JP7063280B2 - Airbag device for side collision - Google Patents

Description

In the present invention, when an impact is applied from the side to a side wall portion of a vehicle such as a vehicle due to a lateral collision, the side wall portion to which the impact is applied is expanded and expanded between adjacent vehicle seats. The present invention relates to a side collision airbag device that protects an occupant seated on a vehicle seat far from the vehicle.

Some vehicles in which a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction are equipped with a side collision airbag device. This type of airbag device includes an airbag having a bag body and a gas generator arranged in the bag body, and is incorporated in the side portion of the vehicle seat on the side closer to the adjacent vehicle seat. Is done. The gas generator is located at the lower rear part of the bag body and is fixed to the vehicle seat together with the bag body.

Then, when an impact is applied from the side to the side wall portion such as the side door of the vehicle due to a side collision, expansion gas is ejected from the gas generator. Due to this expansion gas, the bag body comes out from the side portion of the vehicle seat, and is expanded and expanded diagonally forward and upward between adjacent vehicle seats. The upper body of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat on the side far from the side wall where the impact was applied tries to fall toward the side wall due to inertia, but is received by the bag body and protected from the impact. ..

In the side collision airbag device, it is important to deploy and inflate the bag body in a predetermined deployment area in order to protect the occupant from impact.
However, since the bag body is fixed only at the lower part after that, when it expands and expands diagonally forward and upward, it will fall so as to rotate in the front-rear direction around the fixed part with the vehicle seat due to the momentum. However, there is a risk of popping out from the above-mentioned deployment area in the front-rear direction.

Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, an upper strap portion and a lower strap portion are provided, and these are brought into a tense state by a bag body that expands and expands, thereby suppressing unnecessary movement of the bag body in the front-rear direction. The technique is described.

Japanese Patent No. 6327110

According to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is possible to expand and inflate the bag body in a predetermined deployment area to improve the performance of protecting the occupant from impact.
However, Patent Document 1 does not particularly disclose that when an occupant tries to fall down to the side wall portion to which an impact is applied due to a side collision, the performance of receiving the occupant by the bag body is enhanced. ..

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reduce unnecessary movement of the bag body and further enhance the performance of protecting the occupant from impact. To provide a bag device.

The side bag airbag device that solves the above problems is an airbag having a bag body that is fixed to a vehicle in which a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in the width direction at a fixing portion set at the rear lower portion of the vehicle. The bag body is expanded and expanded diagonally forward and upward from the fixed portion between adjacent vehicle seats by the expansion gas supplied to the side wall portion of the vehicle in response to an impact applied from the side. It is a side collision airbag device that protects the occupant seated on the vehicle seat on the side far from the side wall from the impact. A first outer tether and a second outer tether to be in a state are further provided, one end of each of the first outer tether and the second outer tether is attached to the fixing portion, and the other end of the first outer tether is attached. The other end of the second outer tether is attached to the front end of the bag body, and the first outer tether is attached to the bag body. The second expansion thickness regulation that regulates the expansion thickness between the first expansion thickness regulating portion and the first expansion thickness regulating portion and the fixing portion that regulates the expansion thickness at the place where the other end portion is attached. A portion is provided, and the expansion thickness between the first expansion thickness regulating portion and the second expansion thickness regulating portion is larger than the expansion thickness between the second expansion thickness regulating portion and the fixed portion. It is set large.

According to the above configuration, when an impact is applied from the side to one side wall portion of the vehicle due to a side collision, the occupant tends to move to the side wall portion to which the impact is applied due to inertia. On the other hand, expansion gas is supplied to the bag body of the airbag, and the bag body expands and expands between adjacent vehicle seats. The first outer tether and the second outer tether are pulled by the unfolding and expanding bag body, respectively. The second outer tether is in a tense state between one end attached to the fixed portion of the bag body and the other end attached to the front end of the bag body.

Therefore, when the bag body fixed to the vehicle in the fixed portion set in the lower rear part expands and expands diagonally forward and upward, even if it tries to rotate backward around the fixed portion, the rotation is in a tense state. It is regulated by the second outer tether of the bag body and is prevented from falling backward.

Further, the first outer tether is in a tense state between one end portion attached to the fixed portion and the other end portion attached to the portion of the bag body that abuts on the shoulder portion of the occupant. In the bag body, the region between the first expansion thickness regulating portion and the second expansion thickness regulating portion expands more in the width direction of the vehicle than the region between the second expansion thickness regulating portion and the fixed portion. Press the first outer tether toward the occupant side. A curved surface is applied to the bag body in a place where tension for pulling the bag body toward the fixed portion is applied through the first outer tether, and the bag body is in the vicinity of the second expansion thickness regulating portion with respect to the first expansion thickness regulating portion. Tension is applied in the direction along the inflated portion, in this case, toward the rear side closer to the occupant (diagonal rear occupant side). A component force is generated in the width direction of the vehicle toward the occupant side in a portion of the bag body that is near the second expansion thickness regulation portion with respect to the first expansion thickness regulation portion. This component force acts as a reaction force that cancels the external force received by the bag body from the occupant trying to move to the side wall portion to which the impact is applied. As a result, the bag body is difficult to move even when an external force is received from the occupant, and the above-mentioned movement of the occupant to the side wall portion to which the impact is applied is suppressed.

Further, the region between the first expansion thickness regulating portion and the second expansion thickness regulating portion expands with a large expansion thickness as described above, but this region is a portion of the bag body that abuts on the shoulder of the occupant. It is located on the fixed part side. Therefore, interference between the shoulder portion, which is the portion of the upper body of the occupant having the largest dimension in the width direction, and the above-mentioned region of the bag body, which greatly expands in the width direction of the vehicle, is suppressed.

In the side collision airbag device, the length between the one end portion and the other end portion of the first outer tether is such that the other end portion of the first outer tether of the bag body is attached. The length between the portion and the fixed portion is set shorter than the peripheral length, and the length between the one end portion and the other end portion in the second outer tether is the length of the second outer tether of the bag body. It is preferable that the other end portion is set shorter than the peripheral length between the front end portion to which the front end portion is attached and the fixing portion.

When the length of the first outer tether is set so as to satisfy the above conditions in relation to the peripheral length of the bag body, the first outer tether is pulled by the bag body that expands and expands, and is pulled by one end portion. There is a tension between the other end and the other end.

Further, when the length of the second outer tether is set so as to satisfy the above conditions in relation to the peripheral length of the bag body, the second outer tether is pulled by the bag body that expands and expands, and one end thereof. There is a tension between the portion and the other end.

In the side collision air bag device, the bag main body includes a occupant-side cloth portion on the side closer to the occupant and an anti-occupant-side cloth portion on the side far from the occupant, and the first expansion thickness regulating portion is The occupant-side cloth portion and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion are connected to each other in a state of being in contact with each other, and the other end portion of the first outer tether is attached to the occupant-side cloth portion by the first expansion thickness regulating portion. It is preferable that they are combined.

According to the above configuration, at the place where the first expansion thickness regulating portion is provided, the occupant-side cloth portion and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion in the bag body are brought into contact with each other, and the distance between the two cloth portions is the minimum possible. Become.

Further, by providing the first expansion thickness regulating portion, the occupant-side cloth portion and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion are connected at the same time, and the other end of the first outer tether is connected to the bag body at the same time. It requires less manufacturing man-hours than the case where it is used.

In the side collision air bag device, the bag main body includes a occupant-side cloth portion on the side closer to the occupant and an anti-occupant-side cloth portion on the side far from the occupant, and the first expansion thickness regulating portion is It is composed of an inner tether arranged in the bag body and stretched between the occupant side cloth portion and the anti-occupant side cloth portion, and the end portion of the inner tether on the occupant side cloth portion side and the said. It is preferable that the other end of the first outer tether is coupled to the occupant-side cloth portion by a common coupling portion.

According to the above configuration, as the bag body expands and expands, the inner tether is pulled to both sides in the width direction of the vehicle and becomes tense. At the place where the inner tether is laid, the expansion thickness of the bag body is regulated by the inner tether in a tense state.

Further, the coupling of the inner tether to the occupant-side cloth portion and the coupling of the other end of the first outer tether to the occupant-side cloth portion are performed by a common coupling portion. Therefore, the manufacturing man-hours can be reduced as compared with the case where both couplings are performed by separate coupling portions.

In the side collision air bag device, the bag body includes a occupant-side cloth portion on the side closer to the occupant and an anti-occupant-side cloth portion on the side far from the occupant, and the first expansion in the bag body. The first inner tether is arranged above the thickness regulating portion, and both ends of the first inner tether in the vertical direction are coupled to the anti-crew side cloth portion at a portion separated in the vertical direction. The middle portion of the inner tether in the vertical direction is connected to the occupant side cloth portion, and the anti-occupant between the portion where the upper end portion of the first inner tether is connected and the portion where the lower end portion is connected. It is preferable that the peripheral length of the side cloth portion is set longer than the vertical peripheral length of the occupant side cloth portion at the portion where the intermediate portion of the first inner tether is joined.

According to the above configuration, when the portion above the first expansion thickness regulating portion in the bag body is expanded and expanded by the supplied expansion gas, the first inner tether is in a tense state, so that the vehicle is in a tense state. Regulates the expansion thickness of the upper part in the width direction of.

The circumference of the occupant side cloth portion and the circumference length of the anti-occupant side cloth portion shall be set so as to satisfy the above conditions in relation to the connection position of the first inner tether with respect to the occupant side cloth portion and the anti-occupant side cloth portion. Then, with the joint point of the first inner tether with the occupant side cloth as a fulcrum, the upper part of the bag body above the first inner tether is bent (tilted) so as to be located on the occupant side toward the upper side. .. The upper part approaches the occupant's head and further restricts the movement of the head toward the side wall where the impact is applied.

According to the side collision airbag device, unnecessary movement of the bag body can be reduced, and the performance of protecting the occupant from impact can be further improved.

It is a figure which shows one embodiment embodied in the airbag device for side collision for a vehicle, and is the partial plan view of the vehicle which is equipped with the airbag device. In one embodiment, a cross-sectional view of the positional relationship between a vehicle seat, an airbag, an occupant, a center console box, and a side wall portion as viewed from the front of the vehicle. In one embodiment, a partial plan sectional view showing an internal structure of a side portion of a seat back in which an airbag module is incorporated. In one embodiment, a side view showing a vehicle seat provided with a side collision airbag device together with an occupant and the like. In one embodiment, a side view of an airbag module in which the bag body is in a non-expandable deployed state as viewed from the anti-occupant side. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the airbag module in FIG. The development view of the airbag module in one Embodiment. In one embodiment, a side view of an airbag module in which the bag body is in a non-expandable deployed state as viewed from the occupant side. The partial side view which shows the X part of FIG. 8 enlarged. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bag body of FIG. 10 is inflated. A partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper part of the bag body in one embodiment is expanded and expanded. It is a figure which shows the modification of the airbag device for side collision, and is the partial sectional view corresponding to FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodied in a side collision airbag device for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be referred to as the front and the reverse direction will be referred to as the rear. Further, the vertical direction means the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the horizontal direction is the vehicle width direction, which coincides with the horizontal direction when the vehicle moves forward. Further, in order to define the vehicle width direction, the side closer to the occupant may be referred to as the "occupant side" and the side away from the occupant may be referred to as the "anti-occupant side" with respect to the occupant. Further, it is assumed that an occupant having the same physique as the dummy for the collision test is seated on the vehicle seat in a normal posture.

As shown in FIG. 1, both side portions of the vehicle 10 as a vehicle in the vehicle width direction are composed of side wall portions 11 and 12 composed of doors, pillars and the like. In the vehicle interior of the vehicle 10, a pair of vehicle seats 13 and 14 are arranged as vehicle seats in a state of being arranged in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle seat 13 on the side close to the side wall portion 11 functions as a driver's seat, and a occupant (driver) P1 is seated here. The vehicle seat 14 on the side close to the side wall portion 12 functions as a passenger seat, and the occupant P2 is seated here. A center console box 15 is arranged between the seats 13 and 14 for both vehicles in the vehicle interior. The vehicle seats 13 and 14 have similar configurations to each other. Therefore, here, only one vehicle seat 13 will be described, and the vehicle seat 14 will be omitted. This point is the same for the side collision airbag device provided for each of the vehicle seats 13 and 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the vehicle seat 13 has a seat cushion 16, a seat back 17 that stands up from the rear side of the seat cushion 16 and has an adjustable tilt angle, and a seat back 17. It has a headrest 18 arranged on top of it.

Next, the internal structure of the side portion of the seat back 17 of the vehicle seat 13 on the side closer to the adjacent vehicle seat 14 will be described.
Inside the seat back 17, a seat frame forming the skeleton is arranged. As shown in FIG. 3, a part of the seat frame is arranged in the side portion of the seat back 17 on the side closer to the adjacent vehicle seat 14, and this portion (hereinafter referred to as "side frame portion 21"). Is formed by bending a metal plate or the like.

A seat pad 22 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is arranged on the front side of the seat frame including the side frame portion 21. Further, a backboard 23 formed of synthetic resin or the like is arranged on the rear side of the seat frame. Although the seat pad 22 is covered with a skin, the illustration of the skin is omitted in FIG.

In the seat pad 22, a storage portion 24 is provided on the side closer to the vehicle seat 14 adjacent to the side frame portion 21. The storage unit 24 incorporates an airbag module ABM, which forms the main part of the side collision airbag device.

A slit 25 extends diagonally forward from the corner portion on the front side of the storage portion 24 and close to the adjacent vehicle seat 14, toward the side approaching the vehicle seat 14. The front portion of the seat pad 22 that is sandwiched between the corner portion 22c on the side close to the vehicle seat 14 and the slit 25 (the portion surrounded by the two-dot chain line frame in FIG. 3) is provided by the airbag 40. It constitutes a fractured portion 26 to be fractured.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the airbag module ABM includes a gas generator 30 and an airbag 40 as main components. Next, each of these constituent members will be described.

<Gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 includes an inflator 31 and a retainer 32. The inflator 31 has a substantially columnar shape, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates an expansion gas G1 is contained therein. The inflator 31 has a gas ejection portion 31a at its upper end. Further, a harness (not shown) that serves as an input wiring for an operation signal to the inflator 31 is connected to the lower end of the inflator 31.

On the other hand, the retainer 32 functions as a diffuser that controls the ejection direction of the expansion gas G1 and also has a function of fastening the inflator 31 to the side frame portion 21 together with the airbag 40 and the inner tube 60 described later. Is. Most of the retainer 32 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by bending a plate material such as a metal plate.

Bolts 33 extending to the occupant side (driver's seat side) are fixed to one place of the retainer 32 or a plurality of places separated from each other in the vertical direction as a member for attaching the retainer 32 to the side frame portion 21.

<Airbag 40>
As shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 40 includes a bag body 41, a first expansion thickness regulating portion, a second expansion thickness regulating portion 50, an inner tube 60, a first inner tether 70, a first outer tether 81, and a second outer tether. It is equipped with 82.

<Bag body 41>
FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 show an airbag module ABM in a state in which the bag body 41 is expanded in a plane without being filled with the expansion gas G1 (hereinafter referred to as “non-expansion expansion state”). .. However, FIG. 5 shows the airbag module ABM as viewed from the anti-occupant side (passenger seat side), and FIG. 8 shows the state as viewed from the occupant side (driver's seat side). Further, FIG. 6 shows an airbag module ABM in which the bag body 41 of FIG. 5 is cut at a central portion in the vehicle width direction. Further, FIG. 7 shows a state in which the airbag module ABM is deployed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the bag main body 41 is a member constituting the outer shell portion of the airbag 40, and a piece of cloth (also referred to as a base cloth, a panel cloth, etc.) is set in the central portion thereof. It is formed by folding it in half along the line 42 and superimposing it in the vehicle width direction, and joining the overlapped portions (a pair of cloth portions) so as to form a bag. Here, in order to distinguish the above-mentioned two overlapped cloth portions of the bag body 41, the one located on the side closer to the occupant P1 is referred to as the occupant side cloth portion 43, and the one located on the side far from the occupant P1 is referred to. It shall be called the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44, the bag body 41 is a large part of the upper body of the occupant P1, in this case, a portion from the chest PT to the head PH. It is formed in a shape and size that can be expanded and expanded on the side of the. The lower end of the bag body 41 is located below the upper end of the center console box 15 when the bag body 41 is expanded and expanded (see FIG. 2).

The occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44 are formed by using a material having high strength, difficulty in stretching, flexibility, and easily folding, such as polyester yarn and polyamide yarn. Woven cloth or the like is suitable.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the above-mentioned connection between the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44 is made at the peripheral connection portion 45 provided along the peripheral edge portions thereof. The peripheral edge joint portion 45 is formed by sewing (stitching with suture) the portions of the peripheral edges of the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44, excluding the rear end portion (the portion near the fold line 42). Has been done. This point is the same for various connecting portions 49, 52, 53, 54, 64, 65, 72, 74, 76, 77, 78, 88, 89, 91, which will be described later.

Regarding the above sewing, in FIGS. 5 to 9, the sewn portion is represented by three line types. The first line type is a line in which thick lines of a certain length are arranged intermittently, and this shows a state in which the sewing thread is viewed from the side (see the peripheral joint portion 45 and the like in FIG. 5). .. The second line type is a line that is expressed by intermittently arranging thin lines of a certain length (longer than a general broken line), which is located in the back of a piece of cloth and is directly visible, for example. It shows the state of the sewing thread that is not (hidden) (see the joint portion 54 and the like in FIG. 5). The third line type is a line in which points are arranged at regular intervals and is represented by a cross section of a sewing thread on a surface passing through a sewn portion (see peripheral joint portion 45 and the like in FIG. 6).

The peripheral connection portion 45 may be formed by means different from the suture using the suture, for example, adhesion using an adhesive. This point is the same for the various connecting portions 49, 52, 53, 54, 64, 65, 72, 74, 76, 77, 78, 88, 89, 91.

The space between the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44, which is surrounded by the peripheral coupling portion 45 and the folding line 42, is an expansion portion that is expanded and expanded by the expansion gas G1.

In the bag body 41, the lower portion thereof is set as a fixing portion 46 fixed to the side frame portion 21. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an insertion port 47 for the gas generator 30 is formed at the rear lower end portion of the bag body 41.

<1st expansion thickness regulation part>
The first expansion thickness regulating portion is provided in the bag main body 41 at a position where the occupant P1 comes into contact with the shoulder portion PS, and regulates the expansion thickness of the bag main body 41 at the same location. This location is where the front upper end, which is the other end of the first outer tether 81, which will be described later, is attached. The first expansion thickness regulating portion is composed of a connecting portion 49 that connects the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44 in a state of being in contact with each other (see FIG. 10). The joint portion 49 is inclined so as to be higher toward the rear side. At the place where the connecting portion 49 is provided, the distance between the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44 is the minimum possible (zero).

<Second expansion thickness regulation part 50>
As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 10, the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is arranged at a position diagonally forward and upwardly separated from the gas generator 30. The second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is located between the connecting portion 49 and the fixing portion 46, and regulates the expansion thickness of the bag body 41 in the region between the joint portion 49 and the fixing portion 46. The second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is made of the same material as the bag main body 41, and includes a pair of strip-shaped cloth portions 51 that are independent of each other.

The cloth portion 51 on the occupant side (driver's seat side) is connected to the cloth portion 43 on the occupant side adjacent to the cloth portion 51 by a coupling portion 52. The joint portion 52 extends substantially in the vertical direction along the trailing edge portion of the cloth portion 51 on the occupant side (driver's seat side). Both ends of the joint 52 intersect the peripheral joint 45. Similarly, the cloth portion 51 on the anti-occupant side (passenger seat side) is coupled to the cloth portion 44 on the anti-occupant side adjacent to the cloth portion 51 by the coupling portion 53. The joint portion 53 extends substantially in the vertical direction along the trailing edge portion of the cloth portion 51 on the anti-occupant side (passenger seat side). Both ends of the joint 53 intersect the peripheral joint 45. Both cloth portions 51 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 54 extending substantially in the vertical direction along their leading edges. Both ends of the coupling portion 54 are separated from the peripheral coupling portion 45, respectively.

According to such a coupling mode, the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is bridged between the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44. In the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50, when the bag main body 41 is in the non-expandable deployment state, both cloth portions 51 are in a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 10). Further, the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 becomes tense due to the expansion and expansion of the bag main body 41, so that the expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction of the portion in the vicinity of the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 in the bag main body 41. (See Fig. 11). Further, in the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50, the expansion portion of the bag main body 41 is passed through the rear lower expansion portion 55 in which the gas generator 30 is arranged and the rear lower expansion portion 55 via the second expansion thickness regulation portion 50. It is partitioned into a front upper expansion portion 56 located on the front upper side of the above.

As shown in FIG. 6, the space between the front lower end portion of the joint portion 54 and the front lower portion of the peripheral joint portion 45 constitutes the front lower continuous passage 57. The rear lower expansion portion 55 and the front upper expansion portion 56 are communicated with each other at the front lower end portion of the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 by the front lower communication passage 57. The space between the rear upper end of the coupling portion 54 and the rear upper portion of the peripheral coupling portion 45 constitutes the rear upper connecting passage 58. The rear lower expansion portion 55 and the front upper expansion portion 56 are communicated with each other at the rear upper end portion of the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 by the rear upper communication passage 58.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the expansion thickness in the region between the connecting portion 49 and the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 in the bag main body 41 is the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 and the fixed portion. The front-rear position of the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50, the dimensions in the vehicle width direction, and the like are set so as to be larger than the expansion thickness in the region between 46.

<Inner tube 60>
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inner tube 60 is arranged in the rear lower expansion portion 55 in a state of surrounding at least the gas ejection portion 31a of the gas generator 30. For the formation of the inner tube 60, a piece of cloth made of the same material as the bag body 41 is used. The cloth pieces are folded in half along the fold line 61 set in the central portion in the vehicle width direction and overlapped in the vehicle width direction. Here, in order to distinguish the above two overlapped parts of the cloth piece, the part located on the occupant side (driver's seat side) is referred to as the cloth part 62, and the portion located on the anti-occupant side (passenger's seat side). Is referred to as Nunobe 63.

The inner tube 60 is connected to the bag body 41 by a connecting portion 64 provided along the folding line 61. Both cloth portions 62 and 63 in a folded state are joined to each other by a connecting portion 65 extending substantially in the vertical direction along their leading edges. The rear upper end of the joint 65 intersects the rear upper end of the peripheral joint 45. The lower ends of both cloth portions 62 and 63 are not connected to each other. This unbonded portion constitutes the lower opening 66 of the inner tube 60.

The upper end portion of the inner tube 60 extends to the rear upper end portion of the bag body 41, and is coupled (co-sewn) to the rear upper end portion by the peripheral edge coupling portion 45.
Further, an opening 67 made of a hole is formed in a portion of each of the cloth portions 62, 63 above the opening 66. These openings 66 and 67 communicate the inside and the outside of the inner tube 60 in the rear lower expansion portion 55.

Then, many parts of the gas generator 30 are inserted through the insertion port 47 to be arranged at the rear end portion in the rear lower expansion portion 55 and at the rear end portion in the inner tube 60. Further, each bolt 33 is inserted into the inner tube 60 and the occupant side cloth portion 43. By these insertions, the gas generator 30 is locked in a positioned state with respect to the inner tube 60 and the bag body 41.

<1st inner tether 70>
The first inner tether 70 is arranged above the joint portion 49 in the bag body 41. The first inner tether 70 is arranged at a position lower than the lower part of the head PH of the occupant P1 (the lower part of the headrest 18) (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, the first inner tether 70 includes two anti-crew side cloth pieces 71 and 73 and one occupant side cloth piece 75. Both the occupant-side cloth pieces 71 and 73 and the occupant-side cloth pieces 75 are made of the same material as the bag body 41 and are formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction rather than the vertical direction.

The cloth pieces 71 and 73 on both sides of the occupant are arranged so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. The upper anti-crew side cloth piece 71 is coupled to the anti-crew side cloth portion 44 at its upper end by an elliptical joint portion 72 extending in a substantially front-rear direction. The lower anti-crew side cloth piece 73 is connected to the anti-crew side cloth portion 44 by an elliptical joint portion 74 extending substantially in the front-rear direction at the lower end portion thereof.

The occupant-side cloth piece 75 is connected to the occupant-side cloth portion 43 by an elliptical joint portion 76 extending in the substantially anteroposterior direction in its central portion in the vertical direction. The joint portion 76 is located in the intermediate portion between the two joint portions 72 and 74 in the vertical direction.

The lower end of the upper anti-occupant side cloth piece 71 and the upper end portion of the occupant side cloth piece 75 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 77 extending in the substantially front-rear direction. The upper end portion of the lower anti-occupant side cloth piece 73 and the lower end portion of the occupant side cloth piece 75 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 78 extending substantially in the front-rear direction.

In this way, the upper and lower two anti-occupant side cloth pieces 71 and 73 and one occupant side cloth piece 75 are connected by the connecting portions 77 and 78 to form the first inner tether 70. .. Further, both ends of the first inner tether 70 in the vertical direction are joined to the portions separated in the vertical direction in the cloth portion 44 on the anti-passenger side by the coupling portions 72 and 74. The vertical intermediate portion of the first inner tether 70 is coupled to the occupant side cloth portion 43 by the coupling portion 76.

According to such a coupling mode, the upper portion and the lower portion of the first inner tether 70 are bridged between the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44, respectively.
The circumference L1 of the anti-crew side cloth portion 44 between the portion where the upper end portion of the first inner tether 70 is connected by the coupling portion 72 and the portion where the lower end portion is connected by the coupling portion 74 is the first inner tether. The intermediate portion of the 70 is set longer than the vertical peripheral length L2 of the occupant-side cloth portion 43 at the portion joined by the connecting portion 76. The former peripheral length L1 is the dimension of the anti-crew side cloth portion 44 between the lower end portion of the joint portion 72 and the upper end portion of the joint portion 74. The latter peripheral length L2 is the vertical dimension of the occupant-side cloth portion 43 in the region surrounded by the connecting portion 76.

<First outer tether 81>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first outer tether 81 is made of the same material as the bag main body 41, and is inclined so as to be higher toward the front side. The first outer tether 81 is arranged on the occupant side (driver's seat side) with respect to the occupant side cloth portion 43, and is bridged between the bag main body 41 and the gas generator 30. More specifically, the rear lower end portion as one end portion of the first outer tether 81 is attached to the fixing portion 46 of the bag body 41 by being locked to the bolt 33 of the gas generator 30. As the other end of the first outer tether 81, the front upper end portion is connected to the portion of the occupant side cloth portion 43 that comes into contact with the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P1 by the above-mentioned coupling portion 49. The rear lower end portion of the first outer tether 81 may be locked to a bolt 33 different from the bolt 33, or may be locked to a seat frame, for example, a side frame portion 21 instead of the bolt 33. good. This point is the same for the rear end portion of the second outer tether 82, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 9, the length L3 between the rear lower end portion and the front upper end portion of the first outer tether 81 is a portion and a fixing portion of the bag body 41 to which the front upper end portion of the first outer tether 81 is attached. It is set shorter than the circumference L4 between 46 (bolt 33).

<Second outer tether 82>
The second outer tether 82 is made of the same material as the bag body 41, and extends in the front-rear direction below the first outer tether 81. The second outer tether 82 is arranged on the occupant side (driver's seat side) with respect to the occupant side cloth portion 43, and is bridged between the bag main body 41 and the gas generator 30. More specifically, the rear end portion as one end portion of the second outer tether 82 is attached to the fixing portion 46 by being locked to the bolt 33 of the gas generator 30. The front end portion of the second outer tether 82 as the other end is attached to the front end portion of the bag body 41 by a part of the peripheral coupling portion 45 described above.

The length L5 between the rear end portion and the front end portion of the second outer tether 82 is between the portion of the bag body 41 to which the front end portion of the second outer tether 82 is attached and the fixing portion 46 (bolt 33). It is set shorter than the circumference L6.

By the way, the airbag module ABM is made into a compact form as shown in FIG. 3 by folding the airbag 40 (see FIG. 5) in which the bag main body 41 is in the non-expandable deployed state, and the storage unit. It is housed in 24.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bolt 33 of the gas generator 30 is inserted into the side frame portion 21 from the counter-occupant side (passenger seat side). By tightening the nut 34 to each bolt 33 from the occupant side (driver's seat side), the fixing portion 46 of the bag body 41 and the rear lower portion of the inner tube 60 are fixed to the side frame portion 21 together with the gas generator 30. ing.

The gas generator 30 may be fixed to the side frame portion 21 by a member different from the bolt 33 and the nut 34 described above. Further, the inflator 31 may be fixed to the side frame portion 21 without using the retainer 32.

The side collision airbag device includes the impact sensor 84 and the control device 85 shown in FIG. 4 in addition to the above-mentioned airbag module ABM. The impact sensor 84 is composed of an acceleration sensor or the like, and detects an impact applied to the vehicle 10 from the side. The control device 85 controls the operation of the inflator 31 based on the detection signal of the impact sensor 84.

Further, the vehicle 10 is provided with a seat belt device (not shown) for restraining the occupants P1 and P2 to the vehicle seats 13 and 14.
Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the impact due to the side collision is applied to one side wall portion 12 from the side, the upper body of the occupant P1 on the side far from the side wall portion 12 to which the impact is applied (driver's seat side) becomes the side wall due to inertia. Trying to fall to the part 12 side.

Further, when the impact sensor 84 detects that an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the side wall portion 12 from the side, an operation signal is output from the control device 85 to the inflator 31 based on the detection signal. As shown in FIG. 6, when the expansion gas G1 is ejected from the gas ejection portion 31a of the inflator 31 in response to this operation signal, the expansion gas G1 is first supplied to the inner tube 60, and the expansion gas G1 is first supplied to the inner tube 60. Starts to expand.

A part of the expansion gas G1 flows out from the openings 66 and 67 to the outside of the inner tube 60 at the rear lower expansion portion 55. In the rear lower expansion portion 55, the internal pressure rises due to the supply of the expansion gas G1, and the rear lower expansion portion 55 starts expansion while canceling (expanding) the folded state. The second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction as the rear lower expansion portion 55 expands and expands.

A part of the expansion gas G1 supplied to the rear lower expansion portion 55 flows into the front upper expansion portion 56 through the front lower continuous passage 57 and the rear upper continuous passage 58. The front upper expansion portion 56 starts expansion while canceling (expanding) the folded state behind the rear lower expansion portion 55. The first inner tether 70 is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction as the front upper expansion portion 56 expands and expands.

As described above, in the process of expanding and expanding the rear lower expansion portion 55 and the front upper expansion portion 56, the seat pad 22 is pressed in the vicinity of the storage portion 24 in FIG. 3 and is broken at the planned fracture portion 26. The bag body 41 pops out of the storage unit 24 with a portion near the gas generator 30 left in the storage unit 24. After that, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the bag main body 41 expands and expands diagonally forward and upward from the fixed portion 46 between the adjacent vehicle seats 13 and 14.

Here, in the side collision airbag device, it is important to deploy and expand the bag body 41 in a predetermined deployment region in order to protect the occupant P1 from an impact.
In this respect, in the present embodiment, the first outer tether 81 and the second outer tether 82 are pulled by the expanding and expanding bag main body 41, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 9, the length L5 of the second outer tether 82 is shorter than the peripheral length L6 of the bag body 41 to which the second outer tether 82 is attached. From this, the second outer tether 82 pulled by the bag body 41 that expands and expands is between the rear end portion attached to the fixing portion 46 and the front end portion attached to the front end portion of the bag body 41. I'm in a tense state. Therefore, when the bag body 41 fixed to the side frame portion 21 in the fixing portion 46 expands and expands diagonally forward and upward, as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 8, it will rotate backward about the fixing portion 46. Even so, its rotation is regulated by a second outer tether 82 that pulls the front end of the bag body 41 as indicated by the arrow B. As a result, it is possible to prevent the bag body 41 from falling backward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the length L3 of the first outer tether 81 is shorter than the peripheral length L4 of the bag body 41 to which the first outer tether 81 is attached. From this, the first outer tether 81 pulled by the bag body 41 that expands and expands is in a tense state between the rear lower end portion attached to the fixing portion 46 and the front upper end portion attached to the bag body 41. Will be. Therefore, when the bag body 41 expands and expands diagonally forward and upward, even if it tries to rotate forward about the fixing portion 46, the rotation is restricted by the first outer tether 81 in the tense state. As a result, it is possible to prevent the bag body 41 from falling forward.

In this way, the bag main body 41 can be expanded and expanded in a predetermined expansion region, and the bag main body 41 can be prevented from jumping out from the expansion region in the front-rear direction.
When the deployment and expansion are completed, the bag body 41 is located between the occupants P1 and P2 seated on the seats 13 and 14 for both vehicles. The rear lower end portion of the rear lower expansion portion 55 is located between the occupant P1 seated on the vehicle seat 13 and the center console box 15 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the rear lower end portion of the rear lower expansion portion 55 is difficult to move toward the side wall portion 12 when the bag body 41 receives the upper body of the occupant P1 that falls toward the side wall portion 12 to which the impact is applied.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, in the bag main body 41, the region between the connecting portion 49 and the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is from the region between the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 and the fixing portion 46. Also expands with a large expansion thickness, and presses the first outer tether 81 toward the occupant side (driver's seat side). When a tension for pulling the bag body 41 toward the fixing portion 46 is applied through the first outer tether 81, the bag main body 41 is on the side of the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 with respect to the connecting portion 49. In the vicinity, tension F is applied in the direction along the curved expansion portion, in this case, the rear side is closer to the occupant P1 (diagonal rear occupant side). A component force Fa toward the occupant side (driver's seat side) in the vehicle width direction is generated at a portion of the bag body 41 near the joint portion 49 on the side of the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50. This component force Fa acts as a reaction force that cancels the external force F1 received by the bag body 41 from the occupant P1 trying to move to the side wall portion 12 to which the impact is applied. As a result, even if an external force F1 is received from the occupant P1, the bag body 41 is made difficult to move, the movement of the occupant P1 to the side wall portion 12 to which the impact is applied is suppressed, and the impact from the side transmitted to the upper body of the occupant P1. Can be alleviated.

Further, the region between the joint portion 49 and the second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 expands with a large expansion thickness as described above, and this region abuts on the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P1 in the bag body 41. It is located closer to the fixed portion 46 than the location. Therefore, it is possible to suppress interference between the shoulder portion PS, which is the portion of the upper body of the occupant P1 having the largest dimension in the width direction, and the above-mentioned region where the expansion thickness of the bag body 41 is large.

Further, when the portion above the joint portion 49 in the front upper expansion portion 56 expands and expands, the first inner tether 70 regulates the expansion thickness of the upper portion in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG.

Due to the relationship between the coupling position of the first inner tether 70 with respect to the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44, the peripheral length L2 of the occupant side cloth portion 43 is set shorter than the peripheral length L1 of the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44. (See Fig. 7). From this, the upper part is the occupant side (driver's seat) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 12, with the joint portion 76, which is the joint portion of the first inner tether 70 with the occupant side cloth portion 43, as a fulcrum. It will be in a bent (tilted) state so that it is located on the side). The upper portion of the front upper expansion portion 56 approaches the head PH, further restricts the movement of the head PH toward the side wall portion 12 to which an impact is applied, and can enhance the performance of protecting the occupant P1 from the impact. ..

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the above.
In the present embodiment in which the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44 are joined in a state of being in contact with each other by the joint portion 49, the front upper end portion of the first outer tether 81 is the joint portion. It is connected to the occupant side cloth portion 43 by 49.

Therefore, by providing the connecting portion 49, the coupling of the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion 44 and the coupling of the front upper end portion of the first outer tether 81 to the occupant-side cloth portion 43 are performed at the same time. Therefore, the man-hours for manufacturing the airbag 40 and the airbag device for side collision can be reduced as compared with the case where these couplings are performed separately.

It should be noted that the above embodiment can also be implemented as a modified example in which this is modified as follows.
<About the 1st expansion thickness regulation part>
As shown in FIG. 13, the first expansion thickness regulating portion is arranged in the bag main body 41 instead of the connecting portion 49 of the above embodiment, and is between the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44. It may be composed of an inner tether 86 bridged to the inner tether 86. In the modified example of FIG. 13, the inner tether 86 is made of the same material as the bag body 41 and includes a pair of cloth portions 87 that are independent of each other. The cloth portion 87 on the occupant side (driver's seat side) is connected to the cloth portion 43 on the occupant side adjacent to the cloth portion 87 by a connecting portion 88 provided at one end of the cloth portion 87. Similarly, the cloth portion 87 on the anti-occupant side (passenger seat side) is connected to the cloth portion 44 on the anti-occupant side adjacent thereto by a connecting portion 89 provided at one end of the cloth portion 87. There is. Both cloth portions 87 are connected to each other by a coupling portion 91 at an end portion opposite to the end portion where the coupling portions 88 and 89 are provided. Due to such a coupling mode, the expansion thickness of the bag body 41 regulated by the first expansion thickness regulating unit is larger than that of the above embodiment.

In this case, the front upper end portion of the first outer tether 81 may be coupled to the occupant side cloth portion 43 by the coupling portion 88.
In FIG. 13, the same elements as those described in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this way, when the bag body 41 is expanded and expanded, the inner tether 86 is in a tense state. At the location where the inner tether 86 is laid, the expansion thickness of the bag body 41 is restricted.

Further, the coupling of the inner tether 86 to the occupant-side cloth portion 43 and the coupling of the front upper end portion of the first outer tether 81 to the occupant-side cloth portion 43 are performed by the common coupling portion 88. Therefore, there is an effect that the manufacturing man-hours can be reduced as compared with the case where both couplings are performed by separate coupling portions.

<About the bag body 41>
-The fixing portion 46 set at the rear lower portion of the bag body 41 is assumed to be the side portion of the vehicle seats 13 and 14 on the side closer to the adjacent vehicle seats 14 and 13, and is combined with the side frame portion 21. Similarly, it may be fixed to a member having high strength. Further, the fixing portion 46 may be fixed to a member located in the vicinity of the side portions of the vehicle seats 13 and 14, for example, the center console box 15.

The bag main body 41 may be expanded substantially as a whole as in the above embodiment, but has a non-expandable portion that is not supplied with the expansion gas G1 and does not expand. You may.

<About the second expansion thickness control unit 50>
The second expansion thickness regulating portion 50 is sutured or the like in a state where the occupant side cloth portion 43 and the anti-occupant side cloth portion 44 are in contact with each other, as in the joint portion 49 in the above embodiment, without using the cloth portion 51. It may be configured by combining by the means of.

<About the first outer tether 81 and the second outer tether 82>
The front upper end portion as the other end of the first outer tether 81 hits the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P1 among the occupant side cloth portions 43 by a joint portion different from the joint portion 49 as the first expansion thickness regulating portion. It may be combined at the point of contact.

The front end portion of the second outer tether 82 as the other end may be coupled to the front end portion of the bag body 41 by a coupling portion different from that of the peripheral coupling portion 45.
The rear lower end portion of the first outer tether 81 and the rear end portion of the second outer tether 82 are attached to the same portion (upper bolt 33) of the fixing portion 46 in the bag body 41 as in the above embodiment. However, they may be attached to different parts of the fixing portion 46.

<Others>
The control device 85 may be changed to a specification that outputs an operation signal to the inflator 31 when it is predicted that an impact from the side will be applied to the vehicle 10.

-The above-mentioned airbag device for side collision can also be applied to a vehicle in which three or more vehicle seats are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the airbag body is deployed and expanded between adjacent vehicle seats in response to an impact applied to the side wall portion from the side of the vehicle.

-Vehicles to which the above-mentioned side collision airbag device is applied include not only private vehicles but also various industrial vehicles.
-The above-mentioned airbag device for side impact is also installed in vehicles other than vehicles, such as aircraft and ships, to protect the occupants sitting on the vehicle seat from the impact of side impact. Applicable.

10 ... Vehicle (vehicle), 11, 12 ... Side wall, 13, 14 ... Vehicle seat (vehicle seat), 40 ... Airbag, 41 ... Bag body, 43 ... Crew side cloth, 44 ... Anti-passenger side cloth Part, 46 ... Fixed part, 49 ... Joint part (first expansion thickness regulating part), 50 ... Second expansion thickness regulating part, 70 ... First inner tether, 81 ... First outer tether, 82 ... Second outer tether, 86 ... Inner tether (first expansion thickness regulating part), G1 ... Expansion gas, P1, P2 ... Crew, PS ... Shoulder, L1, L2, L4, L6 ... Circumferential length, L3, L5 ... Length.

Claims (5)

For a vehicle in which a plurality of vehicle seats are arranged side by side in the width direction, an airbag having a bag body to be fixed by a fixing portion set at the rear lower portion of the vehicle is provided, and the airbag is added to the side wall portion of the vehicle from the side. The expansion gas supplied in response to an impact expands and expands the bag body diagonally forward and upward from the fixed portion between adjacent vehicle seats, and the vehicle seat on the side far from the side wall portion. It is an airbag device for side collision that protects the seated occupant from impact.
Further equipped with a first outer tether and a second outer tether that become tense on the occupant side of the bag body as the bag body expands and expands.
One end of each of the first outer tether and the second outer tether is attached to the fixing portion, and the other end of the first outer tether is located at a portion of the bag body that abuts on the shoulder of the occupant. Attached, the other end of the second outer tether is attached to the front end of the bag body.
In the bag body, between the first expansion thickness regulating portion that regulates the expansion thickness at the position where the other end of the first outer tether is attached, the first expansion thickness regulating portion, and the fixing portion. A second expansion thickness regulating portion is provided to regulate the expansion thickness of the above, and the expansion thickness between the first expansion thickness regulating portion and the second expansion thickness regulating portion is the second expansion thickness regulating portion and the second expansion thickness regulating portion. A side collision airbag device set to be larger than the expansion thickness between the fixed portions. The length between the one end portion and the other end portion of the first outer tether is the distance between the portion of the bag body to which the other end portion of the first outer tether is attached and the fixing portion. Set shorter than the circumference,
The length between the one end and the other end of the second outer tether is the distance between the front end to which the other end of the second outer tether is attached and the fixing portion of the bag body. The airbag device for side collision according to claim 1, which is set shorter than the peripheral length of the above. The bag body includes a occupant-side cloth portion on the side closer to the occupant and an anti-occupant-side cloth portion on the side far from the occupant.
The first expansion thickness regulating portion is coupled with the occupant-side cloth portion and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion in contact with each other.
The airbag device for side collision according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other end of the first outer tether is coupled to the occupant side cloth portion by the first expansion thickness regulating portion. The bag body includes a occupant-side cloth portion on the side closer to the occupant and an anti-occupant-side cloth portion on the side far from the occupant.
The first expansion thickness regulating portion is arranged in the bag body and is composed of an inner tether spanned between the occupant-side cloth portion and the anti-occupant-side cloth portion.
The first or second aspect of claim 1 or 2, wherein the end portion of the inner tether on the occupant side cloth portion and the other end portion of the first outer tether are connected to the occupant side cloth portion by a common joint portion. Airbag device for side collision. The bag body includes a occupant-side cloth portion on the side closer to the occupant and an anti-occupant-side cloth portion on the side far from the occupant.
The first inner tether is arranged above the first expansion thickness regulating portion in the bag body.
Both ends of the first inner tether in the vertical direction are coupled to locations separated in the vertical direction in the cloth portion on the anti-passenger side.
The intermediate portion of the first inner tether in the vertical direction is connected to the occupant-side cloth portion.
The circumference of the anti-crew side cloth portion between the portion where the upper end portion of the first inner tether is connected and the portion where the lower end portion is connected is the location where the intermediate portion of the first inner tether is connected. The airbag device for side collision according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is set longer than the vertical peripheral length of the occupant-side cloth portion in the above.

Images