JPH10157551A - Air bag device for side part - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect an inflator with an air bag, and concurrently enhance sealing performance in the air bag device for a side part where the air bag is separated from the inflator. SOLUTION: This device is so constituted that the gas introducing part 2 of an air bag 1 is connected with the gas injection part 4 of an inflator 3 by a tubular connection member 5, and the air bag 1 is thereby expanded along the side wall of a cabin by gas introduced from the inflator 3 through the connection member 5. In this case, a diameter widened part 7 formed into a large diameter as required, is formed at the end part 6 at the air bag side of the connection member 5, concurrently the gas introducing part 2 of the air bag formed in a cylindrical shape is fitted in so as to be inserted into the end part of the connection member 5, and the gas introducing part 2 is fastened to the connection member 5 by an annular fastening member 8 at the base part side of the diameter widened part 7 so as to be fixed thereto.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a side airbag device for deploying an airbag from a seat, a door, a pillar or the like between a passenger side wall including a door and a passenger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An airbag device is a device for restraining an occupant by inflating an airbag at the time of a vehicle collision, and generally includes an inflator which is a gas generator and an airbag which is inflated by the gas of the inflator. ing.

[0003] The airbag device described above is not limited to a device for restraining an occupant from the front, but in recent years, a device for restraining the occupant from the side has been developed.

[0004] The airbag of such a side airbag device receives gas from an inflator fixed to, for example, the root of a front pillar, that is, a side panel of a vehicle, and receives a gas from a front pillar, a roof side rail, a center pillar, and the like. The airbags housed in the airbags, quarter pillars, etc. are deployed near the windows along the cabin side to restrain the occupants. The point is that a mode in which a long inflation time of several seconds is maintained due to restraint of the occupant is conceivable. In other words, while a normal airbag has a function of inflating and deploying in a short time of about several msec to several tens of msec and exhausting while restraining an occupant, the newly proposed side airbag has a function of increasing the inflation duration. 1 for the purpose of making it as long as several seconds
I have one.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses the above-described situation and improves the airtightness of the airbag module by finding a novel structure at the connection between the inflator and the airbag. It is an object to maintain a predetermined inflation time in the airbag for use.

[0006]

That is, a side airbag apparatus according to the present invention, which meets the above object, connects a gas introduction portion of an airbag and a gas ejection portion of an inflator by a tubular connection member. In a side airbag device for deploying an airbag along a side wall of a vehicle cabin by a gas introduced from an inflator via a connecting member, a large-diameter portion formed to a required large diameter at an end of the connecting member on the airbag side. And a gas introducing portion of an airbag formed in a cylindrical shape is fitted into an end portion of the connecting member, and the gas introducing portion is connected to the connecting member by an annular fastening member on the base side of the enlarged diameter portion. It is characterized by being fastened and fixed.

In the side airbag device of the present invention, a slit hole is formed at the tip of the gas introduction portion of the airbag, and the slit is engaged with the airbag side end of the connecting member. It is also possible to form a claw member. Similarly, the fastening member may be fastened between the claw member and the enlarged diameter portion. Further, in the side airbag device of the present invention, it is possible to interpose a tube made of a rubber-like elastic body between the gas introducing portion of the airbag and the connecting member. Further, it is also possible to form an inflator holding portion for accommodating and holding the gas ejection portion of the inflator at an end of the connecting member on the inflator side, and to form the inflator holding portion into a cylindrical shape enclosing a rod-shaped inflator. It is also possible. The inflator holding portion may be provided with a plurality of O-rings or a liquid hardening type sealing material interposed between the inflator and the inflator to seal the inflator gas. Further, the inflator holding portion may be formed in a hollow disk shape surrounding the disk-shaped inflator. On the other hand, the fastening member can be fixed to a fixing member that fixes the connecting member to the body of the vehicle. Further, the fastening member may be composed of a pair of semicircular band-shaped metal fittings having ears, and the sewing allowance of the airbag gas introduction section may be fixed between the ears of the band-shaped metal fittings. is there.

On the other hand, there is a case where the airbag device is housed in a pillar portion of a vehicle and is covered with a cover made of a thermoplastic resin, and a groove is formed on the back surface of the cover along the pillar. When the airbag is inflated, it is possible to open the lid formed on the cover with the vicinity of the groove as a rotation axis. Further, the lid can be fixed by a claw detaching from the pillar due to the inflation pressure of the airbag, and a tongue attached to the fixing portion of the airbag is integrated with the cover. It is also possible to fix the airbag to the pillar part through this tongue. It is also possible to form the inflator so that the gas ejection output is multi-stage, and to replenish the gas while the inflation of the airbag continues. Such an inflator electrically shifts the output timing, or changes the gas generation characteristics of the inflator drug by the burning speed or shape of the drug to increase the output in multiple stages, and generally smoothly changes the output-time characteristics. Things are available.

[0009]

In the side airbag device according to the present invention, the expanded portion of the connecting member and the tightening member introduce gas into the airbag against the force of the airbag being released from the connecting member when the airbag is inflated. By acting so as to pinch the portion, it is possible to enhance the connection of the airbag and the sealing performance at this portion.

Further, by forming a slit hole in the gas introduction portion and engaging with the claw member of the connecting member, it is possible to fix the airbag more firmly, and further, tightening between the claw member and the enlarged diameter portion. By fastening the member, it is also possible to fix the fastening member. And, by interposing a rubber-like elastic tube between the gas introduction section and the connecting member, it is possible to absorb a step caused by an excess portion of the gas introduction section and a remaining sewing allowance, thereby improving sealing performance. It is.

Further, by forming an inflator holding portion for accommodating and holding the gas ejection portion of the inflator at the end of the connecting member on the inflator side, it is possible to hold and fix the inflator having a rod shape or a disk shape.
Further, by fixing the fastening member to the vehicle fixing member for the connecting member, a plurality of fixing means can be provided to the fastening member, and the fastening member is further fixed by a pair of semicircular band-shaped metal members. By sandwiching the remaining sewing allowance of the airbag gas introduction portion between the ears of the band-shaped metal fittings, the airbag can be fixed to the airbag by a plurality of means.

[0012]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the vicinity of a connecting member of a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof.

The side airbag device of the above embodiment is
The gas introduction part 2 of the airbag 1 and the gas ejection part 4 of the inflator 3 are connected by a metal tubular connection member 5, and the gas introduced from the inflator 3 via the connection member 5 is used to separate the airbag 1. It is designed to be deployed along the side wall of the cabin.

An enlarged diameter portion 7 having a required large diameter is formed at an end 6 of the connecting member 5 on the airbag side.
The gas introduction portion 2 of the airbag formed in a cylindrical shape is fitted into the end portion 6 of the connecting member, and the base portion side of the enlarged diameter portion 7 and
The gas introduction section 2 is fastened and fixed to the connecting member end 6 by an annular fastening member 8 made of a wire band.
In addition, slit holes 9 are formed at two opposing positions at the tip of the airbag gas introduction unit 2, and these slit holes 9 are formed at the airbag side end 6 of the connecting member 5.
A pair of claw members 10 are formed. The fastening member 8 includes the claw member 10 and the enlarged diameter portion 7.
Between the two. As shown in FIG. 2, a tube 11 made of a rubber elastic material such as silicon rubber or chloroprene rubber is provided between the airbag gas introduction unit 2 and the connecting member 5.

On the other hand, an inflator holding portion 13 for holding and holding the gas ejection portion 4 of the inflator 3 is formed at the end of the connecting member 5 on the inflator side. In this example,
The inflator holding portion 13 is a rod-shaped inflator 3.
Is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom and encloses about half of it, and is connected to the connecting member 5 main body in an L-shape with a hollow portion communicating therewith. The inflator holding portion 13 includes:
As shown in FIG. 4, three rubber O-rings 14 are provided between the peripheral surface of the inflator 3 and prevent leakage of the inflator gas. Instead of the O-ring 14, a liquid-curable sealing material (not shown) can be filled. When a disk-shaped inflator 3 'used for a driver's seat or the like is used, the inflator holding portion 12 is formed by cutting about half of the disk-shaped inflator 3' in the axial direction as shown in FIGS. It is also possible to form a hollow disk shape to enclose.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show another example of the fastening member. This fastening member 8 'has ear portions 15 extending radially from both ends of a semicircular metal band. The ears 15 are abutted against each other as shown in FIG. 9 and fastened with bolts and nuts. In this example, the remaining sewing allowance 16 of the gas introduction portion 2 of the airbag and the surplus portion (slack) of the gas introduction portion 2 which is formed to be thick enough to pass the large-diameter portion 7 are combined with the above-described portion. It is sandwiched between the ears 15 of the tightening member 8 ', and is further fixed so that bolts are passed therethrough. Further, the fastening member 8 'is integrated with a fixing member 17 for fixing the connecting member 5 to the body of the vehicle by jointly fastening with the bolt and nut. It should be noted that the side airbag device of the above embodiment is, as shown in FIG.
8 and is covered with a cover body 19 made of a thermoplastic resin.

A pillar 1 is provided on the back surface of the cover 19.
8 is formed, and a lid 21 formed on the cover 19 is opened with the vicinity of the groove 20 as a rotation axis. Further, the cover body 19 integrally has a tongue portion 22 attached to the fixed portion side of the airbag 1, and the airbag 1 is connected to the pillar portion 1 via the tongue portion 22.
8 are fastened together by rivets 23. In addition,
In the figure, reference numeral 24 denotes a windshield, and 25 denotes a door frame.

Since the airbag 1 is stored in the pillar-shaped vehicle pillar portion 18 or the roof side rail portion,
The storage section is often limited to about 20 × 20 mm. Further, since the airbag 1 has a shape that is inflated and deployed so as to cover the door glass, it is necessary to improve the storage ability. On the other hand, the portion where the inflators 3 and 3 'are fixed is inside the pillar portion 18 or the pillar portion 18 or the like.
Side panels at the base of the inflators 3, 3 'even if they depend on the size of the inflators 3, 3'.
In many cases, it must be stored in a thickness of about mm.
In order to efficiently supply the gas from the inflators 3 and 3 'to the elongated airbag 1 thus housed, it is better to conversely enlarge the opening of the airbag, and from the inflators 3, 3' to the airbag. It is advantageous to also increase the cross-sectional area of the connecting member for supplying gas at the same time. In order to obtain an efficient and compact shape, a tubular connecting member 5 having a circular cross section or an elliptical or elliptical shape obtained by crushing this circular shape is used.
It is advantageous to connect the airbag 1 and the inflators 3 and 3 in a different manner. In particular, in the case of a circular cross section, it is possible to select a plate thickness that is efficient with respect to pressure, and it is possible to reduce the size of the plate without deformation.

On the other hand, when the airbag is fixed to one end of the connecting member 5 by the fastening members 8 and 8 ', the connecting member 5 is required to have a function of fixing the connecting member 5 and the airbag 1. At this time, if the diameter of the end of the connecting member is made larger than that of the general portion, the airbag tends to be pulled in the axial direction when inflated and moves, and even if the tightening member 8, 8 'tries to move along with this, It will be hooked on the enlarged diameter part 7.
That is, the enlarged diameter portion 7 can prevent the tightening members 8 and 8 'from moving, and the tightening members 8 and 8' are, for example, wire bands or band-like bands, and the diameter thereof is reduced by the accompanying screws or caulking. By doing so, when it comes into contact with the tubular portion of the connecting member 5, it is unnecessary to strongly tighten and eliminate caulking. It is sufficient to fix the sealing function and maintain the diameter so as not to pass through the enlarged diameter portion 7.

The fastening member includes the above-described wire band type and band-shaped band. In particular, the wire band type has a circular cross section of the wire, so that when the airbag is deployed, the edge is attached to the airbag cloth or the like. Suitable without scratching. In the case of a band-like band, it is desirable to perform terminal treatment with coining, flange, or the like.

Further, as a method of reducing the load on the fastening member, a claw member 10 is provided on the surface of the connecting member in the direction of inflation of the airbag, that is, in the direction opposite to the gas supply direction, and is provided on the gas introduction portion 2 of the airbag. There is a method of engaging with the slit hole 9. Thus, when the airbag 1 is pulled in the above-described direction, that is, in the axial direction of the gas introduction unit 2, the airbag 1 is fixed by this engagement. Further, in order to fix the fastening member to the connecting member 5,
Alternatively, there is a method in which the fastening members 8, 8 'themselves are fixed by being inserted into the claw member 10. The air bag fixing function of the tightening members 8 and 8 ′ includes the above-described methods. For the sealing function, a tube 11 made of a rubber-like elastic body is wound between the connecting member 5 and the air bag.

On the other hand, the airbag has a remaining allowance for sewing, which may be extended and used as a fixing portion to a pillar or the like. With this airbag, the remaining sewing allowance 16 becomes a step when being wound around the connecting member 5, and if the above-described enlarged diameter portion 7 is provided, the circumference of the airbag gas introduction portion 4 passing through the enlarged diameter portion is required. There is a surplus when fixing at the normal diameter portion. When the sewing remaining allowance 16 and the surplus portion are superimposed and wound around the connecting member 5, a step is formed. If the elastic tube 11 is wound around the step to absorb the step, the sealing property is improved. As a method of fixing the surplus portion of the airbag with a good seal, the surplus portion and the remaining sewing allowance 16 are sandwiched between fastening members 8 'as shown in FIGS. Further, in order to reduce the movement of the fastening member 8 'for the above-described reason, the fastening member 8' may be integrated with the module fixing member 17 by fastening or the like.

Further, in general, there are a rod (cylindrical) type and a disk type inflator, but in the present invention, any inflator can be used. As the disk-shaped inflator 3 ', for example, there is one for a driver's seat as shown in FIG. 6, but this may be accommodated and fixed in the disk-shaped inflator holding portion 12 described above. Rod-shaped inflator 3
Is desirably inserted into the inflator holding portion 13 and fixed. However, in this case, a gap may be formed between the inflator 3 and the inflator holding portion 13 due to the diameter and coaxiality of the inflator 3. Therefore, the inflator 3 is sealed with an O-ring such as silicon rubber or chloroprene rubber or a hardening type liquid sealing material.

Now, as shown in FIG. 10, the airbag 1 is normally fixed to the pillar portion 18, and when gas is supplied from the inflator, the lid 21 of the pillar cover body that covers the airbag 1 is opened. Swell. Deterioration of the environment that the car experiences, temperature environment when expanding, elasticity required when expanding, etc.
Suitable for the cover body 19 is a thermoplastic elastic resin, such as TPO, TPS, TPEE, or TPU. In addition, since these materials are elastic, a groove 20 is provided linearly on the back surface, and a portion having a smaller thickness than a general surface is provided at a predetermined position. The body 21 can be opened. This method and the method described below are for the purpose of smoothly inflating the airbag when the airbag is stored inside the pillar cover, but the fixing method does not impair the design.

That is, if the pillar cover body 19 is temporarily placed on the pillar portion 18 and is to be fixed from the design surface side, a head body such as a bolt or the like which can hide or hide the head is required, and the design surface of the pillar cover is required. There is a case where a parting line is formed in the fixing portion of, and the design property is impaired. The tongue 22 is extended from the back surface of the pillar cover, and the tongue 22 is fixed to the pillar 18. At this time, the pillar cover lid 21 is opened around the above-described rotation axis, and can be fixed with rivets, bolts, or the like. Further, the claw 2 is attached to the terminal of the lid 21.
6 is provided, and the hook 26 is hooked on a hole provided in the pillar 18 to complete the assembly. At this time, if the airbag 1 is fixed together, the number of parts to be assembled can be reduced, and workability can be improved.

As a method of maintaining the inflation duration, there is a method of providing two electric detonators in the inflator and using an inflator capable of outputting in multiple stages. This inflator is known, and outputs a first output together with a first electric signal, and after a predetermined delay time, inputs a second electric signal to generate a second output. Therefore, the airbag may be inflated at the time of the first output, and then the second output may be generated to compensate for the inflation duration when the inflation duration is reached. In addition to gas replenishment for maintaining the inflation time, the sensor detects the riding position, posture, degree of collision, and the like, and if the delay time is controlled, the airbag can be inflated according to these. In addition, there is a gas generating agent in the inflator which is devised, and a gas generating characteristic having two kinds of burning speeds by mixing different chemicals, a gas generating characteristic having two kinds of burning characteristics by changing a chemical shape, and the like. An output-time characteristic that is smoothly changed can be used.

[0028]

As described above, in the side airbag device of the present invention, the gas introducing portion of the airbag and the gas ejection portion of the inflator are connected by the tubular connecting member, and the connecting member is connected to the inflator by the tubular member. In the side airbag device that deploys the airbag along the side wall of the vehicle compartment by the gas introduced through the airbag device, a large-diameter portion formed to a required large diameter is formed at an end of the connection member on the airbag side, A gas introduction portion of a cylindrical airbag is inserted into an end of the connection member, and the gas introduction portion is fastened and fixed to the connection member by an annular fastening member on the base side of the enlarged diameter portion. The airbag has a large diameter portion of the connecting member and a tightening member that act to pinch the gas introduction portion of the airbag with respect to the force of the airbag being released from the connecting member when the airbag is inflated. It is possible to increase the seal at the connection between this portion. Further, by forming a slit hole in the gas introduction portion and engaging with the claw member of the connecting member, it is possible to fix the airbag more firmly, and further, the fastening member is tightened between the claw member and the large diameter portion. By attaching the fastening member, the fastening member can be fixed. And, by interposing a rubber-like elastic tube between the gas introduction section and the connecting member, it is possible to absorb a step caused by an excess portion of the gas introduction section and a remaining sewing allowance, thereby improving sealing performance. It is. Further, by forming an inflator holding portion for accommodating and holding the gas ejection portion of the inflator at the end portion of the connecting member on the inflator side, it is possible to integrally hold and fix a rod-shaped or disk-shaped inflator. Further, by fixing the fastening member to the vehicle fixing member for the connecting member, the fastening member is stably fixed. Further, the fastening member is constituted by a pair of semicircular band-shaped brackets. By sandwiching the remaining sewing allowance of the airbag gas introduction portion between the ears of these band-shaped fittings, the airbag can be more firmly fixed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the vicinity of a connecting member of a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the inflator holding section of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view showing another example of the inflator holding section.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of a fastening member.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a plan sectional view of the same.

FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view showing an example of attachment of the side airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airbag 2 Gas introduction part 3 and 3 'inflator 4 Gas ejection part 5 Connecting member 6 Airbag side end of connecting member 7 Large diameter part 8, 8' Tightening member 9 Slit hole 10 Claw member 11 Tube 12 Inflator holding Part 13 Inflator holding part 14 O-ring 15 Ear part 16 Sewing remaining allowance 17 Fixing member 18 Front pillar part 19 Cavern body 20 Groove part 21 Lid 22 Tongue 23 Rivets 24 Front glass 25 Door frame 26 Claw

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A gas introduction portion of an airbag and a gas ejection portion of an inflator are connected by a tubular connection member, and the gas introduced from the inflator via the connection member is used for gas supply.
In the side airbag device for deploying the airbag along the side wall of the vehicle compartment, a large-diameter portion having a required large diameter is formed at an end of the connection member on the airbag side, and the end of the connection member is formed at the end of the connection member. A gas inlet portion of an airbag formed in a cylindrical shape, and the gas inlet portion is fastened and fixed to a connecting member by an annular fastening member on a base side of the enlarged diameter portion. Bag device. 2. The side portion according to claim 1, wherein a slit hole is formed at a tip portion of the gas introduction portion of the airbag, and a claw member engaging with the slit hole is formed at an end portion of the connection member on the airbag side. Airbag device. 3. The side airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the fastening member is fastened between the claw member and the enlarged diameter portion. 4. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein a tube made of a rubber-like elastic body is interposed between the gas introducing portion of the airbag and the connecting member. 5. An inflator-side end of the connecting member,
The side airbag device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein an inflator holding portion for holding and holding the gas ejection portion of the inflator is formed. 6. The side airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the inflator holding portion is formed in a cylindrical shape enclosing a rod-shaped inflator. 7. The side airbag device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of O-rings are provided in the inflator holding portion and interposed between the inflator and the inflator to seal the inflator gas. 8. The side airbag device according to claim 6, wherein the inflator holding portion is filled with a liquid curing type sealing material interposed between the inflator and sealing the inflator gas. 9. The side airbag device according to claim 5, wherein said inflator holding portion is formed in a hollow disk shape enclosing a disk-shaped inflator. 10. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening member is fixed to a fixing member that fixes the connecting member to a body of the vehicle. 11. A fastening member comprising a pair of semicircular band-shaped brackets having ears, and a sewing allowance of the airbag gas introduction portion sandwiched and fixed between the ears of the band-shaped brackets. Item 11. The side airbag device according to any one of Items 1 to 10. 12. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag device is housed in a pillar portion of a vehicle and covered with a cover made of a thermoplastic resin. 13. A cover according to claim 12, wherein a groove is formed along the pillar on the back surface of the cover, and the cover formed on the cover is opened around the groove when the airbag is inflated. Side airbag device. 14. The side airbag device according to claim 13, wherein the lid is fixed by a claw portion which is separated from the pillar portion by an inflation pressure of the airbag. 15. The airbag according to claim 12, wherein the cover body has a tongue portion attached to a fixing portion side of the airbag, and the airbag is fixed to the pillar portion via the tongue portion.
15. The side airbag according to 14 above. 16. The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the inflator has a gas ejection output in multiple stages.