JP6748293B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a side airbag device that protects an occupant by deploying it on a side portion of a vehicle seat.

It is well known to provide vehicles with one or more airbags to protect occupants in the event of a vehicle accident. Examples of the airbag include a so-called driver airbag that expands from the vicinity of the center of the steering wheel of the automobile to protect the driver, or a downward impact inside the window of the automobile and a lateral impact of the vehicle. There are various forms such as a curtain airbag that protects an occupant in the event of a rollover or rollover, and a side airbag that is deployed on the side of the occupant to protect the occupant in the event of a lateral impact on the vehicle. The present invention relates to a side airbag device provided in a vehicle seat.

The side airbag device may adopt a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) structure in order to regulate the deployment shape of the airbag. For example, as described in Patent Document 1 below, a three-dimensional airbag is formed by connecting a plurality of panels.

By the way, in the side airbag device, it is preferable to deploy the airbag to restrain the occupant quickly when an accident occurs, and to discharge the gas of the airbag to reduce the internal pressure when the occupant contacts. In Patent Document 1, a rupturable vertically long seam is formed at the boundary portion between the front surface and the side surface of the airbag.
However, in the exhaust type as in Patent Document 1, when the occupant comes into contact with the deployed airbag, the joint may not be sufficiently opened and exhaust may be insufficient. Also, other structures have been proposed, but all of them have complicated structures.

International publication WO2013/030995

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and in a side airbag device adopting a three-dimensionally deployable airbag, the occupant comes into contact with the deployed airbag while having a simple structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a side airbag device that can reliably exhaust air at times.

(Claim 1)
The present invention to achieve the above object, in a side airbag device having an airbag that is housed in a vehicle seat and protects an occupant by inflating and deploying, the airbag is a front panel that faces the front of the vehicle when inflating and deploying. , And a side panel connected to the side of the front panel. A slit is formed in the front panel along the direction in which tension is applied during expansion and deployment.
In the side air bag device having such a structure, when the occupant collides (contacts) with the side surface of the inflated and expanded air bag, the tension of the front panel is relaxed, and accordingly, the slit is orthogonal to the tension (generally, the vertical Direction), and the expanded gas is surely discharged to the outside.

(Claim 2)
The left and right edges of the front panel may be connected to the side panel.
Thus, by completely forming the side panel and the front panel as separate members, it becomes easy to control the direction of the tension applied to the front panel when the airbag is inflated and deployed.

(Claim 3)
The front panel may be formed at least around a position (height) corresponding to the occupant's head.
By forming the slits on the front panel arranged and formed in this manner, when the head of the occupant comes into contact with the airbag, the slits can open the inflation gas and reliably discharge the inflation gas. Further, the range of the front panel can be suppressed to a necessary minimum, and the degree of freedom in the panel configuration of the airbag is increased.

(Claim 4)
The front panel may have a structure that forms the entire front surface of the airbag.
With such a structure, it is easy to maintain the expanded shape of the airbag in a three-dimensional shape, and the degree of freedom of the slit forming position is increased. For example, it is possible to arrange such that a slit is added relatively downward for an occupant having a small physique.

(Claim 5)
The front panel may be formed such that at least one of an upper end and a lower end gradually narrows toward the end.
By adopting such a structure, it becomes possible to make the entire shape of the inflated and expanded airbag into a smoother shape with less protrusions.

(Claim 6)
The slit may be configured to extend substantially horizontally when the airbag is inflated and deployed.
If the slit is inclined with respect to the horizontal, the direction of tension applied to the front panel and the direction in which the slit extends intersect, and the slit does not close securely in the process of inflation and deployment of the airbag, and the inflation gas There is a risk of leakage.

(Claim 7)
The slit may have a structure extending to the vicinity of a connecting portion with the side panel.
With such a structure, when the occupant collides with the side panel of the inflated airbag, the looseness of the tension of the front panel directly reaches the end of the slit, so that the slit is opened promptly.

(Claim 8)
The slit may be formed at a height corresponding to the head of the occupant.
By adopting such a structure, when the head of the occupant collides with the side panel of the inflated and expanded airbag, the lower tension of the front panel directly affects the slit, and the slit opens quickly. ..

(Claim 9)
A plurality of the slits may be formed, and at least one slit may be formed at a height corresponding to the head of the occupant.
By adopting such a structure, it becomes possible to appropriately deal with occupants having different physiques. For example, assuming a passenger with a small physique, if a slit is added below the front panel, the damage to the passenger can be more reliably alleviated.

(Claim 10)
A reinforcing structure may be provided to increase the rigidity of the peripheral portion of the slit.
By adopting such a structure, when the occupant collides with the side panel of the inflated and expanded airbag, the slit formed in the front panel can be surely and quickly opened. On the other hand, when the rigidity around the slit is insufficient, even if the tension of the front panel is reduced, the force is difficult to be transmitted to the slit, and the opening of the slit becomes insufficient.

(Claim 11)
The reinforcing structure may be sewn along the upper and lower edges of the slit. The sewing here includes "overlock stitching".
By adopting such a structure, the rigidity around the slit can be increased with a simple structure.

(Claim 12)
It is preferable that the sewing intersects at the ends of the slits.
With such a configuration, it becomes possible to secure sufficient rigidity at the end portion where the highest rigidity is required. As a result, when the occupant collides with the side panel of the inflated and deployed airbag, the slit is more reliably opened.

(Claim 13)
As the reinforcing structure, it is possible to employ a reinforcing panel that is provided so as to overlap with the front panel. In this case, the slit is formed penetrating both the front panel and the reinforcing panel. The rigidity around the slit can be increased by a relatively simple work process.

(Claim 14)
At least one inner panel that connects the left and right side panels may be provided inside the airbag.
By providing the inner panel in addition to the front panel, it becomes easy to maintain the expanded shape of the airbag in a desired three-dimensional shape as a whole.

(Claim 15)
The inner panel may be arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the front panel when the airbag is inflated and deployed.
With such a structure, in order to reliably restrict the airbag from expanding more than necessary in the left-right width direction together with the front panel, a large tension is applied in the left-right direction to open and close the slit provided in the front panel. Will be fully demonstrated.

(Claims 16 and 17)
The airbag may include a main chamber that restrains an occupant by inflating and deploying, and an inner chamber that is disposed inside the main chamber and that accommodates an inflator that generates inflation gas. An opening may be formed in the inner chamber so as to be in fluid communication with the main chamber.
Further, a plurality of openings may be formed in the inner chamber so as to be in fluid communication with the main chamber, and the expansion gas flowing out from the plurality of openings may be configured to be guided to each space partitioned by the inner panel. it can.
By adopting such a configuration, the flow of the inflation gas becomes smooth, which contributes to the improvement of the deployment speed of the airbag and the stabilization of the deployment shape.

(Claim 18)
The airbag device may be configured to be housed in a vehicle inner side portion (a side opposite to a door panel) of the vehicle seat. Such types of airbags are called, for example, far side airbags, front center airbags, rear center airbags and the like.
Compared with a side airbag that is deployed on the door panel side of a vehicle, it is necessary to positively regulate the deployment shape of the airbag, and the significance and effects of the present invention become more prominent.

In the present application, “front” or “front” means the traveling direction of the vehicle, “rear” or “rear” means the opposite side of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and “width direction” means that of the vehicle. It means a horizontal direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the traveling direction, "right" means the right side in the vehicle traveling direction, "left" means the left side in the vehicle traveling direction, and "inside". The term "" means the center side of the vehicle from that position, and the "outer side" means the outside of the vehicle (door panel side) from the position.

Further, the side airbag according to the present invention is applicable not only to the type that is deployed inside the vehicle (center side) of the seat, but also to the type that is deployed outside the seat (door side).

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which an airbag is deployed and observed from a center side of a vehicle (a side opposite to a door panel). FIG. 2 is a front view (A) and a side view (B) showing a deployed state of the side airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic shape of a panel that constitutes the airbag according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the operation of the side airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) shows a state immediately after inflation and deployment, and (B) the occupant's head comes into contact with the airbag. Indicates the state of time. 5A to 5D are schematic plan views showing another aspect of the front panel used in the side airbag device according to the present invention. 6(A) to 6(E) are schematic plan views showing aspects of the structure around the slit of the front panel used in the side airbag device according to the present invention.

A vehicle seat equipped with a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, "front" displayed in each figure is in front of the vehicle (direction of travel), "rear" is behind the vehicle (opposite direction of travel), and "inside" is inside of the vehicle width direction (passenger side). , "Outside" refer to the outside in the vehicle width direction (door panel side).

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the side airbag device according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the airbag 10 is deployed and observed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the side airbag device is housed on the side (far side) far from the door of the vehicle seat. When viewed as a part, the vehicle seat is composed of a seat cushion 2 at a portion on which an occupant sits; a seat back 1 forming a backrest; and a headrest 3 connected to an upper end of the seat back 1.

A seat back frame (not shown) that forms the skeleton of the seat is provided inside the seat back 1, and a pad made of urethane foam or the like is provided on the surface and the periphery thereof, and the surface of the pad is leather or fabric. Etc. are covered by the epidermis. The seat back 1 includes a side support portion 12 that bulges in a vehicle traveling direction (vehicle front direction) at a vehicle width direction side portion (end portion). Inside the side support portion 12, the side airbag device is housed in a gap where no urethane pad is arranged.

The side airbag device includes an airbag 10 that restrains an occupant by inflating and expanding, and an inflator 14 (see FIG. 2) that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 10. It should be noted that when the airbag 10 starts to inflate, the seam of the skin of the seat back 1 is split and the airbag 10 is deployed toward the front of the side support portion 12.

FIG. 2 is a front view (A) and a side view (B) showing a deployed state of the side airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic shape of a panel constituting the airbag 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

(Airbag structure)
The side airbag 10 according to the present embodiment includes a main chamber 30 that is directly involved in restraining an occupant, and a sub chamber 32 that is housed in the main chamber 30 and that houses the inflator 14 therein.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main chamber 30 is formed from one center panel 16 and two side panels 18R and 18L. The outer edge of the center panel 16 and the front edge portions of the side panels 18R and 18L are connected by sewing 24. In the portion where the center panel 16 is not interposed, the side panels 18R and 18L are connected by sewing 22 in a bag shape.

The sub-chamber 32 includes three vent openings 38a, 38b, 38c for guiding the inflation gas released from the inflator 14 to the main chamber 30.

As the inflator 14, for example, a cylindrical cylinder type inflator can be used. From the outer peripheral portion of the inflator 14, a pair of upper and lower stud bolts protrude inward in the vehicle width direction. These stud bolts are attached (fastened and fixed) to the side frame by nuts. The inflator 14 is formed with a plurality of gas ejection ports arranged in the circumferential direction, and the gas is ejected radially from the gas ejection ports.

The inflator 14 is electrically connected to an airbag control ECU mounted on the vehicle. A satellite sensor that detects a side collision is electrically connected to the airbag control ECU. The airbag control ECU can be configured to operate the inflator 14 when a side collision is detected based on a signal from the satellite sensor.

Inner baffles 40 and 42 are connected to the inside of the main chamber 30. One ends 40a, 42a of the inner baffles 40, 42 are connected to the inner surface of the side panel 18R by sewing or the like, and the other ends 40b, 42b are connected to the inner surface of the side panel 18L by sewing or the like. The width of the inner baffles 40 and 42 and the width of the front panel 16 can be made substantially the same width. This makes it possible to reliably control the thickness of the inflated and deployed airbag 10 in the vehicle width direction.

The mounting angles of the inner baffles 40 and 42 are preferably close to the angle of the front panel 16 as shown in FIG. Further, the openings 38a, 38b, 38c of the sub-chamber 32 are arranged so as to face the three spaces partitioned in the front-rear direction by the inner baffles 40, 42, respectively. As a result, the expansion gas can be smoothly and quickly filled in the main chamber 30.

(Structure of the front panel 16)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front panel 16 forms at least a part of the front surface of the airbag 10, and tension is applied in the left-right direction of the front panel 16 when the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed. .. The direction of this tension is almost horizontal. The slit 20 is formed along the tension direction. The position of the slit 20 in the vertical direction (height direction) is preferably designed to correspond to the position where the head of the occupant P contacts (see FIG. 4B).

The shape of the front panel 16 has a uniform width as a whole, but is formed so as to narrow slightly toward the upper and lower ends. As a result, when the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed, the number of corners is reduced, and the entire bag is easily filled with gas at a uniform pressure. The inclination of the upper end and the lower end of the front panel 16 in the direction of narrowing may be linear or curved, and the angle can be changed appropriately.

Further, the vertical length of the front panel 16 may be formed so as to reach not only a part of the front surface of the airbag 10 as in the embodiment but also the upper, lower and rear portions of the side panels 18R, 18L. It is possible. By widening the range (length) of the front panel 16, it becomes easy to control the thickness of the entire airbag 10.

(Airbag deployment operation)
4A and 4B are front views showing the operation of the side airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A shows a state immediately after inflation and deployment, and FIG. 4B shows the occupant's head contacting the airbag. Indicates the state of time.

When a vehicle collision occurs and the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed, the airbag 10 has a shape as shown in FIG. 4(A). At this time, tension is applied to the front panel 16 in the horizontal direction, and the slit 20 is closed. Then, when the head of the occupant P collides with the side panel 18L, the tension of the front panel 16 is lowered, the slit 20 is opened, and the gas inside the airbag 10 is discharged to the outside. As a result, the impact of the airbag 10 on the occupant P is alleviated.

(Mode of front panel)
5A to 5D are schematic plan views showing another aspect of the front panel used in the side airbag device according to the present invention.

The front panel 116 shown in FIG. 5(A) is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the slit 120 is formed at a position corresponding to the head of the occupant P.

The front panel 216 shown in FIG. 5B is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and slits 220H and 220L are formed at a position corresponding to the head of the occupant P and a position lower than that. The lower slit 220L can effectively exhaust the inflation gas even for an occupant having a small body size, for example. That is, the exhaust operation can be performed without depending on the physique of the occupant.

The front panel 316 shown in FIG. 5C has a shape in which the width becomes narrower toward the lower end, and a slit 320 is formed at a position corresponding to the head of the occupant P.

The front panel 416 shown in FIG. 5D has a slit 420 formed at a position corresponding to the head of the occupant P, and has a shape in which the width narrows from the slit 420 toward the upper end and the lower end.

In each of the front panel 16 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the front panels 116, 216, 316, and 416 shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the number of slits is set to two or more. It is possible to In this case, it is preferable to set the height of the occupant's head in consideration.

(Aspect of slit)
6(A) to 6(E) are schematic plan views showing aspects of the structure around the slit 20 of the front panel used in the side airbag device according to the present invention. The slit 20 may be formed by simply making a cut in the front panel 16 or may have a structure having a slight width (gap). Importantly, when the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed, tension is applied to the front panel 16, whereby both ends of the slit 20 are pulled and closed, and the side panel 18R of the airbag 10 that is inflated and deployed. , 18L when the occupant comes into contact with the occupant, the slit 20 opens so as to open the mouth as the tension of the front panel 16 decreases.

The slit 20 shown in FIG. 6(A) corresponds to the slit shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and both ends thereof extend to the vicinity of a connecting portion (sewing line) 24 between the front panel 16 and the side panels 18R and 18L. Yes, but not yet. If the gap between the end portion of the slit 20 and the coupling portion 24 is too large, the slit 20 becomes difficult to open, so it is preferable to set it so that it is not too large. It should be noted that when the airbag 10 is actually inflated and deployed and an occupant enters, the slit 20 may extend to the coupling portion 24.

Both ends of the slit 25 shown in FIG. 6B reach the connecting portion (sewing line) 24 between the front panel 16 and the side panels 18R and 18L.

The slit 20 shown in FIG. 6(C) is the same as that shown in FIG. 6(A), but reinforcement sewing (overlock stitch) 500 is formed along the edge thereof. The both ends of the sewing 500 form an intersection 500a, which enhances the rigidity at the end.

The slit 20 and the sewing 500 shown in FIG. 6D are the same as those shown in FIG. 6C, but a reinforcing panel 600 is provided around the slit 20. The reinforcing panel 600 can be formed of the same material as the front panel 16, and can have a structure in which the panel is partially doubled. The reinforcing panel 600 may be provided inside the front panel 16.

The slit 20 shown in FIG. 6(E) is the same as that shown in FIG. 6(A), and the reinforcing panel 600 adopted in FIG. 6(D) is provided. That is, the sewing 500 is omitted from the structure shown in FIG.

(Other embodiments of the present invention)
In the embodiment for carrying out the invention, the so-called far side (the side farther from the vehicle door of the vehicle seat) is mainly described, but the near side airbag (the side closer to the vehicle door of the vehicle seat) or It can also be used for a single-seat vehicle such as a small mobility vehicle such as a small mobility vehicle (a vehicle including a portion having only one seat in a row regardless of whether or not there is a door).

Claims (12)

In a side airbag device having an airbag that is housed in a vehicle seat and protects an occupant by inflating and deploying,
The airbag includes a front panel facing the front of the vehicle when inflated and deployed, and a side panel connected to a side of the front panel,
The left and right edges of the front panel are connected to the side panel,
The front panel is formed into a substantially rectangular shape with the vertical direction being the longitudinal direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and the front panel is provided with slits along the direction in which tension is applied during expansion and deployment ,
The slit extends substantially horizontally when the airbag is inflated and deployed, and extends to the vicinity of the connecting portion with the side panel,
A reinforcing structure that enhances the rigidity is provided in the peripheral portion of the slit, and
Inside the airbag, at least one inner panel that connects the left and right side panels is provided,
The side airbag device , wherein the inner panel is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the front panel when the airbag is inflated and deployed . The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the front panel is formed around at least a position corresponding to a head of an occupant. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the front panel forms the entire front surface of the airbag. The side according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of an upper end and a lower end of the front panel is formed so that a width thereof gradually narrows toward the end. Airbag device. The slit, the side airbag apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is formed to a height corresponding to the occupant's head. A plurality of the slits are formed,
At least one slit, a side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is formed to a height corresponding to the occupant's head. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reinforcing structure is sewn along upper and lower edges of the slit. 8. The side airbag device according to claim 7 , wherein the sewing intersects in the vicinity of the end of the slit. The reinforcing structure is a reinforcing panel provided so as to overlap with the front panel,
Side air bag device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said slits are formed through both the reinforcing panel and the front panel. The airbag has a main chamber for restraining an occupant by inflating and deploying,
An inner chamber that is disposed inside the main chamber and that accommodates an inflator that generates inflation gas,
Wherein the inner chamber, the side air bag device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that openings for the main chamber and the fluid communication are formed. The opening is formed with a plurality, inflation gas flowing out from the plurality of openings, the side airbag device according to claim 10, characterized in that guided in the space partitioned by the inner panel. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the airbag device is accommodated in a vehicle inner side portion of the vehicle seat.

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