JP7035888B2 - Airbag - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an airbag that inflows an expansion gas into the inside and expands to protect an occupant seated in a vehicle seat.

Conventionally, as an airbag, an inner bag is provided inside the bag body as an airbag for a steering wheel, and an expansion gas discharged from an inflator flows into the bag body and the inner bag via a rectifying member. (For example, see Patent Document 1). Further, in this conventional airbag, the expansion gas that has flowed into the inner bag is configured to be suppressed from flowing out to the bag body side by a check valve, and by keeping the internal pressure of the inner bag high. , The occupant protection performance was improved.

JP-A-2015-3675

However, in the conventional airbag, the inner bag is arranged inside the bag body, and when the occupant is received when the expansion is completed, the inner bag cannot accurately support the bag body, and the occupant is stabilized. There was room for improvement in terms of protection.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag that can stably protect an occupant when expansion is completed.

The airbag according to the present invention is an airbag that protects an occupant seated in a vehicle seat by inflowing an expansion gas into the airbag and inflating the airbag.
A protective expansion unit that is configured to connect the peripheral edges of the occupant-side panel and the vehicle body-side panel and expands to protect the occupant,
When the expansion is completed, the support expansion part of the structure that can support the vehicle body side panel side of the protection expansion part and is supported by the peripheral edge of the mounting part,
A communication passage portion that is arranged in the support expansion portion and allows the expansion gas that has flowed into the inside to flow out to the protection expansion portion side and the support expansion portion side, respectively.
Equipped with
The protective expansion portion is configured to allow expansion gas to flow into the inside from the substantially central side of the vehicle body side panel via the communication passage portion.
The support expansion portion is characterized in that it is communicated with the communication passage portion in a state where the outflow of the expansion gas flowing into the inside to the communication passage portion side is suppressed by the check valve.

In the airbag of the present invention, the vehicle body side panel side of the protective expansion portion is supported by the support expansion portion, and the support expansion portion is a continuous passage of the expansion gas that has flowed into the inside by the check valve. Since the configuration is supported by the peripheral edge of the mounting portion while the outflow on the portion side is suppressed, it is possible to maintain a high internal pressure state after the expansion is completed. That is, the airbag of the present invention has a configuration in which the vehicle body side panel side of the protective expansion portion that expands in the shape of a bag is supported by the support expansion portion in a state of being supported by the peripheral edge of the mounting portion. Even if the portion has an area for receiving the occupant and is not directly supported by the vehicle body side, the protective expansion portion can be accurately supported by the support expansion portion. Therefore, when the occupant is received when the expansion is completed, the occupant can be stably protected by the protective expansion portion in a state where the vehicle body side is supported by the support expansion portion.

Therefore, the airbag of the present invention can stably protect the occupant when the expansion is completed.

Further, in the airbag of the present invention, since the protective expansion portion has a configuration in which the expansion gas flows into the inside from the substantially central side of the vehicle body side panel via the communication passage portion, the bag body is formed from the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge. The protective expansion portion can be expanded more quickly than a conventional airbag in which an expansion gas flows into the inside.

Further, in the airbag of the present invention, if the protective expansion portion has a substantially disk-shaped expansion complete shape and the support expansion portion has a substantially annular shape, the support expansion portion expands the protective expansion portion. The vehicle body side panel side near the outer peripheral edge at the time of completion can be supported over the entire area, the protective expansion part can be supported more stably, and the protection expansion part makes it possible to protect the occupant more accurately. ,preferable.

Furthermore, in the airbag having the above configuration, if the check valves are formed at a plurality of locations, the support expansion portion can be rapidly expanded at the initial stage of expansion of the airbag, which is preferable.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the airbag device for a steering wheel using the airbag which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic vertical sectional view when the airbag device for a steering wheel of FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the airbag used in the steering wheel airbag device of FIG. 1 in a flatly unfolded state. It is a bottom view of the airbag of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the state in which the airbag of FIG. 3 is inflated by itself. It is a top view of the communication passage part used in the airbag of FIG. It is a bottom view of the continuous passage part of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the part VIII-VIII of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the IX-IX part of FIG. It is a top view which shows the base cloth which constitutes the airbag of FIG. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the part of the communication passage part at the initial stage of expansion of an airbag, and at the time of completion of expansion in the airbag device for a steering wheel of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing a state in which the airbag has completed expansion in the airbag device for a steering wheel of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the airbag 20 for the steering wheel is taken as an example and described. The airbag 20 is used in a steering wheel airbag device (hereinafter abbreviated as "airbag device") M mounted on the steering wheel W as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The steering wheel W includes a steering wheel main body 1 and an airbag device M arranged above the central boss portion B of the steering wheel main body 1. The steering wheel main body 1 has a ring portion R to be gripped during steering, a boss portion B arranged substantially in the center of the ring portion R and connected to the steering shaft SS, and two connecting the boss portion B and the ring portion R. The spoke portion S of the above is provided. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the steering wheel W is a modified steering wheel having a ring portion R having a shape such that a front region is cut out during straight-ahead steering.

In the embodiment, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are based on the straight-ahead steering of the steering wheel W mounted on the vehicle unless otherwise specified, and the steering shaft SS to which the steering wheel W is assembled (see FIG. 2). ) Is the vertical direction, the front and rear of the vehicle that is orthogonal to the axis of the steering shaft SS is the front and rear direction, and the left and right of the vehicle that is orthogonal to the axis of the steering shaft SS is the left and right direction.・ It shows the left and right directions.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering wheel main body 1 is arranged so as to connect each portion of the ring portion R, the boss portion B, and the spoke portion S, and includes a core metal 3 made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. ing. A coating layer 5 made of synthetic resin is coated on the portion of the ring portion R in the core metal 3 and the portion on the ring portion R side in each spoke portion S. Further, a steel boss 4 for inserting the steering shaft SS and fixing the nut N is arranged at the portion of the boss portion B in the core metal 3. Further, a lower cover 6 made of synthetic resin that covers the lower part of the boss portion B is arranged at the lower portion of the steering wheel main body 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag device M is arranged at a boss portion B at the center of the left and right sides of the steering wheel W, and is a folded and stored airbag 20 and an expansion gas in the airbag 20. The inflator 11 for supplying the airbag 20, the case 12 for storing and holding the airbag 20 and the inflator 11, the airbag cover 14 for covering the folded airbag 20, and the airbag 20 and the inflator 11 are attached to the case 12. It is equipped with a retainer 10 for the purpose.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inflator 11 includes a substantially columnar main body portion 11a having a plurality of gas discharge ports 11b, and a flange portion 11c for attaching the inflator 11 to the case 12. The flange portion 11c is formed with a through hole (not shown) for passing each bolt (not shown) of the retainer 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the case 12 is made of sheet metal and has a substantially rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall portion 12a to which the inflator 11 is inserted and attached from below, and a peripheral wall portion 12b extending vertically from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 12a. , Is equipped. A mounting piece 12c extending outward is formed at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 12b (see FIG. 1), and a mounting board of a horn switch mechanism (not shown) is mounted on the mounting piece 12c. Then, using this mounting board (not shown), the case 12 is mounted and fixed to the core metal 3 of the steering wheel W, and the airbag device M is attached to the upper portion of the boss portion B of the steering wheel body 1 already mounted on the steering shaft SS. It will be installed in. Further, a side wall portion 14c of the airbag cover 14 is attached to the peripheral wall portion 12b of the case 12 by using a rivet 15 or the like (see FIG. 2). In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 20 and the inflator 11 use a bolt (not shown) of the retainer 10 arranged in the airbag 20 as a mounting means, and attach the bolt (not shown) to the peripheral edge of the inflow opening 39 in the airbag 20. It is attached to the bottom wall portion 12a of the case 12 by penetrating the mounting hole 40, the bottom wall portion 12a of the case 12, and the flange portion 11c of the inflator 11 and fixing them with nuts (not shown).

The airbag cover 14 is made of synthetic resin and has a ceiling wall portion 14a that covers the upper part of the airbag 20 housed in the case 12 and a side wall portion 14c having a substantially square cylinder shape that extends downward from the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the ceiling wall portion 14a. And have. The ceiling wall portion 14a is formed with two door portions 14b, 14b that are pushed by the inflatable airbag 20 and open back and forth.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the airbag 20 has a protective expansion portion 21 that protects the driver MD (see FIG. 12) as a occupant, and a lower surface side (vehicle body side panel 24 side, which will be described later) of the protection expansion portion 21. It is provided with a support expansion portion 29 arranged in the support expansion portion 29 and a communication passage portion 35 arranged in the support expansion portion 29.

The protective expansion portion 21 includes a occupant side wall portion 21a arranged on the driver MD side as a occupant when expansion is completed, and a vehicle body side wall portion 21b arranged on the steering wheel W side on the vehicle body side. In the embodiment, the protective expansion portion 21 is formed into a bag shape formed by connecting the peripheral edges 23a and 24a of the substantially circular occupant side panel 23 and the vehicle body side panel 24 having substantially the same outer shape, and the expansion is completed. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shape is configured to be a substantially circular shape that can cover the entire ring portion R when viewed from above, and a substantially elliptical spherical shape when viewed from the side. .. The protective expansion portion 21 is formed with a vent hole 25 for exhausting the excess expansion gas G that has flowed into the inside. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, the vent hole 25 is formed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge 24a of the vehicle body side panel 24 on the vehicle body side wall portion 21b side and in the region exposed from the support expansion portion 29. ing. Further, the protective expansion portion 21 is provided with an opening 24b corresponding to the opening 42a forming the opening 42 formed in the communication passage portion 35 on the vehicle body side panel 24 (vehicle body side wall portion 21b) side. Four openings 24b are formed by opening in a substantially circular shape at a position substantially central to the vehicle body side panel 24.

The support expansion portion 29 is configured to expand so as to support the vehicle body side panel 24 side of the protection expansion portion 21 and to cover the lower surface side (vehicle body side wall portion 21b side) of the protection expansion portion 21 when the expansion is completed. It includes a protective expansion portion side wall portion 29a arranged on the protective expansion portion 21 side when expansion is completed, and a vehicle body side wall portion 29b arranged on the steering wheel W side. In the case of the embodiment, the support expansion portion 29 covers the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 31c of the substantially circular support portion configuration panel 31 whose outer diameter dimension is set to be smaller than that of the vehicle body side panel 24 in the protection expansion portion 21. By connecting to the side panel 24, it is composed of a region between the vehicle body side panel 24 and the support portion constituent panel 31 (see FIG. 5). That is, the support expansion portion 29 is configured by sharing the protective expansion portion side wall portion 29a with the vehicle body side panel 24 constituting the vehicle body side wall portion 21b in the protection expansion portion 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the support expansion portion 29 (support portion configuration panel 31) has the outer diameter dimension D2 in the flatly expanded state, and the protective expansion portion 21 (occupant side panel 23,) in the flatly expanded state. It is set to about 7/8 of the outer diameter dimension D1 of the vehicle body side panel 24). That is, the support expansion portion 29 is set to have a smaller diameter than the protection expansion portion 21. The support expansion portion 29 (support portion configuration panel 31) substantially coincides with the center of the protection expansion portion 21. Then, in the support expansion portion 29, the opening 31a corresponds to the inflow opening 39 and the mounting hole 40, which will be described later, formed in the communication passage portion 35 at the substantially center of the support portion constituent panel 31 (vehicle body side wall portion 29b). , 31b are formed. The support expansion portion 29 has an outer diameter dimension at the time of completion of expansion set to be slightly larger than the ring diameter of the steering wheel W, and when the expansion of the airbag 20 is completed, the side wall portion 29b of the vehicle body is placed on the peripheral edge of the mounting portion. In the case of the form, it is supported by the ring portion R in the steering wheel W (see FIG. 12).

The communication passage portion 35 arranged in the support expansion portion 29 causes the expansion gas G that has flowed into the inside to flow out to the protection expansion portion 21 side and the support expansion portion 29 side, respectively, and are shown in FIGS. 6 to 9. As described above, the opening 42 that allows the expansion gas to flow out to the protective expansion portion 21 side, the conduit portion 45 that causes the expansion gas to flow out to the support expansion portion 29 side, and the expansion gas G that has flowed into the inside are on the opening 42 side. It is provided with a branch portion 36 that branches to the conduit portion 45 side and the conduit portion 45.

The branch portion 36 is configured to include an upper wall portion 37 and a lower wall portion 38 arranged so as to face each other in the vertical direction. The upper wall portion 37 is formed with an opening 42 that communicates with the protective expansion portion 21 side. The opening 42 is composed of four substantially circular openings 42a, and the openings 42a are formed corresponding to the openings 24b formed in the vehicle body side panel 24 of the protective expansion portion 21 as described above. Has been done. Then, the upper wall portion 37 is formed on the vehicle body side panel 24 by forming a substantially circular connecting portion 43 that surrounds the periphery of the opening portion 42 in a state where the vehicle body side panel 24 of the protective expansion portion 21 is overlapped. They are combined (see Figure 5). That is, the support expansion portion 29 and the protection expansion portion 21 are connected to each other at a portion surrounding the opening 42. The inflow opening 39 for inserting the main body portion 11a of the inflator 11 from below into the lower wall portion 38 and allowing the expansion gas G discharged from the gas discharge port 11b of the inflator 11 to flow into the inside is substantially circular. It is formed by opening to. Further, four mounting holes 40 for inserting bolts (not shown) of the retainer 10 are formed on the peripheral edge of the inflow opening 39 in the lower wall portion 38. In the case of the embodiment, the lower wall portion 38 has the peripheral edge of the inflow opening 39 connected to the support portion constituent panel 31 by using sutures. That is, the branch portion 36 of the communication passage portion 35 is arranged so as to fill the region near the center of the support expansion portion 29 over the entire upper and lower parts.

The conduit portion 45 is formed so as to extend from the branch portion 36 toward the support expansion portion 29, and in the case of the embodiment, the conduit portion 45 radiates from the branch portion 36 toward the outer peripheral edge side of the support expansion portion 29. It is formed in four places extending to. Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the conduit portion 45 is formed so as to extend from the branch portion 36 to both the front and rear sides and the left and right sides, respectively. Each conduit portion 45 includes an upper wall portion 47 arranged so as to be continuous from the upper wall portion 37 of the branch portion 36, and a lower wall portion 48 arranged so as to be continuous from the lower wall portion 38 of the branch portion 36. The upper wall portion 47 and the lower wall portion 48 are connected to each other to form a tubular shape, and an opening 46 is provided on the tip 45b side to allow expansion gas to flow out to the support expansion portion 29 side. ing. That is, each conduit portion 45 is located on the outer peripheral edge side of the support expansion portion 29 along the front, rear, left and right sides from the branch portion 36 so as to substantially follow the ring surface RF of the ring portion R when the airbag 20 is deployed and expanded in the vehicle mounted state. It is formed so as to project toward (see FIG. 12), and the expansion gas flows out toward the outer peripheral edge side of the support expansion portion 29 (see A in FIG. 11). Further, the conduit portion 45 has a check valve 50, and the check valve 50 causes the expansion gas that has flowed into the support expansion portion 29 to flow out to the communication passage portion 35 side (branch portion 36 side). It is configured to communicate with the support / expansion portion 29 in a state where the backflow) is suppressed. More specifically, each conduit portion 45 is configured such that the base portion 45a side, which is the branch portion 36 side, is wide, and the width is slightly narrower toward the opening 46 side (tip 45b side) (FIG. See 6 and 7). Further, in the embodiment, in the adjacent conduit portion 45, the tip 45b side near the opening 46 is connected to each other by the connecting portion 52.

In the embodiment, the connecting passage portion 35 is formed by stacking two circular passage panels 54U and 54D (see FIG. 10) having the same outer shape so as to match the outer peripheral edges, and using suture threads to position them in a predetermined position. It is formed by forming four binding sites 55 in. That is, in the embodiment, the connecting passage portion 35 has a substantially circular outer shape developed flat, and the connecting portion 52 connecting the conduit portions 45 connects the conduit portions 45 without a gap. The communication passage portion 35 has an outer diameter dimension D3 (see FIG. 10) in a flatly unfolded state and 5/7 of an outer diameter dimension D2 of the support portion constituent panel 31 (support expansion portion 29) in a flat unfolded state. It is set to about 5/8 of the outer diameter dimension D1 of the protective expansion portion 21 in a flatly expanded state.

Then, in the embodiment, when the expansion of the airbag 20 is completed, the communication passage portion 35 has the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the branch portion 36 in the support expansion portion 29, respectively, on the upper surface (protective expansion) of the support expansion portion 29. The support expansion portion 29 is arranged in a substantially disk shape so as to be coupled to the vehicle body side panel 24) side and the lower surface (support portion configuration panel 31) side of the portion 21, and the support expansion portion 29 is a continuous passage portion 35. It is arranged so as to surround the circumference, in other words, the expansion completed shape is regarded as a substantially annular shape. Further, in the initial stage of expansion of the airbag 20, the communication passage portion 35 supports and expands the expansion gas G flowing into the branch portion 36 via the conduit portion 45, respectively, as shown in FIG. 11A. It is configured to flow out to the side and flow out to the protective expansion portion 21 side via the opening 42. At this time, the communication passage portion 35 is located near the outer peripheral edge 35a (the peripheral edge of the opening 46 of the conduit portion 45 and the conduit portion 45 are mutually connected). The outer peripheral edge 52a) of the connected connecting portion 52 is arranged in a stretched state so as to generate a tension substantially along the outer peripheral edge 35a. Therefore, when the discharge of the expansion gas from the inflator 11 is completed and the airbag 20 completes the expansion, the tension and the internal pressure of the expansion gas G flowing into the support expansion portion 29 cause each conduit portion. The upper wall portion 47 and the lower wall portion 48 are brought into contact with each other so that the 45 closes the opening 46 on the tip 45b side (see B in FIG. 11), and the expansion portion has flowed into the support expansion portion 29. It is possible to prevent the gas from flowing back into the conduit portion 45. That is, in the embodiment, the upper wall portion 47 and the lower wall portion 48 that form the region around the opening 46 in each conduit portion 45 form the check valve 50. In the embodiment, the communication passage portion 35 is communicated with the protective expansion portion 21 by the opening 42, and the protection expansion portion 21 is formed with a vent hole 25 for exhausting excess expansion gas. Therefore, when the opening 46 in the conduit portion 45 is closed, the expansion gas flowing into the communication passage portion 35 flows to the protective expansion portion 21 side through the opening 42, and the support expansion portion 29 Is to maintain a higher internal pressure than the protective expansion portion 21 (communication passage portion 35), so that the closed state of the conduit portion 45 can be maintained.

In the embodiment, the occupant side panel 23, the vehicle body side panel 24, the support portion constituent panel 31, and the continuous passage panels 54U and 54D constituting the airbag 20 have flexibility made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like, respectively. It is made of woven cloth.

The airbag device M of the embodiment can be mounted on the vehicle as follows. First, the airbag 20 is folded so as to be able to be stored in the case 12 in a state where the retainer 10 is arranged in the communication passage portion 35 so that a bolt (not shown) protrudes from the mounting hole and the opening. After that, the folded airbag 20 is housed in the case 12, the main body portion 11a of the inflator 11 is inserted from below, and the inflator 11 and the air are used by using bolts and nuts (not shown) protruding from the bottom wall portion 12a. Attach the bag 20 and the bag 20 to the case 12. Further, if the case 12 is covered with the airbag cover 14, the airbag cover 14 is attached to the case 12 by using the rivet 15 or the like, and then the horn switch mechanism (not shown) is attached to the attachment piece 12c of the case 12. The airbag device M can be assembled. The airbag device M can be mounted on the vehicle V by mounting the airbag device M on the steering wheel main body 1 previously fastened to the steering shaft SS by using a mounting board (not shown) of the horn switch mechanism.

In the airbag device M of the embodiment, if the expansion gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 11b of the inflator 11, the airbag 20 inflows the expansion gas into the inside and expands, and the door portion of the airbag cover 14 14b and 14b are pushed open and protruded from the case 12, and expansion is completed so as to cover substantially the entire upper surface of the steering wheel W as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG.

The airbag 20 used in the airbag device M of the embodiment has a configuration in which the vehicle body side panel 24 side of the protective expansion portion 21 is supported by the support expansion portion 29, and the support expansion portion 29 is supported by the support expansion portion 29. The check valve 50 is supported by the peripheral edge of the mounting portion (in the case of the embodiment, the ring portion R of the steering wheel W) in a state where the outflow of the expansion gas G flowing into the inside on the communication passage portion 35 side is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a high internal pressure state after the expansion is completed. That is, in the airbag 20 of the embodiment, the vehicle body side panel 24 side of the protective expansion portion 21 that expands in the shape of a bag is supported by the support expansion portion 29 in a state of being supported by the airbag cover 14. Therefore, even if the protective expansion unit 21 has an area for receiving the occupant (driver MD) and is not directly supported by the vehicle body side, the support expansion unit 29 can accurately support the protection expansion unit 21. Therefore, when the occupant (driver MD) is received when the expansion is completed, the protective expansion unit 21 in a state where the vehicle body side (vehicle body side wall portion 21b side) is supported by the support expansion unit 29 stably protects the driver MD. can do.

Therefore, in the airbag 20 of the embodiment, the driver MD as a occupant can be stably protected when the expansion is completed.

Further, in the airbag 20 of the embodiment, the protective expansion portion 21 is configured to allow expansion gas to flow into the inside through the opening 42 provided on the substantially central side of the vehicle body side panel 24 via the communication passage portion 35. Therefore, the protective expansion portion 21 can be expanded more quickly than the conventional airbag in which the expansion gas flows into the inside of the bag body from the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge.

Further, in the airbag 20 of the embodiment, the protective expansion portion 21 has a substantially disk-shaped expansion completion shape, and the support expansion portion 29 has a substantially annular shape. Therefore, the support expansion portion 29 can support the vehicle body side panel 24 side near the outer peripheral edge of the protection expansion portion 21 over the entire area, and the protection expansion portion 21 can be supported more stably and is protected. The expansion unit 21 can more accurately protect the driver MD. In particular, the airbag 20 of the embodiment is mounted on a steering wheel W (deformed handle) in which the ring portion R is not annular, but the support expansion portion 29 is expanded in an annular shape to form a support expansion portion. Even if the 29 has a configuration in which the front region is not supported by the ring portion R, that is, a non-support region in which the front region is not supported by the ring portion R , the internal pressure is increased to have shape retention, and further. The support / expansion portion 29, which is partially supported on the rear side by the ring portion R, can accurately support the vehicle body side panel 24 side of the protection expansion portion 21 over the entire circumference. If such a point is not taken into consideration, a support / expansion portion that is configured to divide a part of the annular shape may be used.

Furthermore, in the airbag 20 of the embodiment, since the check valve 50 (conduit portion 45) is formed at a plurality of locations of the communication passage portion 35, the support expansion portion 29 is provided at the initial stage of expansion of the airbag 20. Can be inflated quickly. If such a point is not taken into consideration, a check valve (conduit portion) having only one check valve (conduit portion) may be used as the connecting passage portion. Further, in the airbag 20 of the embodiment, the conduit portion 45 has a configuration in which the conduit portion 45 extends radially from the branch portion 36 arranged near the center of the support expansion portion 29 toward the outer peripheral edge side of the support expansion portion 29. At the initial stage of expansion of the airbag 20, the support expansion portion 29 can be widely and quickly deployed along the ring surface RF. Further, in the case of the embodiment, specifically, the connecting passage portion 35 has a configuration in which the conduit portions 45 are connected by a connecting portion 52 that connects the tips 45b which are the peripheral edges of the opening 46 to each other. The discharge direction of the expansion gas from each conduit portion 45 can be stabilized, and after the expansion of the airbag 20 is completed, the tension generated on the outer peripheral edge 52a side of the connecting portion 52 causes the opening 46 of the conduit portion 45. Can be smoothly closed, and the check valve 50 can be reliably operated. More specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the communication passage portion 35 is configured by connecting two communication passage panels 54U and 54D from a state in which the two communication passage panels 54U and 54D are flatly developed and overlapped with each other at a predetermined position. Therefore, even a configuration having a branch portion 36, a plurality of conduit portions 45 extending from the branch portion 36, and a connecting portion 52 connecting the conduit portions 45 can be easily manufactured. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the conduit portion and the connecting portion are separated from each other, and the tips of the conduit portions are connected to each other by a connecting member made of a separate long body. May be good.

In the embodiment, the airbag 20 is mounted on a steering wheel W (deformed handle) having a non-annular ring portion, but of course, the airbag of the present invention has a steering wheel having an annular ring portion. It may be mounted on the wheel. Further, the present invention is not limited to an airbag for a steering wheel (steering wheel), for example, for a passenger seat for protecting an occupant who is folded and stored in front of the passenger seat and is seated in the passenger seat. The present invention is also applicable to airbags. When the present invention is applied to an airbag for a passenger seat, the support expansion portion is supported by an instrument panel or the like constituting the peripheral edge of the mounting portion.

20 ... airbag, 21 ... protective expansion part, 23 ... passenger side panel, 24 ... vehicle body side panel, 29 ... support expansion part, 31 ... support part configuration panel, 35 ... communication passage part, 36 ... branch part, 39 ... inflow Opening, 42 ... Opening, 45 ... Conduit, 46 ... Opening, 50 ... Check valve, 52 ... Connecting, G ... Expansion gas, MD ... Driver (occupant), W ... Steering wheel, R ... Ring Part, M ... Airbag device for steering wheel.

Claims (2)

An airbag that inflows expansion gas and expands to protect occupants seated in vehicle seats.
A protective expansion portion that is configured to connect the peripheral edges of the occupant-side panel and the vehicle body-side panel and expands to protect the occupant, and a protective expansion portion.
When the expansion is completed, the support expansion portion having a structure that can support the vehicle body side panel side of the protection expansion portion and is supported by the peripheral edge of the mounting portion.
A communication passage portion arranged in the support expansion portion and allowing the expansion gas flowing into the inside to flow out to the protective expansion portion side and the support expansion portion side, respectively.
Equipped with
The protective expansion portion has a substantially disk-shaped expansion completion shape, and is configured to allow expansion gas to flow into the inside from the substantially center side of the vehicle body side panel via the communication passage portion.
The support expansion portion is communicated with the communication passage portion in a state where the outflow of the expansion gas flowing into the inside to the communication passage portion side is suppressed by the check valve, and the expansion completion shape is protected. It has a substantially annular shape with a diameter smaller than that of the expansion portion, and can support the vehicle body side panel side near the outer peripheral edge of the protective expansion portion over the entire area, and the front region when expansion is completed is the peripheral edge of the mounting portion. An airbag characterized by having a non-supported area that is not supported by . The airbag according to claim 1 , wherein the check valves are formed at a plurality of locations.

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