JP6426554B2 - Occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a passenger protection device.

  In the event of a collision, an airbag device is known that supplies inflator gas to a bag attached to the gas supply pipe through a gas supply pipe fixed to a seat back and inflates the bag to cover the front and sides of the occupant. (See Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-344044 A

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the gas supply pipe is extended to the upper side of the vehicle than the headrest, so the appearance is not good. As measures against these problems, it is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which an air bag stored in a headrest of a vehicle seat is expanded and deployed so as to cover the head of the occupant from the front and left and right sides of the seat. However, when the head of an occupant who intends to move inertially forward in the event of a vehicle collision is restrained by the airbag, the head is restrained by stretching the airbag, so the occupant's face is strongly pressed by the airbag there is a possibility.

  In view of the above facts, in the configuration in which the airbag is stored in the headrest, the present invention can improve the occupant's face protection performance in the event of a collision in which the head of the occupant moves inertially forward of the seat. The purpose is to obtain a protective device.

The occupant protection device according to the present invention according to the first aspect of the present invention is a front deployment portion which is housed in a headrest, inflated and deployed by receiving gas supply, and deployed in front of a seat relative to the head of the occupant; An air bag configured as an integral bag body covering the head of the occupant including a pair of left and right laterally deployed portions connected to the seat and deployed on the side of the seat relative to the head of the occupant; provided sites of the face facing the protective member of the soft with breathability, was closed, the pre-deployment unit is configured to include a front expansion portion to be inflated and deployed in front of the occupant's head The protective member is provided at a position facing the face of the occupant on the seat rear side surface of the front inflating portion .

  In the occupant protection device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the airbag is accommodated in the headrest of the vehicle seat. Then, the air bag is inflated and deployed from the headrest in response to the gas supply. In addition, since the airbag is configured as an integrated bag body that covers the head of the occupant including the front deployment portion and the pair of left and right lateral deployment portions, the airbag moves with the airbag in various collision modes. Limit (restrain the occupant) and protect the occupant.

  Further, at the front deployment portion of the air bag, a soft protective member having air permeability is provided at a portion facing the face of the occupant. As a result, when the head of the occupant who intends to move to the seat forwardly in the event of a collision such as a frontal collision is restrained by the airbag, the occupant's face can be received by the soft protective member. In addition, since the protection member is breathable, even if the occupant's mouth and nose are covered with the protection member, breathing is not hindered.

The occupant protection device according to the present invention according to the second aspect of the present invention is a front deployment portion which is housed in a headrest, inflated and deployed by receiving a gas supply, and deployed in front of a seat relative to the head of the occupant; An air bag configured as an integral bag body covering the head of the occupant including a pair of left and right laterally deployed portions connected to the seat and deployed on the side of the seat relative to the head of the occupant; An air-permeable soft protective member provided at a position facing the face of the occupant, and the seat is also obliquely forwardly forward of the seat and diagonally forward of the seat against the face of the The protective member is provided.

  In the occupant protection device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the collision of the collision type in which the head of the occupant moves inertially forward forward of the seat or forward forward of the seat as in the case of an oblique collision of the vehicle or a minute lap collision. Even at times, the protective member can receive the occupant's face.

  As described above, according to the occupant protection device of the first aspect of the present invention, in the configuration in which the airbag is stored in the headrest, the head of the occupant performs an inertial movement forward of the seat at the time of a collision. The present invention has an excellent effect of improving the occupant's face protection performance.

  According to the occupant protection device of the second aspect of the present invention, the collision mode in which the head of the occupant inertially moves forward toward the right of the seat or forward toward the left of the seat as when the vehicle makes an oblique collision or a small lap collision. Even in the event of a collision, it is possible to improve the protection performance of the occupant's face.

It is a side view which shows typically the protection mode of the seating person by the passenger protection device concerning an embodiment. It is a front view which shows typically the protection aspect of the seating person by the passenger protection device concerning an embodiment. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3A-3A of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a view showing 3B of FIG. 1; FIG. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -3B. It is a side view corresponding to FIG. 1 which shows typically the protection aspect of the seated person by the passenger protection device which concerns on embodiment at the time of the front collision of a vehicle. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3A, showing a modification of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment.

  An occupant protection device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4. In addition, arrow FR and arrow UP which are suitably described in each figure have each shown the front direction (direction which a seating person faces) of vehicle seat 12, and upward direction. In the following description, when simply using front and back, up and down, and left and right directions, unless otherwise noted, it indicates the front and back in the front and back directions of the seat, up and down in the seat up and down directions, and front and rear in the seat front and rear direction. I assume. Note that an arrow IN appropriately described in each of the drawings indicates the center side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle as a vehicle on which the vehicle seat 12 is mounted.

(Schematic overall configuration of occupant protection device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the occupant protection device 10 is mounted on a vehicle seat 12. The vehicle seat 12 is disposed offset to the left or right (left side in the present embodiment) with respect to the center in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body (not shown) of the vehicle. Further, in the vehicle seat 12 of the present embodiment, the front-rear direction of the seat coincides with the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the seat width direction coincides with the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the vehicle seat 12 is configured to include a seat cushion 14, a seat back 16 whose lower end is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 14, and a headrest 18 provided on the upper end of the seat back 16.

  In each of the drawings, a dummy (doll) D for a collision test is shown seated on the seat cushion 14 of the vehicle seat 12 as a model of an occupant to be protected. The dummy D is, for example, AM50 (50th percentile of American adult male) of WorldSID (International Side Side Impact Dummy). The dummy D is seated in a standard seating posture determined by the collision test method, and the vehicle seat 12 is located at a reference setting position corresponding to the seating posture. Hereinafter, the dummy D will be referred to as "seated person D" in order to make the description easy to understand.

  The occupant protection device 10 includes a multidirectional airbag device 20 for protecting a seated person D from collisions of various types, a side airbag device 22, a seat belt device 24, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that is a control unit. And 60 are configured. Hereinafter, the schematic configuration of the seat belt device 24 and the side airbag device 22 will be described, and then the detailed configuration of the multidirectional airbag device 20 will be described.

  The seat belt device 24 is a three-point seat belt device, and the other end of a belt (webbing) 28 wound at one end so as to be able to be pulled out by the retractor 26 is fixed to the anchor 24A. As shown in FIG. 2, the belt 28 is provided with a tongue plate 24T so as to be able to slide, and the belt 28 is attached to the seat occupant D by locking the tongue plate 24T to the buckle 24B. It has become. Then, with the belt 28 mounted on the seat occupant D, the shoulder belt 28S from the retractor 26 to the tongue plate 24T of the belt 28 is attached to the upper body of the seat occupant D, and from the tongue plate 24T to the anchor 24A. The lap belt 28L is configured to be attached to the waist P of the seated person D.

  Here, the seat belt device 24 of the present embodiment is a so-called seat belt device with a seat in which the retractor 26, the anchor 24A, and the buckle 24B are provided on the vehicle seat 12. Further, in the present embodiment, the retractor 26 has a pretensioner function to forcibly wind the belt 28 by being operated. The pretensioner function of the retractor 26 is operated by the ECU 60. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when a collision of the vehicle is predicted by the collision prediction sensor 62, the tension of the belt 28 for restraining the seated person D is increased by a motor (not shown), which is a so-called pre-crash seat belt.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the side airbag device 22 is configured to include an inflator 22A and a side airbag 22B, and the side of the seatback 16 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction when the side airbag 22B is folded. It is stored in the department. The inflator 22A is adapted to generate gas within the side airbag 22B when activated. The side airbag 22B is projected forward from the side portion of the seat back 16 by the gas and configured to inflate and deploy on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the seated person D. In this embodiment, the side airbag 22B is configured to inflate and deploy on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the waist P, the abdomen A, the chest B, and the shoulder S of the seated person D.

(Configuration of multi-directional airbag device)
The multidirectional airbag device 20 is configured to include a multidirectional airbag 30 as an airbag, an inflator 32, and a module case (also referred to as an airbag case) 34 that constitutes the headrest 18. The multidirectional airbag 30 is folded in a state in which the inflator 32 is connected to be able to supply gas, and is housed in the module case 34. The details will be described below.

<Multi-directional airbag>
As shown in FIG. 3A in plan view, the multidirectional airbag 30 has a head H of a seated person D (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "head H") from the front and left and right sides. It is configured as an integral bag that is inflated and deployed to cover it. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the multidirectional airbag 30 is deployed on the front deployment portion 36 deployed in front of the seat relative to the head H and on the seat lateral relative to the head H And a pair of lateral spreaders 38.

  The front deployment portion 36 includes a front inflation portion 40 inflated and deployed in front of the head H, and a front inflation portion 42 inflated and deployed so as to surround the front inflation portion 40 in a front view. The front inflating portion 40 has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view, and the front inflating portion 40 is provided with a felt sheet 64 as a protective member. Details of the felt sheet 64 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front inflating portion 42 has a rectangular frame shape so as to surround the front inflating portion 40 in a front view. Further, the front inflating portion 42 is expanded and deployed by receiving a gas supply, and a portion of the front inflating portion 42 disposed around the front inflating portion 40 mainly above the seatback 16 is: The first expansion portion 42A is provided. On the other hand, a portion of the front inflating portion 42 located below the first inflating portion 42A (wrapped on the seat back 16 in a front view) is expanded and deployed in front of the chest B and the shoulder S of the seated person D The second expansion portion 42B is formed. The second expansion portion 42B is configured to be supplied with gas through the first expansion portion 42A. In the present embodiment, the space between the first expansion portion 42A and the front expansion portion 40 is divided by the seam 42S, and gas is supplied to the front expansion portion 40 through the second expansion portion 42B. There is.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the lateral expansion portion 38 extends laterally along the pair of left and right lateral expansion portions 44 which are expanded and expanded on both sides of the head H upon receiving the gas supply, and expand laterally. And a seam portion 46 which is a non-inflatable portion which divides the portion 44 back and forth. The lateral inflating portion 44 has a size (area) that wraps the entire head H in a side view, and the seam 46 is a portion in the lateral inflating portion 44 that overlaps with the head H The 44 is divided back and forth. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, illustration of the seam portion 46 and a seam portion 47 described later is omitted.

  The front ends of the left and right lateral inflating portions 44 are in communication with the front inflating portion 42, and the left and right lateral inflating portions 44 are supplied with gas from the inflator 32 via the front inflating portion 42. ing. On the other hand, the first inflatable portion 42A of the front inflatable portion 42 and the lateral inflatable portion 44 are separated by a seam portion 47 which is a non-inflatable portion.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the lower end 44L of each lateral inflating portion 44 makes contact with the shoulder S of the seated person D in the inflating and deploying state of the multidirectional airbag 30 in the left and right lateral unfolding portions 38 It is supposed to The contact of the lower end 44L of the lateral inflating portion 44 with the shoulder S determines the vertical position of the multidirectional airbag 30 in the inflated and deployed state with respect to a seated person (head H).

  In this positioning state, the multidirectional airbag 30 has the head H with the front deployment portion 36, the left and right lateral deployment portions 38, and the upper deployment portion 48 described later with respect to a seated person D who takes a normal sitting posture. It is set as the structure which does not contact (a clearance gap is formed).

  The multidirectional airbag 30 also has an upper deployment portion 48 that is inflated and deployed above the head H of the seated person D by connecting the upper edges of the front deployment portion 36 and the lateral deployment portions 38 on the left and right. The upper expansion portion 48 is configured mainly of an upper expansion portion 50 which is expanded and expanded by receiving a gas supply. The upper inflating portion 50 includes a central inflating portion 50C expanded and deployed above the head portion H, and a pair of upper duct portions 50D extending in the front-rear direction on the left and right of the central inflating portion 50C.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the multidirectional airbag 30 has a post deployment portion 52 deployed behind the upper deployment portion 48. As shown in FIG. The post-deployment portion 52 is configured to include a rear duct portion 54 which is an expansion portion and a non-inflatable portion 56. The rear duct portion 54 is separated left and right, and the upper ends thereof are connected in communication with the upper duct portion 50D corresponding to the left and right. The left and right rear ducts 54 are connected to each other by a non-inflatable portion 56 whose front edge is joined to the rear edge of the central expansion portion 50C.

  Further, the left and right rear ducts 54 merge with each other below the non-inflatable portion 56 to form a gas introduction portion (not shown). And this gas introduction part is connected so that supply of gas from inflator 32 is possible via a T-shaped diffuser. In addition, you may insert not only the structure using a diffuser but the part containing the gas jet nozzle in the inflator 32 of vertical installation, for example in a gas introduction part. Alternatively, the gas introduction portion may be bent in an L-shape, and a portion including the gas ejection port in the horizontally placed inflator 32 may be inserted into the gas introduction portion.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the multidirectional airbag 30 in the unconstrained inflated and deployed state which does not restrain the seated person D is viewed from the side of the side airbag 22B in the unconstrained inflated and deployed state which does not restrain the seated person D. And are configured not to overlap (do not wrap). In other words, the multidirectional airbag 30 and the side airbag 22B are configured not to have the inflating / deploying portions that at least wrap in a side view in an unconstrained inflating / deploying state of each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the multidirectional airbag 30 in the unconstrained inflated and deployed state is configured not to overlap the side airbag 22B in the unconstrained inflated and deployed state when the seater D is not restrained in a front view. ing.

  As described above, the multidirectional airbag 30, which is inflated and deployed, has a developed shape (flat pattern) before being folded. The multidirectional air bag 30 in the developed shape is formed as an integral bag by OPW (abbreviated as One Piece Woven). The multidirectional airbag 30 may be formed as an integral bag by a method (Cut & Sew) in which the peripheries of two woven fabrics are sewn together.

<Inflator>
The inflator 32 is of the combustion type or of the cold gas type, and is adapted to supply the gas generated by the operation into the multidirectional airbag 30. In this embodiment, the inflator 32 is a cylinder type inflator, and is disposed in the module case 34 with the sheet width direction as the longitudinal direction. The operation of the inflator 32 is controlled by the ECU 60.

<Module case>
As shown in FIG. 1, the headrest 18 is configured to include a headrest main body 19 and a module case 34 disposed on the seat rear side of the headrest main body 19. The headrest main body 19 constitutes the seat front side of the headrest 18, and is disposed on the seat rear side of the head H of the seated person D. Further, the module case 34 of the present embodiment is a backboard that constitutes (the back design of) the headrest 18. Accordingly, the multidirectional airbag 30 is stored at the rear of the headrest 18.

  The module case 34 protrudes above the upper end of the headrest main body 19 in a front view, and protrudes to both sides in the seat width direction with respect to the headrest main body 19. That is, the module case 34 covers the headrest main body 19 from the rear. In the present embodiment, the module case 34 covers the rear of the headrest main body 19 from above and from both the left and right sides, and constitutes the rear design of the headrest 18 as described above.

  More specifically, the module case 34 includes a base portion 34B, a main wall 34M, and a pair of left and right side walls 34S as main portions. The base portion 34 </ b> B is a fixing portion to the upper end of the seat back 16.

  The main wall 34M extends upward from the rear end of the base portion 34B, is inclined forward so that the upper end is positioned forward with respect to the lower end fixed on the seat back 16, and back upward in a side view It has a curved shape that is convex. The main wall 34M protrudes above the upper end of the headrest main body 19 in a front view, and protrudes to both sides in the seat width direction with respect to the headrest main body 19.

  A space for storing the multidirectional airbag 30 in a folded state is formed between the main wall 34M and the headrest main body 19. Further, the upper end of the main wall 34M extends to the upper side of the headrest 18. Between the upper end portion of the main wall 34M and the headrest 18, the multidirectional airbag 30 in the process of inflation and deployment passes. In the multidirectional airbag 30 in the inflated and deployed state, the rear deployment portion 52 passes between the upper end portion of the main wall 34M and the headrest 18.

  The pair of side walls 34S extends forward from both ends in the seat width direction of the main wall 34M, and covers the rear of the headrest main body 19 in a side view. A laterally deployed portion 38 (a portion near the boundary with the rear deployed portion 52) of the multidirectional airbag 30 in the inflated and deployed state is configured to pass between the pair of side walls 34S and the headrest main body 19.

  The module case 34 described above accommodates the multidirectional airbag 30 in a folded state with the headrest main body 19. In addition, the inflator 32, together with the multidirectional airbag 30 and the base portion 34B of the module case 34, is fastened to the seat back frame by a stud bolt.

  Here, the multidirectional airbag 30 is outer-roll folded and stored in the module case 34. The outer roll folding is in a roll-like folding mode from the front end side to the upper side and the rear side so as to fold the unfolding process in the reverse direction.

  Further, in the module case 34, a deployment guiding cloth (not shown) is folded and stored together with the multidirectional airbag 30. Then, the deployment guiding cloth is led out of the module case 34 along with the inflation and deployment (roll folding cancellation) of the multidirectional airbag 30, and the multidirectional airbag 30 and the passenger compartment are made prior to the multidirectional airbag 30. It is designed to be deployed between the ceiling and the ceiling. Further, the coefficient of friction for the multidirectional airbag 30 is made smaller than that of the ceiling material of the vehicle to which the occupant protection device 10 is applied. In this embodiment, the surface on the cabin ceiling side of the deployment induction cloth is coated with silicone, and the contact surface of the deployment induction cloth with the multidirectional airbag 30 is a low friction surface not coated with silicone coat. .

  The module case 34 and the headrest main body 19 are closed by an air bag door (not shown). The air bag door is configured to allow forward expansion and deployment of the multidirectional airbag 30 by being broken by the deployment of the multidirectional airbag 30 triggered by a tear line which is a fragile portion. .

(Composition of felt sheet)
As shown in FIG. 1, the front inflating portion 40 constituting the front expanding portion 36 is provided with a felt sheet 64 as a soft protective member having air permeability. The felt sheet 64 is provided on a portion of the front inflating portion 40 facing the face of the seated person D, and is formed of felt (non-woven fabric) in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the felt sheet 64 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a front view, and the length in the sheet width direction of the felt sheet 64 is formed longer than the head H of the seated person D There is. Moreover, the felt sheet 64 overlaps with a portion other than the upper end portion of the head H of the seated person D in a front view (wrapping).

(Configuration of ECU)
The multidirectional airbag device 20, the side airbag device 22, and the seat belt device 24 that constitute the occupant protection device 10 are controlled by the ECU 60. Specifically, the inflator 32 of the multidirectional airbag device 20, the inflator 22A of the side airbag device 22, and the retractor 26 of the seat belt device 24 are electrically connected to the ECU 60, respectively. Further, the ECU 60 is electrically connected to a collision prediction sensor 62 such as a pre-crash sensor and a collision sensor 63 (or a sensor group).

  The ECU 60 is capable of predicting various types of collisions (occurrence or unavoidable) of the applied vehicle based on the signal from the collision prediction sensor 62. The ECU 60 is configured to increase the tension of the belt 28 of the seat belt device 24 when a collision of the vehicle is predicted based on a signal from the collision prediction sensor 62.

  Further, when a frontal collision is detected based on a signal from the collision sensor 63, the ECU 60 operates the pretensioner mechanism of the retractor 26 and operates the inflator 32. The front collision mode in which the ECU 60 operates the retractor 26 and the inflator 32 is a full-wrap front collision, an offset front collision, or the like.

  Furthermore, the ECU 60 activates the pretensioner mechanism of the retractor 26 when it detects a frontal collision to a position offset by a predetermined value or more to one side in the vehicle width direction based on a signal from the collision sensor 63. The inflator 22A and the inflator 32 are operated. Such a frontal collision to a position offset by a predetermined value or more on one side in the vehicle width direction includes an oblique collision, a minute lap collision, and the like.

  Here, an oblique collision (MDB oblique collision, oblique collision) is, for example, a collision from the oblique front defined by NHTSA (as an example, a relative angle of 15 ° with the other side of the collision, a wrap amount of about 35% in the vehicle width direction) Clash). In this embodiment, an oblique collision at a relative velocity of 90 km / hr is assumed as an example. Further, the small lap collision is a collision of the vehicle width direction with the collision opponent specified by IIHS, for example, in the frontal collision of the vehicle, which is 25% or less. For example, a collision in the vehicle width direction with respect to a front side member which is a vehicle body frame corresponds to a small lap collision. In this embodiment, a minute wrap collision at a relative velocity of 64 km / hr is assumed as an example.

  Further, when a side collision is detected based on a signal from the collision sensor 63, the ECU 60 activates the inflator 22A and the inflator 32.

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

  In this embodiment, the multidirectional airbag 30 stored in the headrest 18 is inflated and deployed to effectively protect the seated person D against frontal collisions, side collisions, and oblique collisions (collisions from multiple directions). Can. The multidirectional airbag 30 is configured as an integral bag in which the front deployment portion 36 and the lateral deployment portion 38 are deployed so as to cover the head H with the upper deployment portion 48 and the rear deployment portion 52. For this reason, the multidirectional airbag 30 has the respective development portions connected firmly, and the load (reaction force) at the time of restraining the head H, chest B, and shoulder S is supported by the vehicle seat 12 . Therefore, the multidirectional airbag 30 can restrain the occupant with a large restraining force, as compared with a configuration in which the plurality of airbags (inflating parts) are joined at the time of restraining the occupant.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the felt sheet 64 is provided in a portion of the front inflating portion 40 (the front deployment portion 36) facing the face of the seated person D, thereby protecting the face of the seated person D in a collision such as a frontal collision. Performance can be improved. The details will be described below.

  The ECU 60 activates the pretensioner function of the retractor 26 when a full-wrap frontal collision is detected based on a signal from the collision sensor 63. Thereby, the belt 28 of the seat belt device 24 is forcibly taken up by the retractor 26. In addition, the inflator 32 is activated, and the multidirectional airbag 30 is inflated and deployed so as to cover the head H of the seat occupant D.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, in the case of a full-wrap frontal collision, the seat occupant D inertially moves forward of the seat. The forward movement of the seated person D to whom the belt 28 of the seat belt device 24 is attached is such that the upper body of the seated person D is inclined forward with the waist P as a center. Then, while the seat occupant D is restrained by the shoulder belt 28S (receives resistance to forward movement), the head H contacts the front deployment portion 36 of the multidirectional airbag 30, and the head deployment is performed by the front deployment portion 36. The forward movement of the part H is restricted. Here, the face of the seated person D is received by the felt sheet 64 provided on the front inflating portion of the front deployment portion 36. Thereby, compared with the structure in which the soft protection member such as the felt sheet 64 is not provided, the face of the seated person D can be prevented or suppressed from being scratched by rubbing or the like.

  Further, since the multidirectional airbag 30 restrains the head H in a form of being stretched forward in the seat, a state where the face of the seated person D and the felt sheet 64 are in contact is maintained for a while. Here, for example, even when the seated person D's mouth and nose are covered with the felt sheet 64, the breathable seated person D is not disturbed because the breathable felt sheet 64 is used. It's over.

  On the other hand, the second inflatable portion 42B of the front inflatable portion 42 comes in contact with the chest B and the shoulder S of the seated person D from the front, and the second inflatable portion 42B of the front inflatable portion 42 H) Forward movement is restricted. Thus, the seat occupant D is restrained by the pre-deployment portion 36 so that the head H and the upper body are restrained and protected against a full-wrap frontal collision. That is, forward movement of the head H and upper body of the seated person D can be restricted. Moreover, by receiving the face of the seated person D by the felt sheet 64, the face protecting performance of the seated person D can be improved. Further, since the pre-deployment portion 36 includes the pre-inflation portion 42, energy is absorbed by deformation of the pre-inflation portion 42 in the process of restraining the head H, chest B, and shoulder S. As a result, for example, even when the head H moves to a region where it may interfere with a component in the vehicle compartment (such as a steering wheel or an instrument panel), the peak of the load input to the head H can be reduced.

  In the above, the case of the full-wrap frontal collision has been described, but the operation in the case of an offset frontal collision in which the amount of lap in the vehicle width direction with the opposite vehicle is about 50% is substantially the same as the above-mentioned full-lap frontal collision. .

  Further, in the present embodiment, the multidirectional airbag 30 is housed in a module case 34 that constitutes the headrest 18. For this reason, the occupant protection device 10, for example, secures the same or more occupant protection as compared to a configuration in which a gas supply pipe arranged to surround the head of the occupant from above is always projected into the vehicle compartment. While it looks good before operation. Further, the occupant protection device 10 (mainly the multidirectional airbag device 20) does not disturb the longitudinal position adjustment, height adjustment, reclining operation, etc. of the vehicle seat 12.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the multidirectional airbag 30 and the side airbag 22B do not overlap in a side view in the unfolded and unfolded state of each other. Therefore, in the collision mode in which the multidirectional airbag 30 and the side airbag 22B are both inflated and deployed, the multidirectional airbag 30 and the side airbag 22B are properly inflated and deployed without strongly interfering with each other. Therefore, the head H of the seated person D can be restrained by the multidirectional airbag 30, and the range from the shoulder S to the waist P of the seated person D can be restrained from the side by the side airbag 22B.

  Further, the lower end 44L of the lateral expansion portion 44 constituting the lateral deployment portion 38 of the multidirectional airbag 30 contacts the shoulder portion S of the seated person D, whereby the multidirectional airbag 30 with respect to the seated person D in the vertical direction. The position is decided. Thus, the multidirectional airbag 30 can be inflated and deployed at an appropriate vertical position regardless of, for example, the physical size of the seated person D and the individual difference in the seating posture in the appropriate range. Thereby, the restraint (movement restriction) performance of the occupant by the multidirectional airbag 30 is improved.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said structure, It can implement in a various aspect besides the said structure in the range which does not deviate from the main point. Of course. For example, in the present embodiment, the felt sheet 64 is provided only on the front inflating portion 40 constituting the front unfolding portion 36, but the invention is not limited to this. As in the modification shown in FIG. 5, the same felt sheet 66 may be provided to the first expansion portion 42A.

  In this modification, in addition to the felt sheet 64, a felt sheet 66 as a protective member is provided. The felt sheet 66 is positioned at the front deployment portion 36, a first expansion portion 42A positioned diagonally forward to the right of the seat relative to the face of the seating D as viewed from the seated D, and diagonally forward to the left of the seat relative to the face of the seating D It is provided in the 1st expansion part 42A, respectively. Further, the felt sheet 66 is formed of a soft protective member (non-woven fabric) having air permeability like the felt sheet 64.

  According to this modification, even in a collision mode in which the head H of the seated person D inertially moves forward to the right of the seat or forward to the left of the seat, such as during an oblique collision or a small lap collision of the vehicle. The felt sheet 66 can receive the occupant's face. Hereinafter, the oblique collision will be specifically described as an example.

  When an oblique collision is detected based on a signal from the collision sensor 63, the ECU 60 activates the pretensioner function of the retractor 26, and operates the inflator 22A and the inflator 32. As a result, the belt 28 of the seat belt device 24 is forcibly taken up by the retractor 26, and the multidirectional airbag 30 of the multidirectional airbag device 20 is inflated and deployed so as to cover the head H of the seated person D. . Further, the side airbag 22B of the side airbag device 22 is inflated and deployed on the outside in the vehicle width direction with respect to the seated person D.

  When the oblique collision is a near-side oblique collision to the installation side of the vehicle seat 12 in the vehicle width direction, the seated person D moves forward while being moved forward as shown by an arrow X in FIG. 5. Move to inertial. Then, the seated person D is restricted in movement toward the diagonal front collision side (front pillar side) by the front deployment portion 36 constituting the side airbag 22B, the multidirectional airbag 30, and the lateral deployment portion 38 outside the vehicle width direction. Be done. That is, the head H and the upper body of the seated person D are restrained by the front deployment portion 36 constituting the side airbag 22B and the multidirectional airbag 30, and the lateral deployment portion 38 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. Protected.

  At this time, the face of the seated person D is received by the felt sheet 66 provided on the first expansion portion 42A on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, compared with a configuration in which the soft protection member such as the felt sheet 66 is not provided in the first expansion portion 42A, the face of the seated person D can be prevented or suppressed from being injured by rubbing or the like. In addition, since the felt sheet 66 is breathable, even if the face of the seated person D is in contact with the felt sheet 66, the breathing of the seated person D is not hindered.

  On the other hand, in the case where the oblique collision is a far-side oblique collision to the opposite side to the installation side of the vehicle seat 12 in the vehicle width direction, the seated person D moves forward as shown by arrow Y in FIG. In addition, it inertially moves to the center side in the vehicle width direction. Then, the movement of the seated person D to the diagonal front collision side (center cluster side) is restricted by the front deployment portion 36 constituting the multidirectional airbag 30 and the lateral deployment portion 38 on the center side in the vehicle width direction. That is, the head of the occupant H and the upper body are restrained by the front deployment portion 36 and the lateral deployment portion 38 on the center side in the vehicle width direction, and thus, the seat occupant D is protected against an oblique collision.

  At this time, the face of the seated person D is received by the felt sheet 66 provided in the first expansion portion 42A on the center side in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, compared with a configuration in which the soft protection member such as the felt sheet 66 is not provided in the first expansion portion 42A, the face of the seated person D can be prevented or suppressed from being injured by rubbing or the like. In addition, since the felt sheet 66 is breathable, even if the face of the seated person D is in contact with the felt sheet 66, the breathing of the seated person D is not hindered.

  In the example described above, although the case of the oblique collision of the vehicle has been described, also regarding the protection mode of the seated person D by the occupant protection device 10 in the case of a minute lap collision, the seated person by the occupant protection device 10 in the oblique collision It is almost the same as the protection mode of D.

(Other modifications)
As another modification, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment and modification, although a protection member was formed by felt, it is not limited to this and may form a protection member with other materials. That is, any material may be used as long as it is breathable and the face D of the seated person D can be protected. The protective member may be made of synthetic fiber such as acrylic fiber or wool.

  Alternatively, a mesh portion having a visible structure may be provided on a part of the front inflating portion 40 of the front deployment portion 36. In this case, by providing the mesh portion within the range that does not impair the face protection performance of the seated person D by the felt sheet 64, it is possible to visually recognize the front portion (vehicle cabin or vehicle exterior) with respect to the front deployment portion 36 through the mesh portion. . That is, the forward view can be secured for the seated person D.

  Furthermore, although the occupant protection device 10 includes the side airbag device 22 in the embodiment and the modification described above, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the occupant protection device 10 may not include the side airbag device 22. In the configuration in which the occupant protection device 10 includes the side airbag device 22, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the side airbag device 22 is provided on the vehicle seat 12. For example, the occupant protection device 10 may be configured with a side airbag device provided at a side door or the like. Furthermore, although the example provided with the side airbag apparatus 22 inflate-deployed with respect to the seating person D in the vehicle width direction outer side was shown in this embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, instead of or in addition to the side airbag device 22 of the present embodiment, a side airbag device that is inflated and deployed on the center side in the vehicle width direction may be provided.

  Moreover, although the passenger protective device 10 showed the example provided with the seat belt apparatus 24 in embodiment and the modification which were mentioned above, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the occupant protection device 10 may not include the seat belt device 24. Further, the configuration in which the occupant protection device 10 includes the seat belt device 24 is not limited to the configuration in which the seat belt device 24 is provided on the vehicle seat 12. For example, a retractor, an anchor, a buckle or the like may be provided on the vehicle body side. Furthermore, in the configuration in which the occupant protection device 10 includes the seat belt device 24, the occupant protection device 10 is not limited to the three-point seat belt device, and may be a four-point or two-point seat belt device. Moreover, it is not limited to a pre-crash seat belt. That is, the invention is not limited to the configuration in which the tension of the belt 28 is increased when the collision prediction sensor 62 predicts a collision of the vehicle.

  Furthermore, although the example which made the sheet | seat width direction of the vehicle 12 correspond to the vehicle width direction was shown in embodiment and the modification which were mentioned above, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle seat 12 may be disposed obliquely with respect to the vehicle body, or may be configured such that the direction with respect to the vehicle body can be changed (rotation about the vertical axis). In such a configuration, the configuration provided with the multidirectional air bag 30 inflated and deployed to cover the head H of the seat occupant D can contribute to the good protection of the head H. Further, the felt sheet 64 can protect the face of the seat occupant D in the event of a collision of the vehicle in which the head H of the seat occupant D inertially moves forward of the seat. That is, when the direction of the vehicle seat 12 is directed to the rear side of the vehicle, the head H of the seated person D inertially moves forward of the seat at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the face of the seated person D from being injured due to abrasion or the like by the felt sheet 64 receiving the face of the seated person D at the time of the rear surface collision of the vehicle.

  Moreover, although the example in which the multidirectional airbag 30 was accommodated in the headrest 18 was shown in above-mentioned embodiment and modification, this invention is not limited to this, For vehicles with which a headrest and a seat back were made integral The multidirectional airbag 30 may be housed inside the seat. In this case, the portion of the vehicle seat that supports the head of the occupant corresponds to the "headrest" of the present invention.

  Furthermore, although the example in which the multidirectional airbag 30 is configured to include the upper deployment portion 48 and the rear deployment portion 52 has been shown in the embodiment and the modification described above, the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient for the multidirectional airbag to be configured to include at least a front deployment portion and left and right lateral deployment portions. Therefore, for example, the gas from the inflator may be supplied to the front inflation portion of the front deployment portion via the lateral inflation portion of one or both lateral deployment portions. Therefore, the multidirectional airbag 30 is not limited to the configuration including the upper expansion portion 50 (upper duct portion 50D) in the configuration including the upper expansion portion. Further, in the configuration in which the multidirectional airbag has a duct portion, the duct is not limited to a configuration in which the duct is a pair of right and left, for example, the duct portion may be formed only at the center in the seat width direction. The duct portion may be formed to the full width of the.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modification, an example is shown in which the front deployment portion 36 and the lateral deployment portion 38 that constitute the multidirectional airbag 30 include the front inflation portion 42 and the lateral inflation portion 44, respectively. Is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be employed in which the inflating portion is not provided in either the front inflating portion or the left and right lateral inflating portions. Therefore, the multidirectional airbag is not limited to the configuration in which the front inflating portion is inflated and deployed prior to the lateral inflating portion. In addition, the second inflatable portion 42B of the front inflatable portion 42 is not limited to a configuration that restrains both the shoulder S and the chest B of the seated person D, and may have a configuration that restrains either the shoulder S or the chest B It may be.

  Further, although the example in which the multidirectional airbag 30 includes the seam portions 46 and 47 which are non-inflatable portions is shown in the embodiment and the modification described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the front deployment portion and the left and right lateral deployment portions may be configured as an integral bag without including the non-inflatable portion. The multidirectional airbag may have, for example, a configuration in which there is no clear boundary between the front deployment portion (front inflation portion) and the lateral deployment portion (lateral inflation portion).

10 passenger protection device 12 vehicle seat 18 headrest 30 multi-directional airbag (air bag)
36 front deployment part 38 side deployment part 64 felt sheet (protective member)
66 Felt sheet (Protective member)
D Seated Person (Occupant)

Claims (2)

It is housed in a headrest, inflated and deployed by receiving gas supply, and is connected to a front deployment portion deployed forward to the seat relative to the head of the occupant, and to the front deployment portion deployed laterally to the seat relative to the head of the occupant An air bag configured as an integral bag body that covers the head of the occupant including a pair of left and right lateral deployment portions;
A flexible protective member provided at a position facing the occupant's face in the front deployment portion and having breathability;
I have a,
The front deployment portion includes a front inflation portion which is inflated and deployed in front of the head of the occupant,
The passenger protection device , wherein the protection member is provided at a portion facing the face of the occupant on the seat rear side surface of the front inflating portion . It is housed in a headrest, inflated and deployed by receiving gas supply, and is connected to a front deployment portion deployed forward to the seat relative to the head of the occupant, and to the front deployment portion deployed laterally to the seat relative to the head of the occupant An air bag configured as an integral bag body that covers the head of the occupant including a pair of left and right lateral deployment portions;
A flexible protective member provided at a position facing the occupant's face in the front deployment portion and having breathability;
I have a,
The occupant protection device according to the present invention, wherein the protective member is also provided in the front deployment portion in the front right and the front left of the seat with respect to the face of the passenger as viewed from the passenger .

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