JP6037110B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device.

  Conventionally, there is a side airbag as one of occupant safety devices. The side airbag includes an inflator fixed to a frame of a seat back (or door trim), and a bag body that can be inflated and deployed between an occupant and a door trim by gas ejected from the inflator. When an impact is applied to the vehicle due to a side collision or the like, the bag body is inflated and deployed to protect the occupant from the impact caused by the side collision.

  As such a side airbag, an inflator and a bag main body are provided, and the bag main body is substantially in plan view by a front portion and a rear portion that can be pressed against the occupant from an oblique direction toward the occupant's chest in an inflated and deployed state. What is formed so that it may form a V character is known (for example, refer to patent documents 1).

JP 2011-240807 A

  In such a side airbag, since the gas flows in from the rear part of the bag body and then the gas flows into the front part, if the bag body is sandwiched between the occupant and the door, the bag body Is difficult to swell, and it takes time for the front portion of the bag body to swell. Thus, when the expansion | swelling characteristic of a bag main body is low, a passenger | crew's side may not be fully protected from the impact of a side collision.

  Also, since the shoulder part is usually closer to the door than the torso part of the side of the human body, if a side collision occurs, the shoulder part is thought to be impacted first. In a side airbag whose side surfaces are uniformly inflated, the shoulder cannot be protected first, and the shock absorption to the shoulder is low.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device that has a high impact absorbability with respect to a shoulder and a high expansion characteristic.

A side airbag device according to the present invention includes an airbag body and gas introduction means for introducing gas into the airbag body, and the airbag body is inflated between a vehicle door and an occupant by the introduction of the gas. A side airbag device that is deployed, wherein the airbag body is positioned below a first chamber that is deployed corresponding to a shoulder of a seated occupant during inflation and deployment, and under the first chamber during inflation and deployment. A second chamber and a third chamber that expand in correspondence with the trunk of the seated occupant, the first chamber being connected to the gas introduction means, and the upper end side of the second chamber being with communicates with the first chamber, the side surface of the occupant's torso that the seating is inflated and deployed into an elongated shape extending in the vertical direction along the front-rear direction central portion of the body portion of the seated occupant It is defined to contact the third chamber, as well as communicates with the lower end of the second chamber, the front and rear surfaces of the occupant of the barrel that the seating is inflated and deployed on the outside of the front and rear of the second chamber equivalents is defined to contact, the gas is introduced into the air bag body by the gas introducing means, said first chamber, said second chamber and said third chamber, characterized in that the deployment in this order.

  In the present invention, by having the first chamber that expands corresponding to the shoulder portion of the seated occupant during inflating and deploying, the shoulder portion can be protected at an early stage, and shock absorption to the shoulder portion is high. Further, the second chamber communicates with the first chamber, and is partitioned to expand corresponding to a central portion in the front-rear direction of the seated occupant's torso, and communicates with the second chamber. By partitioning to expand before and after the second chamber, gas flows from the first chamber to the third chamber via the second chamber. That is, since the gas flows from the central portion of the airbag body to the outside, the expansion characteristic is high. The torso includes the chest and abdomen.

It is preferable that the airbag main body includes a fourth chamber that expands corresponding to a waist portion of the seated occupant when the airbag is inflated and deployed. Thereby, it is possible to further protect the waist by the side airbag.

  The third chamber communicates with the second chamber via the fourth chamber, and when gas is introduced into the airbag body by the gas introduction means, the first chamber, the second chamber, the second chamber, It is preferable that the four chambers and the third chamber are developed in this order. Thereby, it is possible to protect the lower back portion while ensuring the inflating characteristics because the gas flows from the central portion of the airbag body to the outside.

  According to the side airbag device of the present invention, the above-described problems of the prior art can be solved, and an excellent effect of high shock absorption to the shoulder and high expansion characteristics can be achieved.

1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle having a side airbag according to a first embodiment. It is a front schematic diagram for demonstrating the side airbag concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view for explaining the side airbag according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the side airbag concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the side airbag concerning Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a side airbag according to a fourth embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the side airbag concerning other embodiment.

  The side airbag apparatus of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS. 1-3.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle for showing an inflated state of a side airbag 1 in the vehicle I. A side airbag (side airbag device) 1 includes a bag body (airbag body) 2 and an inflator (gas introduction means) 3 for introducing gas into the bag body 2. The side airbag 1 is housed in the side of the seat bag 5 of the seat 4 and is activated when the vehicle I predicts or detects a side collision, and gas flows out of the inflator 3 so that the bag body 2 is It is interposed between the passenger and the door 6 while being inflated. The side airbag 1 can protect the occupant by absorbing an impact at the time of a side collision of the vehicle I.

  The bag body 2 is provided so as to expand corresponding to the shoulder and trunk of the occupant seated on the seat 4 in a side view. The bag body 2 is partitioned into three chambers by two partition walls. The 1st partition part 11 is provided in the upper part of the bag main body 2 over the front-back direction of a vehicle. The second partition wall portion 12 is provided along and below the central portion so as to surround the central portion of the bag body 2.

  The first chamber 21 is provided at a position corresponding to the shoulder portion of the occupant seated on the seat 4 in an expanded state, that is, partitioned by the first partition wall portion 11 so as to expand corresponding to the shoulder portion of the seated occupant. It has been. The first chamber 21 is connected to the gas inlet 13. The gas inlet 13 is connected to the inflator 3, and the gas from the inflator 3 is introduced into the first chamber 21, that is, the bag body 2 through the gas inlet 13. A second chamber 22 and a third chamber 23 are located below the first chamber 21.

  The second chamber 22 corresponds to the side of the trunk of the occupant seated on the seat 4 in the inflated state, that is, the second partition wall so as to expand corresponding to the center part in the front-rear direction of the trunk of the seated occupant. 12 and the first partition wall 11. Such a second chamber 22 has a long shape extending in the vertical direction along the center portion in the front-rear direction of the trunk of the seated occupant during inflation and deployment. As shown in FIG. 1, the second chamber 22 is partitioned and provided in a region inside the second partition wall portion 12 so as to be positioned at the center portion of the bag body 2 in a side view.

  The third chamber 23 is disposed outside the first partition wall 11 and the second partition wall 12 so as to correspond to the front and rear surfaces of the trunk of the occupant seated on the seat in the expanded state, that is, to expand before and after the second chamber 22. It is divided into. The third chamber 23 has a U-shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and includes a front chamber portion 24 on the front side of the vehicle, a rear chamber portion 25 on the rear side of the vehicle, and a connecting portion that connects them. In the present embodiment, the second chamber 22 and the third chamber 23 constitute a trunk chamber.

  A vent is provided between the chambers. The first vent 31 is provided at a position facing the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 of the first partition wall 11, and the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 communicate with each other through the first vent 31. doing. The second vent 32 and the third vent 33 are provided at positions facing each other in the front-rear direction when the second partition wall portion 12 is expanded, and the second chamber 22 and the third chamber 23 are connected to the second vent 32. The third vent 33 communicates. The front chamber portion 24 of the third chamber 23 is provided with a fourth vent 34 on the front side of the vehicle.

  The process of inflating and expanding the bag body 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view for each time passage for explaining the process of inflating and deploying the side airbag, and FIG. 3 is a schematic top view for every time course for explaining the process of inflating and deploying the side airbag. .

  When the vehicle predicts or detects a side collision, gas flows out from the inflator, and the bag body 2 is interposed between the passenger and the door 6. The gas from the inflator first flows into the first chamber 21 of the bag body 2 from the gas inlet. As shown in FIG. 2A, the first chamber 21 is first expanded. As a result, the first chamber 21 abuts on the shoulder of the occupant, protecting the occupant's shoulder and restraining the shoulder.

  When the expansion of the first chamber 21 reaches a predetermined amount, the gas in the first chamber 21 flows into the second chamber 22 through the first vent 31. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2B, the expanded state of the first chamber 21 is smaller than that in FIG. 2A because the first chamber 21 is sandwiched between the shoulder portion of the passenger and the door. However, the shoulder part can maintain the state in contact with the first chamber 21. Therefore, the first chamber 21 protects the occupant's shoulder and restrains the shoulder.

  Then, the gas flowing into the second chamber 22 expands the second chamber 22 as shown in FIG. 2C, and the side surface of the occupant's torso and the second chamber 22 come into contact with each other. Thus, the second chamber 22 protects the side surface of the occupant's torso and restrains the torso.

  The bag body then begins to flow gas into the third chamber 23 via the second vent 32 and the third vent 33. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the second chamber 22 expands by a predetermined amount, gas then flows from the second chamber 22 into the third chamber 23 through the second vent 32 and the third vent 33. Begin to. That is, in the expansion process shown in FIG. 2, the gas flows in the vertical direction from the inflator through the first chamber 21 toward the second chamber 22, and the bag body 2 expands in the vertical direction. In the expansion stroke shown in FIG. 3, gas flows in the front-rear direction of the vehicle from the second chamber 22 toward the third chamber 23, and the bag body expands in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, gas flows from the second chamber 22 into the third chamber 23, and the third chamber 23 expands. As a result, the front chamber portion 24 and the rear chamber portion 25 of the third chamber 23 come into contact with the front and rear of the occupant's torso, respectively. Thus, the third chamber 23 protects the front and rear surfaces of the occupant's torso and restrains the torso.

  In this case, the expanded state of the second chamber 22 is smaller than that shown in FIG. 3B, but the contact with the body portion is maintained. Accordingly, the third chamber 23 can protect the front and rear surfaces of the occupant's torso and restrain the torso. Thereafter, the gas flows out from the third chamber 23 through the fourth vent 34.

  That is, in this embodiment, the bag body expands in the order of the first chamber 21, the second chamber 22, and the third chamber 23. The first chamber 21 corresponding to the shoulder portion first expands and the shoulder portion and the first chamber 21 come into contact with each other, so that the shoulder portion of the occupant can be protected more quickly. Since the shoulder portion of the occupant has a shorter distance from the door than the trunk portion, the safety of the occupant can be ensured by protecting the shoulder portion first.

  Further, in the second chamber 22 and the third chamber 23 corresponding to the body portion, gas flows into the front chamber portion 24 and the rear chamber portion 25 of the third chamber 23, respectively, and the front chamber portion 24 and the rear chamber portion 25 are Inflate at the same time. In this case, the bag body is configured such that the gas to the third chamber 23 flows, for example, from the rear to the front (the gas flows from the rear chamber portion 25 through the connection portion to the front chamber portion 24). Then, if the area | region corresponding to the 2nd chamber 22 is pinched | interposed between a passenger | crew's body and a door, a front chamber may be unable to expand | swell. If so, the bag body may not be able to absorb the impact on the human body, which is not preferable.

  Therefore, as in the present embodiment, gas flows from the center (second chamber 22) to the front and rear outside (front chamber portion 24 and rear chamber portion 25 of the third chamber 23) from the center (second chamber 22). By being comprised so that it may expand | swell, the 3rd chamber 23 can be expanded simultaneously before and behind a trunk | drum. And this 3rd chamber 23 can protect and restrain a passenger | crew's trunk | drum from the front and back simultaneously. Thereby, an impact can be absorbed more.

  As described above, the side airbag according to the present embodiment is provided with the first chamber 21, so that the shock absorption to the shoulder portion is high, and the second chamber 22 is simultaneously transferred to the front chamber portion 24 and the rear chamber portion 25. Since the gas flows, the expansion characteristics are high.

(Second Embodiment)
This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configuration of the first chamber 21A is different from that of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first chamber 21A in the present embodiment includes a tether 41 (partition stitching, regulation) from the upper end portion of the first chamber 21A toward the position facing the upper end portion of the first partition wall portion 11A. Means). That is, the bag body 2 constituting the first chamber 21A is stitched at this position. By containing the tether 41, the expansion of the first chamber 21A is regulated. Thereby, the maximum expansion amount of the first chamber 21A is reduced.

  Therefore, the first chamber 21A can be expanded to the maximum extent earlier, the shoulder can be protected earlier, and the gas can flow into the second chamber 22A earlier. Since the tether 41 has a portion that is not sewn together and has an opening 42, gas can flow through the opening 42.

  Further, since the expansion amount of the first chamber 21 can be regulated by the tether 41, it is particularly effective in a vehicle having a narrow vehicle width.

  Further, the tether 41 is provided from the upper end portion of the first chamber 21A toward the position facing the upper end portion of the first partition wall portion 11A, and the opening 42 is formed between the tethers 41, that is, the gas Since the opening 42 is provided in the tether 41 so as to face the flow, the gas that has flowed into the first chamber 21A from the gas inlet 13A can easily flow into the second chamber 22A.

  The shape of the tether 41 is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, two openings are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. One opening or three or more openings may be provided. Further, the tether 41 may be provided in the central portion of the first chamber 21A.

  As described above, the side airbag according to the present embodiment is provided with the first chamber 21A, so that it has a high impact absorbability with respect to the shoulder portion, and simultaneously from the second chamber 22A to the front chamber portion 24A and the rear chamber portion 25A. Since the gas flows, the expansion characteristics are high. Furthermore, the size of the first chamber 21A can be regulated by the tether 41, and the shoulder can be protected earlier.

(Third embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the width of the second chamber 22B is narrower than that in the first embodiment. Thereby, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the width of the third chamber 23B is relatively wide. By relatively widening the third chamber 23B, when the third chamber 23B expands, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the body can be more strongly restrained from the front and rear, Easy to protect the torso.

  As described above, the side airbag according to the present embodiment is provided with the first chamber 21B, so that it has a high impact absorbability with respect to the shoulder portion, and simultaneously from the second chamber 22B to the front chamber portion 24B and the rear chamber portion 25B. Since the gas flows, the expansion characteristics are high. Further, since the third chamber 23B is wide, the torso can be more strongly restrained from the front and the back, so that the torso of the occupant can be easily protected.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the bag body 2C is the same except that the shape of the bag body 2C is different from that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the bag body 2 </ b> C is provided with a fourth chamber 26 so as to correspond to the waist, and extends to the vicinity of the waist of the occupant. That is, the fourth chamber 26 is extended so as to expand corresponding to the waist of the seated occupant.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the bag main body 2C extends downward, and the lower portion of the bag main body 2C is partitioned by the third partition 14 in the front-rear direction corresponding to the extended region. A fourth chamber 26 is provided. By providing the fourth chamber 26, it is possible to protect the waist. In addition, since the fourth chamber 26 is provided, in the present embodiment, the third chamber 23C is isolated from the front chamber portion 24C and the rear chamber portion 25C.

  In the present embodiment, in the third partition wall portion 14, a fifth vent 35 is provided at the connection portion between the second chamber 22C and the fourth chamber 26, and the connection portion between the fourth chamber 26 and the front chamber portion 24C. A sixth vent 36 is provided, and a seventh vent 37 is provided at the connection between the fourth chamber 26 and the rear chamber portion 25C. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the gas that has flowed into the second chamber 22C flows into the front chamber portion 24C and the rear chamber portion 25C through the fourth chamber 26. That is, the first chamber 21C, the second chamber 22C, the fourth chamber 26, and the third chamber 23C (the front chamber portion 24C and the rear chamber portion 25C) flow in this order. Thus, also in this embodiment, the gas is configured to flow from the central portion of the bag body to the front and rear outside. Thereby, the expansion | swelling characteristic of a bag main body is high.

  As described above, the side airbag of the present embodiment is provided with the first chamber 21C, so that the shock absorption to the shoulder is high, and the front chamber portion 24C and the second chamber 22C through the fourth chamber 26 and Since the gas flows simultaneously to the rear chamber portion 25C, the expansion characteristics are high. Further, in the present embodiment, the fourth chamber 26 is provided, so that it is possible to protect the occupant's waist. In particular, by providing the fourth chamber 26, it is possible to accurately protect the waist of a small woman. In this case, since the gas is further introduced into the fourth chamber 26 at an early stage, the waist can be protected earlier.

  Embodiments 2 to 4 described above may also be combined. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the second embodiment and the fourth embodiment may be combined to provide the first chamber 21 </ b> C with the tether 41 and the fourth chamber 26.

  In each embodiment mentioned above, although the side airbag 1 in the passenger seat ahead of a vehicle was demonstrated as an example, it is not limited to this. The side airbag of the present invention can be applied to a vehicle rear seat or a driver seat side.

  In each embodiment mentioned above, although the side airbag 1 was provided in the seat bag 5 of the vehicle, it is not limited to this. The side airbag 1 may be provided on the door 6.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fourth chamber 26 and the second chamber 22C are configured to communicate with each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. After the gas is introduced into the first chamber 21C and the second chamber 22C, the gas is introduced from the second chamber 22C into the front chamber portion 24C and the rear chamber portion 25C, and then into the fourth chamber from the front chamber portion 24C and the rear chamber portion 25C. 26 may be configured to be introduced.

  In the embodiment described above, the tether 41 is provided as the restricting means, but is not limited to this. It is only necessary that the expansion of the chamber of the bag body can be regulated.

  The side airbag device of the present invention has high impact absorbability with respect to the shoulder portion and high expansion characteristics. Therefore, it can be used in the vehicle manufacturing industry.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Side airbag 2 Bag main body 3 Inflator 4 Seat 5 Seat bag 6 Door 11 1st partition part 12 Second partition part 13 Gas inlet 14 Third partition part 21 First chamber 22 Second chamber 23 Third chamber 24 Front chamber Portion 25 rear chamber portion 26 fourth chamber 31 first vent 32 second vent 33 third vent 34 fourth vent 35 fifth vent 36 sixth vent 37 seventh vent 41 tether 42 opening

Claims (4)

An air bag body, and gas introducing means for introducing gas into the air bag body,
A side airbag device that inflates and deploys the airbag body between a vehicle door and an occupant by introducing the gas,
The airbag main body is deployed in response to a shoulder of a seated occupant when inflated and deployed, and is positioned below the first chamber during inflation and deployment to correspond to a trunk of a seated occupant. And a second chamber and a third chamber that are deployed.
The first chamber is connected to the gas introduction means;
The upper side of the second chamber communicates with the first chamber, and the second chamber is inflated and expanded in a longitudinal direction along the center part in the front-rear direction of the trunk of the seated occupant. Comparted to contact the side of the trunk,
The third chamber communicates with the lower end side of the second chamber, and is partitioned so as to contact the front and rear surfaces of the torso of the seated occupant by being inflated and deployed outside the front and rear of the second chamber ,
When the gas is introduced into the airbag main body by the gas introduction means, the first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are deployed in this order. 2. The side airbag device according to claim 1 , wherein the airbag main body includes a fourth chamber that expands corresponding to a waist portion of the seated occupant when the airbag is inflated and deployed. The third chamber communicates with the second chamber via the fourth chamber, and when gas is introduced into the airbag body by the gas introduction means, the first chamber, the second chamber, the second chamber, The side airbag device according to claim 2 , wherein the four chambers and the third chamber are deployed in this order.   An air bag body, and gas introducing means for introducing gas into the air bag body,
A side airbag device that inflates and deploys the airbag body between a vehicle door and an occupant by introducing the gas,
  The airbag main body is deployed in response to a shoulder of a seated occupant when inflated and deployed, and is positioned below the first chamber during inflation and deployment to correspond to a trunk of a seated occupant. And a second chamber and a third chamber that are deployed, and a fourth chamber that is deployed corresponding to the waist of the seated occupant during inflation and deployment,
  The first chamber is connected to the gas introduction means;
  The second chamber communicates with the first chamber and is divided to expand corresponding to a central portion in the front-rear direction of the trunk of the seated occupant,
  The third chamber communicates with the second chamber through the fourth chamber and is partitioned to expand before and after the second chamber,
  When the gas is introduced into the airbag main body by the gas introduction means, the first chamber, the second chamber, the fourth chamber, and the third chamber are deployed in this order. apparatus.

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