JP7439460B2 - air bag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an airbag device.

2. Description of the Related Art Airbag devices are known that deploy (inflate) to protect occupants when a vehicle collides. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an airbag device that can cope with an oblique collision or a small lap collision of a vehicle. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an airbag device that can cope with a head-on collision of a vehicle.

JP 2016-20104 Publication JP2018-39431A

Here, in the case of a vehicle collision, it is desirable to be able to sufficiently protect the occupants both in the case of a head-on collision and in the case of an oblique collision. In the event of a head-on collision, the occupant's head is buried in the front airbag, which absorbs the impact and reduces the strain on the head. On the other hand, if a vehicle occupant's head is buried in the front airbag during an oblique collision, the front airbag restricts the movement of the head and only the body moves diagonally, increasing the strain on the neck. There is a possibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can sufficiently protect an occupant when a vehicle is involved in a collision, both when the vehicle is in a head-on collision and when the vehicle is in an oblique collision.

In order to achieve such an object, the airbag device of the present invention includes a front airbag, a determination unit that determines the type of collision of the vehicle, a control unit that controls deployment of the front airbag, and a control unit that controls the deployment of the front airbag. a plurality of inflators to be deployed; the control unit controls the internal pressure of the front airbag by igniting each of the plurality of inflators at predetermined time intervals; When the determining section determines that the collision type of the vehicle is an oblique collision, the determining section shortens the predetermined time compared to when the determining section determines that the collision type of the vehicle is a head-on collision. When the collision type of the vehicle is determined to be an oblique collision, the internal pressure of the front airbag is set to be higher than when the determination unit determines that the collision type of the vehicle is a head-on collision. The curtain airbag is further provided with a curtain airbag that deploys the front airbag along a side surface of the vehicle interior, and the front end of the curtain airbag wraps around the deployed front airbag in the width direction of the vehicle. The control unit controls the curtain airbag to be deployed in addition to the front airbag at the time of an oblique collision, and the front end of the curtain airbag is completely deployed after the front airbag is fully deployed. It is characterized by being controlled so that it unfolds .

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an airbag device that can sufficiently protect an occupant when a vehicle is involved in a collision, both in the case of a head-on collision and in the case of an oblique collision.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an airbag device 10 and the like according to an embodiment provided in a vehicle 20. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the airbag device 10 and the driver 100 at the time of a head-on collision. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the airbag device 10 and the like and the driver 100 at the time of an oblique collision. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 and the elapsed time of the collision when the vehicle 20 crashes. An example of a structure for controlling the size of a vent hole 201.

(Configuration of embodiment)
The configuration of the airbag device 10 will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an airbag device 10 and the like of an embodiment provided in a vehicle 20. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the vehicle longitudinal direction Dh (vehicle front Df and vehicle rear Dr), vehicle width direction Dw (vehicle inner side Di and vehicle outer side Do), and vehicle vertical direction Dg are indicated by arrows and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag device 10 includes a front airbag 11, an inflator 12 (part of the control section), a controller 13 (part of the control section), and a detector 14 (discrimination section).

The front airbag 11 is an airbag that deploys in front of the occupant, and is stored in a folded state in the center of the instrument panel 21 or steering wheel of the vehicle 20, and is deployed by the inflator 12 when the vehicle 20 collides. (expansion). The front airbag 11 is formed into a bag shape and is deployed toward the rear of the vehicle Dr and the vehicle width direction Dw. In the embodiment, the front airbag 11 is provided in the instrument panel 21. The front airbag 11 is inflated and deployed, and its shape is maintained by the internal pressure of the gas inside the airbag. In the embodiment, the width (dimension in the vehicle width direction) of the fixing part that fixes the front airbag 11 to the instrument panel 21, that is, the storage part in which the front airbag 11 before deployment is stored, is the same as that of the deployed front airbag 11. The width of the front airbag 11 is smaller than the width of the front airbag 11, so that the front airbag 11 tends to fall down in the vehicle width direction Dw when the vehicle 20 crashes.

The inflator 12 inflates the front airbag 11. The inflator 12 is included in the control section. The inflator 12 causes combustion gas G (medium) generated by burning gunpowder to flow into the airbag, thereby inflating the front airbag 11. In the embodiment, a plurality of inflators 12 are provided inside the instrument panel 21 of the vehicle 20.

The controller 13 controls deployment of the front airbag 11. In the embodiment, the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 is controlled by controlling the ignition timing of the plurality of inflators 12. The controller 13 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and operates the inflator 12 when a detector 14 (described later) detects a collision of the vehicle 20. The controller 13 controls the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 (second internal pressure P2) at the time of an oblique collision to be higher than the internal pressure (first internal pressure P1) of the front airbag 11 at the time of a head-on collision.

Specifically, the controller 13 ignites each of the plurality of inflators 12 at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time period may include zero, ie, multiple inflators 12 may be operated simultaneously. In this embodiment, in the event of a head-on collision, the first inflator 12A is activated and after a first predetermined time has elapsed, the second inflator 12B is activated to prevent the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 from becoming too high. Control. The first predetermined time may be set, for example, so that after one inflator has generated all of the combustion gas G, the other inflator is activated. On the other hand, in the event of an oblique collision, the first inflator 12A is activated and the second inflator 12B is activated after a second predetermined time period, which is shorter than the first predetermined time period, has elapsed. Control the internal pressure to be high. In this embodiment, the first inflator 12A and the second inflator 12B are operated simultaneously (the second predetermined time is zero). In addition, the controller 13 controls the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 by controlling the gas generation amount of one inflator 12 and the size (opening area) of the vent hole (hole for gas release in the front airbag 11). You may.

Detector 14 determines the type of collision of vehicle 20. That is, it is determined whether the collision type of the vehicle 20 is a head-on collision or an oblique collision. Note that the oblique collision herein refers to a collision in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The detector 14 can be composed of, for example, a camera, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like. In this embodiment, the detector 14 is an acceleration sensor, and when the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle exceeds a first predetermined value, it is determined that the vehicle 20 has collided, and when the collision is detected, the acceleration in the vehicle width direction is 2 If the predetermined value is exceeded, it is determined that the collision type is an oblique collision. Note that the configuration of the detector 14 is not limited to this, and various conventionally known configurations can be adopted.

Here, in the embodiment, a curtain airbag device 40 is provided separately from the airbag device 10. The curtain airbag device 40 includes a curtain airbag 41 and an inflator 42. The curtain airbag 41 is deployed along the side surface of the interior of the vehicle when the vehicle 20 is involved in a side or oblique collision. The inflator 42 is controlled by the controller 13 and inflates the curtain airbag 41 by supplying combustion gas G to the curtain airbag 41. The folded curtain airbag 41 and inflator 42 are stored behind the ceiling (headlining) of the vehicle compartment. Further, the inflator 42 is connected to the curtain airbag 41 at a location near the rear in the length of the curtain airbag 41 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The curtain airbag 41 is deployed so that its front end 41a overlaps the deployed front airbag 11 in the vehicle width direction. The controller 13 deploys the curtain airbag 41 in addition to the front airbag 11 in the event of an oblique collision, and controls the front end 41a of the curtain airbag 41 so that it does not fully deploy even when the front airbag 11 is fully deployed. . In the embodiment, the middle portion 41b of the curtain airbag 41 is completely deployed, and the front end 41a of the curtain airbag 41 is in the middle of deployment. Here, since the inflator 42 is provided near the rear of the curtain airbag 41, the deployment of the curtain airbag 41 is inevitably configured to be slower at the front than at the rear. Alternatively, the front portion of the curtain air bag 41 may be deployed later than the rear portion by adjusting the flow path of the combustion gas G within the curtain air bag 41.

(Operations and effects of embodiments)
The effects of the airbag device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the airbag device 10 and driver 100 at the time of a head-on collision. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the airbag device 10 and the like and the driver 100 at the time of an oblique collision. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 and the elapsed time of the collision when the vehicle 20 collides.

According to the embodiment, when the detector 14 determines that the collision type of the vehicle 20 is an oblique collision, the controller 13 determines that the collision type of the vehicle 20 is a head-on collision. The front airbag 11 is deployed so that the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 is higher than that of the front airbag 11.
According to such a configuration, when the vehicle 20 has a head-on collision, the head 101 is buried in the front airbag 11, so that the impact on the head 101 can be absorbed and the twisting of the head 101 can be suppressed. Here, if the head 101 is buried in the front airbag 11 in the event of an oblique collision of the vehicle 20, the movement of the head 101 is restricted by the front airbag 11, and only the body 103 moves in the diagonal direction. There is a risk that a load will occur. Therefore, by increasing the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 in the event of an oblique collision, it is possible to suppress the front airbag 11 from restricting the movement of the head 101 and prevent the neck 102 from twisting. Therefore, the airbag device 10 can sufficiently protect the occupant when the collision type of the vehicle 20 is both a head-on collision and an oblique collision.

According to the embodiment, the controller 13 deploys the curtain airbag 41 in addition to the front airbag 11 at the time of an oblique collision, so that the front end 41a of the curtain airbag 41 is not completely deployed when the front airbag 11 is fully deployed. Control so that it does not expand.
When the vehicle 20 has an oblique collision, the front airbag 11 tilts diagonally as the occupant's head 101 and body 103 move. This makes it easier for the head 101 to move diagonally along with the body 103, but at this time, if the curtain airbag 41 overlaps the front airbag 11 in the vehicle width direction, the front airbag It is considered that the slope of No. 11 is obstructed. By controlling the deployment timing of the curtain airbag 41, it is possible to prevent the curtain airbag 41 from interfering with the inclination of the front airbag 11.

According to the embodiment, the controller 13 controls the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 by controlling the ignition timing of the plurality of inflators 12.
According to such a configuration, the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 can be reliably controlled with a simple configuration.

According to the embodiment, when the detector 14 determines that the collision type of the vehicle 20 is an oblique collision, the controller 13 determines that the collision type of the vehicle 20 is a head-on collision compared to when the collision type of the vehicle 20 is determined to be a head-on collision. The predetermined time interval at which the inflator 12 is ignited is shortened.
According to such a configuration, the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 can be reliably controlled with a simple configuration.

(Aspects of embodiment)
In implementing the present invention, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the specific aspects can be modified in various ways.

The internal pressure control of the front airbag 11 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 may be controlled by controlling the size of the vent hole 201 using the controller 13. An example of a structure for controlling the size of the vent hole 201 is shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C. 5(A) is an overall view of the front airbag 11, FIG. 5(B) is a sectional view showing how the front airbag 11 is deployed in the event of an oblique collision, and FIG. 5(C) is the front airbag in the event of a head-on collision. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of development of No. 11. FIG. Note that FIGS. 5(B) and 5(C) only show a part of the front airbag 11. In this embodiment, the airbag device 10 includes a front airbag 11 and one inflator 12, as well as a vent hole 201, a patch 202, a tether 203, and a tether holding part 204. The vent hole 201 is a hole for discharging combustion gas G from the inside of the front airbag 11 to the outside. The patch 202 partially closes the vent hole 201, and its periphery is sewn to the front airbag 11. The tether 203 has one end sewn to the patch 202 and the other end held by the tether holding part 204. The length of the tether 203 is set to be shorter than the distance from the tether holding part 204 to the vent hole 201 when the front airbag 11 is in the deployed state. The tether holding unit 204 holds the other end of the tether 203, and releases the holding of the other end of the tether 203 in response to an instruction from the controller 13. When the vehicle 20 collides obliquely, the controller 13 provides ignition support to the inflator 12 and controls the tether holding section 204 to release the other end of the tether 203 from holding. When the front airbag 11 is deployed with the other end of the tether 203 released, a portion of the vent hole 201 is blocked by the patch 202, that is, the size of the vent hole 201 is reduced. Therefore, the combustion gas G from the inflator 12 is difficult to be discharged to the outside of the front airbag 11, and the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 can be increased. On the other hand, when the vehicle 20 collides head-on, the controller 13 provides ignition support to the inflator 12 and causes the tether holding part 204 to continue holding the other end of the tether 203. When the front airbag 11 is deployed while the other end of the tether 203 is held, the patch 202 is pulled by the tether 203 and the portion of the vent hole 201 that was blocked by the patch 202 opens, that is, the size of the vent hole 201 is increased. becomes larger. Therefore, the combustion gas G from the inflator 12 is easily discharged to the outside of the front airbag 11, and the internal pressure of the front airbag 11 can be reduced.

The airbag device 10 may be provided not only on the driver's seat side or the passenger seat side but also on the rear seat side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Airbag device, 11...Front airbag, 12...Inflator, 12A...First inflator, 12B...Second inflator, 13...Controller (included in the control unit), 14...Detector (discrimination unit) ), 20...Vehicle, 21...Instrument panel, 22...Seat, 30...Obstacle, 40...Curtain airbag device, 41...Curtain airbag, 42...Inflator, 100...Driver, 101...Head, 102...Neck, 103...Body, 201...Vent hole, G...Combustion gas, P1...First internal pressure (internal pressure of the front airbag 11 during a head-on collision), P2...Second internal pressure (internal pressure of the front airbag 11 during an oblique collision) ), Dh...vehicle longitudinal direction, Df...vehicle front, Dr...vehicle rear, Dw...vehicle width direction, Di...vehicle inside, Do...vehicle outside.

Claims (2)

A front airbag that deploys in front of the vehicle occupant;
a determination unit that determines the type of collision of the vehicle;
a control unit that controls deployment of the front airbag;
a plurality of inflators that deploy the front airbag,
The control unit controls the internal pressure of the front airbag by igniting each of the plurality of inflators at predetermined time intervals,
The control unit is configured to shorten the predetermined time period when the determining unit determines that the type of collision of the vehicle is an oblique collision, compared to when the type of collision of the vehicle is determined to be a head-on collision. Therefore, when the determining unit determines that the collision type of the vehicle is an oblique collision, the front airbag is deploying the front airbag so that the internal pressure of the airbag becomes high ;
It is also equipped with curtain airbags that deploy along the sides of the vehicle interior.
The curtain airbag is deployed so that its front end portion wraps around the deployed front airbag in the vehicle width direction,
The control unit controls the curtain airbag to be deployed in addition to the front airbag in the event of an oblique collision, and controls the front end of the curtain airbag to be fully deployed after the front airbag is fully deployed. Control,
A vehicle airbag device characterized by: The front airbag includes a vent hole for discharging gas inside the front airbag,
The control unit is configured to control a size of the vent hole when the determining unit determines that the collision type of the vehicle is an oblique collision, compared to when the collision type of the vehicle is determined to be a head-on collision. make smaller
The airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , characterized in that:

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