JP6052111B2 - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device.

  FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1 below describes a vehicle occupant restraint device having a configuration in which airbags are provided on left and right side support portions of a seat cushion, respectively. In this device, when the frontal collision is a frontal collision (symmetrical collision), the seat occupant of the vehicle seat is properly protected by the seat belt device or the like, so that the left and right airbags are not activated (non-inflated). To do. On the other hand, when the form of the frontal collision is a form in which both longitudinal acceleration and acceleration in the vehicle width direction occur, that is, asymmetrical collision such as offset collision and oblique collision, the airbag on the collision side is activated (inflated). Increase the overhang of the side support on the collision side. Thereby, relative displacement of the occupant to the vehicle seat with respect to the collision side is suppressed.

JP 2010-064632 A

  However, in the vehicle occupant protection device as described above, since it is necessary to switch the operation / non-operation of the left and right airbags according to the form of the frontal collision, there is room for improvement in terms of simplifying the configuration of the control device. There is.

  In view of the above fact, the present invention has an object to provide a vehicle occupant protection device that can suppress the displacement of the occupant with respect to the vehicle seat during an asymmetrical collision and can simplify the configuration of the control device. To do.

The vehicle occupant protection device according to the invention described in claim 1 is provided in the vehicle seat provided with left and right side support portions projecting upward on the left and right sides of the seat surface portion of the seat cushion, and the vehicle seat. An inflator that generates gas by actuating, a control device that activates the inflator when a frontal collision of a vehicle is detected or predicted, and a center part in the seat width direction that is provided in an inflatable manner at the front part in the seat surface part The left and right main chambers, which are divided into left and right, are supplied with gas from the inflator, and project from the left and right main chambers outward in the seat width direction so as to be expandable in the left and right side support portions and the left and right main chambers . and a, an air bag having a sub-chamber of the right and left communicating with the main chamber of the right and left through the communicating portion formed horizontally between the main chamber

  In addition, the “front part” in the “front part in the seating surface part” described in claim 1 is a front part when the seating surface part is divided into two equal parts, the front part and the rear part. Further, in claim 1, “provided to be expandable at the front portion in the seat surface portion” includes a case where a part of the left and right main chambers is located on the rear side of the seat surface portion. Further, the “partition” of claim 1 includes the case where the left and right main rooms are separated, that is, the case where the airbag is divided into left and right at the center in the seat width direction.

  In the first aspect of the invention, when the control device detects or predicts a frontal collision of the vehicle, the inflator is activated and gas is supplied to the left and right main chambers of the airbag. As a result, when the left and right main chambers expand, the front portion of the seat surface portion of the seat cushion rises. Here, when the form of the frontal collision is a symmetric collision, the occupant inertially moves forward. In such a case, a so-called submarine phenomenon may occur in which the occupant enters a seat cushion, but the front part of the seating surface rises as described above to prevent or suppress the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon. be able to.

  On the other hand, when the form of the frontal collision is an asymmetrical collision, the occupant inertially moves obliquely forward toward the collision side. At that time, the collision-side main chamber of the left and right main chambers is crushed by the load from the occupant, but because the left and right main chambers are partitioned, the collision-side main chamber is separated from the collision-side main chamber. The flow of gas to the main room is restricted. Thereby, the passenger | crew restraint force by the main room by the side of a collision can be hold | maintained.

  Moreover, the gas in the collision-side main chamber flows into the collision-side sub-chamber through the collision-side communication portion, and the collision-side sub-chamber expands. Thereby, since the side support part by the side of a collision can be pushed up, the reaction force from the said side support part can be given favorably with respect to a crew member. From the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occupant from being displaced with respect to the vehicle seat during an asymmetrical collision.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since the sub chamber on the collision side is expanded using the load from the occupant as described above, it is not necessary to switch and control the expansion / non-expansion of the sub chamber by the control device. Thereby, the structure of a control apparatus can be simplified.

  In addition, the invention described in claim 1 may be anything that can contribute to the simplification of the configuration of the control device, and does not exclude the complicated configuration of the control device. That is, if it is a vehicle occupant protection device provided with the component of Claim 1, even if the structure of a control apparatus is complicated, it is contained in the technical scope of the invention of Claim 1.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle occupant protection device according to the first aspect of the present invention is the reaction force plate that spans between the left and right side frames of the seat cushion frame and supports the airbag from below. In the left and right ends of the reaction plate, inclined surfaces are formed so as to rise toward the outer side in the seat width direction, and the left and right subchambers are disposed on the left and right inclined surfaces. Has been.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the airbag is inflated, the reaction force plate can impart an expansion reaction force to the airbag satisfactorily. And since this reaction force board is provided with the above inclined surfaces, the subchamber of an airbag can be supported from the downward side and the sheet width direction outer side. As a result, the sub chamber of the airbag can be inflated well upward, so that the side support portion can be effectively pushed up.

  A vehicle occupant protection device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the seat skin of the seat cushion has left and right extra length portions that are extended by expansion of the left and right sub chambers. Is provided.

  In the invention according to claim 3, when the sub chamber of the airbag is inflated, the extra length portion provided in the seat skin of the seat cushion extends. Thereby, the side support part can be effectively pushed up without setting a tearing part (tear line) or the like in the seat skin.

  A vehicle occupant protection device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection device according to the third aspect, wherein the extra length portion is provided at each boundary portion between the seat surface portion and the left and right side support portions.

  In the invention according to claim 4, the extra length portion provided in the seat skin of the seat cushion is provided at each boundary portion between the seat surface portion and the left and right side support portions. Thereby, since the left and right extra length portions can be made inconspicuous, the appearance of the seat cushion can be improved.

  A vehicle occupant protection device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the left and right sub-chambers are provided in an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the left and right side support portions. ing.

  In the invention according to claim 5, since it is configured as described above, it is possible to effectively suppress displacement of the occupant with respect to the vehicle seat during an asymmetrical collision. In other words, when the occupant's lower back part, which is normally supported on the rear side of the seat cushion seat, moves diagonally forward due to an impact during an asymmetrical collision, the lower back part is located at the middle part in the longitudinal direction of the side support part on the collision side. Interfere. In this regard, in the present invention, the left and right sub chambers of the airbag are provided in the front-rear direction intermediate portion of the left and right side support portions. As a result, the middle part in the front-rear direction of the side support part on the collision side is pushed up by the expansion of the sub chamber on the collision side, so that the inertial movement of the waist can be effectively suppressed by the pushed up part.

  A vehicle occupant protection device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the portions constituting the left and right sub-chambers of the airbag are folded. It is provided in the left and right side support portions.

  In the invention according to claim 6, when the pressure of the gas that flows from the main chamber of the airbag through the communicating portion into the sub chamber increases, the folded portion of the airbag expands, Expansion of the chamber is allowed. That is, the expansion / non-expansion of the sub chamber can be switched depending on the magnitude of the pressure of the gas that flows from the main chamber through the communicating portion into the sub chamber. Thereby, for example, the sub chamber can be prevented from inadvertently expanding at the time of a symmetric collision.

  A vehicle occupant protection device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the side support portion is formed on the side surface of the seat cushion with a rigidity higher than that of the seat skin of the seat cushion. A reinforcing plate is provided.

  In the invention according to claim 7, since the side surface of the side support portion is reinforced by the reinforcing plate, the side support portion pushed up by the expansion of the sub chamber is prevented from falling to the outside in the seat width direction due to the load from the occupant. it can.

  As described above, in the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention, the occupant can be prevented from being displaced with respect to the vehicle seat at the time of an asymmetrical collision, and the configuration of the control device can be simplified.

1 is a plan view of a vehicle occupant protection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional view which expands and shows the cut surface along the F2-F2 line | wire of FIG. 1, and is a figure which shows the non-expanded state of an airbag. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 2 which shows the inflated state of the airbag. It is a perspective view which shows the partial structure of the front part of the seat cushion in which the airbag is mounted. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the partition cloth and inflator provided in the airbag. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 which shows the inflated state of the airbag in a comparative example. The partial structure of the airbag and reaction force board with which the passenger | crew protection device for vehicles which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is provided is shown, (A) is sectional drawing which shows the non-expanded state of an airbag, (B ) Is a sectional view showing a state in the middle of inflation and deployment of the airbag, and (C) is a sectional view showing a state in which the airbag is inflated and deployed.

  A vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the arrow FR, arrow UP, and arrow OUT that are appropriately described in each figure respectively indicate the front direction (traveling direction), the upward direction, and the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, when simply using the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the left-right direction of the vehicle left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and the up-down direction of the vehicle are indicated To do.

(Constitution)
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle occupant protection device 10 according to this embodiment includes a vehicle seat 12 and a seat cushion airbag device 14. The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion 16 for supporting the waist L (including the buttocks) and the thigh D of the occupant P, a seat back 18 for supporting the back B of the occupant P, and the occupant P. And a headrest 20 for supporting the head H of the head. The front / rear / left / right / up / down directions of the vehicle seat 12 coincide with the front / rear, left / right / up / down directions of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the seat cushion 16 has side support portions 16B on the left and right sides of the seat surface portion 16A (general portion) on which the occupant P is seated. The left and right side support portions 16B are for suppressing lateral displacement of the waist portion L and the thigh portion D with respect to the seat surface portion 16A, and project upward from the seat surface portion 16A. Left and right side frames 24 provided in a seat cushion frame 22 that is a frame of the seat cushion 16 are disposed on the left and right side support portions 16B.

  The left and right side frames 24 have front ends connected in the seat width direction by a front frame 26 (see FIG. 4), and rear ends connected in the seat width direction by a rear frame (not shown). Between the front frame 26 and the rear frame, a plurality of seat cushion springs 28 (see FIG. 4) formed by S springs are suspended. In the present embodiment, the left and right side frames 24 and the front frame 26 are made of sheet metal, and the rear frame is made of a pipe material.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the reaction plate 30 integrated with the front frame 26 is formed by extending the sheet metal constituting the front frame 26 toward the rear side of the seat. The reaction force plate 30 is bridged between the left and right side frames 24 and is recessed so that the intermediate portion in the seat width direction is one step lower than the upper surface of the front frame 26. At both ends of the reaction force plate 30 in the sheet width direction, inclined surfaces 30A that are inclined so as to rise toward the outer side in the sheet width direction are formed.

  A seat cushion pad 32 made of a foam such as a urethane pad is attached to the seat cushion frame 22 having the above-described configuration from above. In the seat cushion pad 32, a portion provided on the seat surface portion 16A is a pad center portion 32A, and a portion provided on the left and right side support portions 16B is a pad side portion 32B. The surface of the seat cushion pad 32 is covered with a seat skin 34.

  The seat skin 34 includes an upper skin 36 that covers the surface (upper surface) of the pad center portion 32A, left and right upper side skins 38 that cover the upper surfaces of the left and right pad side portions 32B, and left and right covers the side surfaces of the left and right pad side portions 32B. Side skin 40. Both end portions in the sheet width direction of the pad center portion 32A are sewn with inner end portions in the sheet width direction of the left and right upper side skins 38 in the sewing portion S3.

  Further, the outer ends of the left and right upper side skins 38 in the seat width direction are respectively sewn with the upper ends of the left and right side skins 40 at the sewing portion S2. The lower ends of the left and right side skins 40 are locked to the lower ends of the left and right side frames 24. Reinforcing plates 42 are respectively attached to the inner side surfaces of the left and right side skins 40 in the sheet width direction. These reinforcing plates 42 are made of, for example, a resin material with higher rigidity than the left and right side skins 40, and are attached to the left and right side skins 40 by means such as adhesion. These reinforcing plates 42 reinforce the left and right side skins 40 (side surfaces of the left and right side support portions 16B).

  In the seat skin 34, the upper skin 36 and the left and right upper side skins 38 are further sewn at the left and right tear seams S1 (fragile sewing portions) provided above the left and right sewing portions S3, respectively. . Thereby, the seat skin 34 is provided with extra length portions 46 at each boundary portion between the seat surface portion 16A and the left and right side support portions 16B. In the left and right tear seams S1, yarns that are more fragile than the left and right sewing portions S2 and S3 are used, and the respective surplus length portions 46 are extended when each of the tear seams S1 breaks. In addition, the strength of the left and right tear seams S1 is set so that the right and left sub chambers 58 of the airbag 48 described later are broken when they expand.

  On the other hand, the seat cushion airbag device 14 includes an airbag 48 (seat cushion airbag) provided between the seat cushion pad 32 and the seat cushion frame 22 described above. The seat cushion airbag device 14 includes an inflator 50 (gas generator) and a control device 68 that controls the operation of the inflator 50.

  The airbag 48 includes a bag body 52 formed into a bag shape by sewing, for example, a nylon-based or polyester-based cloth material (base fabric). The bag body 52 is disposed between the upper surface of the front frame 26 and the reaction force plate 30 and the lower surface of the seat cushion pad 32 in a state where the bag body 52 is deployed in a planar shape, and the front frame 26 and the reaction force plate. 30 is supported from below. Inside the bag body 52, left and right partition cloths 54 (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 4) formed in a band shape with the same cloth material as the material of the bag body 52 are sewn.

  The airbag 48 has left and right main chambers 56 (main chamber portions) provided in an inflatable manner at the front portion in the seat surface portion 16A. The left and right main chambers 56 are divided into left and right at the center in the width direction of the seat cushion 16 by the left and right partition cloths 54. The airbag 48 includes left and right sub chambers 58 (sub chamber portions) provided in the left and right side support portions 16B so as to be inflatable. An airbag 48 is confined between the left and right main chambers 56 and the left and right sub chambers 58, and narrow left and right communication portions 60 that are shorter in the vehicle longitudinal direction than the left and right sub chambers 58 are formed. Yes. The left and right main chambers 56 and the left and right sub chambers 58 communicate with each other through the left and right communication portions 60.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in a plan view, the left and right main chambers 56 have a substantially rectangular shape, and the left and right sub chambers 58 have a substantially circular shape. The left and right sub-chambers 58 are set to have shorter dimensions in the seat front-rear direction and the seat width direction than the left and right main chambers 56 and project outward from the rear of the left and right main chambers 56 in the seat width direction. These left and right sub chambers 58 are provided in the middle part in the front-rear direction of the left and right side support portions 16B.

  Specifically, the left and right sub-chambers 58 are located on the front side (front side) of the seat cushion 16 in the front-rear direction center of the left and right side support portions 16B. Further, the left and right sub chambers 58 are arranged so that the center is located at the same position as the base of the crotch of the occupant P (the part denoted by reference numeral M in FIG. 1) in the front-rear direction of the seat cushion 16. Yes. The occupant P has a physique equivalent to, for example, an AM50 dummy (a 50th percentile dummy of an American adult male). As shown in FIG. 2, the left and right sub chambers 58 are disposed on the left and right inclined surfaces 30 </ b> A provided on the reaction force plate 30.

  On the other hand, the inflator 50 is a so-called cylinder type, and is disposed in a recess 62 formed at the center of the front frame 26 in the seat width direction. The inflator 50 is accommodated in the front end portion of the airbag 48 and passes through the left and right partition cloths 54 as shown in FIG. The inflator 50 has one axial end located at the front end of the left main chamber 56 and the other axial end located at the front end of the right main chamber 56. At both ends in the axial direction of the inflator 50, gas ejection portions 50A are provided.

  The inflator 50 is electrically connected to an ECU 64 mounted on the vehicle. The ECU 64 is electrically connected to a collision detection unit 66 that detects that the vehicle has collided with the front. The collision detection unit 66 is constituted by, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and constitutes a control device 68 together with the ECU 64.

  The ECU 64 operates the inflator 50 when it is detected that the vehicle has collided with the front based on a signal from the collision detection unit 66. This frontal collision includes not only full-wrapped frontal collisions (symmetrical collisions) but also offset collisions, oblique collisions, and minute lap collisions (all asymmetrical collisions). If a pre-crash sensor that predicts (predicts) a frontal collision is electrically connected to the ECU 64, the inflator 50 is activated when the ECU 64 predicts a frontal collision based on a signal from the pre-crash sensor. You may make it the structure made.

  When the inflator 50 is activated, gas is ejected from the gas ejection portions 50A provided at both axial ends of the inflator 50, respectively. Thereby, gas is individually supplied into the left and right main chambers 56 of the airbag 48, and the left and right main chambers 56 are inflated. The gas supplied to the left and right main chambers 56 is supplied to the left and right sub chambers 58 through the left and right communication portions 60. As a result, the left and right sub chambers 58 begin to expand with a delay from the left and right main chambers 56. The inflator 50 described above has a low output compared to the capacity of the airbag 48, and has an output sufficient to completely inflate all of the left and right main chambers 56 and the left and right sub chambers 58. Absent. However, the inflator 50 has an output that can expand the left and right main chambers 56 sufficiently.

(Function and effect)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle occupant protection device 10 configured as described above, when the vehicle has a frontal collision, the ECU 64 operates the inflator 50 to supply gas to the left and right main chambers 56 of the airbag 48. Accordingly, when the left and right main chambers 56 expand, the front portion of the seat surface portion 16A of the seat cushion 16 rises.

  Here, when the form of the frontal collision is a symmetrical collision, the occupant P moves inertially forward. In that case, a so-called submarine phenomenon may occur in which the occupant P is in a position to sink into the seat cushion 16, but the front portion of the seat surface portion 16 </ b> A rises as described above to prevent the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon. Or it can be suppressed.

  On the other hand, when the form of the frontal collision is an asymmetrical collision, the occupant P inertially moves obliquely forward toward the collision side. For example, when the collision load in the direction of arrow J shown in FIG. 1 is input to the front of the vehicle due to an asymmetrical collision on the right side of the front of the vehicle, the center of gravity C of the waist L of the occupant P is shown in FIG. Inertia moves in the direction of arrow K. At that time, the right (collision side) main chamber 56 of the left and right main chambers 56 is crushed by a load F (see FIG. 3) from the thigh D and the waist L of the occupant P. However, since the left and right main chambers 56 are partitioned, the flow of gas from the collision-side main chamber 56 to the main chamber 56 on the anti-collision side (left side) is restricted. Thereby, the occupant restraining force by the main chamber 56 on the collision side can be maintained.

  The above effect will be described using a comparative example 100 shown in FIG. In the comparative example 100, the airbag 48 does not include the left and right partition cloths 54 and the left and right sub chambers 58, and the reaction force plate 30 does not include the left and right inclined surfaces 30A. Further, in the comparative example 100, the sheet skin 34 does not include the left and right extra length portions 46, and the left and right reinforcing plates 42 are also omitted. Other configurations are the same as those of the present embodiment. In the comparative example 100, when the collision side (right side in FIG. 6) portion of the airbag 48 is crushed by the load F from the thigh D or the like at the time of the asymmetrical collision, the gas in the airbag 48 is changed. Gas flows from the collision side to the anti-collision side (see arrow G in FIG. 6). Thereby, although the passenger | crew restraint force by the airbag 48 will fall, this can be avoided in this embodiment.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, when the collision-side main chamber 56 is crushed by the load F from the thigh D or the waist L of the occupant P, the gas in the collision-side main chamber 56 is communicated with the collision side. It flows into the collision side sub chamber 58 through the part 60, and the collision side sub chamber 58 expands. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the side support portion 16 </ b> B on the collision side can be pushed up, so that the reaction force from the side support portion 16 </ b> B can be favorably applied to the waist L of the occupant P. The above-described effects can be obtained in the same manner when the left side of the front part of the vehicle has an asymmetrical collision.

  From the above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occupant P from being displaced with respect to the vehicle seat 12 during an asymmetrical collision.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the collision-side sub chamber 58 is expanded using the load F from the occupant P as described above, it is necessary to control the expansion / non-expansion of the sub chamber 58 by the control device 68. Absent. Thereby, the configuration of the control device 68 can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced. That is, in order to switch and control the expansion / non-expansion of the sub chamber 58, the ECU 64 needs to discriminate between a symmetric collision and an asymmetric collision. In that case, since the collision detection unit 66 must be able to detect symmetric collisions and asymmetrical collisions, the configuration of the collision detection unit 66 is complicated, but this embodiment can avoid this. In addition, since the inflator 50 is not required to output enough to completely expand both the left and right main chambers 56 and the left and right sub chambers 58, the output of the inflator 50 can be reduced. Therefore, the cost can be reduced also from this point.

  In the present embodiment, the airbag 48 is supported from below by the reaction force plate 30 spanned between the left and right side frames 24 of the seat cushion frame 22. For this reason, when the airbag 48 is inflated, the reaction force plate 30 can impart an inflation reaction force to the airbag 48 satisfactorily.

  Moreover, inclined surfaces 30A that are inclined so as to rise toward the outer side in the sheet width direction are formed at both left and right ends of the reaction force plate 30, and left and right sub chambers 58 are formed on the left and right inclined surfaces 30A. It is arranged. Thereby, the expanded sub chamber 58 can be supported from the lower side and the sheet width direction outer side. As a result, the sub chamber 58 can be expanded well upward, so that the side support portion 16B can be effectively pushed up. Further, the sub chamber 58 can be supported by the inclined surface 30 </ b> A so that the expanded sub chamber 58 does not fall outside in the seat width direction due to a load from the passenger P.

  In the present embodiment, when the collision-side sub chamber 58 of the airbag 48 is inflated, the collision-side tear seam S1 of the seat skin 34 is broken, so that the collision-side surplus portion 46 is extended. Thereby, the surplus length part provided in the seat skin 34 of the seat cushion extends. Accordingly, the side support portion 16B can be effectively pushed up without setting a tearing portion (tear line) or the like in the seat skin 34. In addition, the left and right extra length portions 46 provided in the seat skin 34 are provided at each boundary portion between the seat surface portion 16A and the left and right side support portions 16B. Thereby, since the left and right surplus length portions 46 can be made inconspicuous, the appearance of the seat cushion 16 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the left and right sub-chambers 58 are provided in the front-rear direction intermediate portion in the left and right side support portions 16B. Thereby, it can suppress effectively that the passenger | crew P displaces with respect to the vehicle seat 12 at the time of an asymmetrical collision. That is, when the lumbar portion L of the occupant P supported on the rear side of the seating surface portion 16A of the seat cushion 16 normally moves diagonally forward due to an impact during an asymmetrical collision, the front and rear of the side support portion 16B on the collision side The waist L interferes with the middle part in the direction. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the left and right sub chambers 58 of the airbag 48 are provided in the front-rear direction intermediate portion in the left and right side support portions 16B. As a result, the collision-side sub chamber 58 expands and the intermediate part in the front-rear direction of the collision-side side support portion 16B is pushed up, so that the inertial movement of the waist L can be effectively suppressed by the pushed-up portion. it can.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a reinforcing plate 42 formed with higher rigidity than the seat skin 34 is disposed on the side surfaces of the left and right side support portions 16B. Since the side surface of the side support portion 16B is reinforced by the reinforcing plate 42, the side support portion 16B pushed up by the expansion of the sub chamber 58 is effectively suppressed from falling to the outside in the seat width direction due to the load F from the passenger P. be able to.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the structure and effect | action similar to the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol as the said 1st Embodiment is provided, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

<Second Embodiment>
FIGS. 7A to 7B show partial configurations of the airbag 48 and the reaction force plate 30 included in the vehicle occupant protection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the portions constituting the left and right sub-chambers 58 in the airbag 48 are provided in the left and right side support portions 16B in a folded state (folded). It is different from the form.

  In this embodiment, when the inflator 50 is actuated, if the pressure of the gas that flows from the main chamber 56 of the airbag 48 through the communication portion 60 into the sub chamber 58 becomes high, the above folding in the airbag is performed. Expansion of the sub chamber 58 is allowed by the expansion of the part. That is, the expansion / non-expansion of the sub chamber 58 can be switched depending on the magnitude of the pressure of the gas that flows from the main chamber 56 through the communication portion 60 into the sub chamber 58. Thereby, for example, the sub chamber 58 can be prevented from inadvertently expanding at the time of a symmetric collision.

<Supplementary explanation of the embodiment>
In each of the embodiments described above, the reinforcing plate 42 is disposed on the side surface of the side support portion 16B. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reinforcing plate 42 may be omitted.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the left and right sub chambers 58 are provided in the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the left and right side support portions 16B. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the left and right sub chambers are the left and right side support portions. It may be configured to be provided from the front end portion to the middle portion in the front-rear direction.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the left and right extra length portions 46 of the seat skin 34 are provided at the respective boundary portions between the seat surface portion 16A and the left and right side support portions 16B, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position of the surplus portion 46 can be changed as appropriate. For example, an extra length portion may be provided in the middle portion of the upper side skin 38 in the sheet width direction.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although it was set as the structure by which the left and right surplus length part 46 was provided in the sheet | seat skin 34, this invention is not limited to this. For example, when the upper side skin 38 is formed of a stretchable material, the left and right extra length portions 46 may be omitted.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the reaction force board 30 was set as the structure provided with 30 A of right and left inclined surfaces, this invention is not restricted to this, The structure of a reaction force board can be changed suitably.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the reaction force plate 30 is formed integrally with the front frame 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reaction force plate 30 is formed separately from the front frame 26. It may be configured. Further, the reaction force plate 30 may be omitted when an inflation reaction force can be applied to the airbag 48 by the seat cushion spring 28, the floor panel, or the like.

  In each of the above embodiments, the inflator 50 is configured to have a low output compared with the capacity of the airbag 48. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inflator is compared with the capacity of the airbag. Thus, a configuration with an appropriate output may be used.

  In each of the above embodiments, the airbag 48 includes the left and right sub chambers 58, but the left and right sub chambers 58 may be omitted. Even in that case, since the above-described problem in the comparative example 100 can be solved, the occupant P can be prevented from being displaced with respect to the vehicle seat 12 at the time of the asymmetrical collision.

  In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. It goes without saying that the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle occupant protection device 12 Vehicle seat 16 Seat cushion 16A Seat surface portion 16B Side support portion 30 Reaction force plate 30A Inclined surface 34 Seat skin 42 Reinforcement plate 46 Extra length portion 48 Air bag 50 Inflator 56 Main chamber 58 Sub chamber 60 Communication portion 68 Controller

Claims (7)

A vehicle seat provided with left and right side support portions projecting upward on the left and right sides of the seat cushion portion of the seat cushion;
An inflator that is provided in the vehicle seat and generates gas by operating;
A control device that activates the inflator when a frontal collision of a vehicle is detected or predicted;
Left and right main chambers that are provided in the front portion in the seat surface portion so as to be inflatable and are divided into left and right at the center in the seat width direction, and to which gas from the inflator is supplied, and from the left and right main chambers in the seat width direction The left and right sub-chambers projecting outward and provided in the left and right side support portions so as to be expandable and communicated with the left and right main chambers via left and right communication portions formed between the left and right main chambers. An airbag,
A vehicle occupant protection device.   A reaction force plate is provided between the left and right side frames of the seat cushion frame and supports the airbag from the lower side. The left and right ends of the reaction force plate are directed outward in the seat width direction. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein inclined surfaces that are inclined so as to rise are formed, and the left and right sub chambers are disposed on the left and right inclined surfaces.   The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein left and right surplus length portions that are extended by expansion of the left and right sub chambers are provided on a seat skin of the seat cushion.   The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the extra length portion is provided at each boundary portion between the seat surface portion and the left and right side support portions.   5. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the left and right sub chambers are provided in a front-rear direction intermediate portion of the left and right side support portions.   6. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein portions of the airbag that constitute the left and right sub-chambers are provided in the left and right side support portions in a folded state. .   The vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a reinforcing plate formed with higher rigidity than a seat skin of the seat cushion is disposed on a side surface of the side support portion. .

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