JP6758162B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an airbag device.

Conventionally, an airbag device that protects an occupant from an impact when a vehicle such as an automobile collides is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

This airbag device includes, for example, a bag-shaped airbag body having an openable / closable vent hole, and a lid body which is arranged in a folded state inside the airbag body. In such an airbag device, the airbag body and the lid are connected by a strap, and the lid is opened by the tension applied to the lid after the easily broken portion of the strap is broken when the airbag body is expanded and deployed. It is configured to expand and close the openable vent hole.

For example, in the airbag device described in Patent Document 1, when the airbag body expands while the occupant is in close proximity to the steering wheel, a part of the airbag body protrudes toward the opposite occupant side of the steering wheel, and the protruding portion protrudes. Gas quickly flows out from the part through the openable vent hole. On the other hand, when the airbag body constantly expands toward the occupant side, the airbag body rapidly expands and expands.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-265721

In the above-mentioned airbag device, it is not easy to adjust the timing at which the lid is deployed depending on the folded state of the airbag body, the flow of gas from the inflator, and the like. In addition, it is not easy to regulate the deployment shape of the airbag body even when trying to take measures against nearby occupants in parallel, and when trying to adjust the timing to close the openable vent hole at the same time. The configuration may become more complicated and the manufacturing cost may rise.

Therefore, the present invention provides an airbag device capable of restricting the deployment shape of the airbag body and suppressing the lid from deploying at an unintended timing to block the open / close type vent hole. With the goal.

The airbag device according to the present invention has an airbag body formed in a bag shape having an opening / closing type vent hole, and an opening / closing type vent that is arranged inside the airbag body and corresponds to an expansion / deployment operation of the airbag body. It includes a lid that closes the hole, a regulating portion that holds at least a part of the lid in a folded state to regulate the deployment of the lid, and a strap that connects the airbag body and the lid . Airbag body is expanded shape is restricted by a folded state at least a portion of the lid is held, strap, that having a frangible portion.

According to the airbag device according to the present invention, while restricting the deployment shape of the airbag body, it is possible to prevent the lid from deploying at an unintended timing and blocking the open / close type vent hole. It becomes possible to provide the device.

It is a perspective view which shows the bag unfolding state of the airbag device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the airbag device of FIG. 1 as viewed from the open / close type vent hole side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2 in a state in which the bag is being unfolded. It is sectional drawing of the line AA of FIG. 2 in the bag unfolding completed state. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 3 in a folded state of the bag. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. It is sectional drawing BB of FIG. 3 in the bag unfolding completed state. It is the figure which looked at the tether in the state of bag unfolding from the inside. It is the figure which looked at the tether in the bag unfolding completed state from the inside side.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with drawings.

In this embodiment, an airbag device for the driver's seat provided on the steering wheel of a vehicle is illustrated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the airbag device 10 includes an airbag 11 formed in a bag shape as a whole, an inflator 12 that supplies gas to the airbag 11, and the airbag 11 and the inflator 12. A retainer 13 as a holding member for holding is provided. In FIG. 1, the inflator 12 and the retainer 13 are not shown.

The airbag 11 is arranged inside the airbag main body 15 having the open / close type vent hole 14, and the lid that closes the open / close type vent hole 14 in response to the expansion / deployment operation of the airbag main body 15. It has a tether 17 as a body 16.

The airbag main body 15 is formed in a bag shape by a single or a plurality of base cloths (panels), and in the present embodiment, it is formed by a occupant side panel 18 and a base panel 19. Further, the airbag body 15 has a gas introduction opening 20 (see FIG. 1) through which a gas generating portion of the inflator 12 is inserted, and a retainer 13 is provided at the peripheral edge of the circular opening 20. A fixing hole 21 (see FIG. 1) for fixing is formed. The fixing hole 21 is formed corresponding to the position and size of the mounting bolt of the retainer 13. The shape of the airbag body 15, the position and shape of the opening 20 and the like are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the specifications of the airbag device 10.

In the present embodiment, a circular opening / closing type vent hole 14 is formed in the base panel 19 of the airbag main body 15. The open / close type vent hole 14 is an exhaust hole which is also called a third vent hole for opening / closing which constitutes a variable exhaust mechanism, and is formed at a position below the inflator 12 in the base panel 19 in the present embodiment. Has been done. The position and shape of the opening / closing type vent hole 14 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the specifications of the airbag device 10.

The tether 17 is also called a regulation cloth, and is for adjusting the opening and closing of the opening / closing type vent hole 14 in response to the expansion / deployment operation of the airbag main body 15. The tether 17 is formed of a single or a plurality of base cloths (patches), and in the present embodiment, the tether 17 is formed in a loop shape by a single rectangular base cloth. Specifically, the tether 17 is formed in a loop shape by suturing both ends of the base cloth constituting the tether 17 with the first suture portion 22. Further, tether guides 23, 23 are arranged in pairs on the left and right on the base panel 19 of the airbag main body 15, and the tether guides 23 are inserted through the loop-shaped tether 17. The position and shape of the tether 17 and the position and shape of the tether guide 23 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the specifications of the airbag device 10.

The tether 17 is provided with a regulation unit 24 that holds at least a part of the tether 17 in a folded state and regulates the deployment of the tether 17, and the airbag body 15 is provided with at least a part of the tether 17 folded. The unfolded shape is regulated by maintaining the state. The regulating portion 24 includes a temporary holding portion (temporarily sewn portion) 25 that is formed so as to be breakable by the expansion and deployment of the airbag main body 15 and holds the lid 16 in the folded state. That is, at least a part of the tether 17 for closing the open / close type vent hole 14 is folded and temporarily sewn. Therefore, the length (perimeter) of the tether 17 is shorter than the length between the pair of tether guides 23, 23 in the base panel 19, and the length between the length of the tether 17 and the pair of tether guides 23, 23. Due to the difference from the above, the airbag body 15 has a non-circular shape (odd shape) in a plan view. Since the opening / closing type vent hole 14 and the tether 17 are arranged below the inflator 12 on the base panel 19, the airbag body 15 has a shape in which the lower half side of the bag is narrower than the upper half side of the bag. Non-circular shape) (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

Specifically, the tether 17 is in a state of being partially pinched and folded, and the portion of the tether 17 that is pinched and folded is temporarily sewn by the temporary holding portion 25. By doing so, the pair of left and right tether guides 23, 23 are pulled inward, the length of the tether 17 is shortened by the amount of folding, and there is a gap between the tether 17 and the openable vent hole 14. 26 occurs (see FIGS. 3 and 6). As a result, the above-mentioned gap 26 is maintained from before the expansion and deployment of the airbag body 15 until the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 is broken so that the open / close type vent hole 14 is not blocked by the tether 17. Is possible.

The airbag device 10 further includes a strap 27 that connects the airbag body 15 and the lid 16 (tether 17), and the strap 27 is provided with an easily broken portion 28. The strap 27 is formed in a string shape by a single or a plurality of base cloths. In this embodiment, one end of the strap 27 is sewn to the tether 17 by the first suture portion 22, and the other end of the strap 27 is the air bag body 15. It is sewn to the occupant side panel 18 by the second suture portion 29.

The easily broken portion 28 is for defining a broken portion of the strap 27, and in the present embodiment, the easily broken portion 28 is composed of a notch formed in the middle of the strap 27. In order to prevent the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 from breaking before the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27, the strength of the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27 is compared with the strength of the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17. Is set low. That is, in order to prevent the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 from breaking before the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27, the strength of the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 is the strength of the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27. It is set higher than.

The airbag device 10 further comprises an airbag cover (not shown) having the appearance of a center pad of a steering wheel, which is attached so as to cover the expansion / deployment direction of the airbag 11 to form an airbag module.

Next, the outline of the deployment operation of the airbag device 10 will be described.

First, in the event of a vehicle collision or the like, a control device (not shown) operates the inflator 12, and gas is introduced from the inflator 12 into the airbag body 15. Then, the airbag main body 15 expands and expands with the introduction of gas, breaks the tear line of the airbag cover, and protrudes from the opening of the airbag cover toward the occupant side.

FIG. 8 shows the inside of the airbag body 15 in the bag unfolding state.

As shown in FIG. 8, during the bag deployment, the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27 is not broken, and the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 is not broken, and the openable / closable vent hole 14 is not broken. Is maintained in an open state. Since the deployment shape of the airbag body 15 is regulated by the strap 27 and the tether 17, the airbag body 15 is deployed in a non-circular shape (odd shape) in a plan view. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 8, the tether 17 for closing the open / close type vent hole 14 is maintained in a state in which at least a part is folded, and the length of the tether 17 is the pair of tether guides 23 in the base panel 19. , The short state is maintained for the length between 23. Therefore, due to the difference between the length of the tether 17 and the length between the pair of tether guides 23, 23, the airbag main body 15 is deployed in a non-circular shape (odd shape) in a plan view. The opening / closing type vent hole 14 and the tether 17 are arranged at positions below the inflator 12 on the base panel 19. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the airbag main body 15 is developed in a shape (non-circular shape) in which the lower half side of the bag has a narrower left-right width than the upper half side of the bag.

FIG. 9 shows the inside of the airbag body 15 in the bag deployment completed state.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the airbag body 15 is deployed toward the occupant side over a predetermined stroke, the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27 is broken, and then in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the airbag body 15. The temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 is broken by the unfolding force of. Then, the tether 17 is unfolded from the folded state and overlaps with the open / close type vent hole 14 formed in the base panel 19, so that the open / close type vent hole 14 is closed by the tether 17. Since the regulation by the strap 27 and the tether 17 is released, the airbag body 15 is completely unfolded and changes from a non-circular shape (odd shape) to a circular shape in a plan view. Since the strength of the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 is set higher than the strength of the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27, the temporary holding portion 25 of the tether 17 is set before the easily broken portion 28 of the strap 27. Breaking is suppressed.

The action and effect of this embodiment will be described below.

(1) The airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment is arranged inside the bag-shaped airbag main body 15 having the openable / closable vent hole 14 and the airbag main body 15 to expand the airbag main body 15. It includes a lid 16 that closes the opening / closing type vent hole 14 in response to the unfolding operation, and a regulating unit 24 that holds at least a part of the lid 16 in a folded state and regulates the unfolding of the lid 16. The unfolded shape of the airbag body 15 is restricted by keeping at least a part of the lid 16 folded.

According to the airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment, the deployment of the lid 16 can be regulated by the regulating unit 24, so that the lid 16 is deployed at an unintended timing to close the open / close type vent hole 14. It is possible to suppress the storage. Further, since the deployed shape of the airbag body 15 is also regulated by maintaining the folded state of at least a part of the lid body 16, the deployed form of the airbag body 15 can be controlled according to the state of the occupant. It is possible.

Therefore, according to the airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment, while restricting the deployment shape of the airbag body 15, the lid 16 expands at an unintended timing to close the open / close type vent hole 14. It can be suppressed.

(2) The regulation unit 24 includes a temporary holding unit 25 that is formed so as to be breakable by the expansion and deployment of the airbag body 15 and holds the lid 16 in the folded state.

By doing so, since the regulation unit 24 can be configured with a simple structure, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost due to the addition of the regulation unit 24.

(3) The airbag device 10 includes a strap 27 that connects the airbag body 15 and the lid 16, and the strap 27 has an easily broken portion 28.

By doing so, it is possible to more reliably control the deployed form of the airbag body 15 according to the state of the occupant.

By the way, the airbag device of the present invention has been described by taking an example in the above-described embodiment, but the airbag device is not limited to this embodiment, and various other embodiments can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the driver's seat airbag device provided on the steering wheel has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to, for example, a passenger airbag device provided on an instrument panel or the like in front of the passenger seat.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of restricting the deployment shape of the lower side (steering wheel side) of the airbag body in the driver's seat airbag device has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the installation location of the airbag device, it is possible to regulate the deployment shape of the middle abdomen of the airbag body.

The number of open / close type vent holes for adjusting the opening / closing of the airbag body is not limited to one (single), and may be two or more (plural). In that case, the lid may be arranged in each vent hole according to the position of each vent hole, or one lid may be arranged in a plurality of vent holes.

10 Airbag device 14 Open / close type vent hole 15 Airbag body 16 Lid 17 Tether 24 Regulator 25 Temporary holding 27 Strap 28 Easy break

Claims (2)

A bag-shaped airbag body with an openable vent hole and
A lid that is disposed inside the airbag body and closes the open / close type vent hole in response to the expansion / deployment operation of the airbag body.
A regulatory unit that holds at least a part of the lid in a folded state to regulate the deployment of the lid, and
A strap for connecting the airbag body and the lid body is provided.
The expanded shape of the airbag body is regulated by keeping at least a part of the lid in a folded state .
The strap is an airbag device characterized by having an easily broken portion . The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion includes a temporary holding portion that is ruptibly formed by expanding and deploying the airbag body and holds the lid in a folded state.

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