JP6860404B2 - Armrest - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an armrest, particularly an armrest that quickly and reliably protects an occupant from various collision modes using a smaller capacity airbag than before.

Various airbags have been developed to protect vehicle occupants, such as drivers. For example, the driver's seat airbag device for a vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a main chamber that expands in front of the driver and a sub-chamber that expands to the side of the main chamber, and the main chamber and the sub-chamber have a collision. It can also protect the driver when he / she moves diagonally forward.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-199123

However, for example, the front airbag deployed from the steering wheel is deployed from a member located away from the occupant, so that it has been required to improve the restraining effect on the size of the airbag. That is, there was room for improvement in the arrangement of the airbags, the restraint form, etc., which reached the seating area of the occupant only after the large-capacity airbags were deployed. At present, armrests are not used as protective members for occupants, or there are very few examples of their use.

In view of this, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to quickly and surely protect the occupant from various collision forms in which the head rotation with respect to the upper body may occur by using an airbag having a smaller capacity than the conventional one. It is to provide an armrest that can be used.

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the armrest according to the present invention is an armrest mounted on a seat on which a vehicle occupant sits, and is provided on both left and right sides of the occupant and extends in the front-rear direction. Deploy to the front and side of the occupant from at least one of the side and the front, which is provided in front of the occupant and connects the front side of the side at least on the left and right during use. The airbag is provided with an airbag, which is deployed from at least the outside of both shoulders of the occupant to the left and right shoulders, respectively, to support the occupant's upper body and head in the event of a collision.

In the armrest according to the present invention, the airbag preferably regulates the rotation of the head with respect to the upper body of the occupant.

In the armrest according to the present invention, the airbag is preferably an airbag that is integrally deployed from the front to the side of the occupant.

In the armrest according to the present invention, the airbag is preferably an airbag that is curved from the front to the side of the occupant.

In the armrest according to the present invention, it is preferable that the airbag has a connecting portion that connects the portions deployed to the side of the occupant on the left and right.

In the armrest according to the present invention, it is preferable that the airbag is deployed between the side portion and the occupant and between the front portion and the occupant.

According to the present invention, the airbag is deployed from the front part which is arranged closer to the occupant than the other members arranged in the vehicle, and the deployed airbag integrally connects the occupant's upper body and head. To support. As a result, even in a collision mode in which the head can rotate with respect to the upper body, an armrest that can be quickly and reliably protected from a position close to the occupant by using a smaller capacity airbag than before. Can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a seat provided with an armrest according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a side schematic view showing the seat in a side view, and FIG. 1 (b) is a side view. It is a plane schematic view which shows a sheet in a plan view. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a seat in which an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with an armrest in a deployed state, and FIG. 2A is a side schematic view showing the seat in a side view. FIG. 2B is a schematic plan view showing the sheet in a plan view. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an armrest according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3A shows a seat provided with an armrest having an airbag according to another embodiment of the present invention in a plan view. FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view showing an armrest having an airbag according to another embodiment of the present invention in a perspective view.

(Basic embodiment)
An embodiment of the armrest according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Note that FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a seat 100 provided with an armrest 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1A is a side schematic view showing the seat 100 in a side view. 1 (b) is a plan schematic view which shows the sheet 100 in a plan view. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a seat 100 in which the airbag 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with an armrest 1 in a deployed state, and FIG. 2A is a lateral schematic view showing the seat 100 in a side view. 2 (b) is a schematic plan view showing the sheet 100 in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 1, the armrest 1 is mounted on the seat 100 and includes a side portion 2, a front portion 3, a rear portion 4, and an airbag 5.

The side portions 2 are tubular members provided on both the left and right sides of the occupant P and extending substantially parallel to the front-rear direction. The extending direction of the side portion 2 may be substantially along the anteroposterior direction, and may be inclined up and down or left and right to some extent with respect to the anteroposterior direction.

The front portion 3 is a tubular member provided in front of the occupant P. In particular, as shown in FIG. 1A, the front portion 3 connects the front end portion side of the side portion 2 on the left and right at least during use shown by a solid line. In the present embodiment, the side portion 2 and the front portion are formed by connecting the front side of the side portion 2 not only during use but also during non-use such as when the occupant P gets off the vehicle and is away from the seat 100. The integrated form of the part 3 is adopted.
In the present invention, the front portion is not particularly limited in form as long as it can accommodate and deploy the airbag described later, and may be connected to at least one side of a pair of side portions provided on the left and right, and the pair of sides. It does not have to be connected so as to pass between departments.

The rear portion 4 is connected to the seat 100 and the rear end portion side of the side portion 2. In the present embodiment, the rear portion 4 is a shaft member that penetrates the seat back 101 in the left-right direction. Side portions 2 are connected to both left and right ends exposed from the seat back 101 of the rear portion 4. The rear portion 4 is fixedly attached to the seat frame 102 arranged in the seat back 101 so as to be immovable in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions of the vehicle.

The airbag 5 is accommodated inside the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 used as the accommodating portion. The airbag 5 is a member that deploys toward the occupant P. The deployment form and the like of the airbag 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 2, which shows the airbag 5 in the deployed state.
As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag 5 has a lateral airbag 51 provided at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the side portion 2 and a front airbag 52 provided at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the front portion 3. ..

The side airbag 51 is a member that expands toward the occupant P from the upper parts of the side portions 2 on both the left and right sides, and has a side airbag bag body 511 and a side inflator 512.
The side airbag bag body 511 is a bag body extending substantially in the front-rear direction along the side portion 2, and the upper portion of the side portion 2 is broken to bulge upward and the armrest 1 forming a substantially annular shape. It is developed inside the side portions 2, that is, in the opposite regions of the pair of side portions 2.
The side inflator 512 is a gas generating member provided inside the side portion 2, and gas is press-fitted into the side airbag bag 511 by driving.

The front airbag 52 is a member that expands from the front portion 3 toward the occupant P, and has a front airbag bag body 521 and a front inflator 522.
The front airbag bag body 521 is a bag body extending from the front portion 3 to the front of the upper body of the occupant P, and the upper portion of the front portion 3 is broken to bulge upward, and the armrest 1 forming a substantially annular shape. It develops from the inner part, that is, the part of the front part 3 facing the occupant P.
The front inflator 522 is a gas generating member provided inside the front portion 3, and is driven to press-fit gas into the front airbag bag body 521.

The side portion 2 and the front portion 3 are rotatable about a line connecting the connecting portion between the rear portion 4 and the seat back 101 on the left and right. The line connecting the connecting portions on the left and right is substantially parallel to and substantially coincides with the central axis of the rear portion 4, and the rear portion 4 functions as a hinge in the present embodiment. As a result, when not in use, the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 can be rotated upward so as not to interfere with the boarding / alighting operation of the occupant P, and when in use, the side portion 2 is substantially horizontally parallel after the occupant P is seated. The side portion 2 and the front portion 3 can be rotated downward so that the occupant P can place his arm on the armrest 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a substantially rectangular annular structure is formed in a plan view by the side portion 2, the front portion 3, and the sheet 100 incorporating the rear portion 4 or the rear portion 4. Therefore, when the armrest 1 is used, the occupant P is surrounded. As a result, the armrest 1 is arranged between the intruder and the occupant even when the passenger compartment is deformed and an intruder is generated in the passenger compartment at the time of a forward collision, an oblique collision, a side collision, or the like. Therefore, the occupant P can be directly protected from the intruder. In particular, at the time of an oblique collision and a side collision, the door component and the vehicle body component are likely to become intruders into the vehicle interior. Even if the door component or the like is deformed to the vehicle interior side, the armrest 1 provided with the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 can suppress or prevent the armrest 1 from directly hitting the occupant P.

In the present embodiment, since the rear portion 4 is fixed to the seat frame 102, the position of the armrest 1 is less likely to shift due to an impact due to a collision or the like, and when an intruder in the vehicle interior hits the armrest 1. Even if there is, it can exert resistance against invaders. Further, in the present embodiment, the side portion 2, the front portion 3 and the rear portion 4 are provided as rigid members. Due to the rigidity, the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 are less likely to be deformed to protect the occupant P even if an intruder comes into contact with them at the time of a collision, which will be described later. It is difficult to remove from the sheet 100 when it comes into contact with the second grade.

When the armrest 1 is applied to a vehicle equipped with an automatic driving or a driving support system, it is preferable that the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 have a shape in which the arm of the occupant P, a book, an electronic terminal, etc. can be placed or easily. .. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, one shaft member is adopted for the rear portion 4, but the rear portion in the present invention may be divided and does not need to penetrate the seat back.

As a method of using the airbag 5, gas is press-fitted into the side airbag bag 511 and the front airbag bag 521 by driving the side inflator 512 and the front inflator 522 at the time of a collision or a collision prediction. As a result, the side airbag bag body 511 and the front airbag bag body 521 deploy toward the occupant P from the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 by breaking each upper portion of the side portion 2 and the front portion 3. ..

By deploying the side airbag bag body 511 and the front airbag bag body 521 toward the occupant P, the area between the side portion 2 and the front portion 3 and the occupant P can be filled with the airbag bag body. .. Therefore, not only the function of directly protecting the intruder by the substantially annular armrest 1 but also the restraint of the occupant P by the airbag 5 makes it possible to more reliably protect the occupant P. Since the airbag 5 can be deployed from a position closer to the occupant P than existing airbags such as a front airbag from the steering wheel and a curtain airbag from a portion near the roof, a quick and low-capacity gas can be used. Can be protected.

Here, the protection form of the occupant P by the airbag 5 will be described in detail.

If, for example, the seat 100 shown in FIG. 1 is in the driver's seat and an oblique collision occurs from the right side of the occupant P without providing the airbag 5 in the present embodiment, the occupant P has a one-dot chain line from the posture shown by the solid line. It produces behavior that changes to the indicated posture. Specifically, since the right shoulder portion of the occupant P is restrained by the seat belt, a substantially circular motion is generated in which the left shoulder portion and the head swing to the right with the right shoulder portion as the center. When the behavior of the left shoulder and the head of the occupant P has advanced to some extent, the upper body of the occupant P is normally restrained by the front airbag or the like deployed from the steering or the like. However, the head is swung forward from the upper body due to inertia. Even if only the upper body of the occupant P is restrained, if the head is displaced with respect to the upper body, the injury value of the head or the like may increase.

Even in cases other than the case where the upper body is restrained first, it is conceivable that a large difference in behavior between the head and the upper body may occur and the injury value may increase.
For example, when the occupant P comes into contact with a region of the front airbag from the steering wheel or the like that is not substantially the central portion in the left-right direction during an oblique collision, the head of the occupant P is fixed at the contact point. On the other hand, the upper body, which is heavier than the head, may not stop its displacement in the oblique direction when it comes into contact with the airbag due to the increased inertia. As a result, the difference in behavior between the head, which is in a substantially fixed state, and the upper body, which maintains the displacement forward, causes the head to rotate relatively rapidly with respect to the upper body, resulting in a rapid rotation motion. The head of the occupant P causes a large displacement with respect to the upper body.

The airbag 5 in the present embodiment is deployed in front of and to the side of the occupant P to support the upper body and the head of the occupant P in the event of a collision. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the upper body of the occupant P is supported by friction by rubbing the shoulder portions on both the left and right sides against the pair of lateral airbags 51, and the head is the upper body. It is supported by the side airbag 51 and the front airbag 52 that are deployed in the vicinity of the occupant P before being largely displaced independently of the occupant P.

Further, as compared with the configuration in which only the front airbag deployed in one direction from the steering wheel is provided, in the present embodiment, the lateral airbag 51 and the front airbag deployed so as to surround the occupant P from the front side and the side side. By providing the bag 52 side, the upper body and the head of the occupant P can be integrally restrained. As a result, it is unlikely that only the head of the occupant P is substantially fixed due to contact with the airbag, so that the rotation of the head of the occupant P with respect to the upper body can be restricted. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the injury value due to the rotational movement of the head.

Here, a modified example of the armrest according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing armrests 11 and 12 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3A is a seat provided with armrest 11 having an airbag 53 according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a side schematic view which shows 100 in a side view, and FIG. 3 (b) is a perspective view which shows the armrest 12 which has the airbag 54 which is another Embodiment of this invention in a perspective view. The same members as those in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, an airbag 53 is provided instead of the airbag 5.
The airbag 53 has a curved airbag bag body 531 and a side inflator 532.
The curved airbag bag body 531 is a substantially plate-shaped curved airbag bag body that is integrally deployed from the front to the side of the occupant P. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the side portion 21 and the front portion 31 have an outer shape of the curved airbag bag body 531 in order to reliably support the curved airbag bag body 531 from the front and side without gaps. It has a curved shape along. The side inflator 532 is provided on each of the pair of left and right side portions 21, and when driven, gas is press-fitted into the curved airbag bag body 531.

Compared with the case where the side airbag 51 and the front airbag 52 are divided, the airbag 53 is deployed in front and side of the occupant P without any gap, so that the occupant P is good. Restraint is possible, and integrated protection of the upper body and head is realized.

The pair of side inflators 532 provided on the pair of side portions 21 can be quickly deployed when the drives are synchronized, which is effective when the occupant P moves at high speed due to the impact such as in a high-speed collision. is there. Further, when the collision direction or the collision prediction direction is lateral, the lateral inflator 532 in the direction in which the occupant P moves due to the impact is driven first, so that the upper body and the head of the occupant P move significantly before. The curved airbag bag body 531 can be inserted into the.

FIG. 3B, which is subsequently shown, illustrates only the armrest 12. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, an airbag 54 is provided instead of the airbag 5.
The airbag 54 has an airbag bag body 541 and a lateral inflator 542.
The airbag bag body 541 has a curved shape that integrally expands from the front to the side of the occupant P like the curved airbag bag body 531. However, the airbag bag body 541 has a curved tube shape rather than a substantially plate shape. Alternatively, it is a form in which a plurality of tubular parts are stacked one above the other. As shown in FIG. 3B, the airbag 54 has a tether 6 that connects left and right portions of the airbag bag body 541 that are deployed to the side of the occupant. The tether 6 is an example of the connecting portion in the present invention, and is arranged at a position higher than the head of the occupant.
The side inflator 542 is provided on each of the pair of left and right side portions 22, and when driven, gas is press-fitted into the airbag bag body 541.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, similarly to the airbag 53, the airbag 54 is deployed in front of and to the side of the occupant without any gaps, so that the occupant can be well restrained, and the upper body and the upper body and the occupant can be restrained. Integrated protection of the head is realized.

Further, the airbag 54 having a tubular laminated structure as compared with the airbag 53 is preferable because it is less likely to be broken or deformed even if it comes into contact with an occupant. Further, since the upper part of the airbag 54 is connected to the left and right by the tether 6, the airbag bag body 541 is less likely to be deformed to open to the left and right. That is, for example, when the occupant continues to press the airbag 54 toward the front or side, even if only the contact portion falls in the pressing direction and tries to deform, the local force to be deformed by the tether 6 is dispersed. .. This makes it easy to maintain the shape of the airbag 54 when it is deployed.

In relation to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in the present invention, the airbag is, for example, a form in which the airbag is integrally deployed from the front to the side of the occupant, and the airbag is rearward from the front to the side of the occupant. It may be either a form having an inclined surface that inclines outward in the seat width direction toward the occupant, or a form that is curved from the front to the side of the occupant. An embodiment having a plurality of configurations of these forms is shown in FIG. 3, and even in these forms, it is possible to sufficiently support the upper body and the head especially when the occupant moves diagonally forward. Therefore, it is preferable because the effect of suppressing the rotation of the head of the occupant's upper body can be obtained.

As another modification, as for the side portion of the armrest according to the present invention, the side portion provided on the door side of the vehicle may be integrated with the door trim. In this case, the front part is divided into left and right when not in use, and the left and right side parts are connected when in use. Further, the side portion on the door side becomes a fixing member without rotating or the like.

Although the embodiment to which the invention made by the present inventor is applied has been described above, the present invention is not limited by the essay and the drawings which form a part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. That is, it should be added that all other embodiments, examples, operational techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are of course included in the scope of the present invention.

1, 11 and 12: Armrests 2, 21 and 22: Sides 3, 31 and 32: Front 4: Rear 5, 53 and 54: Airbags, 51: Side airbags, 511: Sides Airbag bag body, 512, 532 and 542: Side inflator, 52: Front airbag, 521: Front airbag bag body, 522: Front inflator, 531: Curved airbag bag body, 541: Airbag bag body, 6 : Tether, 100: Seat, 101: Seat back, 102: Seat frame, P: Crew

Claims (6)

An armrest that is attached to the seat on which the occupants of the vehicle sit.
A pair of side portions provided on the left and right sides of the occupant, extending in the front-rear direction and connected to the seat,
A front portion that is provided in front of the occupant and that connects the front side of the side portion on the left and right at least during use.
An airbag that deploys from at least one of the side portion and the front portion to the front and side of the occupant is provided.
The airbag deploys from at least the outside of both shoulders of the occupant to the left and right shoulders, respectively, and supports the occupant's upper body and head in the event of a collision.
Armrest. The airbag regulates the rotation of the head with respect to the upper body of the occupant.
The armrest according to claim 1. The airbag is an airbag that is integrally deployed from the front to the side of the occupant.
The armrest according to claim 1 or 2. The airbag is an airbag that is curved from the front to the side of the occupant.
The armrest according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The airbag has a connecting portion that connects the laterally deployed portions of the occupant on the left and right sides.
The armrest according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The airbag is deployed between the side portion and the occupant and between the front portion and the occupant.
The armrest according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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