JP6673091B2 - Passenger airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a passenger airbag device.

  In the passenger seat airbag device described in Patent Literature 1 below, a cushion (airbag) is inflated and deployed in front of a passenger seat occupant's vehicle, and a passenger bag (main body bag portion) and a vehicle left side of the passenger bag ( And a center bag (center bag portion) that is inflated and deployed at the driver's seat side. Thus, the head or the like of the occupant in the front passenger seat, which moves diagonally forward on the left side of the vehicle during an oblique collision from the left side of the vehicle, can be restrained by the center bag.

International Publication No. WO 2016/002384

  By the way, in the passenger seat airbag device as described above, when a frontal collision is restrained (when the head or the like of a passenger seating occupant who moves forward at the time of a frontal collision is restrained by the airbag), a soft airbag having a low internal pressure is used. It is desirable to restrain the occupants. In particular, in consideration of a small occupant restraint represented by the AF05 dummy (5th percentile of an American adult female), it is strongly desired that the airbag be soft during head-on restraint.

  On the other hand, at the time of oblique restraint (when restraining the head and the like of the passenger in the passenger seat moving obliquely forward at the time of a diagonal collision), it is desired to restrain the occupant with a hard airbag having a high internal pressure. In particular, in consideration of a large occupant restraint represented by AM50 (50th percentile of an American adult male), it is strongly desired that the airbag be rigid when oblique restrained.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a passenger airbag device that can control the internal pressure of an airbag during oblique restraint to be higher than the internal pressure of the airbag during frontal restraint.

  The passenger-side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is inflated and deployed by receiving a gas supply, a vent hole that exhausts gas in the airbag to the outside, and a gas exhaust amount from the vent hole. A variable vent hole mechanism for controlling the airbag device, wherein the airbag is inflated and deployed in front of a passenger in the passenger seat, and inflated on the driver's seat side with respect to the main body bag portion. A center bag portion that is deployed and protrudes rearward of the vehicle from the main body bag portion, and when inflated and deployed, between the main body bag portion and the center bag portion, on the vehicle rear side. An opening slit is formed, the vent hole is formed in a side portion of the center bag portion on the driver seat side, and the vent hole variable mechanism is provided in the driver seat of the center bag portion. And the side portion of the center bag portion on the passenger seat side, or the side portion of the center bag portion on the driver seat side and the main body bag portion, and the vent hole at the time of oblique restraint It is configured so that the amount of gas exhausted from is reduced more than in the case of head-on restraint.

  In the passenger-seat airbag device according to the first aspect, the airbag that is inflated and deployed in response to the supply of gas includes a main body bag portion that is inflated and deployed in front of the passenger seat occupant and a driver seat side with respect to the main body bag portion. And a center bag portion that is inflated and deployed. When the center bag portion is inflated and deployed, a slit opened to the vehicle rear side is formed between the center bag portion and the main body bag portion, and the center bag portion protrudes rearward of the vehicle from the main body bag portion. A vent hole for exhausting the gas in the airbag to the outside is formed on the side of the center bag section on the driver's seat side.

  By the way, when the head or the like of the passenger seat occupant who moves forward at the time of a head-on collision is restrained by the main body bag portion (hereinafter, referred to as “front collision restraint”), the head of the passenger seat occupant who moves obliquely forward at the time of an oblique collision The effect on the shape of the inflated and deployed airbag of the occupant's head and the like is different between when the portion or the like is restrained by the slit of the airbag (hereinafter referred to as “oblique restraint”).

  Here, in the passenger airbag device according to the first aspect, the vent hole variable mechanism that controls the amount of gas exhausted from the vent hole includes a driver side portion of the center bag portion and a passenger side portion of the center bag portion. A side portion or a driver side of the center bag portion and the main body bag portion are connected to each other. The variable vent hole mechanism uses the difference in the effect of the head and the like of the passenger on the front passenger seat on the shape of the inflated and deployed airbag when the frontal restraint and the oblique restraint are performed. It is configured so that the amount of gas exhausted from is reduced more than in the case of head-on restraint.

  Therefore, according to the passenger seat airbag device, the internal pressure of the airbag during oblique restraint can be controlled to be higher than the internal pressure of the airbag during head-on restraint.

  As described above, the front passenger seat airbag apparatus according to the present invention has an excellent effect that the internal pressure of the airbag during oblique restraint can be controlled to be higher than the internal pressure of the airbag during positive collision restraint. Having.

FIG. 1 is a partially broken plan view showing a static deployment state of the passenger airbag device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which the passenger's seat occupant's head is restrained by the passenger airbag device of FIG. 1 during a frontal collision, and FIG. 2B is an oblique view. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which the passenger's seat occupant's head is restrained by the passenger airbag device of FIG. 1 during a collision. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a static deployment state of the passenger airbag device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4A is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which the head of the passenger seat occupant is restrained by the passenger airbag device of FIG. 3 at the time of a head-on collision, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially broken plan view showing a state in which the passenger's seat occupant's head is restrained by the passenger airbag device of FIG. 3 during a collision. FIG. 5 is a partially broken plan view showing a static deployment state of the passenger airbag device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6A is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state in which the passenger's seat occupant's head is restrained by the passenger airbag device of FIG. 5 at the time of a head-on collision, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view partially broken away showing a state in which the passenger's seat occupant's head is restrained by the passenger airbag device of FIG. 5 during a collision. FIG. 7A is a partially cutaway plan view showing a static deployment state of a passenger seat airbag device according to a modification of the second embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a modification of the third embodiment. It is a top view which shows the static deployment state of the passenger-seat airbag apparatus which concerns on an example with a part broken. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a right side of a front portion of a cabin of a vehicle to which the passenger seat airbag device is applied, and is a diagram showing a static deployment state of the airbag. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the airbag shown in FIG.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, the passenger airbag device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Note that arrows FR, arrow UP, and arrow RH, which are appropriately shown in the drawings, indicate the front, upper, and right sides of the vehicle V (see FIG. 8) to which the passenger airbag device 20 is applied. Hereinafter, when simply described using the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions, unless otherwise specified, it indicates the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the up-down direction of the vehicle up-down direction, and the left-right direction of the vehicle left-right direction (vehicle width direction). I do.

  In the following description, first, the schematic configuration of the interior of the vehicle V and the schematic configuration of the passenger seat airbag device 20 will be described, and then the vent hole variable mechanism 33 that is a main part of the passenger seat airbag device 20 will be described.

(Schematic configuration of the interior of the automobile V)
FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the right side of the front portion in the cabin C of the automobile V to which the passenger airbag device 20 is applied. FIG. 8 shows a state in which an airbag 24 of a passenger seat airbag device 20 described later is inflated and deployed. As shown in this figure, a vehicle seat 10 for a passenger seat is disposed on the right side in the front part of the cabin C. The vehicle seat 10 includes a seat cushion 10A on which an occupant P (hereinafter, referred to as “passenger seat occupant P”) is seated, and a seatback 10B that supports the back of the occupant P. The lower end of the back 10B is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 10A.

  The vehicle seat 10 is provided with a seat belt device (not shown) for restraining an occupant, and the seat belt device is a so-called three-point seat belt device. Therefore, the waist of the passenger seat occupant P is restrained by the lap belt, and the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P is restrained by the shoulder belt. The passenger occupant P is a dummy doll of AM50 (50th percentile of an American adult male). Hereinafter, the passenger occupant P may be referred to as “AM50 dummy P”.

  On the left side of the vehicle seat 10, a vehicle seat for a driver seat (not shown) is provided. That is, the vehicle V of the present embodiment is a left-hand drive vehicle. A center console 12 is disposed at the center of the vehicle V in the vehicle width direction (specifically, between the vehicle seat for the driver's seat and the vehicle seat 10 for the passenger's seat). That is, the vehicle V of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the center seat is not arranged between the driver's seat vehicle seat and the passenger seat vehicle seat 10. The vehicle V may have a configuration without the center console 12 (for example, a configuration in which the passage between the left and right vehicle seats 10 can be used as a passage).

  An instrument panel 14 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided on the front side of the vehicle seat 10, and a center panel 14 </ b> A is provided at the center of the instrument panel 14 in the vehicle width direction. The front end of the center console 12 described above is connected to the center panel 14A.

(Schematic configuration of the passenger seat airbag device 20)
As shown in FIG. 8, the passenger seat airbag device 20 includes a module case 22, an airbag 24, and an inflator 40 that is a gas generator. As shown in FIG. 1, the passenger airbag device 20 includes a first vent hole 26H and a second vent hole 28H formed in the airbag 24, and a variable vent hole mechanism 33. ing. Hereinafter, each configuration of the passenger seat airbag device 20 will be described.

  The module case 22 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape opened upward. The module case 22 is arranged inside the instrument panel 14 on the front side of the vehicle seat 10 (on the side opposite to the cabin C). The center line (not shown) of the module case 22 in the vehicle width direction is set at a position substantially coincident with the center line (not shown) of the vehicle seat 10 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the module case 22 is supported by an instrument panel reinforce (not shown) extending in the vehicle width direction inside the instrument panel 14. An airbag door (not shown) is formed on the instrument panel 14 at a portion that covers the module case 22 from above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 24 is formed in a bag shape by sewn a plurality of base fabrics to each other at an outer peripheral edge as an example. The airbag 24 is normally housed in the module case 22 in a folded state. Then, a gas generated by an inflator 40 described later is supplied to the inside of the airbag 24, so that the airbag 24 is inflated and deployed outside the instrument panel 14 (the cabin C side). Further, the airbag 24 is configured to include a main bag portion 26 that is inflated and deployed in front of the passenger seat occupant P, and a center bag portion 28 that is inflated and deployed on the left side of the vehicle with respect to the main bag portion 26. .

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the main body bag portion 26 includes a left bag portion 26L that forms a left portion of the main body bag portion 26 and a right bag portion 26R that forms a right side portion of the main body bag portion 26. In addition to being configured to include, it is designed to be expanded and deployed in a substantially symmetrical shape in plan view. Further, the boundary between the left bag portion 26L and the right bag portion 26R (that is, the center line in the vehicle width direction of the main body bag portion 26) substantially coincides with the center line in the vehicle width direction of the module case 22. Further, a concave portion 26B opened to the rear side is formed in a central portion in the vehicle width direction (a portion between the left bag portion 26L and the right bag portion 26R) at a rear end portion of the inflated and deployed main body bag portion 26. The recess 26B is located in front of the head H of the passenger P. A surface facing the rear of the left bag portion 26L and the right bag portion 26R in the inflated and deployed state of the airbag 24 is a front collision restraint surface 26A, and a front passenger occupant who moves forward when a frontal collision of the vehicle V occurs. The upper body (including the head H) of P is restrained by the front collision restraint surface 26A.

  Further, the main body bag portion 26 in the inflated and deployed state is configured to abut on a windshield glass (not shown) of the automobile V and the instrument panel 14. Accordingly, the inflated and deployed main body bag portion 26 is configured to be supported from the front side by the windshield glass and the instrument panel 14.

  The center bag portion 28 communicates with the main body bag portion 26, and is inflated and deployed in the front-rear direction adjacent to the left side of the vehicle with respect to the main body bag portion 26. More specifically, the center bag portion 28 is disposed at a position offset to the left of the vehicle with respect to an inflator 40 described later, and is inflated and deployed in the front-rear direction above the center console 12. As a result, the airbag 24 is expanded to the left side of the vehicle, and is inflated and deployed to have a shape that is bilaterally asymmetric in plan view.

  In addition, the center bag portion 28 is formed to have a substantially rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction in plan view when inflated and deployed. Further, a rear end portion of the center bag portion 28 is formed as a protruding portion 28B, and the protruding portion 28B protrudes rearward from the frontal restraint surface 26A of the main bag portion 26. The protruding portion 28B protrudes rearward at a position offset above the center in the up-down direction of the inflated and deployed main body bag portion 26, and is positioned diagonally forward left with respect to the head H of the passenger P. Is formed. The surface facing the right side (vehicle right side: body bag portion 26 side, passenger seat side) of the protruding portion 28B in the inflated and deployed state is the oblique collision restraining surface 28A (hereinafter, the right side of the center bag portion 28 on the vehicle side). The same reference numeral 28A is also used for the part.), And the head H of the passenger seat occupant P who moves diagonally to the left in the oblique collision of the automobile V is restrained by the oblique collision restraining surface 28A. In addition, at the time of the diagonal collision of the vehicle V to the left, the upper and lower positions of the lower end of the protruding portion 28B are set so that the left shoulder of the passenger seat occupant P moving diagonally to the left enters the space below the protruding portion 28B. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the center bag portion 28 is inflated and deployed, the center bag portion 28 is configured to contact the center panel 14A of the instrument panel 14. Thus, in a state where the center bag portion 28 is inflated and deployed, the center bag portion 28 is supported by the instrument panel 14 from the front side.

  The inflator 40 is arranged at the center of the module case 22 in the vehicle width direction. The inflator 40 is a so-called disk-shaped inflator, is formed in a hollow substantially cylindrical shape, and is fixed to the bottom wall of the module case 22 with the vertical direction as the axial direction. The upper part of the inflator 40 is a gas ejection part, and is accommodated in the front end of the main body bag part 26. A plurality of gas ejection holes (not shown) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the gas ejection portion, and the plurality of gas ejection holes are arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the inflator 40. Thereby, the gas generated by the inflator 40 is radially ejected from the inflator 40 in plan view.

  The inflator 40 is electrically connected to the airbag ECU 42 (control device). When the inflator 40 is operated by the airbag ECU 42, the airbag 24 is inflated and deployed by receiving gas from the inflator 40. At this time, an airbag door (not shown) provided on the instrument panel 14 is configured to be torn by receiving the inflation pressure of the airbag 24.

  Further, a collision sensor (or sensor group) 44 is electrically connected to the airbag ECU 42. The airbag ECU 42 can detect or predict a frontal collision of the vehicle V based on information from the collision sensor 44. Then, when the airbag ECU 42 detects or predicts a frontal collision based on information from the collision sensor 44, the airbag ECU 42 operates the inflator 40. The form of the frontal collision includes an oblique collision and the like. Here, the diagonal collision (MDB oblique collision, oblique collision) refers to, for example, a diagonal front defined by NHTSA (for example, a collision with a collision partner with a relative angle of 15 ° and a lap amount of about 35% in the vehicle width direction). It has been. In this embodiment, as an example, an oblique collision at a relative speed of 90 km / hr is assumed.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the passenger airbag device 20, a boundary portion between the main bag portion 26 and the center bag portion 28 at the rear end of the airbag 24 is a boundary portion 24 </ b> A. The boundary portion 24A overlaps the base fabric 30 (see FIG. 1) forming the main body bag portion 26 and the base fabric 32 (see FIG. 1) forming the center bag portion 28 with the vehicle width direction substantially as the thickness direction. And extends vertically at a position on the front side with respect to the front collision restraint surface 26A and the protruding portion 28B. The front end of the boundary portion 24A is a sewn portion 24A1, in which the base fabric 30 and the base fabric 32 are joined by sewing. Further, a slit 24A2 which is opened rearward and extends in the vertical direction is formed in the boundary portion 24A on the rear side with respect to the sewing portion 24A1. Thus, in the inflated and deployed state of the airbag 24, the slit 24A2 is disposed on the front side with respect to the front collision restraining surface 26A and the protruding portion 28B. In addition, the reference numerals of the base fabrics 30 and 32 are omitted in other than FIG.

  The slit 24A2 is formed so as to open downward as well as rearward when the airbag 24 is inflated and deployed. That is, the upper end of the boundary portion 24A is joined by sewing or the like so that the rear end and the lower end of the slit 24A2 are open, while the upper end of the slit 24A2 is closed. Note that, in the expanded and deployed state, the lower end of the slit 24A2 may be closed. Furthermore, when the inflated and deployed state of the airbag 24 is viewed in a plan view, the slit 24A2 (boundary portion 24A) moves the center of gravity G of the head H of the passenger P on the left side of the vehicle V in an oblique collision. It is formed so as to extend along the direction. For this reason, the head H of the passenger seat occupant P enters the slit 24A2 when the occupant P moves diagonally forward left at the time of the oblique collision to the left (see FIG. 2B). )reference).

  In addition, according to the NHTSA regulations for oblique collision of the vehicle V, the relative angle between the vehicle V and the collision partner is set to 15 °. Then, in an oblique collision test of a vehicle using a dummy doll based on this rule, it was found that the moving direction of the head H of the passenger P is inclined by about 25 ° with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle in plan view. ing. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the inflated and deployed state of the airbag 24 is viewed in a plan view, the inclination angle of the slit 24A2 with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction is set within a range of, for example, 20 degrees to 30 degrees. 2 (B) indicates the moving direction of the center of gravity G of the head H when the above-described oblique collision test is performed on the left side of the vehicle V (the movement of the head H to the slit 24A2). (Invasion direction) and a virtual line passing through the center of gravity G in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a substantially circular first vent hole 26H is formed on the right side of the vehicle of the main body bag portion 26. The gas in the airbag 24 can be discharged out of the airbag 24 via the first vent hole 26H.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a second vent hole 28H as a substantially circular "vent hole" is formed in a side portion 28C on the left side of the vehicle of the center bag portion 28. The gas in the airbag 24 can be discharged outside the airbag 24 through the second vent hole 28H.

(Vent hole variable mechanism 33)
Next, the variable vent hole mechanism 33 will be described. The variable vent hole mechanism 33 includes a tether 34 described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a tether 34 is provided in the center bag portion 28 of the airbag 24. The tether 34 is formed by cutting a flexible sheet-shaped material (the same cloth material as the base fabric of the airbag 24) into a long strip shape.

  The long belt-shaped tether 34 is in a static deployment state of the airbag 24 ("static deployment" means deployment under the condition that a load from an occupant or the like does not act on the airbag). The width direction is directed to the vehicle vertical direction, and the longitudinal direction is provided so as to extend substantially in the vehicle width direction (more precisely, a direction slightly inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction).

Specifically, one end 34A in the longitudinal direction of the tether 34 (an end on the left side of the vehicle, hereinafter referred to as a “first attachment portion 34A”) is bent rearward to the left side of the center bag portion 28 on the vehicle. It is connected to the portion 28C by sewing. The position where the first mounting portion 34A is connected is located behind the portion of the left side portion 28C of the center bag portion 28 where the second vent hole 28H is formed.
On the other hand, the other end 34B in the longitudinal direction of the tether 34 (the right end of the vehicle, hereinafter referred to as a “second attachment portion 34B”) is bent rearward and is disposed adjacent to the sewing portion 24A1 on the left side of the vehicle. At the same time, they are joined by sewing at a sewing portion 24A1. In the sewn portion 24A1, the second attachment portion 34B of the tether 34 and the base fabrics 30 and 32 are joined by sewing in a state of being overlapped with three sheets.
Thus, the tether 34 connects the left side portion 28C of the center bag portion 28 to the vehicle right side portion 28A of the center bag portion 28.

  Furthermore, when the airbag 24 is in a static deployment state, the second mounting portion 34B of the tether 34 is set to be located on the front side of the first mounting portion 34A of the tether 34. That is, the tether 34 is inclined forward as it goes to the right side of the vehicle in plan view. The length of the tether 34 is set so that the tether 34 is stretched in the longitudinal direction when the airbag 24 is in a static deployment state. In addition, the width dimension (the dimension in the vehicle vertical direction) of the tether 34 is set to a dimension larger than the vertical dimension of the second vent hole 28H.

  Further, the second attachment portion 34B of the tether 34 is viewed from diagonally left front when the head H of the occupant P (here, the AM50 dummy P) enters the slit 24A2 of the inflated and deployed airbag 24. At a height that overlaps the head H. Even when the passenger P is an AF05 dummy (5th percentile of an American adult woman), the head and the tether 34 may be in contact with the head of the AF05 dummy having entered the slit 24A2 as described above. It is preferable that the second mounting portion 34B be configured to wrap as described above.

  In addition, the upper end and the lower end of the tether 34 (that is, both ends in the width direction of the tether 34) are arranged separately from the base fabric forming the center bag portion 28. Therefore, the gas supplied by the inflator 40 is supplied to the rear portion of the center bag portion 28.

(Action / Effect)
Next, the operation and effects of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the passenger seat airbag device 20 having the above-described configuration, when the airbag ECU 42 detects or predicts a frontal collision with the automobile V based on a signal from the collision sensor 44, the inflator 40 is operated by the airbag ECU 42. Thereby, the airbag 24 supplied with the gas from the inflator 40 is inflated and deployed while the airbag door provided on the instrument panel 14 is opened. Then, the main body bag portion 26 is inflated and deployed in front of the passenger seat occupant P, the center bag portion 28 is inflated and deployed on the left side of the vehicle with respect to the main body bag portion 26, and the projecting portion 28B of the center bag portion 28 is inflated. It protrudes more rearward.

  When the airbag 24 is in a static deployment state, the tether 34 provided in the center bag portion 28 of the airbag 24 is stretched in the longitudinal direction, and the center bag portion 28 and the vehicle left side portion 28C of the center bag portion 28 are centered. The right side portion 28A of the bag portion 28 on the vehicle (more precisely, the sewn portion 24A1 of the boundary portion 24A) is connected. For this reason, the second vent hole 28H is not closed by the tether 34. Therefore, the gas is discharged from the pair of left and right first vent holes 26H and the second vent holes 28H in the airbag 24, and the airbag 24 is inflated and deployed in a state where the internal pressure of the airbag 24 is suppressed from becoming excessively high. Is done.

  Next, with respect to the operation when the occupant P is restrained by the inflated and deployed airbag 24, the frontal collision is a frontal collision (full lap frontal collision) and the frontal collision is an oblique collision (oblique collision). I will explain separately.

(Head restraint)
When the frontal collision is a frontal collision (full lap frontal collision), the passenger P on the passenger seat moves forward due to inertial force (see arrow A in FIG. 8). In addition, since the three-point seat belt device is attached to the passenger seat occupant P, the front movement of the passenger seat occupant P becomes a form in which the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P leans forward around the waist. . Then, the head H of the front passenger occupant P, which moves forward, comes into contact with the front collision restraining surface 26A of the main body bag portion 26. At this time, since a reaction force acts on the main body bag section 26 from the instrument panel 14 and the windshield glass, the head H of the passenger seat occupant P is supported by the main body bag section 26, and the movement of the head H is prevented. Limited. As a result, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, the head H of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward can be restrained by the main body bag portion 26.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), when the head H in contact with the head restraint surface 26A of the main body bag portion 26 moves further forward, the sewing portion 24A1 is moved to the base portion constituting the head restraint surface 26A. It is slightly displaced to the right of the vehicle as it is pulled by the cloth 30 (see arrow F).

  Here, the second attachment portion 34B of the tether 34 is connected to the sewing portion 24A1. For this reason, the second mounting portion 34B is also slightly displaced to the right side of the vehicle, and the tether 34 is stretched in the longitudinal direction as in the static deployment state. Therefore, the second vent hole 28H is not closed by the tether 34.

  Therefore, when the head H or the like of the front passenger occupant P who moves forward at the time of a head-on collision is restrained by the main body bag portion 26 (hereinafter, referred to as “at the time of head-on restraint”), the side of the airbag 24 on the vehicle right side. The gas in the airbag 24 is discharged to the outside from the first vent hole 26H formed in the portion and the second vent hole 28H formed in the side portion 28C on the vehicle left side of the airbag 24.

(Oblique restraint)
Next, a case where the frontal collision is an oblique collision on the left side of the vehicle (driver's seat side) will be described.

  When the frontal collision is an oblique collision, the passenger P on the passenger seat moves to the left side, which is the collision side in the vehicle width direction, with respect to the vehicle body while moving forward due to the inertial force as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. That is, the occupant P in the passenger seat moves diagonally left forward (left side and front side of the vehicle). In this case, the head H of the passenger seat occupant P comes into contact with the protruding portion 28B of the center bag portion 28 (oblique collision restraint surface 28A) and also contacts the rear portion of the main body bag portion 26 (front collision restraint surface 26A). (See FIG. 2B). Then, when the head H of the passenger seat occupant P further moves diagonally left and forward, the head H enters the slit 24A2.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, when the head H enters the slit 24A2, the head H pushes the boundary 24A (sewing portion 24A1) of the airbag 24 diagonally to the left and forward. Then, the second mounting portion 34B of the tether 34 connected to the sewing portion 24A1 is also displaced diagonally forward left. Therefore, the distance between the first mounting portion 34A and the second mounting portion 34B of the tether 34 is short, and the tether 34 is loosened. When the tether 34 is loosened, a part of the tether 34 (a part on the first mounting portion 34A side) closes the second vent hole 28H or inhibits exhaust from the second vent hole 28H.

  Accordingly, when the head H or the like of the passenger seat occupant P moving obliquely forward at the time of the oblique collision is restrained by the slit 24A2 of the airbag 24 (hereinafter, referred to as “oblique restraint”), the second tether 34 is used. The amount of gas discharged from the vent hole 28H is reduced.

  As described above, according to the passenger airbag device 20 of the first embodiment, the head H of the occupant P can be restrained by the airbag 24 having a higher internal pressure than when the frontal collision is restrained during oblique restraint.

(Supplementary explanation of the first embodiment)
Although the example in which the tether 34 is stretched in the longitudinal direction at the time of the frontal collision restraint shown in FIG. 2A has been described above, the first embodiment is not limited to this. It is not always necessary that the tether 34 is in a stretched state during the head-on restraint, and the length of the tether 34 is such that the second vent hole is not blocked during the head-on restraint shown in FIG. It should just be set to.

  In the above description, the example in which the width dimension of the tether 34 is set to be larger than the vertical dimension of the second vent hole 28H has been described, but the first embodiment is not limited to this. Any structure may be used as long as it prevents exhaust from the second vent hole 28H when the tether 34 is loosened during oblique restraint shown in FIG. 2B. Further, the width dimension may vary depending on the position of the tether 34 in the longitudinal direction. In this case, it is preferable that a portion that obstructs exhaust from the second vent hole (a portion of the tether 34 on the first attachment portion 34A side) is set to be larger than the vertical dimension of the second vent hole 28H.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a passenger seat airbag device 60 according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the specific configuration of the variable vent hole mechanism 73 is different from that of the first embodiment, but the configuration other than the variable vent hole mechanism 73 is substantially the same. Therefore, hereinafter, the variable vent hole mechanism 73 of the second embodiment will be described. The variable vent hole mechanism 73 includes a lid member 74 and a tether 76 described below.

(Lid 74)
As shown in FIG. 3, the lid member 74 is provided in the center bag portion 28 of the airbag 24. The cover member 74 has a shape larger than the second vent hole 28H, and is connected to the edge of the second vent hole 28H by sewing. The lid member 74 is formed of a flexible sheet-like material (here, the same cloth material as the base fabric of the airbag 24).

  Specifically, the lid member 74 is joined to the front portion of the edge of the second vent hole 28H in the side portion 28C on the left side of the vehicle of the center bag portion 28, and is connected to the rear portion of the edge of the second vent hole 28H. Are joined by parts. That is, the lid member 74 is joined at the front and rear edges of the second vent hole 28H. On the other hand, the upper and lower edges of the second vent hole 28H are not connected.

(Tether 76)
The tether 76 connects the lid member 74 and a side portion 28A of the center bag portion 28 on the right side of the vehicle. The tether 76 is formed by cutting a flexible sheet-like material (the same cloth material as the base fabric of the airbag 24) into a long strip shape.

  Specifically, an end portion of the tether 76 on the left side of the vehicle (the “first attachment portion 76A”) is bent rearward, and is connected to a middle portion of the lid member 74 in the front-rear direction by sewing. On the other hand, the end of the tether 76 on the right side of the vehicle (the “second mounting portion 76B”) is bent rearward and connected to the right side portion 28A of the center bag portion 28 by sewing.

  In the static deployment state shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal direction of the tether 76 is substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. The position of the second attachment portion 76B of the tether 76 in the vehicle front-rear direction is substantially the same as the position of the front collision restraining surface 26A of the main body bag portion 26 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

  In the unfolded state shown in FIG. 3, the tether 76 is stretched in the longitudinal direction. The tether 76 pulls the center of the cover 74 in the front-rear direction to the right side of the vehicle, and the cover 74 is moved to the second vent. The length of the tether 76 is set so as to open the hole 28H.

  Next, the operation when the occupant P is restrained by the inflated and deployed airbag 24 will be described separately for a head-on restraint and an oblique restraint.

(At the time of head restraint)
As shown in FIG. 4A, the head H comes into contact with the front collision restraining surface 26 </ b> A of the main body bag portion 26 during the front collision restraint. When the head H moves further forward, the sewing portion 24A1 is slightly displaced to the right side of the vehicle so as to be pulled by the base cloth 30 constituting the front collision restraint surface 26A.
Then, as shown by an arrow F in FIG. 4A, the right side portion 28A of the center bag portion 28 on the vehicle is also displaced to the right side of the vehicle, and the second mounting portion 76B of the tether 76 is also displaced to the right side of the vehicle. Therefore, the tether 76 at the time of head-on restraint is in a state of tension (state in which longitudinal tension acts) from the static deployment state shown in FIG. Therefore, a force acts on the lid member 74 in the front-rear direction intermediate portion (the portion where the first mounting portion 76A of the tether 76 is coupled) to pull the lid member 74 to the right side of the vehicle. Therefore, the lid member 74 opens the second vent hole 28H.

(At oblique restraint)
As shown in FIG. 4B, during oblique restraint, the head H of the passenger seat occupant P moves diagonally forward left and the head H enters the slit 24A2.
When the head H enters the slit 24A2, the side portion 28A on the right side of the vehicle of the center bag portion 28 is displaced in a diagonal direction on the left side of the vehicle and on the front side of the vehicle. And it displaces in the oblique direction on the front side of the vehicle. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the tether 76 is loosened. When the tether 76 is loosened, the force from the tether 76 does not act on the lid member 74, and the lid member 74 closes the second vent hole 28H. In this way, the lid member 74 is configured to close the second vent hole 28H when no force from the tether 76 acts.

(Modification of Second Embodiment)
In the above description, an example is described in which the tether 76 is in a stretched state in the static deployment state shown in FIG. 3, and the tether 76 pulls the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the lid member 74 to open the second vent hole 28H. However, the variable vent hole mechanism 73 of the second embodiment is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7A, the second vent hole 28H may be closed in the static deployment state.

  By the way, at the time of the frontal collision restraint shown in FIG. 4A, unlike the static deployment state shown in FIG. 7A, the load on the right side of the vehicle acts on the second mounting portion 76 </ b> B of the tether 76 due to the penetration of the head H. (See arrow F in FIG. 4A), a greater tension is applied to the tether 76 than in the static deployment state.

  Therefore, by appropriately setting the length dimension of the tether 76 (set slightly longer than the above example), the second vent hole 28H is closed in the static deployment state, and the second vent hole 28H is closed at the time of head-on restraint. The vent hole variable mechanism 73 that can be opened can be realized. It should be noted that if the length of the tether 76 is too long, the second vent hole 28H cannot be opened due to the tension of the tether 76 at the time of the frontal collision shown in FIG.

(Summary of Second Embodiment)
As can be understood from the above description, the vent hole variable mechanism 73 of the second embodiment includes the lid member 74 capable of opening and closing the second vent hole 28H, and the tether 76 connected to the lid member 74. I have. The lid member 74 closes the second vent hole 28H when the force from the tether 76 does not act, and closes the second vent hole 28H when the force from the tether 76 (pulling force to the right side of the vehicle) acts. Is configured to open. Further, the tether 76 is configured such that the tension of the tether 76 increases when the head is restrained from the front and pulls the lid member 74 to the right side of the vehicle, and the tension of the tether decreases (loose) when the oblique is restrained.
In this manner, the variable vent hole mechanism 73 of the second embodiment is configured to reduce the amount of gas exhausted from the second vent hole 28H during oblique restraint as compared to when the frontal collision is restrained.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a passenger seat airbag device 80 according to a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in the specific configuration of the variable vent hole mechanism 93, while the configuration other than the variable vent hole mechanism 93 is substantially the same. Therefore, hereinafter, the variable vent hole mechanism 93 of the third embodiment will be described. The variable vent hole mechanism 93 includes a patch 94, a first tether 96, and a second tether 98 described below.

  The patch cloth 94 is provided outside the second vent hole 28H. The patch cloth 94 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape larger than the second vent hole 28H. The backing cloth 94 is sewn at the front end and the rear end of the backing cloth 94 to the vehicle left side part 28C of the center bag part 28 so as to cover the second vent hole 28H from the outside of the airbag 24. Have been. On the other hand, the upper end and the lower end of the patch 94 are not connected to the airbag 24.

  Further, in a state in which a force from a second tether 98 described later is not acting (for example, a state shown in FIG. 6A), the backing cloth 94 opens the second vent hole 28H to release the second vent hole. It is configured to allow exhaust from 28H.

The first tether 96 connects the module case 22 and the concave portion 26 </ b> B of the main bag portion 26. In the static deployment state shown in FIG. 5, the first tether 96 is in a state of being stretched in the vehicle front-rear direction. In other words, the length dimension of the first tether 96 is set such that the first tether 96 is in a stretched state in the static deployment state.
Specifically, the front end (“first mounting portion 96A”) of the first tether 96 is connected to the module case 22. On the other hand, the rear end of the first tether 96 (“the second mounting portion 96B”) is joined by sewing in the concave portion 26B of the main body bag portion 26. The first tether 96 is formed by cutting a flexible sheet-like material (here, the same fabric material as the base fabric of the airbag 24) into a long strip shape.

  The second tether 98 connects a central portion of the patch 94 and an intermediate portion of the first tether 96 in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the left end of the vehicle (“first mounting portion 98A”) of the second tether 98 is inserted into the second vent hole 28H and bent rearward, and connected to the patch cloth 94 by sewing. Have been. On the other hand, the right end portion of the second tether 98 on the vehicle (the “second mounting portion 98B”) is bent rearward and joined to the middle portion of the first tether 96 in the front-rear direction by sewing. The second tether 98 is formed by cutting a flexible sheet-like material (here, the same cloth material as the base fabric of the airbag 24) into a long strip shape.

  In the static deployment state shown in FIG. 5, no tension is applied to the second tether 98 in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the length of the second tether 98 is set so that no tension is applied in the longitudinal direction in the static deployment state. For this reason, the force from the second tether 98 to the right side of the vehicle is not applied to the patch 94, and the patch 94 opens the second vent hole 28H.

  When the head H of the passenger seat occupant P (here, the AM50 dummy P) enters the slit 24A2 of the inflated and deployed airbag 24 when viewed from diagonally left front, the second tether 98 moves the head t. It is provided so as to be located at a height overlapping with the portion H. When the passenger P is an AF05 dummy (5th percentile of an American adult woman), the head H and the second head H are in the state where the head of the AF05 dummy enters the slit 24A2 as described above. Preferably, the tether 98 is configured to wrap as described above.

  Next, the operation when the occupant P is restrained by the inflated and deployed airbag will be described separately for the time of head-on restraint and the time of oblique restraint.

(At the time of head restraint)
As shown in FIG. 6A, the head H comes into contact with the front collision restraining surface 26 </ b> A of the main body bag portion 26 during the front collision restraint. When the head H moves further forward, the second attachment portion 96B of the first tether 96 is displaced forward, and the first tether 96 is slackened. When the first tether 96 bends, the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the first tether 96 becomes free, and the second mounting portion 98B of the second tether 98 connected to the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the first tether 96 also becomes free. Therefore, the second tether 98 is also loosened. Therefore, no force is applied to the patch 94 from the first mounting portion 98A of the second tether 98 to the right side of the vehicle, so that the second vent hole 28H is opened.

(At oblique restraint)
As shown in FIG. 6B, during oblique restraint, the head H of the passenger seat occupant P moves diagonally forward left and the head H enters the slit 24A2. When the head H enters the slit 24A2, the longitudinal middle portion of the second tether 98 is pushed substantially in front of the vehicle (more precisely, diagonally forward of the vehicle and on the left side of the vehicle). Then, the second tether 98 is bent and stretched. Then, due to the tension of the second tether 98, a force to the right side of the vehicle acts on the patch 94 via the first attachment portion 98 </ b> A of the second tether 98. The force to the right of the vehicle presses the patch cloth 94 against the edge of the second vent hole 28H, and closes the second vent hole 28H.

  Since a force to the left of the vehicle acts on the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the first tether 96 via the second attachment portion 98B of the second tether 98, the first tether 96 is slightly bent from the middle portion in the front-rear direction. I do.

(Modification of Third Embodiment)
Although the example in which the second vent hole 28H is opened in the static deployment state shown in FIG. 5 has been described above, the vent hole variable mechanism 93 of the third embodiment is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7B, the second vent hole 28H may be closed in the statically deployed state.

  By the way, in the static deployment state shown in FIG. 7B, the first tether 96 is stretched forward and backward, whereas in the head-on restraint shown in FIG. 96 becomes slack. For this reason, by appropriately setting the length dimension of the second tether 98, the second vent hole 28H is closed as shown in FIG. 7B in the static deployment state, and FIG. As shown in (A), it is possible to realize a variable vent hole mechanism in which the second vent hole 28H is opened. If the second vent hole 28H is set to be closed in the static deployment state, the second vent hole 28H is also closed when oblique is restrained.

(Summary of Third Embodiment)
As can be seen from the above description, the variable vent hole mechanism 93 of the third embodiment includes a patch 94 capable of opening and closing the second vent hole 28H and a second tether 98 connected to the patch 94. It is comprised including. When the force from the second tether 98 does not act, the patch cloth 94 opens the second vent hole 28H, and when the force from the second tether 98 (pulling force to the right side of the vehicle) acts, the patch cloth 94 opens. The two vent holes 28H are configured to be closed. In addition, the second tether 98 reduces the tension of the second tether 98 (lack) during head-on restraint, and increases the tension of the second tether 98 during oblique restraint to pull the patch 94 to the right side of the vehicle. It is configured.
In this manner, the variable vent hole mechanism 93 of the third embodiment is configured to reduce the amount of gas exhausted from the second vent hole 28H during oblique restraint as compared to when the frontal collision is restrained.

[Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment]
In the above embodiment, the example in which the first vent hole 26H is formed on the side of the airbag 24 on the right side of the vehicle has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a vent hole may not be formed on the right side portion of the airbag 24 on the vehicle.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the tether 34, the tether 76, the first tether 96, the second tether 98, the cover member 74, and the pad cloth 94, which constitute a part of the variable vent hole mechanism, are sewn to the airbag 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, each tether or the like may be configured by an extended portion of the base fabric of the airbag 24 that is partially extended.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the main body bag portion 26 is configured to include the left bag portion 26L and the right bag portion 26R, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the main body bag portion 26 can be appropriately changed. .

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the lid member 74 and the patch cloth 94 are coupled to the front and rear edges of the second vent hole 28H has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be coupled to upper and lower edges of the second vent hole 28H.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the passenger seat airbag device 20 is applied to the left-hand drive vehicle V, but the passenger seat airbag device 20 may be applied to the right-hand drive vehicle V. In this case, the left side of the vehicle corresponds to the “passenger seat side”, and the right side of the vehicle corresponds to the “driver seat side”.

Reference Signs List 20 passenger seat airbag device 24 airbag 24A2 slit 26 body bag portion 28 center bag portion 28A side portion 28C of the center bag portion on the passenger seat side side portion 28H of the center bag portion on the driver's seat side Second vent hole (vent hole)
33 Variable vent hole mechanism 34 Tether 34A First mounting portion 34B Second mounting portion 60 Passenger seat airbag device 73 Vent hole variable mechanism 74 Lid 76 Tether 76A First mounting portion 76B Second mounting portion 80 Passenger airbag device 93 Vent hole variable mechanism 94 Patch cloth 96 First tether 96A First mounting part 96B Second mounting part 98 Second tether 98A First mounting part 98B Second mounting part P Passenger's seat occupant

Claims (1)

An airbag that is inflated and deployed by receiving gas supply,
A vent hole for exhausting gas in the airbag to the outside,
A vent hole variable mechanism for controlling a gas exhaust amount from the vent hole,
A passenger airbag device comprising:
The airbag includes a main body bag portion inflated and deployed in front of a passenger seat occupant, and a center bag portion inflated and deployed on the driver's seat side with respect to the main body bag portion and protruding rearward of the vehicle from the main body bag portion. It is comprised including
At the time of inflation and deployment, a slit that opens to the vehicle rear side is formed between the main body bag portion and the center bag portion,
The vent hole is formed in a side portion of the center bag portion on the driver's seat side,
The vent hole variable mechanism,
A driver seat side of the center bag portion and a passenger seat side of the center bag portion, or a driver seat side of the center bag portion and the main body bag portion are connected to each other. Is configured to reduce the amount of gas exhausted from the vent hole at the time of oblique restraint than at the time of head-on restraint,
Passenger airbag device.