JPH092190A - Air bag device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To perform reduction of an expansion speed of a bag even when a distance between an instrument panel and a passenger is long. CONSTITUTION: An air bag device body 24 is rotatable along the longitudinal direction of a vehicle through an arm 26. The air bag device body 24 is not operated in a position shown by a two-dotted chain line but operable in a position shown by a solid line. Thereby, a distance between a bag and a passenger can be shortened and this way reduces an expansion speed of the bag. Thus, even when a distance between an instrument panel 12 and a passenger is long, the bag reliably reaches a given position at a slow expansion speed. Further, a load (a reaction force) exerted on a passenger by the bag can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle air bag apparatus including bag body storing means for storing a bag body which is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle in a folded state. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle airbag device, for example, an airbag device for a passenger seat, an opening for deploying an airbag door is provided on an upper surface or a vertical surface of an instrument panel.
An inflator and the like for inflating the bag at the time of sudden deceleration of the vehicle are housed therein. An example of this type of configuration is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-60858 and will be briefly described below.

As shown in FIG. 14, a substantially rectangular opening is formed on the vertical surface of the instrument panel 150, and an airbag door 152 is arranged in the opening so as to be expandable. When the vehicle suddenly decelerates, the airbag door 152 is deployed and the bag 156 is inflated to the side of the occupant who is seated on the passenger seat 154.

FIG. 15 shows the airbag deployment system described above. As shown in this figure, a collision sensor 158 for detecting a sudden vehicle deceleration state is provided at a predetermined portion of the vehicle. In addition, the sheet 154 includes
A seat switch 160 for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated on the passenger seat 154 is provided. Further, the instrument panel 150 is provided with a proximity sensor 162 for detecting whether or not an object (for example, luggage carried by an occupant) is present within a predetermined distance from the instrument panel 150. . The collision sensor 158, the seat switch 160, and the proximity sensor 162 are connected to the control unit 164, and each outputs a detection signal to the control unit 164. The control means 164 includes a gas generator 166 and a valve 16
8 are connected.

With the above arrangement, when the control means 164 determines that the airbag is in operation based on the signals input from the collision sensor 158, the seat switch 160 and the proximity sensor 162, an operation signal is output to the gas generator 166. .
At this time, the control unit 164 outputs an opening signal to the valve 168 to set the opening of the valve 168 to a predetermined value.
As a result, a large amount of gas is generated from the gas generator 166 to inflate the bag 156, and the amount of gas escaped from the inside of the bag 156 to the outside is adjusted, so that the inflation force of the bag 156 is changed to a seated state of an occupant or the like. It is adjusted and controlled according to the situation. More specifically, when both the seat switch 160 and the proximity sensor 162 are ON, the bag 156 is inflated in a relatively soft state, and the seat switch 160 is turned off.
If the proximity sensor 162 is OFF at N, the bag 156
Is expanded in a relatively rigid state. That is, in any mode, the expansion speed is increased, and then, in modes other than the latter case, the opening degree of the valve 168 is increased to perform degassing.

[0006]

However, in the case of the configuration disclosed in the above publication, the seat switch 16 which increases the distance between the occupant and the instrument panel 150.
Since the inflation speed of the bag 156 is set on the basis of the case where 0 is ON and the proximity sensor 162 is OFF, the inflation speed of the bag 156 must be increased. For that purpose, the capacity of the gas generator 166 must be increased. There are disadvantages such as having to make it large. Further, when the distance between the occupant and the instrument panel 150 becomes long, if the inflation speed of the bag 156 is increased, the load (reaction force) received by the occupant from the bag 156 also becomes disadvantageous.

In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to obtain a vehicle airbag device capable of reducing the inflation speed of the bag even when the distance between the instrument panel and the occupant is long.

[0008]

The present invention as set forth in claim 1 is for a vehicle including bag body storing means for storing a bag body that is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied in a folded state. In an airbag device, the bag storage means is used in a non-use position which is a position near an instrument panel of a vehicle or a vehicle front seat, and a substantially intermediate position between the instrument panel and the vehicle front seat. It is characterized in that it is provided so as to be movable between the position and the position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air bag device for a vehicle including a bag accommodating means for accommodating a bag body that is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied in a folded state. , The bag accommodating means can be moved between a non-use position which is a position near the vehicle front seat or the vehicle rear seat, and a use position which is a substantially intermediate position between the vehicle front seat and the vehicle rear seat. It is characterized in that it is provided in.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the non-use position is an airbag non-operating position where the bag body is not inflated, and the use position is the bag. It is characterized in that it is an airbag operable position where the body can be inflated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the bag accommodating means has a rotation center on a vehicle body floor side or an instrument panel side. A gas ejecting means provided at an end of an arm rotatably provided in the vehicle front-rear direction, in which a bag body is arranged in a folded state around and has a gas ejection hole, and the gas ejecting means and the bag body are surrounded, And a cover that is broken by the inflation pressure of the bag body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the bag accommodating means has a rotation center on a vehicle front seat side or a vehicle rear seat side. And a gas ejection means provided at an end portion of an arm rotatably provided in the vehicle front-rear direction, in which a bag body is arranged in a folded state, and having a gas ejection hole, and the gas ejection means and the bag body are surrounded. And a cover that is broken by the inflation pressure of the bag body.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the inflation direction of the bag body is mainly the instrument panel side for a vehicle front seat. In the case of a vehicle rear seat, the direction is mainly set toward the vehicle front seat side.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fourth or fifth aspect, a valve is provided in the gas ejection means for closing the gas ejection hole on the side facing the occupant at the use position. It is characterized by having a body.

The present invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bag is
It is characterized in that it is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber in an expanded state, and the internal pressure of the lower chamber is set higher than that of the upper chamber.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, a door opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing of a side door and a detection result of the door opening / closing detecting means are provided. An actuator for moving the bag accommodating means in the vehicle front-rear direction based on the above is provided.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the ninth aspect, a manual type capable of switching between an operation prohibited state for preventing the operation of the actuator and an operation permitted state for allowing the actuator to operate. It is characterized in that a switching means of is provided.

The present invention according to claim 11 is an air bag device for a vehicle, comprising bag body storing means for storing a bag body which is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied in a folded state. The bag storage means is provided so as to be movable between a non-use position that does not hinder the getting on / off property and a use position that is a substantially intermediate position between the vehicle body side component member and the occupant,
Further, it is characterized in that the vehicle body side constituent member receives the load from the occupant through the expanded bag body when a predetermined high load is applied.

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle, gas is ejected to inflate the bag body stored in the bag body storage means in the folded state.

Here, in the present invention, there are a non-use position which is a position close to the vehicle instrument panel or the vehicle front seat, and a use position which is a substantially intermediate position between the instrument panel and the vehicle front seat. Since the bag accommodating means is provided so as to be movable between them, the distance between the bag accommodating means and the occupant seated on the vehicle front seat becomes long in the non-use position, but the bag accommodating means and the vehicle front in the use position. The distance to the occupant sitting on the seat becomes shorter.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle, gas is ejected to inflate the bag body stored in the bag body storage means in the folded state.

Here, in the present invention, a non-use position which is a position close to the vehicle front seat or the vehicle rear seat and a use position which is a substantially intermediate position between the vehicle front seat and the vehicle rear seat are provided. Since the bag accommodating means is movably provided, the distance between the bag accommodating means and the occupant seated on the vehicle rear seat is long in the non-use position, but the bag accommodating means and the vehicle rear seat are seated in the use position. The distance to the occupants becomes shorter.

According to the invention of claim 3, claim 1
Alternatively, in the invention according to claim 2, since the non-use position is an airbag non-operating position where the bag body is not inflated and the use position is an airbag operable position where the bag body can be inflated, a child seat or the like is used. The following effects are obtained in relation to the child seat.

That is, normally, the child seat is fixed to the vehicle front seat or the vehicle rear seat,
For example, when the child seat is fixed rearward on the vehicle front seat or the vehicle rear seat, there is a possibility that the bag storage means interfere with each other when the bag storage means is in the use position. Therefore, in this case, the bag accommodating means is placed in the unused position. At this time, in the present invention, since the non-use position described above is the airbag non-operating position, the bag does not inflate.

According to the present invention of claim 4, claim 1
In the invention according to any one of claims 3 to 4, gas ejection means provided at an end portion of the arm and around which the bag body is arranged in a folded state, and an inflation of the bag body surrounding the gas ejection means and the bag body. Since the bag accommodating means is configured to include the cover that is broken by the pressure, the bag accommodating means becomes compact.

According to the invention of claim 5, claim 1
In the invention according to any one of claims 3 to 3, since the center of rotation of the arm provided with the gas ejection means is on the vehicle front seat side or the vehicle rear seat side, in the former case, the vehicle front seat is formed by a seat slide. Even if the position of the vehicle is displaced, the distance between the inflated bag and the occupant seated on the vehicle front seat is kept substantially constant, and in the latter case, even if the position of the vehicle front seat is displaced by the seat slide. The distance between the inflated bag body and the occupant seated on the vehicle rear seat is kept substantially constant.

According to the present invention described in claim 6, claim 1
In the invention according to any one of claims 5 to 6, the bag body is inflated in a direction mainly toward the instrument panel side for a vehicle front seat, and mainly in a vehicle rear seat for a vehicle rear seat. Since the bag body is set in the direction toward the seat side, the bag body inflates forward and upward of the bag body storing means, and does not inflate rearward so much.

According to the present invention of claim 7, claim 4
Alternatively, in the invention according to claim 5, since the valve body for closing the gas ejection hole on the side facing the occupant at the use position is provided, the gas is not ejected from the gas ejection hole on the side facing the occupant. , Is ejected from the gas ejection hole on the side not facing the occupant. Therefore, similarly to the present invention as set forth in claim 6, the bag body inflates forward and upward of the bag body storing means, and does not inflate rearward much.

According to the present invention of claim 8, claim 1
In the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 7, since the bag body is partitioned into the upper chamber and the lower chamber in the inflated state and the internal pressure of the lower chamber is set higher than that of the upper chamber, The higher lower chamber further reduces the forward movement speed of the occupant's abdomen and chest.

According to the present invention of claim 9, claim 1
In the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 8, since the door opening / closing detecting means for detecting the opening / closing of the side door and the actuator for rotating the bag body storing means in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided, the bag body storing is manually performed. Even if the means is not moved, the bag storage means can be automatically moved to the use position by the actuator if the side door is closed. On the contrary, when the side door is opened, the bag accommodating means can be automatically moved to the unused position by the actuator.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the ninth aspect, a manual switching means is provided to inhibit the operation of the actuator and to permit the operation of the actuator. When the child seat is mounted rearward, the occupant will be prevented from moving the bag accommodating means to the use position when the side door is opened.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle, gas is ejected to inflate the bag body accommodated in the bag body accommodation means in a folded state.

Here, in the present invention, a non-use position that does not impede the entry / exitability, a use position that is a substantially intermediate position between a vehicle body-side component member such as an instrument panel and a seat back of a vehicle front seat, and an occupant, Since the bag accommodating means is movably provided between the bag accommodating means and the occupant seated on the seat, the distance between the bag accommodating means and the occupant seated on the seat is long in the non-use position. The distance between and becomes shorter.

Further, when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle, the load from the occupant is received by the constituent member on the vehicle body side through the inflated bag body, so that the bag body storing means is firmly fixed at the use position. No need to hold on. Therefore, it is possible to allow the bag accommodating means to be slightly moved back and forth from the use position.

[0035]

【Example】

[First Embodiment] The first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. The first embodiment is defined by claim 1,
It corresponds to one example of claims 3, 4, and 11.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front part of a passenger compartment of a vehicle equipped with an air bag device 10 for a passenger seat according to the present embodiment, and FIG. It is shown in. As shown in these figures, an instrument panel 12 is arranged at the front end of the vehicle compartment.
At the position facing the instrument panel 12,
A front seat 14 for the driver's seat and a front seat 16 for the passenger seat are provided. A console box 18 is arranged between the front seat 14 for the driver's seat and the front seat 16 for the passenger seat.

The front seat 14 for the driver's seat is composed of a seat cushion 14A on which an occupant sits, a seat back 14B which serves as a backrest of the occupant, and a headrest 14C provided on the upper end of the seat back 14B. Similarly, the front seat 16 for the passenger seat is
A seat cushion 16A on which an occupant sits, a seat back 16B that serves as a back of the occupant, and a seat back 16B.
And a headrest 16C provided at the upper end of the. In addition, which front seat 14,
Even in No. 16, the seat slide device (not shown) can slide in the vehicle front-rear direction.

An airbag device 10 for a passenger seat according to the present embodiment is arranged near the instrument panel 12 described above. The airbag device 10 includes an inflator 20 (gas generating means) arranged inside the front part of the console box 18, an airbag device main body 24 that stores a bag 22 in a folded state, and an inflator 20. And an arm 26 that connects the airbag device body 24 to each other.

The inflator 20 is substantially columnar and has no peripheral surface, and an ignition device, a transfer agent, a gas generating agent and the like are housed inside. A control device 28 is connected to the ignition device of the inflator 20 via a lead wire.
The control device 28 is also connected to an airbag sensor 30 arranged at a predetermined portion of the vehicle (near the front wheels, near the console box 18, etc.). Airbag sensor 30
Is when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle (during sudden vehicle deceleration)
Then, this state is detected and output to the control device 28. When the control device 28 determines whether or not the airbag device 10 should be operated based on the signal input from the airbag sensor 30 or in consideration of other input signals, and when it is determined that the airbag device 10 should be operated. A predetermined current is applied to the ignition device of the inflator 20. In addition, although the above-mentioned structure is an electric ignition type, a mechanical ignition type may be used. In this case, a mechanical ignition type airbag sensor is integrally attached to the end of the inflator 20. Also,
A detonator is used as an example of the ignition device.

The inflator 20 described above is arranged such that its axis is in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a cylindrical tube 32 is connected to the rear end portion thereof. Further, a connection pipe 34 is fixed to the rear end of the cylindrical pipe 32 by welding or the like. The lower end of the arm 26 described above is rotatably connected to the side surface of the connecting pipe 34. The arm 26 is hollow inside. Therefore, when the gas generating agent in the inflator 20 burns to generate a large amount of gas, this gas is introduced into the cylindrical pipe 32 and the connecting pipe 34, and then the arm 26.
The inside is guided from the lower end to the upper end. In that sense
The arm 26 can also be said to be a gas introduction means.

As shown in FIG. 3, a columnar air bag device body 24 is connected to the upper end of the arm 26. The airbag device main body 24 is disposed in the axial center portion, and has a gas ejection pipe 38 in which gas ejection holes 36 are formed on the front side and the rear side of the circumferential surface, respectively, and is arranged in a folded state around the gas ejection tube 38. And a cover 40 formed in a cylindrical shape to cover the gas ejection pipe 38 and the bag 22. Gas ejection pipe 3
8 is hollow inside, one end of which is the cover 4
It projects from 0 and is connected to the upper end of the arm 26.
A break line is set in advance on the cover 40. Further, the cover 40 is sewn to a predetermined portion of the bag 22 in advance so that the cover 40 does not scatter toward the occupant when the bag 22 is inflated. The bag 22 shown in FIG. 3 is in a state of being cut in the middle to show the gas ejection holes 36.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a portion other than the hollow portion of the arm 26 described above (the airbag device main body 24)
On the lower end side of the side surface portion opposite to
A cam plate 90 that restricts the movement of the is arranged.
The cam plate 90 has cam grooves 91, 94 of a predetermined shape.
The roller 44, which is pressed and biased by the return spring 93 so as to trace these grooves, is pivotally supported by the lower end of the arm 26.

Further, on the locus of rotation of the arm 26, a position indicated by a chain double-dashed line is shown (this position corresponds to the "non-use position" according to claim 1 and the "airbag non-operating position" according to claim 3). OFF when arm 26 is positioned
The switch 42 is provided. At this position, the roller 44 is in the cam groove 9 of the cam plate 90.
1 is engaged and the lock state is established. At the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line (the position where the switch 42 is turned off), the inflator 20 is deactivated.

On the other hand, at the upper end of the arm 26, a release button 46 having a tapered surface at the tip and biased by a return spring 96 is provided. Another roller 95 is arranged on the movement path of the release button 46, and this roller 95 and the above-mentioned roller 44 are connected by a link 92. Therefore, from the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line to the position indicated by the solid line (this position is the
In order to move the arm 26 to the “use position” described and the “airbag operable position” described in claim 3, the release button 46 is pushed to pull up the link 92 via the roller 95, and the link 92 is moved. It suffices to release the locked state by releasing the roller 44 axially supported at the lower end from the cam groove 91 and pull the arm 26 rearward of the vehicle. When the arm 26 is pulled rearward of the vehicle, the roller 44 urged downward by the return spring 93 engages with the other cam groove 94 and is locked at that position.

The locked state at this locked position is light, and a slight forward / backward movement is possible without pressing the release button 46. That is, although the cylindrical airbag device body 24 attached to the upper end of the arm 26 is located near the occupant, the occupant may touch the arm 26,
At this time, the arm 26 moves back and forth to reduce the contact impact of the occupant so that the comfort of the occupant is not hindered. The load applied to the bag 22 by the occupant when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle is the instrument panel 12
Since it is received by the component members on the vehicle body side such as the above, the effect is not affected even if the idle portion is provided as described above.

Although the mechanical structure has been described above, an electric structure in which the roller 44 is moved up and down by a solenoid and the release button 46 is its operation switch is used as means for releasing the roller 44 from the locked state. It is also possible to collect.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. When the passenger is not seated on the front seat 16 for the passenger seat, the arm 26 is located at the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line. In this state, the roller 44 moves the cam plate 9
0 is engaged with the cam groove 91 and the switch 42 is turned off.
Therefore, the arm 26 is prevented from rotating in the front-rear direction, and the inflator 20 is deactivated. Therefore, in this state, the airbag device 10 does not operate.

In addition to the above-mentioned case, as shown in FIG. 5, the front seat 16 for the passenger seat and the child seat 4 are provided.
Similarly, when the seat belt device 50 is fixed with the seat 8 facing backwards, the arm 26 is similarly positioned at the position shown by the chain double-dashed line. Therefore, also in this case, the airbag device 10 does not operate. Therefore, the expansion force of the bag 22 does not act on the child seat 48.

On the other hand, when the occupant is seated on the front seat 16 for the passenger seat, the occupant first presses the release button 46. As a result, the locked state is released. Next, the occupant rotates the arm 26 rearward of the vehicle from the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line to the position indicated by the solid line. As a result, the airbag device body 24 also moves from the position shown by the chain double-dashed line to the position shown by the solid line, and when it reaches this position, the roller 44 urged downward by the return spring 93.
Is engaged with the cam groove 94, so that it is locked again. When the airbag device body 24 is moved to the position shown by the solid line, the airbag device body 24 is located at a substantially intermediate position between the instrument panel 12 and the occupant, and the distance between the airbag device body 24 and the occupant becomes short.

When a predetermined high load acts on the vehicle in this state (when the vehicle rapidly decelerates), the airbag sensor 30 detects this state and outputs a detection signal to the control device 28. The control device 28 energizes the ignition device of the inflator 20 of the airbag device 10 with a predetermined current based on the detection signal. Therefore, the ignition device operates and a large amount of gas is generated through the transfer agent and the gas generating agent.
This gas passes through the cylindrical pipe 32 and the connecting pipe 34, and then passes through the arm 26.
Flows in from the lower end of the. The gas flowing into the arm 26 is introduced into the gas ejection pipe 38 from the upper end of the arm 26. The gas introduced into the gas ejection pipe 38 is ejected into the bag 22 from the gas ejection holes 36 of the gas ejection pipe 38. Therefore, when the bag 22 expands and reaches a predetermined internal pressure, the cover 40 is broken along the predetermined break line and the bag 22 is expanded. As a result, the occupant is protected by the bag 22.

Here, in this embodiment, the air bag device body 24 is configured to be rotatable along the vehicle front-rear direction via the arm 26, and the air bag device body 24 is positioned at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Since the bag 22 is inflated in this state, the distance between the bag 22 and the occupant can be shortened, and thus the inflation speed of the bag 22 can be reduced. Therefore, even when the distance between the instrument panel 12 and the occupant is long, the bag 22 can be reliably reached to the predetermined position at a low inflation speed. Furthermore, the load (reaction force) that the occupant receives from the bag 22.
Can be reduced.

Further, according to this embodiment, the distance between the bag 22 and the occupant can be shortened, and the bag 22 is inflated toward both the occupant and the instrument panel 12 at the same time. The forward moving speed can be decelerated at an early stage.

Further, according to this embodiment, since the airbag device 10 is not arranged on the instrument panel 12, it is not necessary to form an opening or a break line on the instrument panel 12, and the instrument panel 12 is not required. The appearance quality of 12 can be improved. That is, it is possible to eliminate the restriction on the design of the instrument panel 12.

Further, in this embodiment, as described above, when the child seat 48 is fixed rearward to the front seat 16 for the passenger seat, the airbag device body 24 is placed at the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. Since the airbag device 10 is positioned so as not to operate in this state, the inflation force of the bag 22 can be prevented from acting on the child seat 48. Further, this can prevent the seat belt device 50 from damaging the fixed portion (the tongue plate 52, the buckle device 54, etc.) of the child seat 48.

Further, in this embodiment, the gas ejection pipe 38 connected to the upper end of the arm 26, the bag 22 arranged in a folded state around the gas ejection pipe 38, and the cover 40 covering them.
Since the air bag device body 24 is configured by
The structure of the airbag device body 24 can be simplified (made compact).

Although the arm 26 having the center of rotation on the floor side of the vehicle body is used in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 6, the arm having the center of rotation at the lower part of the instrument panel 12 is used. 56 may be used. In this case, there are the following merits. That is, the arm 56 shown in FIG. 6 has a substantially U shape in a plan view and a substantially “F” shape in a side view. Therefore, the air bag device main body 24 is supported in a cantilever manner by using the above-mentioned arm 26, while it is supported by both ends in a cantilever manner by using this arm 56. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of strength, and when the occupant is not wearing the seat belt device 50, it is possible to restrain the occupant's upward movement to a certain extent when a predetermined high load is applied.

Further, in this embodiment, the unused position is set at a position close to the instrument panel 12,
Not limited to this, a configuration may be adopted in which a non-use position is set along the seat back 16B of the front seat 16 for the passenger seat and the use position is reached by rotating the front seat 16 for the front passenger seat.

Further, in the present embodiment, the structure in which the arm 26 is rotated is adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a slide system capable of sliding along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle may be used. In this case, the inflator 20 may be slid together with the arm 26, but it is also possible to fix the inflator 20 and connect the inflator 20 and the lower end of the arm 26 with a flexible pipe or the like. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The constituent parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Further, the second embodiment corresponds to an embodiment of the present invention described in claim 2.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment,
The inflator 20 is arranged on the seat cushion 16A of the front seat 16, and the airbag device 10 is arranged to protect the occupant sitting on the rear seat 60. More specifically, the arm 26 is rotatably provided around the connection pipe 34 of the inflator 20 arranged in the seat cushion 16A of the front seat 16, and the airbag device main body 24 is provided at the tip of the arm 26. It is arranged. In the airbag device main body 24, the position indicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line, which is a position close to the front seat 16, is the unused position.
The position indicated by the solid line, which is a substantially intermediate position between the rear seat 60 and the rear seat 60, is the use position.

According to the above configuration, the airbag device body 2
Since the distance between the vehicle 4 and the occupant seated on the rear seat 60 is shortened, the inflation speed of the bag 22 can be reduced as in the first embodiment. Therefore, even if the distance between the front seat 16 and the occupant seated on the rear seat 60 is long, the bag 22 can be reliably reached to the predetermined position at a low inflation speed. Further, the load (reaction force) received by the occupant from the bag 22 can be reduced.

According to this embodiment, the distance between the bag 22 and the occupant can be shortened, and the bag 22 is inflated toward both the occupant and the instrument panel 12 at the same time. The forward moving speed can be decelerated at an early stage.

In this embodiment, the front seat 16
Although the non-use position is set along the seat back 16A, the non-use position may be set along the seat cushion 60A of the rear seat 60 or the seat back 60A. [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The constituent parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. The third embodiment corresponds to an embodiment of the present invention according to claim 5.

As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment,
The inflator 20 is disposed in the front portion of the seat cushion 16A of the front seat 16, and the front seat 1
The airbag device 10 is characterized in that the airbag device 10 is provided to protect the occupant sitting on the vehicle 6.

According to the above structure, even when the front seat 16 is moved in the vehicle front-rear direction by the seat slide, the entire airbag apparatus 10 moves in the same direction by the same distance. Therefore, the distance between the airbag apparatus body 24 and the occupant seated on the front seat 16 can be kept substantially constant without being affected by the seat slide of the front seat 16. Therefore, the expansion control of the bag 22 can be optimized and the bag 22 can be controlled.
Shape design becomes easy.

In this embodiment, the front seat 16
The center of rotation of the arm 26 is set to the seat cushion 16A, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the center of rotation of the arm 26 is set to the seat cushion 60A of the rear seat 60,
By rotating the arm 26 toward the front of the vehicle, the airbag device main body 24 is moved to the seat back 1 of the front seat 16.
6B and the occupant sitting on the rear seat 60 may be positioned at a substantially intermediate position. In this case, the same effect can be obtained. [Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The constituent parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Further, the fourth embodiment corresponds to an embodiment of the present invention described in claims 6 and 7.

As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment,
A characteristic is that a valve 64 made of a thin metal plate is constituted by a rivet 66 in the gas ejection hole 36 formed in the gas ejection pipe 38 on the rear side of the vehicle.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, when the occupant moves from the position shown by the chain double-dashed line to the position shown by the solid line and comes into contact with the airbag device body 24 as a result of braking before the collision, The valve 64 is pressed against the surface of the gas ejection pipe 38 by the weight of the occupant. Therefore, the valve 64
The gas ejection hole 36 on the vehicle rear side of the gas ejection pipe 38
Is closed. Therefore, no gas is ejected from the gas ejection holes 36, and the gas ejection holes 36 formed on the front side of the vehicle are formed.
From which gas is ejected. The gas is also ejected from the gas ejection hole 36 on the rear side of the vehicle until the gas ejection hole 36 is closed by the valve 64. As a result, the bag 22 is inflated to the instrument panel 12 side and the vehicle upper side. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the bag 2 for passengers
It is possible to reduce the acting load of the expansion force on the rear side of the vehicle. [Fifth Embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The constituent parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Further, the fifth embodiment corresponds to an embodiment of the present invention according to claim 8.

As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, the instrument panel 12 is provided inside the bag 70.
And a partition cloth 72 extending toward the seat back 16B side of the front seat 16 are provided. Therefore, the inside of the bag 70 is partitioned into a lower chamber 74 provided below the partition cloth 72 and an upper chamber 76 provided above the partition cloth 72. Further, the gas ejection holes 36 of the gas ejection pipe 38 located substantially in the center of the partition cloth 72 (although the capacities of the lower chamber 74 and the upper chamber 76 vary, but if the two capacities are substantially the same). Number of upper chamber 7
The lower chamber 74 side is set more than the 6th side.

According to the above structure, when a predetermined high load is applied, the lower chamber 74 has a larger gas inflow amount than the upper chamber 76, so that the inner pressure of the former becomes higher than the inner pressure of the latter. Therefore, the lower moving chamber 74 having a high internal pressure can further reduce the forward moving speed of the occupant's abdomen and chest. Further, this can prevent the occupant from moving forward from an earlier stage.

In this embodiment, the interior of the bag 70 is divided into the lower chamber 74 and the upper chamber 76 by providing the partition cloth 72 inside the bag 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
As shown in FIG. 2, the bag 70 may be composed of two bags, an upper bag 78 and a lower bag 80. In this case, the same effect can be obtained. [Sixth Embodiment] Next, a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The constituent parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In addition, the sixth embodiment provides claims 9 and 1
0 corresponds to an embodiment of the present invention described in 0.

As shown in this figure, this embodiment is characterized in that the arm 26 is automatically rotated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in conjunction with the opening and closing of the side door 84 (see FIG. 1).

That is, at the lower end of the arm 26, there is formed a gear 90 with which the worm shaft 88 which is the output shaft of the motor 86 meshes. Therefore, when the motor 86 is driven, the arm 26 rotates in the vehicle front-rear direction via the worm shaft 88 and the gear 90. Also, arm 2
A pair of limit switches 92, 9 are provided on the rotation locus of No. 6.
4 are provided. The limit switch 92 is arranged at a position corresponding to the non-use position, and the limit switch 94 is arranged at a position corresponding to the use position. These limit switches 92 and 94 are normally turned on, but are turned off when pressed by the arm 26. That is, in this figure, when the arm 26 is in the position shown by the solid line, the limit switch 92 arranged in the front is turned on and the limit switch 94 arranged in the rear is turned off.

Further, these limit switches 92, 9
A door switch 96 for detecting opening / closing of the side door 84 is arranged between the four. The door switch 96 is in the state shown in FIG. 13 when the side door 84 is in the closed state.
Further, a pair of relays 98 and 100 is arranged between the limit switches 92 and 94. These relays 9
8, 100 are switched in association with opening and closing of the side door 84, and a drive current for forward or reverse rotation flows through the motor 86. Also, these relays 98, 10
A main switch 102 provided at the upper end of the arm 26 is connected between 0s. This main switch 10
By pressing 2, the circuit is forcibly turned off and the movement of the arm 26 is blocked regardless of whether the side door 84 is opened or closed. That is, the main switch 10
The OFF state of 2 corresponds to the "operation prohibited state" of claim 10, and the ON state of the main switch 102 is the state of claim 10.
Corresponds to the "operation allowable state" described.

With the above arrangement, when the side door 84 is opened from the state shown in FIG. 13, the door switch 96 is switched and the relay 100 is switched. Therefore, the motor 86 is driven in the normal direction, and the gear 90 is rotated via the worm shaft 88. Therefore, the arm 26 rotates from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the chain double-dashed line.
Is turned off by contact with the limit switch 92
Then, the arm 26 stops. Therefore, when the occupant gets off the vehicle, the arm 26 does not interfere with this. Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease of getting on and off and the convenience.

When the child seat 48 is mounted backward on the front seat 16 or the rear seat 60, the circuit is forcibly cut off by turning off the main switch 102. Therefore, regardless of whether the side door 84 is opened or closed, the movement of the arm 26 from the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line to the position indicated by the solid line can be reliably prevented by the occupant's intention.

[0076]

As described above, the vehicle airbag apparatus according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 is a non-use position near the instrument panel of the vehicle or the front seat of the vehicle, and the instrument panel. Since the bag storage means is provided so as to be movable between the use position which is a substantially intermediate position between the vehicle front seat and the vehicle front seat, the bag inflating speed can be increased even when the distance between the instrument panel and the occupant is long. It has an excellent effect that it can be lowered.

Further, according to the present invention, for the same reason, the excellent effect that the forward movement of the occupant can be prevented from an early stage can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air bag device for a vehicle, which is in a non-use position which is a position close to a front seat for a vehicle or a rear seat for a vehicle, and an intermediate position between the front seat for the vehicle and the rear seat for the vehicle. Since the bag storing means is provided so as to be movable between the use position and the use position, it is possible to reduce the inflation speed of the bag even when the distance between the vehicle front seat and the occupant is long. Have.

Further, according to the present invention, for the same reason, the excellent effect that the forward movement of the occupant can be prevented from an early stage can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle airbag apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the invention, the unused position is an airbag non-operating position where the bag body is not inflated and is used. Since the position is set to the airbag operable position where the bag body can be inflated, there is an excellent effect that the operation of the vehicle airbag device can be reliably prevented when the child seat is attached.

A vehicle airbag apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle airbag apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the bag body is provided at the end of the arm and the bag body is folded around the bag body. Since the bag accommodating means is configured to include the arranged gas ejection means and the cover that surrounds the gas ejection means and the bag body and is broken by the inflation pressure of the bag body, the bag body accommodating means can be made compact. It has an excellent effect that

A vehicle airbag apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle airbag apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the center of rotation of the arm provided with the gas ejection means is the vehicle front seat. Since it is on the side of the vehicle or on the side of the vehicle rear seat, it has an excellent effect that the inflation control of the bag can be always performed optimally and the shape design of the bag can be facilitated.

A vehicle airbag apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle airbag apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the bag body is inflated in a direction for a vehicle front seat. Is set mainly in the direction toward the instrument panel side, and for the vehicle rear seats, in the direction mainly toward the vehicle front seat side, it is possible to reduce the load acting on the occupant from the bag body. Have an effect.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air bag device according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, which is a valve body for closing a gas ejection hole on a side facing an occupant at a use position. Since the above is provided, there is an excellent effect that the load acting on the occupant from the bag can be reduced.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle airbag device according to the first aspect, wherein the bag body is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber in the inflated state. In addition, since the internal pressure in the lower chamber is set to be higher than that in the upper chamber, the forward movement speed of the occupant can be further reduced, which can prevent the forward movement of the occupant from an earlier stage. It has an excellent effect.

A vehicle airbag apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle airbag apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein a door opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing of the side door, and a bag body. Since the actuator for rotating the storage means in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is provided, there is an excellent effect that convenience and entry / exitability can be improved.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle airbag apparatus according to the ninth aspect, a manual switching means is provided to prevent the actuator from operating and to prevent the actuator from operating. Since it is possible to switch to the allowable operating state, it is possible to reliably prevent the occupant from moving the bag accommodating means to the use position when the child seat is attached. Have an effect.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air bag device for a vehicle, comprising a non-use position that does not impede passenger entry and exit, a vehicle body side component such as an instrument panel and a seat back of a vehicle front seat, and an occupant. Since the bag accommodating means is provided so as to be movable between the use position which is substantially the intermediate position and the occupant, the bag inflating speed can be reduced even when the distance between the vehicle body component and the occupant is long. Has excellent effect.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that the forward movement of the occupant can be prevented from an early stage.

Further, according to the present invention, when the predetermined high load is applied, the load from the occupant is received by the constituent member on the vehicle body side through the inflated bag body. No need to hold firmly. Therefore, it is possible to slightly move the bag storage means back and forth from the use position, and it is possible to prevent the occupant's habitability from being hindered.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front part of an interior of a vehicle equipped with an airbag device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a vehicle including the airbag device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the airbag apparatus main body shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a switch for detecting the position of the arm shown in FIG. 1 and a lock mechanism of the arm.

5 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a state in which a child seat is mounted in the vehicle shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a modified example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle including an airbag device for a rear seat according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing an airbag apparatus having a seat cushion of a front seat and a rotation center of an arm according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an airbag device body corresponding to FIG. 3 showing an airbag device body provided with a valve body for closing a gas ejection hole on a vehicle rear side according to the fourth embodiment.

10 is an operation explanatory view showing a state of the bag when the airbag apparatus main body shown in FIG. 9 is operated.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a state in which a bag partitioned into an upper chamber and a lower chamber according to the fifth embodiment is inflated.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 11 showing a modification of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration for moving an arm in association with opening / closing of a door according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an airbag device according to a conventional example.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an operating system of the airbag device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Airbag Device 12 Instrument Panel 16 Front Seat 22 Bag (Bag Body) 24 Airbag Device Main Body (Bag Body Storage Means) 26 Arm 36 Gas Injecting Hole 38 Gas Ejecting Pipe (Gas Injecting Means) 40 Cover 56 Arm 60 Rear Seat 64 Valve (valve body) 70 Bag (bag body) 74 Lower chamber 76 Upper chamber 78 Upper bag (upper chamber) 80 Lower bag (lower chamber) 84 Side door 86 Motor (actuator) 96 Door switch (door open / close detection means) 102 Main Switch (switching means)

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a bag body storing means for storing a bag body, which is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied, in a folded state. Provided so as to be movable between a non-use position which is a position close to the vehicle instrument panel or the vehicle front seat and a use position which is a substantially intermediate position between the instrument panel and the vehicle front seat, An air bag device for a vehicle characterized by: 2. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle, comprising bag body storing means for storing a bag body that is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied in a folded state, the bag body storing means comprising: A non-use position that is a position close to the vehicle front seat or the vehicle rear seat, and a use position that is a substantially intermediate position between the vehicle front seat and the vehicle rear seat. A vehicle airbag device. 3. The non-use position is an airbag non-operating position where the bag body is not inflated, and the use position is an airbag operable position where the bag body is inflatable. The airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2. 4. The bag accommodating means is provided at an end of an arm that has a center of rotation on a vehicle body floor side or an instrument panel side and is rotatably provided in a vehicle front-rear direction. A gas ejecting means that is arranged in a folded state and has a gas ejecting hole; and a cover that surrounds the gas ejecting means and the bag body and that is ruptured by the inflation pressure of the bag body. The vehicle airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The bag accommodating means is provided at an end of an arm that has a center of rotation on a vehicle front seat side or a vehicle rear seat side and is rotatably provided in a vehicle front-rear direction, and has a bag around the arm. A body that is arranged in a folded state and has a gas ejection hole; and a cover that surrounds the gas ejection means and the bag body and that is broken by the inflation pressure of the bag body. The vehicle airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is characterized in that. 6. An inflating direction of the bag body is a direction mainly directed to an instrument panel side for a vehicle front seat, and a direction mainly directed to a vehicle front seat side for a vehicle rear seat. The airbag device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is set. 7. The gas ejecting means is provided with a valve body for closing the gas ejecting hole on the side facing the occupant at the use position, according to claim 4 or claim 5. Vehicle airbag device. 8. The bag body is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber in an inflated state, and an internal pressure of the lower chamber is set to be higher than that of the upper chamber. Item 10. The vehicle airbag device according to any one of Items 7. 9. A door opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing of a side door, and an actuator for moving the bag storing means in the vehicle front-rear direction based on a detection result of the door opening / closing detecting means are provided. The airbag device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 10. The manual switching means is provided which is capable of switching between an operation prohibited state for preventing the operation of the actuator and an operation permitted state for allowing the operation of the actuator. The vehicle airbag device described. 11. An airbag device for a vehicle, comprising a bag body storing means for storing a bag body that is inflated by a gas ejected when a predetermined high load is applied in a folded state. A movable position is provided between a non-use position that does not impede the entry / exitability and a use position that is a substantially intermediate position between the vehicle body-side component member and the occupant, and the load from the occupant is expanded when a predetermined high load is applied. The vehicle airbag device is configured to be received by a component member on the vehicle body side via the bag body.