JPH10100845A - Energy absorbing structure for vehicle side part - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide good air bag development by providing an opening part in a surface material corresponding to an air bag unit and closing the opening part by an opening surface part for receiving an air bag developing pressure to release the engagement of an opening peripheral end with the surface material and then open the opening part. SOLUTION: An air bag unit 21 disposed in the side support part 3a of a seat back 3 includes an inflator 23 and an air bag 24 housed in a module can 22. The seat outer surface of a pad 15 in the seat back 3 is covered with a surface material 19, and in this case, opening parts 19c are provided in front and rear surface materials 19a and 19b, and these opening parts 19c are closed by opening surface parts 19d. Surface fasteners 20 are provided in the upper and lower end parts, the front end part and the front surface material 19a of the opening surface parts 19d. These surface fasteners 20 are unlocked upon receiving the developing pressure of the air bag 24 and bent in its rear end, and thereby the opening parts 19c are opened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an energy absorbing structure for a vehicle side, and more particularly to the technical field of an airbag unit provided in a seat having a skin material covered on the outermost side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it is well known that an airbag unit is provided on a steering wheel to ensure occupant safety in the event of a frontal collision of a vehicle body. On the other hand, in recent years, for example,
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 4491, an airbag unit is disposed on a side portion in a seat, and when the vehicle collides with a vehicle body side portion, the airbag is deployed on the side of the occupant. It has been proposed to protect the occupant by absorbing the energy of the collision.

[0003]

When an airbag unit is provided in a seat as in the above proposed example, the outermost surface of the seat is usually covered with a skin material. When the bag is deployed outside the seat, the bag needs to be less affected by the skin material. Further, if the skin material of the seat is torn when the airbag is deployed, the skin material needs to be replaced, and the same skin material cannot be used repeatedly. And even if it is not necessary to replace the skin material, the airbag unit must be replaced without fail, and when replacing the airbag unit, it is necessary to disassemble the seat by removing the skin material from the sheet. And cannot be easily replaced.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to improve the deployability of an airbag by improving the structure of a skin material of a seat, and to improve the airbag. An object of the present invention is to improve the repairability by easily replacing a unit.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an opening is provided in a skin material corresponding to an airbag unit, and the opening is opened by receiving an airbag deployment pressure. The peripheral skin material is released from the engagement with the outer skin material, and the opening is opened, so that the opening is opened.

More specifically, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an airbag unit is provided in a predetermined direction in the vicinity of a side portion in a seat having a skin material covered on the outermost side. It is assumed that the vehicle has an energy absorbing structure on the side.

[0007] An opening is provided in the skin material corresponding to the airbag unit, and the opening is closed by the open skin so that at least a part thereof is locked to the skin material on the periphery of the opening. The open skin portion is configured to be capable of receiving the airbag deployment pressure, releasing the engagement with the skin material at the periphery of the opening, and opening the opening.

[0008] With this configuration, the opening of the skin material corresponding to the airbag unit is closed by the open skin so that at least a part of the opening is locked to the skin material on the periphery of the opening. Sometimes the opening is not opened and the opening is not visible from outside the seat. Then, the open skin portion is configured to release the engagement with the skin material on the periphery of the opening upon receiving the airbag deployment pressure and open the opening, so that the airbag is opened. It spreads out of a sheet from an opening.
Therefore, the skin material including the open skin does not affect the deployability of the airbag. Further, since the skin material is not broken, it is not necessary to replace the skin material every time the airbag is deployed. In addition, by appropriately sizing the opening, the airbag unit can be easily removed and replaced from the opening without disassembling the seat, and the opening is closed by the open skin after the replacement. To the original state. Therefore, the airbag can be deployed well, and the repairability of the airbag unit can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the open skin portion is fixed to a skin material around the opening portion except for a locking portion and has a lid shape. .

Thus, even if the airbag is deployed and the opening is opened, the open skin remains fixed to the skin material on the periphery of the opening, and the airbag is replaced to close the opening again. Sometimes its handling is much easier.
In addition, the open skin portion can be integrally formed with and fixed to the skin material around the opening portion, thereby reducing the number of parts and facilitating the covering of the skin material with the sheet. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the repairability of the airbag unit while reducing the cost.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a frame member is provided near a side portion of the sheet so as to extend substantially along the side portion of the sheet. A bracket frame attached to a knuckle member for adjusting the angle of the seat back with respect to the seat cushion, the airbag unit comprises:
Assume that it is directly attached to the bracket frame.

According to the present invention, since the airbag unit is directly attached to the bracket frame, which is an existing rigid and rigid member, the airbag unit does not move due to the force generated when the airbag is deployed. Therefore, the support rigidity of the airbag unit can be improved with a simple configuration without increasing the number of parts.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the first, second or third aspect of the present invention is provided.
In the present invention, the airbag unit is provided on a side portion of the seat on the side door side close to the seat.

Thus, the airbag can be easily deployed between the occupant and the side door closer to the occupant due to the side collision, and the occupant can be prevented from colliding with the side door. Therefore, further safety of the occupant can be ensured in the event of a side collision.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the airbag unit is disposed in the seatback such that the airbag is deployed substantially in front of the seatback.

In this manner, since the side portion of the seat back is a side support portion bulging forward to support the occupant from the left and right directions, the airbag unit is disposed in a relatively large space inside the side support portion. can do. Therefore, the airbag unit can be accommodated in the seat without impairing the sitting comfort of the occupant.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, the airbag unit is disposed in the seat cushion such that the airbag is deployed substantially above the seat cushion.

Thus, the side portion of the seat cushion is also a side support portion bulging upward for supporting the occupant in the left-right direction, so that the airbag unit can be arranged in a relatively large space inside. . Therefore, the same function and effect as the fifth aspect of the invention can be obtained.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a seat 1 on the left side of a front seat of a vehicle in a vehicle side energy absorbing structure according to the present invention (in the following description, the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle are simply referred to as front, rear, left and right).
It has a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3 and a headrest 4. Sliders 7, 7 extending in the front-rear direction are respectively provided below the left and right end portions of the seat cushion 2, and each of the sliders 7 is fixed to the floor via rail mounting members 10 at the front and rear portions. The front and rear positions of the seat 1 can be adjusted by being engaged with the slide rails 8. A knuckle member 9 is provided at a rear portion of the seat cushion 2 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 11 extending in the left-right direction, and the seat back 3 is rotated by the knuckle member 9 with respect to the seat cushion 2. It is connected rotatably around 11 so that the angle of the seat back 3 can be adjusted.

The headrest 4 is attached to the seatback 3 by inserting frames 5, 5 protruding from the lower end surface thereof into two holes formed in the upper end surface of the seatback 3.

At the rear outer peripheral portion in the seat back 3,
A seat back frame 13 is provided as a frame member. The seat back frame 13 is formed by forming a steel pipe material into a substantially rectangular annular shape, and has upper and lower portions and left and right sides. The left and right sides of the seat back frame 13 extend in the vertical direction substantially along the left and right sides of the seat back 3 near the left and right sides of the seat back 3, respectively. On the upper part of the seatback frame 13, two headrest adjusting members 14, 14 that can adjust the vertical position of the headrest 4 by fitting with the respective frames 5 protruding from the lower end surface of the headrest 4 are provided. It is attached and fixed.

Pads 15 are provided on the front part and both right and left sides of the seat back 3, and the pads 15 are arranged so that their ends are wrapped around from the outside of the seat back frame 13 to the rear. 13 supported. The outer surface of the pad 15 is covered with a skin material 19 made of a thin cloth. That is, the outermost material of the sheet 1 is covered with the skin material 19.

The left and right ends of the seat cushion 2 are provided with side support portions 2a, 2a which are swelled upward, and the left and right ends of the seat back 3 are provided with side support portions 3a, 3a which are swelled forward. It plays a role in supporting the user not to move left and right.

An airbag unit 21 is disposed in the seat back 3 near the side of the side door close to the seat 1, that is, substantially in front of the left side of the seat back frame 13 in the left side support portion 3a. ing. The airbag unit 21 has a module can 22 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Inside the module can 22, a cylindrical can-shaped inflator 23 containing an ignition portion and an explosive is provided on the back side. Airbag 2 folded in
4 are accommodated respectively. Although not shown, an ignition signal is supplied to an ignition portion of the inflator 23 from an acceleration sensor that detects a side collision to the left side of the vehicle, and the ignition portion ignites the explosive according to the ignition signal. Burns at a high speed, and a large amount of gas generated at that time causes the airbag 24 to inflate and deploy.

The seat back frame 13 has a bracket frame 30 on the left side of the left side thereof. The bracket frame 30 extends forward from a rear portion fixed to the seat back frame 13 and has a front end connected to the airbag unit. 21 is located near the rear side. The airbag unit 21 is disposed such that its longitudinal direction substantially coincides with the up-down direction of the seat back 3,
A mounting member 26 is provided on the rear left side of the module can 22 so as to extend substantially rearward of the module can 22. Two sets of upper and lower bolts 27, 27 and nuts 28, 28 are used on the left side of the front of the bracket frame 30. It is directly attached. The airbag unit 21 is arranged such that the opening direction of the module can 22, that is, the direction in which the airbag 24 is deployed is inclined leftward with respect to the front, and the front end of the module can 22 is along the side surface of the seat back 3. It is cut off diagonally.

The bracket frame 30 is provided in the vicinity of the left side of the seat back 3 so as to extend vertically from the upper portion of the airbag unit 21 to the lower portion of the seat back 3 substantially along the left side. A knuckle member 9 provided on the seat cushion 2 is attached and fixed to a portion extending toward the seat back 3 with two sets of bolts and nuts.

The skin material 19 comprises a front skin material 19a at the front of the seat back 3 and a rear skin material 19b at the rear. The front skin material 19a and the rear skin material 19b are The left and right side surfaces are sewn to each other with the front skin material 19a facing down. As shown in FIG. 4, front and rear skin materials 19a and 19b on the left side of the seat back 3 corresponding to the airbag unit 21 include:
An opening 19c is provided. That is, the front skin material 1
9a is formed with a concave portion whose rear end is recessed forward, and this concave portion and the front end portion of the rear skin material 19b form an opening portion 19c having a substantially rectangular shape.

The opening 19c is closed by a substantially rectangular open skin 19d. This open skin 19d
A substantially U-shaped surface for locking the open skin portion 19d to the front skin material 19a at the periphery of the opening 19c is provided between the upper and lower ends and the front end of the front skin material 19a at the periphery of the opening 19c. Fasteners 20, 20 are provided. Also,
The rear end portion of the open skin portion 19d is provided integrally with the front end portion of the rear skin material 19b at the periphery of the opening portion 19c. In other words, the open skin portion 19d is fixed to the front and rear skin materials 19a, 19b around the periphery of the opening portion 19c except for the locking portions (upper and lower end portions and front end portion) (the rear end portion). It is in the shape. And this open skin portion 19
As shown in FIG. 5, d is a front skin material 19a around the opening 19c at the upper and lower ends and the front end of the airbag 24 at the upper and lower ends and the front end thereof under the deployment pressure of the airbag 24.
Is released, and the opening 19c can be opened by bending at the rear end.

The opening 19c is located at approximately the same position as the module can 22 of the airbag unit 21 in the up-down direction and slightly larger than the length thereof. It is formed up to the vicinity of the rear end. On the left side of the pad 15 corresponding to the airbag unit 21,
An opening 15a of substantially the same position and substantially the same shape as the opening 19c of the skin material 19 is formed. When the airbag 24 is deployed, the opening of the airbag 24 is not affected by the pad 15, and The opening 19c of the skin material 19 and the opening 15a of the pad 15 are opened by directly pushing the skin portion 19d to the outside of the sheet 1.

The airbag 24 is deployed to the outside of the seat back 3 obliquely to the left from the opening portions 19c and 15a of the opened skin material 19 and the pad 15 to the outside of the seat back 3 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the left side door 40 is brought into contact with the side of the vehicle interior, changes its direction forward, and is deployed between the occupant and the left side door 40.

Although not shown, a frame member having a bracket frame is also provided in the seat cushion 2 similarly to the seat back 3, and the bracket frame extends forward from the rotation shaft 11 of the knuckle member 9. It is attached and fixed to the part that has.

The operation when the airbag 24 is deployed due to a side collision in the vehicle side energy absorbing structure having the above configuration will be described. First, when the acceleration sensor detects a side impact on the left side of the vehicle, an ignition signal is supplied to the ignition unit of the inflator 23, and the ignition unit is ignited. As a result, the explosive in the inflator 23 burns at a high speed, and a large amount of gas is supplied to the airbag 24.
Tries to expand and expand. And this airbag 24
Pushes the open skin portion 19d closing the opening portions 19c and 15a of the skin material 19 and the pad 15 to the outside of the seat 1 by the developing pressure. Therefore, the locking of the open skin portion 19d to the front skin material 19a by the hook-and-loop fasteners 20, 20 is easily released, and the open skin portion 19d is bent at the rear end. For this reason, the openings 19c and 15a are opened, and the airbag 24 protrudes from the openings 19c and 15a diagonally to the left to the outside of the seat back 3 and then hits the side of the left side door 40 in the passenger compartment. The seat 1 turns forward in contact with the seat 1 and is deployed between the occupant of the seat 1 and the side door 40. This prevents the occupant from colliding with the side door 40 and protects the occupant.

The airbag unit 2 operated as described above
1 can be replaced with a new one, while the open skin portion 19d is bent at its rear end while the skin material 19 and the pad 1 are being folded.
The openings 19c and 15a of 5a are held in an open state, a tool is inserted from the opening 19c and the opening 15a of the pad 15, and the attachment member 26 of the airbag unit 21 and the bracket frame 30 are fastened. Loosen the two bolts 27,27. Then, the airbag unit 21
Is taken out of the seat through the skin material 19 and the openings 19c and 15a of the pad 15, and a new airbag unit 21 is inserted through the openings 19c and 15a to secure the bolt 2
Tighten 7,27. Finally, the open skin portion 19d is locked to the front skin material 19a by the hook-and-loop fasteners 20, 20, and the openings 19c, 15a are closed, thereby completing the replacement of the airbag unit 21.

Therefore, in the above embodiment, the front and rear skin members 19a, 19a,
An opening 19c is provided in the opening 19c.
Is closed by an open skin portion 19d which can release the opening 19c by receiving the deployment pressure of the airbag 24 and releasing the locking of the periphery of the opening portion 19c with the front skin material 19a by the surface fasteners 20, 20. Therefore, the opening 19c can be kept closed during normal use, and when the airbag 24 is deployed, the skin material 19 can be prevented from affecting the deployability of the airbag 24. Also, since the skin material 19 does not break,
The skin material 19 does not have to be replaced with a new one every time the airbag 24 is deployed. In addition, the airbag unit 21 can be easily detached from the opening 19c and replaced without disassembling the seat 1, and the opening 19c can be closed again by the open skin 19d after the replacement. Therefore, the deployability of the airbag 24 can be improved, and the repairability of the airbag unit 21 can be improved.

The open skin portion 19d is provided with an opening portion 19c.
Rear ends other than the upper and lower ends and the front end, which are locking portions, are fixed to the front end of the rear skin material 19b with respect to the front and rear skin materials 19a and 19b of the peripheral edge to form a lid shape. Therefore, even if the airbag 24 is deployed and the opening 19c is opened, the open skin portion 19d remains fixed to the rear skin material 19b, and when the airbag 24 is replaced and the opening 19c is closed again. In addition, the handling can be further simplified. In addition, the open skin portion 19d
Are formed integrally with the rear skin material 19b, so that the number of components can be reduced, and the front and rear skin materials 19a, 19b can be easily mounted on the seat 1. . Therefore, the repairability of the airbag unit 21 can be further improved while reducing the cost.

Further, a seat back frame 13 is provided near the left and right sides of the seat back 3 so as to extend substantially along the left and right sides of the seat back 3. The seat back frame 13 is provided on the left side thereof. Bracket frame 30 attached to knuckle member 9 for adjusting the angle of seat back 3 with respect to seat cushion 2
Since the airbag unit 21 is directly attached to the bracket frame 30 which is the existing rigid and rigid member, it is possible to prevent the airbag unit 21 from moving due to the force generated when the airbag 24 is deployed. it can. Therefore, the support rigidity of the airbag unit 21 can be easily improved without adding new parts.

Since the airbag unit 21 is disposed in the left side support portion 3a of the seat back 3, the airbag 24 is placed between the occupant and the left side door 40 by a side collision with the left side of the vehicle. It can be easily deployed, and the collision of the occupant with the side door 40 can be reliably prevented. In addition, a relatively large space can be provided in the side support portion 3a of the seat back 3. Therefore, the airbag unit 21 can be accommodated in the seat 1 without hindering the sitting comfort of the occupant, and the occupant can be further made safer in a side collision.

In the above embodiment, the open skin portion 19d is used.
Although a pair of hook-and-loop fasteners 20, 20 are used to lock the outer skin portion 19d around the opening 19c, a plurality of sets of snaps or the like may be used to lock the open skin portion 19d. Further, the upper and lower ends and the front end of the open skin portion 19d are formed of a weaker thread by using the front skin material 19 around the opening 19c.
Even if it locks by sewing with a,
The present invention can be applied, and in this case, it is possible to prevent the occupant from inadvertently releasing the lock and opening the opening 19c.

Further, in the above embodiment, the airbag unit 21 is connected to the left side support portion 3 of the seat back 3.
a, the present invention can be applied to the case where the seat back 3 is disposed in the right side support portion 3a of the seat back 3, so that collision between occupants can be prevented. And the side support part 2 of the seat cushion 2
a, the opening of the module can 22 is directed substantially upward, and the airbag unit
Is arranged so as to be deployed substantially above the seat cushion 2, the side support portion 3 a of the seat back 3 is also provided.
The present invention can be applied in the same manner as in the case of arranging inside.

[0040]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an airbag is provided in a predetermined direction near a side portion of a sheet in which a skin material is covered on the outermost side. For the energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle with the unit,
An opening is provided in the skin material corresponding to the airbag unit,
By receiving the airbag deployment pressure, the opening is closed by an open skin that can be unlocked with the skin material on the periphery of the opening to open the opening, thereby improving the deployability of the airbag. The improvement can be achieved, and the repairability of the airbag unit can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the open skin portion is
The portions other than the locking portions are fixed to the skin material at the periphery of the opening and are formed in a lid shape, so that the cost can be reduced and the repairability of the airbag unit can be further improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a frame member is provided in the vicinity of the side portion of the seat so as to extend substantially along the side portion of the seat. The bracket has a bracket frame attached to the knuckle member to perform the airbag unit, and the airbag unit is directly attached to the bracket frame. Improvement can be achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the airbag unit is disposed on the side of the seat on the side door side close to the seat, so that the safety of the occupant in the event of a side collision can be further improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the airbag unit is disposed in the seatback so that the airbag is deployed substantially in front of the seatback, so that the occupant can maintain good sitting comfort. In addition, the airbag unit can be accommodated in the seat.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the airbag unit is disposed in the seat cushion so that the airbag is deployed substantially above the seat cushion, so that the same operation as the fifth aspect of the invention is achieved. The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a seat in a vehicle side energy absorbing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a left portion of the seat.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seat back showing a state where an opening of a skin material is opened.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a deployed state of the airbag.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 2 Seat cushion 3 Seat back 9 Knuckle member 13 Seat back frame (frame member) 19 Skin material 19a Front skin material 19b Rear skin material 19c Opening 19d Open skin 20 Surface fastener 21 Airbag unit 24 Airbag 30 Bracket Frame 40 side door

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masashi Sakakida 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Mazda Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An energy absorbing structure for a vehicle side portion provided with an airbag unit disposed in a predetermined direction in a vicinity of a side portion in a seat on which a skin material is covered on an outermost side, An opening is provided in a skin material corresponding to the airbag unit, and the opening is closed by an open skin so that at least a part thereof is locked to a skin material on a periphery of the opening. An energy absorbing structure for a side portion of a vehicle, wherein the opening of the opening is opened by releasing the engagement of the periphery of the opening with the skin material in response to an airbag deployment pressure. 2. The vehicle side energy absorbing structure according to claim 1, wherein the open skin portion is formed in a lid shape with portions other than the locking portion fixed to the skin material around the opening portion. An energy absorbing structure on the side of a vehicle, characterized in that: 3. A vehicle side energy absorbing structure according to claim 1, wherein a frame member is provided near a side portion in the seat so as to extend substantially along the side portion of the seat. The member includes a bracket frame attached to a knuckle member for adjusting an angle of a seat back with respect to a seat cushion, and the airbag unit is directly attached to the bracket frame. Absorbing structure. 4. An energy absorbing structure for a vehicle side according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the airbag unit is disposed on a side portion of the seat on a side door side close to the seat. Energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle. 5. The vehicle-side energy absorbing structure according to claim 4, wherein the airbag unit is provided in the seatback such that the airbag is deployed substantially in front of the seatback. Characteristic energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle. 6. The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle side portion according to claim 4, wherein the airbag unit is disposed in the seat cushion such that the airbag is deployed substantially above the seat cushion. Characteristic energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle.