50 are bent. The inflator 2 generates gas in the diffuser 50 and supplies the gas into the airbag 10. By the supplied gas, the inflating portion 30 is inflated, and the airbag 10 is deployed in a curtain shape while eliminating the folded shape.

  The diffuser 50 is disposed in the airbag 10 so as to surround the inflator 2 and starts to inflate first. Further, the diffuser 50 receives the gas generated by the inflator 2 at a part of the inner surface, and then guides the gas toward the inflating portion 30. The protection member 3 is disposed in a portion (gas receiving portion Y1) that receives the gas of the diffuser 50, and partially covers the diffuser 50 from the outside. Since the insertion portion 40 and the diffuser 50 are bent halfway, the gas is ejected from the guide tube 4 and hits a predetermined portion of the diffuser 50. Therefore, the gas receiving portion Y1 of the diffuser 50 is a portion where the gas guided by the guide tube 4 directly hits.

  The protection member 3 covers at least the outer surface 52 of the gas receiving portion Y1. Moreover, the bent part (folding line L2) of the protection member 3 is located in the gas receiving part Y1. The protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 50 on the side opposite to the gas receiving portion Y1 (second joining portion 53B). That is, the protective member 3 is joined to the diffuser 50 at a position away from the gas receiving portion Y1. The gas receiving portion Y <b> 1 is covered with the continuous surface of the protection member 3.

  The diffuser 50 discharges the gas generated by the inflator 2 from the gas discharge ports 56 </ b> A and 56 </ b> B in the expansion portion 30. The diffuser 50 flows the gas out to the expansion unit 30 and continuously supplies the gas to the expansion unit 30. At that time, the gas discharge ports 56 </ b> A and 56 </ b> B discharge the gas in a predetermined direction in the inflatable portion 30. The diffuser 50 distributes gas through the gas discharge ports 56A and 56B. The gas generated by the inflator 2 branches through the diffuser 50 and is distributed in the front-rear direction. The gas is supplied to the front expansion part 31 and is supplied to the rear expansion part 32 through the connection expansion part 33. As a result, the airbag 10 (see FIG. 1) is inflated and deployed so as to cover the side wall 91 and closes the windows 97 and 98. The airbag 10 receives the front and rear occupants and protects the occupant's head.

  As described above, the airbag 10 may be damaged by the heat of the gas in the diffuser 50. In particular, in the gap between the inflator 2 and the vehicle body, heat tends to accumulate and the temperature tends to rise, so the airbag 10 is easily damaged. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a necessary part of the diffuser 50 can be reinforced by covering a part of the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50 with the protective member 3. The airbag 10 is protected from the heat of the gas by the diffuser 50 and the protection member 3. Since the heat transfer can be suppressed by the protective member 3, the temperature rise can be suppressed even in the gap between the inflator 2 and the vehicle body. As a result, damage due to heat of the airbag 10 can be reduced.

  By covering the fragile portion of the diffuser 50 with the protective member 3 in advance, the necessary portion of the diffuser 50 can be reinforced. Even if the diffuser 50 is damaged by the influence of gas, the airbag 10 can be protected by the protective member 3. Further, the diffuser 50 is pressed against the protective member 3 with the pressure of gas. When a hole is opened in the diffuser 50, the hole of the diffuser 50 is pressed against the protective member 3 and is closed. As a result, since gas leakage from the holes is suppressed, the amount of gas leaking from the diffuser 50 can be reduced. It is also possible to prevent the gas from hitting the airbag 10 directly or vigorously. Therefore, the airbag 10 around the diffuser 50 can be protected. Since the airbag 10 can be prevented from being damaged, gas can be prevented from leaking from the airbag 10.

  Since the protective member 3 is provided on the outer surface 52 of the diffuser 50, the protective member 3 can be easily attached to the diffuser 50. The protection member 3 and the diffuser 50 can be easily joined. Therefore, labor and time for manufacturing the airbag 10 can be reduced, and work efficiency can be increased. Since only a part of the diffuser 50 is covered by the protective member 3, the protective member 3 can be made relatively small. Thus, the diffuser 50 can be reinforced easily and at low cost by the protective member 3.

  Since the gas generated by the inflator 2 hits the gas receiving portion Y1 of the diffuser 50, the temperature around the diffuser 50 becomes higher in the gas receiving portion Y1. Further, the gas receiving portion Y1 is easily damaged by the gas. Therefore, the airbag 10 can be effectively protected by covering the gas receiving portion Y1 with the protection member 3.

  The joint between the protective member 3 and the diffuser 50 is easily damaged by gas. Therefore, it is preferable that the protective member 3 is joined at a position other than the gas receiving portion Y1 of the diffuser 50. Thereby, it can prevent that a junction part receives a damage. The protective member 3 covering the gas receiving portion Y1 protects the airbag 10 without being damaged. Moreover, the damage of the diffuser 50 can also be reduced by not providing the junction part of diffuser 50 itself in the gas receiving part Y1. At that time, since the gas receiving portion Y1 receives the gas in a state where the diffuser 50 and the protective member 3 overlap each other, the strength against the gas is increased. Since the protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 50 at the second joining portion 53 </ b> B when the base fabric 51 is joined, the labor of joining the protection member 3 can be reduced. That is, the protective member 3 can be joined to the diffuser 50 simultaneously with the formation of the diffuser 50.

  With the guide cylinder 4 provided in the inflator 2, the gas generated by the inflator 2 can be rectified and guided into the diffuser 50. Moreover, since the gas is once received by the guide cylinder 4, the impact received by the diffuser 50 can be reduced. The diffuser 50 and the airbag 10 can be protected by the guide tube 4. When the cloth-like member 4A of the guide tube 4 is wound around the inflator 2, the connection holes 4B of the cloth-like member 4A are sequentially inserted into the connection member 2B of the inflator 2. Since the cloth-like member 4A can be temporarily fixed to the inflator 2 by the connecting member 2B and the connecting hole 4B, the cloth-like member 4A can be easily and accurately wound around the inflator 2.

  When the guide tube 4 is provided, the gas receiving portion Y1 of the diffuser 50 is a portion where the gas guided by the guide tube 4 directly hits. By covering the gas receiving portion Y1 with the protective member 3, the diffuser 50 can be appropriately reinforced. The damage of the airbag 10 can also be reduced with certainty. In the present embodiment, the gap between the diffuser 50 and the vehicle body is particularly narrow at the gas receiving portion Y1. That is, the gas receiving portion Y1 is located at a place where the airbag 10 is easily damaged by heat. Therefore, by covering the gas receiving portion Y1 with the protection member 3, the effect of protecting the airbag 10 is enhanced.

  The diffuser 50 is formed in a linear shape and a cylindrical shape. The diffuser 50 is inserted into the insertion portion 40 projecting linearly and arranged up to the expansion portion 30. Therefore, the diffuser 50 can be easily inserted into the airbag 10 from the insertion portion 40. In addition, the diffuser 50 can be reliably disposed in the inflatable portion 30. Since the labor and time required for inserting the diffuser 50 can be reduced, the productivity of the airbag apparatus 1 can be improved.

  The diffuser 50 may be provided with one gas outlet 56 or three or more gas outlets 56. The plurality of gas discharge ports 56 of the diffuser 50 may be formed with the same size or different sizes. The diffuser 50 may be made of the same material as the airbag 10 or may be made of a material different from the airbag 10. The diffuser 50 according to the present embodiment includes a base fabric 51 having higher heat resistance than the base fabrics 12 and 13 of the airbag 10. For example, the base fabric 51 of the diffuser 50 is made thicker than the base fabrics 12 and 13 of the airbag 10. Further, the amount of silicone coated on the base fabric 51 is set to be larger than the amount of silicone coated on the base fabrics 12 and 13. Thereby, the heat resistance of the diffuser 50 is made high and the airbag 10 is protected from the gas and heat which the inflator 2 generate | occur | produces.

  The protective member 3 may be made of the same material as the airbag 10 and the diffuser 50, or may be made of a material different from the airbag 10 and the diffuser 50. The protection member 3 of the present embodiment is made of the same base fabric as the base fabric 51 of the diffuser 50. However, when the protection member 3 needs higher heat resistance, the protection member 3 is made of a base fabric having higher heat resistance than the base fabric 51. At that time, the protective member 3 can be made small by making the protective member 3 large enough to cover only the necessary portion of the diffuser 50. Thereby, the heat resistance of the protection member 3 can be increased while suppressing the cost of the protection member 3.

Next, a diffuser according to another embodiment provided with the protective member 3 will be described.
10 and 11 show the protective member 3 and the diffuser 60 of another embodiment. FIG. 10A is a development view of the diffuser 60 and the protective member 3 before formation. FIG. 10B and FIG. 11A show the process of forming the diffuser 60. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the diffuser 60 and the protection member 3 as viewed in the direction of arrows X2-X2 in FIG. 11A.
The diffuser 60 is disposed in the airbag 10 of the airbag device 1 in place of the diffuser 50 described above. Hereinafter, differences of the diffuser 60 from the diffuser 50 will be described.

  As shown in the figure, the diffuser 60 is composed of a cylindrical member branched into a plurality. The diffuser 60 is formed by joining the folded base fabric 61 by sewing. The base fabric 61 (see FIG. 10A) includes a rectangular central portion 61A, a pair of inclined wing-like portions 61B, and joining pieces 62A and 62B. The pair of wing-like portions 61B are integrally formed on the side edge of the central portion 61A and protrude in the reverse direction from the central portion 61A. The base fabric 61 is folded back at a predetermined folding line L3.

  The base fabrics 61C and 61D on both sides of the fold line L3 are overlapped with their edges aligned. The wing-like portion 61B is formed longer on one base cloth 61C than on the other base cloth 61D. Each of the joining pieces 62A and 62B is a tab formed in a rectangular shape. The joining pieces 62A and 62B are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the base fabrics 61C and 61D. Further, the joining pieces 62A and 62B protrude from the edges of the base fabrics 61C and 61D on both sides of the fold line L3. When the base fabrics 61C and 61D are overlapped, the joining pieces 62A and 62B overlap each other.

  The base fabrics 61C and 61D (see FIG. 10B and FIG. 11A) are joined together at two joints 61E and 61F along the edge after being overlapped. The diffuser 60 is formed in a cylindrical shape by joining the overlapped base fabrics 61. At that time, the base fabric 61 is joined at the first joining portion 61E and then joined at the second joining portion 61F. A gas flow path 63 is formed in the diffuser 60 by the joining. Further, the diffuser 60 includes a housing portion 64 of the inflator 2, a plurality (two in FIG. 11) of gas discharge portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B, gas discharge ports 66 </ b> A and 66 </ b> B, and two connection holes 67.

  The accommodating part 64 is formed in a cylindrical shape by joining a pair of wing-like parts 61B. The connecting hole 67 is formed at the end of the accommodating portion 64. An insertion port 64 </ b> A of the inflator 2 is provided at one end of the housing portion 64. The inflator 2 is inserted into the diffuser 60 (accommodating portion 64) from the insertion port 64A. The accommodating portion 64 accommodates the tip portion of the inflator 2. The gas flow path 63 is an internal space of the diffuser 60, and is formed from the housing part 64 to the gas discharge parts 65A and 65B. The gas flow path 63 branches in the diffuser 60 and is connected to a plurality of gas discharge portions 65A and 65B.

  The first and second gas discharge portions 65A and 65B are provided at both ends of the folded center portion 61A. The gas flow path 63 branches into two toward the two gas discharge portions 65A and 65B, and guides the gas to the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B. The gas discharge ports 66A and 66B are openings located at end portions of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B. The gas discharge ports 66 </ b> A and 66 </ b> B are open at the ends in the front-rear direction of the diffuser 60 in the reverse direction. The joining pieces 62A and 62B are integrally formed at the end portions of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B in a state where two rectangular pieces overlap each other. The joining pieces 62A and 62B protrude in the same direction at the ends of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B.

  When the inflator 2 generates gas in the housing portion 64, the gas is guided to the gas discharge portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B through the gas flow path 63. The gas is discharged from the gas discharge ports 66A and 66B of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B through the gas flow path 63. The gas discharge portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B discharge the gas in the diffuser 60 into the airbag 10. The gas is discharged from the plurality of gas discharge portions 65A and 65B in different predetermined directions (in the reverse direction here).

  After the diffuser 60 is joined at the first joining portion 61E (see FIG. 10), the protection member 3 is folded back at the folding line L2 and disposed on the outer surface 68 of the diffuser 60. The protection member 3 (see FIG. 11A) is disposed on a part of the outer surface 68 so as to wrap the accommodating portion 64. The arrangement of the protection member 3 is the same as that of the protection member 3 of the diffuser 50 described above. When the base fabric 61 of the diffuser 60 is joined by the second joining portion 61F, the protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 60 by the second joining portion 61F. Thereby, the whole front-end | tip of the protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 60 by both surfaces (refer FIG. 11B) of the diffuser 60. FIG.

Next, a procedure for forming the airbag 10 including the diffuser 60 will be described.
FIG. 12 is a front view showing the airbag 10 before formation. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the airbag 10 after formation.
First, as shown in FIG. 12, the base fabrics 12 and 13 for the airbag 10 are overlapped. The diffuser 60 is sandwiched between the base fabrics 12 and 13. Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the opposing base fabrics 12 and 13 are joined together by sewing at the outer edge joint portion 15, thereby forming the expansion portion 30 between the base fabrics 12 and 13. Further, the base fabrics 12 and 13 are sewn at the internal joint portions 16 to 19, and the connecting belt 20 is attached to the airbag 10. The diffuser 60 is assembled to the airbag 10 along with the joining at the outer edge joining portion 15. Hereinafter, the assembly of the diffuser 60 will be described in detail.

  Prior to joining the base fabrics 12 and 13, the diffuser 60 is disposed at a predetermined position between the base fabrics 12 and 13. At that time, the connecting holes 67 and 42 are aligned. The accommodating portion 64 of the diffuser 60 is disposed at the position of the insertion portion 40. The gas discharge portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B of the diffuser 60 are disposed at the position of the expansion portion 30. Thereafter, the base fabrics 12 and 13 are joined at the outer edge joint portion 15. The base fabrics 12 and 13 are joined along the edge of the diffuser 60. Thereby, the accommodating part 64 is arrange | positioned in the insertion part 40 of the airbag 10. FIG. The gas discharge portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B and the gas discharge ports 66 </ b> A and 66 </ b> B are disposed in the inflating portion 30 of the airbag 10. The protection member 3 is disposed between the diffuser 60 and the airbag 10 in the insertion portion 40.

  The outer edge joint portion 15 is provided outside the diffuser 60 so as not to overlap the diffuser 60. However, only the joining pieces 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B of the diffuser 60 are arranged at the position of the outer edge joining portion 15. When joining the base fabrics 12 and 13, the joining pieces 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B are joined to the airbag 10 (the base fabrics 12 and 13) at the outer edge joining portion 15. The joining pieces 62A and 62B are joined together with the base fabrics 12 and 13 between the base fabrics 12 and 13. That is, the joining pieces 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B are sewn to the base fabrics 12 and 13 at the outer edge joint portion 15 simultaneously with the sewing of the base fabrics 12 and 13.

  The joining pieces 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B are joined to the airbag 10 to connect the gas release portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B to the airbag 10. The end portions of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B are attached to the airbag 10 by the joining pieces 62A and 62B. The gas discharge portions 65A and 65B are fastened to the airbag 10 by the joining pieces 62A and 62B, and are integrated with the airbag 10. Next, the diffuser 60 and the insertion portion 40 are joined by sewing at the joint portions 43 and 44. As a result, the diffuser 60 is assembled to the airbag 10. Subsequently, the inflator 2 having the guide cylinder 4 is inserted into the diffuser 60.

FIG. 14 is a view showing the airbag 10 in which the inflator 2 is assembled.
The inflator 2 and the guide cylinder 4 are inserted into the accommodating portion 64 (gas flow path 63) of the diffuser 60. The inflator 2 is assembled to the diffuser 60 and the insertion portion 40 by the band 5 as described above. The guide tube 4 is disposed between the inflator 2 and the diffuser 60. The protection member 3 covers a part of the outer surface 68 of the diffuser 60 in the airbag 10. The gas ejection part 2 </ b> C and the guide cylinder 4 are disposed inside the protection member 3.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing the airbag 10 inflated and deployed. In FIG. 15, the flow of gas in the airbag 10 is indicated by arrows. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the diffuser 60 of FIG.
The diffuser 60 receives the gas generated by the inflator 2 at a part of the inner surface and guides the gas toward the inflating portion 30. The protection member 3 covers the gas receiving portion (gas receiving portion Y2) of the diffuser 60 from the outside. Since the insertion portion 40 and the diffuser 60 are bent, the gas is guided by the guide tube 4 and strikes the gas receiving portion Y2.

  The protection member 3 covers the outer surface 68 of the diffuser 60 with the gas receiving portion Y2. The bent part (folding line L2) of the protection member 3 is located in the gas receiving part Y2. The protection member 3 is joined to the diffuser 60 on the opposite side (second joining portion 61F) of the gas receiving portion Y2. Further, the protective member 3 reinforces the first joint portion 61E that is easily damaged by the diffuser 60 at the gas receiving portion Y2.

  The diffuser 60 discharges the gas generated by the inflator 2 from the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B in the expansion portion 30. At that time, the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B discharge the gas from the gas discharge ports 66A and 66B in a predetermined direction in the expansion portion 30. The diffuser 60 distributes the gas in a plurality of directions within the expansion unit 30 by the plurality of gas discharge units 65A and 65B. Thereby, the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed. At that time, the protection member 3 reinforces the diffuser 60 to protect the airbag 10.

  In the diffuser 60, the joining pieces 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B are provided in the gas discharge portions 65 </ b> A and 65 </ b> B and joined to the airbag 10. Thereby, while being able to connect gas discharge parts 65A and 65B to air bag 10, gas discharge parts 65A and 65B and air bag 10 can be united. When gas is discharged from the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B, the movement of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B can be suppressed. The positions of the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B can be maintained at predetermined positions in the expansion portion 30. Since it is possible to prevent the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B from moving violently, fluctuations in the gas discharge direction can be reduced. As a result, gas can be stably released from the diffuser 60 into the inflatable portion 30 when the airbag 10 is deployed. Further, it is possible to prevent the airbag 10 from being damaged by the gas discharge portions 65A and 65B. Since the joining pieces 62A and 62B are joined to the base fabrics 12 and 13 by the outer edge joining portion 15, the base fabrics 12 and 13 and the joining pieces 62A and 62B can be joined simultaneously.

  Note that one or three or more gas discharge portions 65 and gas discharge ports 66 may be provided in the diffuser 60. When the diffuser 60 has a plurality of gas discharge portions 65 that distribute gas in the expansion portion 30, the joining piece 62 may be provided on all of the plurality of gas discharge portions 65 or a part thereof. Good. The plurality of gas discharge ports 66 of the diffuser 60 may be formed with the same size or different sizes.

  The diffusers 50 and 60 described above may be formed by sewing a base fabric or may be formed by jacquard weaving. Further, the inflator 2 may be disposed in the diffusers 50 and 60 without providing the guide tube 4. In this case, the diffusers 50 and 60 directly receive the gas generated by the inflator 2. The protective member 3 is disposed so as to cover the portion of the diffuser 50, 60 that receives the gas. The protection member 3 is not limited to the diffusers 50 and 60 but can be provided in various diffusers surrounding the inflator 2 in the airbag 10.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Airbag apparatus, 2 ... Inflator, 2A ... Spout, 2B ... Connection member, 2C ... Gas ejection part, 3 ... Protection member, 4 ... Guide cylinder, 4A ... cloth-like member, 4B ... connection hole, 5 ... band, 10 ... air bag, 11 ... front part, 12 ... front base fabric, 13 ... back base fabric , 15 ... outer edge joint part, 16 to 19 ... internal joint part, 20 ... connection belt, 21 to 26 ... fixed cloth, 30 ... expansion part, 31 ... front expansion part, 32 ... rear inflating part, 33 ... connected inflating part, 34 ... non-inflating part, 35-37 ... air chamber, 40 ... insertion part, 41 ... insertion port, 42 ... Connection hole, 43, 44 ... junction, 50 ... diffuser, 51 ... base fabric, 52 ... outer surface, 53 ... junction, 54 ... gas flow path, 55 -Insertion port, 56 ... Gas discharge port, 57 ... Connection hole, 60 ... Diffuser, 61 ... Base cloth, 62 ... Joining piece, 63 ... Gas flow path, 64 ... · Accommodating part, 64A ... insertion port, 65 ... gas discharge part, 66 ... gas discharge port, 67 ... connection hole, 68 ... outer surface, 90 ... vehicle, 91 ... Side wall, 92 ... roof rail, 93 ... front pillar, 94 ... center pillar, 95 ... front door, 96 ... rear door, 97, 98 ... window.

Claims (9)

An airbag device including an airbag having an inflating portion that is inflated by gas, an inflator that generates gas in the airbag, and a diffuser that is disposed so as to surround the inflator and discharges gas in the inflating portion,
An airbag device comprising a protective member that covers a part of the outer surface of a diffuser in an airbag. In the airbag apparatus described in Claim 1,
The diffuser receives the gas generated by the inflator at a part of the inner surface and guides it toward the expansion part,
An airbag device in which the protective member covers a portion of the diffuser that receives gas. In the airbag apparatus described in Claim 2,
An airbag device in which the protective member is joined to the diffuser at a position away from the portion that receives the gas of the diffuser. In the airbag apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3,
The airbag apparatus which a protection member consists of a protection cloth which overlaps with a part of outer surface of a diffuser. In the airbag apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4,
A diffuser is formed by joining the overlapped base fabric at the joint,
An airbag device in which the protective member is joined to the diffuser at the joint when the base fabric of the diffuser is joined. In the airbag apparatus described in Claim 2,
A guide cylinder that surrounds the inflator in the diffuser and guides the gas generated by the inflator toward the diffuser;
An airbag device in which a portion of a diffuser that receives gas is a portion that directly receives gas guided by a guide tube. In the airbag apparatus described in Claim 6,
The inflator has a connecting member that connects the guide tube to the inflator,
The guide tube includes a cloth-like member that is wound around the inflator to form a cylinder, and a plurality of connection holes that are formed on the cloth-like member and sequentially inserted into the connection member when the cloth-like member is wound around the inflator. Airbag device. In the airbag apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 7,
The airbag protrudes linearly from the inflating part, and has a cylindrical insertion part into which the diffuser and the inflator are inserted,
The airbag apparatus formed in the cylinder shape by which a diffuser is arrange | positioned linearly from an insertion part to an expansion part. In the airbag apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 7,
An airbag device in which a diffuser includes a gas discharge portion disposed in an inflatable portion, and a joining piece provided in the gas discharge portion and joined to an airbag.

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