JP6738646B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a side airbag device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a side airbag device including a side airbag that inflates and deploys between a vehicle side wall and an occupant seated on a seat in order to protect the occupant in a side collision.

At the same time that the side wall of the vehicle collides with the side wall of the vehicle during a side collision accident, the side airbag expands and deploys to protect the occupant. When sandwiched between the bag and the bag, the force from the side airbag concentrates on a part of the occupant's chest via the occupant's upper arm, so it is necessary to set the internal pressure of the side airbag low. Therefore, in order to increase the internal pressure of the side airbag to an appropriate pressure and improve the efficiency of the occupant restraint, the side airbag pushes up the upper arm of the occupant, thereby improving the efficiency of the occupant restraint described above. Side airbag devices that protect the chest are being considered.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a main bag portion is inflated and deployed on the vehicle rear side of an occupant, and a sub bag portion that is joined to the main bag portion and is deployable at a position corresponding to the upper arm portion is provided. There is disclosed a configuration in which the sub-bag portion is inflated and deployed by pushing up the upper arm portion of the occupant due to the joint portion being ruptured as the internal pressure rises after completion of deployment.

JP, 2013-154786, A

In the side airbag device described in Patent Document 1, the deployment of the sub-bag portion is controlled by the internal pressure of the main bag portion. However, the location where the fracture starts at the joint portion and the deployment behavior depending on the fractured portion Since it is unstable whether or not the upper arm is pushed up, there is a problem that it is difficult to stably realize the behavior of pushing up the upper arm. In addition, the joint and the sub-bag are tapered upward and expand and inflate vigorously.Therefore, depending on the vehicle size and the physique of the occupant, the sub-bag expands in the gap between the upper arm of the occupant and the vehicle side wall. There was a risk of expansion.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and by stably pushing up the occupant's upper arm and deploying the side airbag in an empty space, side air that can protect the chest without the intervention of the upper arm. It is intended to provide a bag device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, one embodiment of the present invention relates to an inflator for generating gas, and a folded and stored inflator of a seat back of a vehicle seat, which is filled with the gas when the inflator is activated. A bag-shaped side airbag which is inflated and deployed by the side airbag, the side airbag being inflated and deployed to the vehicle side wall side of the occupant seated on the seat and extending from above to below the occupant's chest. A base cloth portion having a pair of slanted ends extending obliquely, and a push-up cloth portion connected between the pair of slanted ends, and the base cloth portion in an inflated and deployed state of the side airbag. Covers the side surface of the chest of the occupant, the push-up cloth portion contacts the lower surface of the upper arm portion of the occupant, and the inflated side airbag is crushed from the vehicle side wall side to the base cloth portion. Is a side airbag device in which the push-up cloth portion projects toward the upper arm portion in response to the approach of the pair of inclined ends.

Note that the relationship between the occupant and the side airbag is set by using, for example, an International Unified Side Impact Dummy (World-SID).

According to the side airbag device of the present invention, the upper arm portion of the occupant is stably pushed up and the side airbag is deployed in the empty space, so that the chest portion can be protected without the intervention of the upper arm portion.

In the side airbag apparatus which concerns on embodiment, it is a figure explaining the initial state before a side airbag inflate-deploys. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state before the side airbag is inflated and deployed and the vehicle side wall enters the inside of the vehicle in the side airbag device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state after the side airbag is inflated and deployed and the vehicle side wall enters the inside of the vehicle in the side airbag device according to the embodiment. It is sectional drawing which showed typically the shape of the side airbag before being crushed by the vehicle side wall. It is sectional drawing which showed typically the shape of the side airbag after being crushed by the vehicle side wall. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a three-dimensional shape of the side airbag shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). (A) is a schematic diagram showing a plane shape of a side airbag, (b) is a schematic plan view showing a lifting cloth, and (c) is formed into a bag shape after connection. 3 is a view showing a three-dimensional shape of a side airbag.

Hereinafter, a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the description about the direction in the present specification is based on the vehicle unless otherwise specified, for example, the front and rear indicate the vehicle front and rear direction, the up and down indicate the vehicle up and down direction, and the side is , Shows the outer direction in the vehicle width direction. In addition, an arrow FR that is appropriately shown in each drawing indicates the vehicle front direction, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upward direction, and an arrow OUT indicates the outer side direction in the vehicle width direction.

First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a change with time when the side airbag is inflated and deployed in the side airbag device according to the embodiment will be described. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining an initial state before the side airbag is inflated and deployed, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are side airbags inflated and deployed and a vehicle. It is a figure explaining the state before a side wall invades in a vehicle, and Drawing 3 (a) and (b) is a figure explaining a state after a side airbag inflates and expands, and a vehicle side wall invades in a vehicle. Is. Here, FIGS. 1(a), 2(a) and 3(a) are all schematic views when viewed from the side, and FIGS. 1(b), 2(b) and 3(b) are 3A and 3B are schematic views when viewed from above.

The side airbag device 30 is attached to a door side portion of a seat back (back portion) 22 of a vehicle seat (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “seat”) 20. As the seat 20, a driver's seat, a passenger seat, etc. of the vehicle are assumed.

Although an occupant will be seated on the seat 20 when the vehicle is actually used, in the present embodiment, the international unified side collision dummy (World-SID) 10 is seated. The sitting posture of the international unified side collision dummy 10 is determined by the side collision test method (ECER R95) currently adopted in Japan and Europe or the side collision test method (FMVSS214) adopted in the United States. Is. FIG. 1A schematically shows the sitting posture of the internationally unified side collision dummy 10. According to the positions of the upper arm 11, the shoulder 12, the chest 13, the abdomen 14, the waist 16, and the back 18 of the international uniform side collision dummy 10 shown in FIG. The size is set. Hereinafter, the international unified side collision dummy 10 will be referred to as "occupant 10."

In an initial state before deployment of the side airbag 34, the side airbag device 30 includes a folded bag-shaped side airbag 34 and an inflator (gas generator) 32 arranged inside the bag. The inflator 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape (columnar shape) and is arranged along the height direction of the seat back 22. A pair of bolts project from the upper and lower portions of the outer peripheral portion of the inflator 32. The bolt penetrates the side airbag 34 and is attached to the side frame of the seat back 22.

The inflator 32 operates at the time of a side collision of the vehicle. First, when the collision detection sensor mounted on the vehicle detects a side collision of the vehicle, the ECU calculates the signal sent from the collision detection sensor to determine the collision level. When the determined level of collision corresponds to the case where the side airbag 34 is inflated, the inflator 32 is ignited and gas is generated by a chemical reaction due to combustion. The generated gas is discharged into the inside of the side airbag 34 from the gas ejection hole of the inflator 32. The type of the inflator 32 is not particularly limited, and a pyro-type inflator that uses a gas generated by burning a gas generating agent, a stored-type inflator that uses a compressed gas, a gas generated by burning a gas generating agent and a compression method. A hybrid type inflator or the like that uses a mixed gas with gas can be used.

In the initial state shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the side airbag 34 is folded and stored on the side of the seat back 22 while being covered by the outer skin 24 of the seat back 22. When the gas generated from the inflator 32 is filled in the bag, the side airbag 34 inflates while being unfolded, exposing the outer skin 24 of the seat back 22 by breaking it. Then, the side airbag 34 inflates and deploys to the side of the occupant 10 (vehicle side wall side) from the side of the seat back 22 of the seat 20 to the chest 13 of the occupant 10 seated on the seat 20, as shown in FIG. As shown in (b), the side airbag 34 after being inflated and deployed is arranged so as to overlap the side surfaces of the chest 13 and the back 18 of the occupant 10.

The expansion and deployment of the side airbag 34 is set to start at the same time when the vehicle side wall 40 is deformed toward the occupant 10 due to the side collision with the obstacle 80. The vehicle side wall 40 is not particularly limited as long as it is a vehicle body portion located on the side of the occupant 10 seated on the seat 20, and generically refers to side doors, pillars, and the like. After the inflation of the side airbag 34, the distance between the vehicle side wall 40 and the side surface of the chest 13 of the occupant 10 becomes narrower as the deformation amount of the vehicle side wall 40 increases. Eventually, the vehicle side wall 40 deformed by the side collision crushes the expanded and deployed side airbag 34 from the side, and the energy of the collision is absorbed by the side airbag 34. The side airbag 34 crushed from the side is shown in FIG. 3(a) as the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B approach each other, that is, the distance between the base cloth portions 35 forming the thickness of the side airbag 34 decreases. ) And (b), the upper arm 11 is pushed up and moved. As a result, the chest 13 can be protected by the side airbag 34 without the intervention of the upper arm 11.

The side airbag 34 in the inflated and deployed state shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B has the three-dimensional shape shown in FIG. 7 to enable the upper arm 11 to be pushed up. Specifically, when the side airbag 34 is inflated and deployed, the base cloth portion 35 deploys to the side of the occupant 10 and covers at least the side surface of the chest 13 of the occupant 10. In addition, a pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B extending diagonally (downward from the vehicle rear side toward the vehicle front side) from above the chest portion 13 to below the chest portion 13 are provided on the upper portion of the base cloth portion 35. There is. A push-up cloth portion 36 is connected between the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B in order to widen the upper portion of the side airbag 34. The push-up cloth portion 36 is arranged such that its width direction is the thickness direction of the side airbag 34. In addition, the push-up cloth portion 36 is arranged along the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B so as to be inclined from above the side surface of the side airbag 34 to below the front surface thereof.

The push-up cloth portion 36 is arranged at a position corresponding to the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 when the side airbag 34 is inflated and deployed. The upper arm 11 of the occupant 10 is between the side surface of the chest 13 and the vehicle side wall 40 in the initial state, but the side airbag 34 inflates and deploys between the side surface of the chest 13 and the vehicle side wall 40, so that the lifting cloth is pushed up. The portion 36 comes into contact with the lower surface 11A of the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10. The “lower surface 11A of the upper arm portion 11 ”means the surface of the rear upper arm portion on the rear surface side of the human body. When the deformation amount of the vehicle side wall 40 is small, the base cloth portion 35, which has a larger area than the push-up cloth portion 36, receives a larger amount of gas inflating force, so that the side airbag 34 has a width between the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B. Inflate to maximize. The inflation and deployment of the side airbag 34 is set to be completed before being crushed by the vehicle side wall 40. In the expanded and inflated side airbag 34 before being crushed by the vehicle side wall 40, the push-up cloth portion 36 has a flat shape as shown in FIG. The upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 is supported and moved from below by the planar lifting cloth portion 36.

After that, the deformation amount of the vehicle side wall 40 increases, and the base cloth portion 35 is crushed by the vehicle side wall 40 from the side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the width between the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B is narrowed, and the push-up cloth portion 36 is deformed by the internal pressure so as to project toward the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10. The three-dimensional shape as shown in FIG. As a result, the moved upper arm 11 of the occupant 10 is further pushed upward by the protruding push-up cloth portion 36. Further, the positions of the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B when viewed from the side of the vehicle move to the position of the upper arm portion 11 before being pushed up. That is, the base cloth portion 35 and the push-up cloth portion 36 are arranged in the space vacated by the push-up of the upper arm portion 11.

The manufacturing method of the side airbag 34 is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, one base cloth folded in two is used as the base cloth portion 35, and is shown in FIG. 7B. It can be manufactured by using one push-up cloth as the push-up cloth portion 36 and connecting the base cloth portion 35 and the push-up cloth portion 36 along the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B. Specifically, the push-up cloth portion 36 shown in FIG. 7(b) is folded along a line connecting the notches provided at both ends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the peripheral edges of the notches are connected. As a result, a boat-shaped three-dimensional shape in which both side edges 36A and 36B in the longitudinal direction of the push-up cloth portion 36 and both end portions 36C and 36D form an opening edge portion is formed. Thereafter, one of the longitudinal side edges 36A of the push-up cloth portion 36 is connected to one of the pair of inclined ends 35A of the base cloth portion 35, and the other longitudinal side edge 36B of the push-up cloth portion 36 is connected. Is connected to the other 35B of the pair of inclined ends of the base cloth portion 35. Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, the push-up cloth portion 36 connected to the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B of the base cloth portion 35 is disposed between the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B of the base cloth portion 35. Will be placed. Then, the bag-shaped side airbag 34 can be manufactured by connecting the facing end portions of the base cloth portion 35 other than the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B to each other. Examples of the connecting method include sewing, adhesion, welding, and the like, of which sewing is preferable. The three-dimensional shape of the bag-shaped side airbag 34 after connection is shown in FIG. FIG. 7C shows a state in which the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B of FIG.

The base cloth portion 35 and the push-up cloth portion 36 can be formed of, for example, a thread of nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or the like. Further, in order to improve heat resistance, airtightness, and the like, the base cloth portion 35 and the push-up cloth portion 36 may have their surfaces coated with silicon or the like.

7A and 7B, one base cloth is folded in two to form the base cloth portion 35, and one push-up cloth is used as the push-up cloth portion 36. The base cloth portion 35 may be made by connecting two facing base cloths.

Further, the side airbag 34 is preferably provided with a vent hole for discharging gas. Since the internal pressure rises when the inflated side airbag 34 is crushed, the reaction force of the side airbag 34 increases. That is, although the side airbag 34 becomes hard, the absorption characteristics of the side airbag 34 can be controlled by appropriately discharging the gas from the vent hole.

In the present embodiment, even if the upper arm 11 of the occupant 10 seated on the seat 20 is in a position overlapping the chest 13 of the occupant 10 when viewed from the side of the vehicle during a side collision, the seated posture of the body of the occupant 10 is maintained. As it is, the side airbag 34 is crushed by the vehicle side wall 40 to maintain the expanded state and deform, whereby the push-up cloth portion 36 moves only the upper arm portion 11 in the upward direction. As a result, the upper arm 11 can be prevented from being interposed between the chest 13 of the occupant 10 and the side airbag 34. The side airbag 34 is accommodated in the empty space after the movement of the upper arm 11 of the occupant 10, and the upper arm 11 does not press the chest 13, so that the chest 13 can be well protected.

Further, in the upper arm 11 of the occupant 10, after the push-up cloth 36 forms the upper surface of the side airbag 34 between the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B as the side airbag 34 inflates and deploys, the upper arm 11 comes into contact with the upper arm 11. The side airbag 34 is crushed and the push-up cloth portion 36 projects, so that the side airbag 34 is pushed up. In this way, the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 is surely brought into contact with the side airbag 34, and the push-up cloth portion 36 does not vigorously project due to the expansion and expansion of the side airbag 34, and the side airbag 34 is crushed. Since the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 is pushed up relatively slowly in accordance with the above, it is possible to reduce the risk that the side airbag 34 is deployed and inflated in the gap between the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 and the vehicle side wall 40. It is also possible to prevent the upper arm portion 11 from jumping up more than necessary when moving upward.

Further, since the upper arm 11 can be pushed up according to the deformation of the vehicle side wall 40 and the base cloth portion 35 can be arranged on the side surface of the chest 13, the timing of pushing up the upper arm 11 and the side airbag 34 protect the chest 13. The timing can be adjusted and the chest 13 of the occupant 10 can be stably protected.

Further, since the opposite end portions of the base cloth portion 35 are connected to each other, the thickness of the inflated and deployed side airbag 34 around the connecting portion is reduced. Therefore, parts other than the push-up cloth portion 36 easily enter between the side surface of the occupant 10 and the vehicle side wall 40, and even if the push-up cloth portion 36 is provided, the deploying force of the side airbag 34 toward the front of the vehicle is impaired. It will not be done.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the push-up cloth portion 36 is formed in a three-dimensional shape in which two end portions 36C and 36D in the vehicle front-rear direction project inward of the side airbag 34. Due to the gas filled in the side airbag 34, a portion formed in a three-dimensional shape projecting inward of the side airbag 34 tries to project outward of the side airbag 34. Since the pressure-receiving area of the base cloth portion 35 in the thickness direction is large, the push-up cloth portion 36 is pulled in the width direction and does not project upward. Since the thickness of the side airbag 34 is reduced as the side airbag 34 is crushed, the push-up cloth portion 36 can be projected upward by the internal pressure without being pulled in the width direction. Further, since the end portions 36C and 36D in the extending direction of the push-up cloth portion 36 are formed in a three-dimensional shape, the push-up cloth portion 36 protrudes not only to the center in the extending direction but also to the end portions 36C and 36D. Therefore, it is possible to contact the entire lower surface of the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 and push up in the entire extending direction of the push-up cloth portion 36. As a result, the upper arm 11 can be pushed up regardless of the internal pressure of the side airbag 34. The push-up cloth portion 36 may be formed in a three-dimensional shape in which one end portion 36C or 36D in the vehicle front-rear direction protrudes inward of the side airbag 34.

Further, the push-up cloth portion 36 may be formed in a three-dimensional shape in which at least one end portion 36C, 36D in the vehicle front-rear direction is projected outward of the side airbag 34. Even in this case, since the end portions 36C and 36D in the extending direction of the push-up cloth portion 36 are formed in a three-dimensional shape, not only the center in the extending direction of the push-up cloth portion 36 but also the end portion 36C. , 36D can be projected, and the entire lower surface of the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 can be pushed and pushed up in the entire extending direction of the push-up cloth portion 36.

Further, in the present embodiment, the push-up cloth portion 36 is arranged between the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B of the base cloth portion 35 in a state of being folded back between the base cloth portions 35 along the vehicle front-rear direction, Ends 36C and 36D in the vehicle front-rear direction are fixed together with the base cloth portion 35. Since the end portions 36C and 36D in the vehicle front-rear direction are fixed, the push-up cloth portion 36 is flat until the side airbag 34 is crushed. Therefore, when the push-up cloth portion 36 comes into contact with the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10, the upper arm portion 11 does not move vigorously, and the upper arm portion 11 can be pushed up stably. Further, the side airbag 34 is not bulky when it is folded.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the inflated and deployed state of the side airbag 34, the pair of inclined ends 35A, 35B of the base cloth portion 35 are inclined by 35° to 70° with respect to the extending direction Y of the seat back 22. It is preferably provided, for example, provided with an inclination of about 50°. The inclination angle α in the extending direction Y of the seat back 22 with respect to the extending direction X of the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B is such that the inclination of the surface of the push-up cloth portion 36 of the inflated side airbag 34 is seated on the seat 20. It is preferable that it is set based on the angle of the upper arm 11 with respect to the orientation (torso line) of the body of the seated occupant 10 so as to follow the lower surface of the upper arm 11 of the occupant 10. If the inclination angle α is within the range of 35° to 70°, the lifting cloth portion 36 abuts the lower surface 11A of the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 while maintaining the sitting posture of the body portion of the occupant 10 and the upper arm portion. Since only 11 can be lifted, the chest 13 of the occupant 10 can be protected without being loaded. The extending direction Y of the seat back 22 is substantially parallel to the central axis of the torso line or the tubular inflator 32, and is set to, for example, about 20° with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle.

When viewed from the side of the vehicle, the contours of the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B may be linear as shown in FIG. 3(a), but as shown in FIG. 7(a). In addition, it is preferable that the intermediate portion 35C of the inclined ends 35A and 35B in the vehicle front-rear direction be curved outward. By curving outward, the shape of the side airbag 34 can be easily adapted to the empty space after the upper arm 11 is pushed up.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the push-up cloth portion 36 has two side edges 36A and 36B facing each other and connected to the pair of inclined ends 35A and 35B of the base cloth portion 35, respectively. The maximum width of the push-up cloth portion 36 between 36A and 36B is preferably larger than 65 mm. The larger the width W of the push-up cloth portion 36, the larger the thickness of the side airbag 34 in the vicinity of the push-up cloth portion 36 when inflated and deployed. That is, it is possible to inflate and deploy so as to fill the gap between the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10 and the vehicle side wall 40. Therefore, since the maximum width of the push-up cloth portion 36 between the two side edges 36A and 36B is larger than the thickness of the upper arm portion 11 of the occupant 10, the upper arm portion 11 can be prevented from deviating from the push-up cloth portion 36. Therefore, the upper arm 11 of the occupant 10 can be stably pushed up.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above embodiments. Each configuration described in the embodiment may be appropriately deleted, added, changed, or combined within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

10: Crew (International Unified Side Impact Dummy)
11: Upper arm 11A: Lower surface of upper arm 12: Shoulder 13: Chest 14: Abdomen 16: Waist 18: Back 20: Seat (vehicle seat)
22: Seat back 24: Outer skin 30: Side airbag device 32: Inflator 34: Side airbag 35: Base cloth portion 35A, 35B: Inclined end 35C: Intermediate portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of the inclined end 36: Push-up cloth portion 36A , 36B: Side edges 36C, 36D: Vehicle front-rear direction end 40: Vehicle side wall 80: Obstacle

Claims (6)

An inflator for generating gas,
A bag-shaped side airbag that is folded and stored on the side of the seat back of the vehicle seat, and expands and deploys by filling the gas when the inflator is activated,
The side airbag is a base cloth portion having a pair of slanted ends that are deployed in an inflated and deployed state toward a vehicle side wall of an occupant seated on the seat and obliquely extend from above the chest of the occupant to below. A push-up cloth portion connected between the pair of inclined ends,
In the inflated and deployed state of the side airbag, the base cloth portion covers the side surface of the chest of the occupant, the push-up cloth portion abuts the lower surface of the occupant's upper arm portion,
The push-up cloth portion projects toward the upper arm portion in response to the approach of the pair of inclined ends of the base cloth portion due to the side airbag that has been inflated and expanded being crushed from the vehicle side wall side. Side airbag device that does. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein
The side airbag device, wherein the push-up cloth portion is formed in a three-dimensional shape in which at least one end portion in the vehicle front-rear direction protrudes inward or outward of the side airbag. The side airbag device according to claim 2, wherein
The push-up cloth portion is arranged between the pair of inclined ends of the base cloth portion in a state of being folded back between the base cloth portions along the vehicle front-rear direction, and the end portion is stopped together with the base cloth portion. A side airbag device characterized by being worn. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the inflated and deployed state of the side airbag, the pair of inclined ends of the base cloth portion are provided so as to be inclined at 35° to 70° with respect to the extending direction of the seat back. Bag device. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The push-up cloth portion has two side edges facing each other and connected to a pair of inclined ends of the base cloth portion,
The maximum width of the push-up cloth portion between the two side edges is larger than 65 mm. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the expanded and expanded state, the area of the base cloth portion is larger than the area of the lifting cloth portion,
In the inflated and deployed state, the side airbag device is characterized in that the width direction of the push-up cloth portion is the thickness direction of the side airbag.

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