JP7029995B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an airbag device, and more particularly to an airbag device that deploys an airbag in front of an occupant seated on a seat of a vehicle such as an automobile.

Conventionally, an airbag device has been used in which an airbag is deployed on the front side of an occupant seated on an automobile seat to catch an occupant moving forward in the event of a vehicle collision. For example, there has been proposed an airbag device in which an airbag is placed on an instrument panel and deployed from the instrument panel toward an occupant in the event of a collision. However, since a large space is formed on the front side of the occupant, it is difficult to reliably support the deployed airbag.

Therefore, as a technique for reliably supporting the deployed airbag, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a passenger airbag device that enhances the occupant protection performance of the airbag by preventing the main bag from shaking due to the sub-bag. ing. This passenger airbag device can reliably support the main bag against the windshield by deploying the subbag integrated with the main bag toward the windshield.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-082338

However, the passenger seat airbag device of Patent Document 1 deploys the airbag in a predetermined position regardless of the posture of the occupant, the physique of the occupant, the seat position, and the like, so that it is difficult to reliably receive the occupant. rice field. For example, in recent years, it has been proposed that a seat of an automobile can be greatly changed in orientation, and there is a possibility that the occupant may not be reliably received depending on the orientation of the seat.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that reliably receives an occupant with an airbag.

The airbag device according to the present invention has a collision detection unit that detects collision information in which a vehicle collides, and an occupant information detection unit that detects occupant information including at least one of the posture and physique of a occupant seated on the seat of the vehicle. A protective airbag and protective airbag that are formed so as to deploy from one side of the seat to the other side at the deployment position on the front side of the occupant and receive the occupant moving forward in the event of a collision. An engaging moving body arranged on the seat that has an engaging portion formed to engage near the tip of the bag and is movable in the front-rear direction along the other side of the seat, and a protective airbag. Based on the deployed position and the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit, the engagement position calculation unit that calculates the engagement position where the engagement unit engages near the tip of the protective airbag, and the collision detection unit Based on the detected collision information, it is provided with a deployment control unit that moves the engaging moving body to the engaging position calculated by the engaging position calculation unit and deploys the protective airbag.

Here, based on the airbag moving body arranged on the seat so that the protective airbag is arranged and movable in the front-rear direction along one side of the seat, and the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit. It also has a deployment position calculation unit that calculates the deployment position to deploy the protective airbag in front of the occupant, and the engagement position calculation unit determines the engagement position based on the deployment position calculated by the deployment position calculation unit. It is preferable that the deployment control unit moves the moving body for the airbag to the deployment position calculated by the deployment position calculation unit to deploy the protective airbag.

Further, the engaging portion is provided on the engaging moving body so as to project toward the seat side and support the protective airbag from the front, and the engaging moving body is arranged behind the engaging portion and is in contact with the engaging portion. It is preferable to have a fixing portion that sandwiches the vicinity of the tip portion of the protective airbag between them.
Further, it is preferable that the fixed portion has a fixed airbag that expands forward so as to press the protective airbag toward the engaging portion.

Further, the engagement position calculation unit can further calculate the engagement position based on the collision information detected by the collision detection unit.

According to the present invention, the deployment control unit moves the engaging moving body to the engagement position calculated by the engagement position calculation unit and deploys the protective airbag to deploy one of the seats at the deployment position in front of the occupant. Since the engaging portion is engaged in the vicinity of the tip of the protective airbag deployed from one side to the other side, it is possible to provide an airbag device that reliably receives the occupant with the protective airbag. Will be.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the airbag apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows how the occupant is received by a protective airbag. It is a figure which shows a mode that a occupant with a small physique is received by a protective airbag. It is a figure which shows how the occupant with a large physique is received by the protective airbag. It is a figure which shows the structure of the airbag apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the state that the fixed airbag holds the vicinity of the tip portion of the protective airbag between it and the engaging portion. It is a figure which shows the structure of the airbag apparatus which concerns on the modification of Embodiments 1 and 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this airbag device, an airbag moving body 1a is arranged in the vicinity of one side Sa of the seat S of an automobile, and an engaging moving body 1b is arranged in the vicinity of the other side Sb of the seat S. The protective airbag 2 is housed in the moving body 1a. Further, the airbag device has an occupant information detection unit 3 and a collision detection unit 4, and a deployment control unit 6 is connected to the occupant information detection unit 3 and the collision detection unit 4 via the deployment position calculation unit 5a. An inflator 7 and a drive unit 8a are connected to the control unit, respectively. Further, the engagement position calculation unit 5b is connected to the deployment position calculation unit 5a, and the deployment control unit 6 and the drive unit 8b are sequentially connected to the engagement position calculation unit 5b. Then, the protective airbag 2 is connected to the inflator 7, the airbag moving body 1a is connected to the driving unit 8a, and the engaging moving body 1b is connected to the driving unit 8b.

The moving body 1a for an airbag has a flat plate shape extending in the vertical direction with respect to the seat S, and is arranged so as to face the side portion Sa of the seat S. A rail 9a extending in the front-rear direction D1 with respect to the seat S is provided in the lower portion of the seat S, and an airbag moving body 1a is movably attached in the front-rear direction D1 along the rail 9a. As a result, the moving body 1a for the airbag is attached to the seat S via the rail 9a. Here, the moving body 1a for an airbag is attached to the rail 9a so as to be movable from the retracted position P2a retracted behind the deployed position P1a toward the deployed position P1a located on the front side of the seat back. Further, the moving body 1a for an airbag has a strength to support the base end portion of the deployed protective airbag 2, and can be made of, for example, a resin.
The protective airbag 2 receives the occupant R that moves forward in response to a collision, and is directed from the airbag moving body 1a toward the engaging moving body 1b, that is, from the side Sa side to the side Sb side of the seat S. It is arranged on the moving body 1a for an airbag so as to expand toward.

The engaging moving body 1b has a plate shape extending in the vertical direction with respect to the seat S, and is arranged so as to face the side portion Sb of the seat S. A rail 9b extending in the front-rear direction D1 with respect to the seat S is provided in the lower portion of the seat S, and an engaging moving body 1b is movably attached to the seat S along the rail 9b in the front-rear direction D1. As a result, the engaging mobile body 1b is attached to the seat S via the rail 9b. Here, the engaging moving body 1b is movably attached to the rail 9b from the retracted position P2b retracted rearward from the engaging position P1b toward the engaging position P1b located on the front side of the seat back.
Further, an engaging portion 12 that engages in the vicinity of the tip end portion of the protective airbag 2 is formed in the front portion of the engaging moving body 1b. The engaging portion 12 has a shape protruding toward the seat S side, and is formed so as to support the vicinity of the tip portion of the protective air bag 2 from the front. The engaging mobile body 1b has strength to maintain engagement with the protective airbag 2, and can be made of, for example, resin.

The drive unit 8a moves the airbag moving body 1a along the rail 9a in the front-rear direction D1. Further, the drive unit 8b moves the engaging moving body 1b along the rail 9b in the front-rear direction D1. The drive units 8a and 8b can be composed of, for example, a motor or the like.
The inflator 7 injects a deploying gas into the protective airbag 2 to deploy the protective airbag 2.

The occupant information detection unit 3 detects occupant information such as the posture and physique of the occupant R sitting on the seat S. As the occupant information detection unit 3, for example, a camera or the like can be used.
The collision detection unit 4 detects collision information in which an automobile collides. For example, the collision detection unit 4 detects collision information such as the position, direction, and size of a collision object before the collision, and detects collision information such as the collision position of an automobile at the time of a collision. As the collision detection unit 4, for example, a camera or the like can be used.

The deployment position calculation unit 5a calculates the deployment position P1a for deploying the protective airbag 2 on the front side of the occupant R based on the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit 3 and the collision information detected by the collision detection unit 4. do.
The engagement position calculation unit 5b moves for engagement based on the deployment position P1a calculated by the deployment position calculation unit 5a, the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit 3, and the collision information detected by the collision detection unit 4. The engaging position P1b at which the engaging portion 12 of the body 1b engages in the vicinity of the tip portion of the protective airbag 2 is calculated. That is, the engagement position calculation unit 5b calculates the engagement position P1b in which the engagement portion 12 supports the protective airbag on the front side of the tip end portion of the deployed protective airbag 2.

The deployment control unit 6 has an airbag control unit 10 and an engagement control unit 11. Based on the collision information detected by the collision detection unit 4, the airbag control unit 10 moves the airbag moving body 1a from the retracted position P2a to the deployment position P1a calculated by the deployment position calculation unit 5a via the drive unit 8a. And move. Further, the engagement control unit 11 drives the engagement moving body 1b from the retracted position P2b to the engagement position P1b calculated by the engagement position calculation unit 5b based on the collision information detected by the collision detection unit 4. Move via 8b. Then, the airbag control unit 10 deploys the protective airbag 2 from the airbag moving body 1a moved to the deployment position P1a via the inflator 7.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the automobile is driven with the occupant R seated on the seat S. At this time, the airbag moving body 1a and the engaging moving body 1b are arranged at the retracted positions P2a and P2b, respectively. When a collision object approaches the automobile from the front, the collision detection unit 4 sequentially detects collision information such as the position, direction, and size of the collision object. Further, the occupant information detection unit 3 sequentially detects occupant information such as the posture and physique of the occupant R sitting on the seat S.
The collision information detected by the collision detection unit 4 and the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit 3 are output to the deployment position calculation unit 5a. Further, the control unit of the automobile (not shown) sequentially outputs the traveling information of the automobile to the deployment position calculation unit 5a. Examples of the traveling information include the traveling direction and speed of the automobile.

When the collision information, the occupant information, and the traveling information are input to the deployment position calculation unit 5a, the deployment position calculation unit 5a deploys the protective airbag 2 on the front side of the occupant R based on the collision information, the occupant information, and the travel information. The expansion position P1a is calculated. Then, the deployment position calculation unit 5a outputs collision information, occupant information, traveling information, and deployment position P1a to the deployment control unit 6 and the engagement position calculation unit 5b, respectively.
When the collision information, the occupant information, the traveling information and the deployment position P1a are input to the engagement position calculation unit 5b from the deployment position calculation unit 5a, the engagement position calculation unit 5b receives the collision information, the occupant information, the travel information and the deployment position. Based on P1a, the engagement position P1b is calculated on the front side of the deployment position P1a and in which the protection airbag 2 is maintained in engagement by the engagement portion 12. The engagement position calculation unit 5b outputs the calculated engagement position P1b to the deployment control unit 6.

When collision information, occupant information, traveling information and deployment position P1a are input to the deployment control unit 6 from the deployment position calculation unit 5a, the deployment control unit 6 determines the possibility of a vehicle collision based on the collision information. When the deployment control unit 6 determines that the vehicle is likely to collide, the airbag control unit 10 drives the drive unit 8a based on the deployment position P1a, and the engagement control unit 11 drives the drive unit 8a based on the engagement position P1b. By driving the drive unit 8b, as shown in FIG. 2A, the airbag moving body 1a is moved from the retracted position P2a to the deployed position P1a, and the engaging moving body 1b is moved from the retracted position P2b to the engaging position P1b. Move to. Then, the airbag control unit 10 controls the inflator 7 to deploy the protective airbag 2 on the front side of the occupant R.

Subsequently, when the automobile collides with the collision object from the front, as shown in FIG. 2B, the occupant R moving forward with the collision is received by the protective airbag 2. At this time, the engaging portion 12 of the engaging moving body 1b engages in the vicinity of the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2 and supports the protective airbag 2 from the front side so that the protective airbag 2 does not move forward. Therefore, the occupant R moving forward can be reliably received by the protective airbag 2.

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the physique of the occupant R is small, the occupant information is input from the occupant information detection unit 3 to the deployment position calculation unit 5a, and the deployment position P1a and the engagement position P1b is calculated at a position slightly forward from the seat back by the unfolding position calculation unit 5a and the engagement position calculation unit 5b. Therefore, the airbag moving body 1a and the engaging moving body 1b are moved to the deployment position P1a and the engagement position P1b slightly forward from the seat back, and the protective airbag 2 deployed at the deployment position P1a is engaged. Engaged by the joint 12.

On the other hand, when the occupant's physique is large as shown in FIG. 4, the occupant information is input from the occupant information detection unit 3 to the deployment position calculation unit 5a, and the deployment position P1a and the engagement position P1b are the deployment positions. It is calculated at a position far forward from the seat back by the calculation unit 5a and the engagement position calculation unit 5b. Therefore, the airbag moving body 1a and the engaging moving body 1b are moved to the deployment position P1a and the engagement position P1b which are far forward from the seat back, and the protective airbag 2 deployed at the deployment position P1a is engaged. Engaged by the joint 12.

In this way, the deployment position calculation unit 5a calculates the deployment position P1a based on the occupant information, so that the protective airbag 2 is deployed on the front side of the occupant R even if the physique of the occupant R is significantly different, for example. Can be reliably received by the protective airbag 2.
Similarly, the deployment position calculation unit 5a calculates the deployment position P1a based on the occupant information, the collision information, and the traveling information, so that even if the occupant R moves significantly forward due to a collision, for example, the protective air is on the front side of the occupant R. The bag 2 can be deployed and the occupant R can be reliably received by the protective airbag 2.

Further, when the protective airbag 2 receives the occupant R, the pressure applied to the protective airbag 2 by the occupant R having a large physique is larger than that of the occupant R having a small physique. At this time, the engagement position P1b is calculated at a constant distance from the deployment position P1a regardless of the difference in the pressure applied to the protective airbag 2, that is, the vicinity of the engagement portion 12 and the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2. If the distance from the airbag is constant, it becomes difficult to maintain the engagement of the protective airbag 2 by the engaging portion 12, for example, when the pressure is large.
Therefore, the engagement position calculation unit 5b obtains the pressure applied to the protective airbag 2 by the occupant R based on the occupant information, the collision information, and the traveling information, and the engagement of the protective airbag 2 by the engagement unit 12 is maintained. The engagement position P1b corresponding to the pressure is calculated as described above. As a result, it is possible to calculate the optimum engagement position P1b that fluctuates according to the physique of the occupant R and the like, and it is possible to reliably maintain the engagement of the protective airbag 2 by the engagement portion 12.

If the protective airbag 2 can reliably receive the occupant R, the deployment control unit 6 moves the airbag moving body 1a and the engaging moving body 1b after the automobile collides with a colliding object. The protective airbag 2 may be deployed. As a result, the engagement position calculation unit 5b can calculate the engagement position P1b based on the collision information, the occupant information, and the traveling information detected immediately after the collision, so that the engagement position P1b can be calculated more accurately. can.

According to the present embodiment, the engaging portion 12 is the tip of the protective airbag 2 based on the deployment position P1a of the protective airbag 2 and the occupant information detected by the occupant information detecting unit 3. The engagement position P1b to be engaged in the vicinity of 13 is calculated, and the deployment control unit 6 moves the engagement moving body 1b to the engagement position P1b calculated by the engagement position calculation unit 5b and deploys the protective airbag 2. Therefore, the engaging portion 12 can be firmly engaged with the protective airbag 2, and the occupant R can be reliably received by the protective airbag 2.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, it is preferable that the engaging moving body 1b has a fixing portion that sandwiches the vicinity of the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2 with the engaging portion 12.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the fixing portion 21 can be arranged and the inflator 22 can be newly arranged on the engaging mobile body 1b of the first embodiment.

The fixing portion 21 has a support portion 23 in which the rear portion of the engaging mobile body 1b projects toward the seat S side, and a fixed airbag 24 housed in the support portion 23. The support portion 23 has the strength to support the base end portion of the deployed fixed airbag 24, and can be made of, for example, resin. The fixed airbag 24 is arranged on the support portion 23 so as to expand forward toward the engaging portion 12.
The inflator 22 injects a deploying gas into the fixed airbag 24 to deploy the fixed airbag 24, and is connected to the engagement control unit 11 and also connected to the fixed airbag 24.

With such a configuration, as in the first embodiment, the airbag control unit 10 moves the airbag moving body 1a to the deployment position P1a, and the engagement control unit 11 moves the engaging moving body 1b to the engaging position P1b. Is moved, and the airbag control unit 10 deploys the protective airbag 2. As a result, the vicinity of the tip end portion of the protective airbag 2 is engaged so as to be supported from the front by the engaging portion 12.
Subsequently, the engagement control unit 11 deploys the fixed airbag 24 forward toward the engagement unit 12 via the inflator 22. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the fixed airbag 24 is deployed so as to press the protective airbag 2 and sandwiches and protects the vicinity of the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2 with the engaging portion 12. The tip portion 13 of the airbag 2 can be fixed.

According to the present embodiment, since the fixed portion 21 has the fixed airbag 24 that expands forward so as to press the protective airbag 2 toward the engaging portion 12, the engaging portion 12 and the fixed airbag 24 are provided. The protective airbag 2 can be fixed by sandwiching the protective airbag 2 between them, and the occupant R can be reliably received by the protective airbag 2.
Here, in the present embodiment, the fixing portion 21 is configured to sandwich the protective airbag 2 between the engaging portion 12 and the fixed airbag 24, but is protected between the engaging portion 12 and the fixing portion 12. It suffices if the airbag 2 can be sandwiched, and the present invention is not limited to the fixed airbag 24.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, the protective airbag 2 is arranged on the moving body 1a for the airbag and is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction D1 along the side portion Sa of the seat S. It suffices if it can be deployed from the side Sa side of the seat S toward the side Sb side at the deployment position P1a on the front side of R, and the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the protective airbag 2 can also be arranged on the armrest T provided in the vicinity of the side portion Sa of the seat S.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the engaging portion 12 is formed so as to project toward the seat S side, but is formed so as to engage the vicinity of the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2. It is not limited to a protruding shape.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the collision detection unit 4 detects the collision information before the collision of the automobile, but it is sufficient if the collision information of the automobile can be detected, and the collision information is detected before the collision. It is not limited to things.
For example, in the first embodiment, the collision detection unit 4 may detect only the collision information as to whether or not the automobile has collided. Based on the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit 3, the deployment position calculation unit 5a calculates the deployment position P1a for deploying the protective airbag 2 in front of the occupant R. Subsequently, the engagement position calculation unit 5b has the engaging unit 12 at the tip of the protective airbag 2 based on the deployment position P1a calculated by the deployment position calculation unit 5a and the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit 3. The engagement position P1b that engages in the vicinity of the portion 13 is calculated. Then, when the collision information is detected by the collision detection unit 4, the airbag control unit 10 moves the airbag moving body 1a to the deployment position P1a calculated by the deployment position calculation unit 5a via the drive unit 8a. , The engagement control unit 11 moves the engagement moving body 1b to the engagement position P1b calculated by the engagement position calculation unit 5b via the drive unit 8b. Subsequently, the airbag control unit 10 deploys the protective airbag 2 via the inflator 7. As a result, the protective airbag 2 is deployed on the front side of the occupant R, and the vicinity of the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2 is engaged by the engaging portion 12, so that the occupant R is reliably received by the protective airbag 2. Can be done.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the airbag moving body 1a is retracted to the retracted position P2a behind the occupant R, but it may be a position retracted from the deployed position P1a and is behind the occupant R. It is not limited to. Similarly, the engaging mobile body 1b is retracted to the retracted position P2b behind the occupant R, but is not limited to the rear of the occupant R as long as it is retracted from the engaged position P1b. For example, the engaging moving body 1b may be configured to move upward along the side portion of the seat S from the retracted position set in the lower part of the seat S.
Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the airbag moving body 1a can be arranged at the retracted position P2a in a state of being deformed from the shape located at the deployed position P1a, and the engaging moving body 1b is engaged. It can be arranged at the retracted position P2b in a state of being deformed from the shape located at the position P1b. For example, the engaging moving body 1b can be arranged in the retracted position P2b in a state of being deformed into a roll shape, and can be moved to the engaging position P1b by pulling out the leading edge portion thereof. As a result, the engaging mobile body 1b can be compactly arranged at the retracted position P2b.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the airbag moving body 1a is formed in a flat plate shape, but it is not limited to the flat plate shape as long as it can support the deployed protective airbag 2. .. Further, although the engaging moving body 1b is formed in a plate shape, it is not limited to the plate shape as long as the engaging portion 12 can engage the vicinity of the tip portion 13 of the protective airbag 2. For example, the moving body 1a for airbags and the moving body 1b for engaging may be formed to be curved.

1a Airbag moving body, 1b Engaging moving body, 2 Protective airbag, 3 Crew information detection unit, 4 Collision detection unit, 5a Deployment position calculation unit, 5b Engagement position calculation unit, 6 Deployment control unit, 7, 22 Inflator, 8a, 8b drive unit, 9a, 9b rail, 10 airbag control unit, 11 engagement control unit, 12 engagement unit, 13 protective airbag tip, 21 fixed unit, 23 support unit, 24 fixed airbag ,
S seat, Sa, Sb seat side, D1 front-back direction, R occupant, P1a deployment position, P1b engagement position, P2a, P2b retract position, T armrest.

Claims (5)

Collision detection unit that detects collision information where vehicles collide, and
An occupant information detection unit that detects occupant information including at least one of the posture and physique of the occupant sitting on the seat of the vehicle, and
A protective airbag that is formed so as to deploy from one side of the seat toward the other side at the deployment position on the front side of the occupant and receives the occupant moving forward in the event of a collision.
An engaging moving body that has an engaging portion formed to engage near the tip of the protective airbag and is arranged on the seat so as to be movable in the front-rear direction along the other side portion of the seat. When,
Engagement that calculates the engagement position in which the engagement portion engages in the vicinity of the tip portion of the protection airbag based on the deployment position of the protection airbag and the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit. Position calculation unit and
Based on the collision information detected by the collision detection unit, the deployment control unit that moves the engagement moving body to the engagement position calculated by the engagement position calculation unit and deploys the protective airbag. An airbag device characterized by being equipped. An airbag moving body in which the protective airbag is arranged and is arranged on the sheet so as to be movable in the front-rear direction along one side of the sheet.
It further has a deployment position calculation unit that calculates the deployment position for deploying the protective airbag in front of the occupant based on the occupant information detected by the occupant information detection unit.
The engagement position calculation unit calculates the engagement position based on the deployment position calculated by the deployment position calculation unit.
The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the deployment control unit moves the airbag moving body to the deployment position calculated by the deployment position calculation unit to deploy the protective airbag. The engaging portion is provided on the engaging moving body so as to project toward the seat side and support the protective airbag from the front.
The airbag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engaging moving body has a fixing portion arranged behind the engaging portion and sandwiching the vicinity of the tip end portion of the protective airbag with the engaging portion. Device. The airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the fixed portion has a fixed airbag that expands forward so as to press the protective airbag toward the engaging portion. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the engagement position calculation unit further calculates the engagement position based on the collision information detected by the collision detection unit.

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