JP6854358B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a side airbag device that restrains a occupant of a vehicle from the side.

Airbag devices are almost standard equipment on recent vehicles. The airbag device is a safety device that operates in an emergency such as a vehicle collision, and expands and deploys the airbag cushion by gas pressure to receive and protect the occupant.

There are various types of airbag devices depending on the installation location and application. For example, a front airbag device is provided in the center of the steering wheel to protect the driver from a front-rear collision. In addition, a curtain airbag device is installed near the ceiling above the side window and a side airbag device is installed on the side of the seat to protect the occupants from the impact from the vehicle width direction due to a side collision or the like. Has been done.

In recent years, airbag cushions have been devised in various factors such as the degree of deployment behavior and the injury value to the occupant. For example, in the side airbag device described in Patent Document 1, the first subchamber 5 is located above the occupant side of the main chamber 4 for the purpose of moving the upper arm portion of the occupant upward and protecting the occupant. A second subchamber 6 is provided on the upper side thereof.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-68789

Today's airbag cushions are required to have the ability to handle even faster collision speeds. In order to properly protect the occupants when the collision speed is high, it is necessary to achieve both high energy absorption performance and reduction of harm to the occupants. In particular, for the chest, which is relatively strong in the body, high energy absorption performance and reduction of deflection are required. On the other hand, with respect to the relatively soft abdomen, it is not desired to increase the rigidity in consideration of the harmfulness.

The side airbag device of Patent Document 1 described above includes a total of three chambers, a main chamber, a first sub-chamber, and a second sub-chamber, and these chambers improve the protection performance of the occupant. However, the gas is supplied in order from the main chamber to the first sub-chamber and then to the second sub-chamber. Therefore, it may take longer to complete the deployment as compared with the case where only the main chamber is provided, and there is room for improvement in order to cope with a high collision speed.

In view of such problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a side airbag device capable of achieving both early restraint of occupants and reduction of harmfulness.

In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the side airbag device according to the present invention is a bag that expands and deploys on the side of the seating position of the occupant in the side airbag device that restrains the occupant of the vehicle from the side. From the main bag, the inner bag that is independent of the main bag and is provided inside the main bag, the inflator that is provided inside the inner bag and supplies gas, and the main bag. It is equipped with a sub-chamber that protrudes and expands, a main vent that sends gas from the inner bag to the main bag, and a sub-vent that sends gas directly from the inner bag to the sub-chamber. It has a close contact area, and the sub vent is provided in the close contact area, so that the inner space of the inner bag and the sub chamber is directly connected to each other.

According to the above configuration, the gas from the inflator can be first received by the inner bag and then supplied to both the main bag and the subchamber. Therefore, it is possible to expand and deploy the subchamber at an early stage, for example, to quickly restrain the chest of the occupant. Further, since the sub-chamber and the main bag are arranged in the vehicle width direction, the airbag cushion becomes thicker in the vehicle width direction and can exhibit higher energy absorption performance. Therefore, for example, it is possible to provide a subchamber only at a position corresponding to the chest of the occupant to fully restrain the chest. On the other hand, the vicinity of the abdomen other than the chest can be restrained by the main bag as in the conventional case instead of the sub-chamber, which makes it possible to suppress the load and reduce the harmfulness.

The inner bag may be provided on the rear side of the vehicle inside the main bag so as to partially overlap the sub-chamber when viewed from the side of the vehicle. This configuration allows gas to be sent directly from the inner bag to the subchamber.

The close contact area between the inner bag and the main bag may be formed by sewing around the subvent. With this configuration, it is possible to preferably realize a region where the inner bag and the main bag are in close contact with each other, and a sub-vent that directly sends gas from the inner bag to the sub-chamber.

The above sub-chamber is provided at a height corresponding to the chest on the occupant side of the main bag, and the area where the inner bag and the main bag are in close contact is provided at a height corresponding to the chest on the occupant side. Good. This configuration makes it possible to suitably realize a subchamber that restrains the chest of the occupant.

The above subchamber should have a smaller capacity than the main bag and complete expansion and deployment earlier than the main bag. This configuration allows for early restraint of the occupant's chest.

The above subchamber has a first panel joined to the main bag along the upper edge of the main bag, and a second panel extending from the lower end of the first panel to the middle part of the main bag and joined to the middle part. It should be included. With this configuration, the subchamber can be preferably realized.

In the above inner tube, a part of the base cloth arranged in a bag shape inside the main bag is overlapped with the outer peripheral part on the rear side of the vehicle of the main bag, and a part of the base cloth is sewn together with the outer peripheral part of the main bag. It is good to be in the state of being. With this configuration, the inner bag can be preferably realized.

The above main vent may be provided on the front side of the inner bag. With this configuration, the main bag can be efficiently expanded and deployed through the main vent.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a side airbag device capable of achieving both early restraint of an occupant and reduction of harmfulness.

It is a figure which illustrated the side airbag apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which illustrated the airbag cushion of FIG. 1 (b) alone. It is each cross-sectional view of the cushion of FIG. 2B. It is a figure which illustrated the test result of the side airbag apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

P1 ... Crew, E1 ... Chest, E2 ... Abdomen, 100 ... Side airbag device, 102 ... Seat, 104 ... Seat back, 106 ... Cushion, 108 ... Inflator, 110 ... Outer panel, 112 ... Vent hole, 114 ... Main bag, 116 ... subchamber, 118 ... upper edge of main bag, 120 ... first panel, 122 ... second panel, 124 ... lower end of first panel, 126 ... middle of main bag, 128 ... inner bag, 130 ... bolt hole, 132 ... main vent, 134 ... sub vent, 136 ... outer peripheral part of main bag, 138 ... area where main bag and inner bag are in close contact, 140 ... sewing around sub vent

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such an embodiment are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to omit duplicate description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown. To do.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the side airbag device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A exemplifies the side airbag device 100 and the seat 102 to which the side airbag device 100 is applied from the left side in the vehicle width direction. Hereinafter, in FIG. 1 (a) and all other drawings of the present application, the arrows F (Forward) and B (Back) are shown in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the arrows L (Left) and R (Right) are shown in the left and right directions in the vehicle width direction, respectively. The vertical direction of the vehicle is illustrated by arrows U (up) and D (down), respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the side airbag device 100 is installed inside the vehicle outside or inside the seat back 104 of the seat 102. The side airbag device 100 includes an airbag cushion (cushion 106) that restrains the occupant P1 and an inflator 108 that supplies gas for expansion and deployment to the cushion 106.

The occupant P1 is exemplified as a dummy doll used for a vehicle collision test or the like. As an example of determining the specific physique of the occupant P1, for example, a test dummy AM50 (50th percentile male equivalent, height 175 cm, weight 78 kg) that imitates a physique that fits 50% of the average American adult male. ) Can be used. However, the technical idea of the side air bug device 100 can be implemented not only for AM50 but also for other dummy dolls and occupants of other physiques without any problem.

The cushion 106 expands and expands into an overall flat shape on the side of the seating position of the occupant P1, and restrains the occupant P1 from the side. The outer surface of the cushion 106 is composed of an outer panel 110 made of a base cloth. The outer panel 110 is formed in a bag shape as a whole by sewing, adhesion, or the like. A predetermined vent hole 112 is provided on the front side of the cushion 106 on the vehicle side, and the gas after expansion and expansion is discharged from the vent hole 112.

The cushion 106 before expansion and deployment is wound or folded before operation, and is housed in a housing or the like built in the seat back 104. Since the cushion 106 in the stored state is covered with a seat cover or the like, it cannot be visually recognized from the outside.

The inflator 108 is a gas generator, and in the embodiment, a cylinder type (cylindrical type) is adopted. The inflator 108 is included in the cushion 106 in a direction longitudinally longitudinally along the seat back 104. The inflator 108 is provided with several stud bolts (not shown), which penetrate the base cloth of the cushion 106 and are fastened to the frame or the like of the seat back 104. The inflator 108 is electrically connected to the vehicle side, receives a signal from the vehicle side due to the detection of the impact, operates, and supplies gas to the cushion 106.

Currently popular inflators are filled with a gas generating agent and burned to generate gas, compressed gas is filled with gas to supply gas without generating heat, or combustion. There is a hybrid type that uses both gas and compressed gas. Any type of inflator 108 can be used.

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating the cushion 106 of FIG. 1A as viewed from the front of the vehicle. The cushion 106 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the sub-chamber 116 expands in addition to the main bag 114, which is the main expansion region.

The main bag 114 is a main expansion region of the cushion 106 formed in a bag shape by the outer panel 110, and is in a range from the seat back 104 (see FIG. 1 (a)) where the occupant P1 in front of the vehicle exists. It expands and expands to restrain the chest E1 and abdomen E2 of the occupant P1. The sub-chamber 116 is provided at a height corresponding to the chest E1 on the occupant side of the main bag 114, protrudes from the main bag 114 toward the occupant P1, expands, and restrains the chest E1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the airbag cushion (cushion 106) of FIG. 1 (b) alone. FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the cushion 106 from the front side of the vehicle. The subchamber 116 projects from the upper part of the side surface of the main bag 114 on the occupant P1 side (see FIG. 1B) and expands in a slightly rounded shape.

The subchamber 116 includes an upper first panel 120 and a lower second panel 122. The first panel 120 is joined to the main bag 114 along the upper edge 118 of the main bag 114. The second panel 122 extends from the lower end 124 of the first panel 120 to the middle 126 of the main bag 114, and is joined to the middle 126.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the cushion 106 of FIG. 1B from the occupant P1 side in the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 2B, a part of the inside of the main bag 114 is transparently illustrated. An inner bag 128 is provided inside the main bag 114. The inner bag 128 is a bag-shaped portion independent of the main bag 114, and surrounds the inflator 108 on the rear side of the vehicle inside the main bag 114. The bolt hole 130 illustrated in FIG. 2B is a hole through which a stud bolt (not shown) of the inflator 108 is passed, and penetrates the inner bag 128 and the main bag 114.

The inner bag 128 first receives the gas from the inflator 108 and distributes the gas to the main bag 114 and the subchamber 116. The inner bag 128 is provided so that a part of the upper side thereof overlaps with the subchamber 116 when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

The inner bag 128 is provided with a main vent 132 and a sub vent 134 as a portion for sending gas to another portion. A plurality of main vents 132 are provided on the front side of the vehicle of the inner bag 128, and by sending gas from the inner bag 128 to the main bag 114 in front of the vehicle, the main bag 114 is efficiently expanded and deployed. The sub-vent 134 is provided in an area overlapping the sub-chamber 116 at the upper part of the inner bag 128 on the occupant P1 side (see FIG. 1 (b)), and sends gas from the inner bag 128 to the sub-chamber 116 in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cushion 106 of FIG. 2 (b). FIG. 3A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the cushion 106 of FIG. 2B. The inner bag 128 is formed by, for example, folding the base cloth and arranging it in a bag shape, and superimposing a part of the bag-shaped base cloth on the outer peripheral portion 136 of the main bag 114 and sewing the inner bag 128 together with the inner bag 128. There is. According to this configuration, when the inner bag 128 is deployed, the fluttering of the rear end portion of the inner bag 128 on the vehicle rear side is suppressed, so that the deployment behavior can be stabilized.

A part of the cushion 106 on the rear side of the vehicle including the inner bag 128 expands and expands inside the seat back 104 (see FIG. 1A). Since the inner bag 128 quickly becomes a high pressure state immediately after the inflator 108 is operated, the skin of the seat back 104 can be quickly cleaved, and the rapid expansion and deployment of the entire cushion 106 can be promoted.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of the cushion 106 of FIG. 2B. As described above, the first panel 120 of the subchamber 116 is joined together with the main bag 114 along the upper edge 118 of the main bag 114. The second panel 122 is joined to the lower end 124 of the first panel 120 and the middle 126 of the main bag 114. The amount of protrusion of the subchamber 116 from the main bag 114 can also be adjusted by simply changing the dimensions of the second panel 122.

FIG. 3C is a schematic configuration diagram of the vicinity of the subchamber 116 of FIG. 3B. Around the sub-vent 134, the inner bag 128 and the main bag 114 are joined by sewing or the like and are in close contact with each other (region 138). The sub-chamber 116 can receive gas directly from the inner bag 128 through the sub-vent 134.

In other words, the sub-vent 134 is provided in the region 138 where the inner bag 128 and the main bag 114 are in close contact with each other. The region 138 is a region in which the base cloths of the inner bag 128 and the main bag 114 are joined to each other and adhered to each other at a height corresponding to the chest E1 on the occupant P1 side. In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the region 138 is formed as a region of a predetermined area surrounded by a linear sewing 140 around the subvent 134. The region 138 can be formed not only by sewing but also by adhesion or welding. Since the sub-vent 134 is provided in the close contact area 138, the internal spaces of the inner bag 128 and the sub-chamber 116 can be directly connected to each other.

With the above configuration, in the present embodiment, the gas from the inflator 108 can be first received by the inner bag 128 and then supplied to both the main bag 114 and the sub-chamber 116. That is, it is possible to supply gas not only to the main bag 114 but also to the sub-chamber 116 immediately after the inflator 108 is operated. With this configuration, the subchamber 116 can be expanded and deployed at an early stage, and the chest E1 of the occupant P1 can be quickly and fully restrained.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the sub-chamber 116 and the main bag 114 are arranged in the vehicle width direction, so that the airbag cushion 106 has a thickness in the vehicle width direction only in the vicinity of the chest E1 of the occupant P1. In addition, it is possible to demonstrate higher energy absorption performance. On the other hand, below the sub-chamber 116, the abdominal E2 is restrained by the main bag 114 as in the conventional case, and the rigidity is not excessively improved. There is.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B and the like, the subchamber 116 is supplied with gas from the inner bag 128 together with the main bag 114, but has a smaller capacity than the main bag 114. Therefore, the sub-chamber 116 completes expansion and deployment earlier than the main bag 114. This configuration also makes it possible to restrain the chest E1 of the occupant P1 at an early stage.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the test results of the side airbag device 100 (see FIG. 1A) according to the present embodiment. The test was carried out by colliding the dolly with a test vehicle having a dummy placed on the seat at a predetermined speed as a side collision, and measuring the displacement (mm) and the load (N) by sensors at various places on the dummy. The test was performed on a cushion 106 having a sub-chamber 116 of this example and a conventional cushion without a sub-chamber 116 as a comparative example.

FIG. 4A is a measurement result in the chest. The horizontal axis is the amount of displacement of the chest, and 0 is set when stopped. The vertical axis is the load. From FIG. 4A, it can be confirmed that in this embodiment, the load starts to be generated first in the initial state of displacement. In addition, it can be confirmed that the load in this embodiment is larger as a whole. From this, it can be seen that in this embodiment, by providing the subchamber 116 (see FIG. 1B), the initial restraint of the chest of the occupant can be achieved, and the energy absorption efficiency of the chest is also improved.

FIG. 4B is a measurement result in the abdomen. From FIG. 4B, it can be confirmed that in the initial state of displacement, a load of approximately the same degree is generated between the present embodiment and the comparative example. As the displacement progresses, the load increases slightly in this embodiment, but when viewed as a whole, no significant difference is observed. From this, it can be seen that in this embodiment, even if the subchamber 116 (see FIG. 1B) is provided, the load on the abdomen is not so different from the conventional one, and the abdominal harm is suppressed.

From the above, according to the cushion 106 of the present embodiment described above, it is possible to achieve both early restraint of the occupant P1 and reduction of harmfulness. According to the present embodiment, even when the collision speed is high, it is possible to restrain the relatively strong chest E1 at an early stage while suppressing the harmfulness to the abdomen E2, and to efficiently absorb energy.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the claims, which naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the airbag device according to the present invention is applied to an automobile has been described, but it can also be applied to an aircraft, a ship, or the like other than the automobile, and the same effect can be obtained. it can.

The present invention can be used for a side airbag device that restrains a occupant of a vehicle from the side.

Claims (5)

In the side airbag device that restrains the occupants of the vehicle from the side
A bag-shaped main bag that expands and expands to the side of the occupant's seating position,
An inner bag that is in the shape of a bag independent of the main bag and is provided inside the main bag,
An inflator provided inside the inner bag to supply gas, and
A sub-chamber that protrudes from the main bag and expands,
A main vent that sends gas from the inner bag to the main bag,
The sub-vent, which sends gas directly from the inner bag to the sub-chamber, is provided.
The inner bag and the main bag have regions in which the base fabrics are in close contact with each other.
Since the sub-vent is provided in the close contact area, the inner space and the internal space of the sub-chamber are directly connected to each other.
The inner bag is provided on the rear side of the vehicle inside the main bag so as to partially overlap the subchamber when viewed from the side of the vehicle.
The subchamber is provided at a height corresponding to the chest on the occupant side of the main bag.
The close contact area between the inner bag and the main bag is provided at a height corresponding to the chest on the occupant side.
The subchamber has a smaller capacity than the main bag, and the expansion and deployment is completed earlier than the main bag .
The subchamber includes a first panel joined to the main bag along the upper part of the main bag, and a second panel extending from the lower end of the first panel to the middle part of the main bag and joined to the middle part. And, a side airbag device characterized by including. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the close contact area between the inner bag and the main bag is formed by sewing around the sub-vent. In the inner bag, a part of the base cloth arranged in a bag shape inside the main bag is overlapped with the outer peripheral portion of the main bag on the rear side of the vehicle, and a part of the base cloth is the outer periphery of the main bag. The side airbag device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the side airbag device is sewn together with the portion. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the main vent is provided on the vehicle front side of the inner bag. In the method of manufacturing a side airbag device that restrains the occupants of a vehicle from the side.
The process of forming a bag-shaped main bag that expands and expands on the side of the seating position of the occupant,
A process of forming an inner bag that is in the shape of a bag independent of the main bag and is provided inside the main bag.
A step of forming a sub-chamber that protrudes from the main bag and expands,
The process of forming a main vent that sends gas from the inner bag to the main bag, and
A step of forming a sub-vent that directly sends gas from the inner bag to the sub-chamber, and
The process of installing the inflator that supplies gas inside the inner bag, and
With
Areas in which the base fabrics are in close contact with each other are formed in the inner bag and the main bag.
Since the sub-vent is provided in the close contact area, the sub-vent is formed by directly connecting the internal spaces of the inner bag and the sub-chamber.
The inner bag is formed on the rear side of the vehicle inside the main bag so as to partially overlap the subchamber when viewed from the side of the vehicle.
The subchamber is formed at a height corresponding to the occupant-side chest of the main bag.
The close contact area between the inner bag and the main bag is formed at a height corresponding to the chest on the occupant side.
The subchamber is formed to have less capacity than the main bag and to complete expansion and deployment earlier than the main bag.
The steps of forming the sub-chamber include a step of joining a predetermined first panel to the main bag along the upper part of the main bag, and a step of joining a predetermined second panel to the lower end of the first panel and the middle of the main bag. A side airbag device comprising a process of joining to and.

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