JPH10166988A - Occupant protective device for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the restraining force of the head of an occupant, when a specific high load is operated to the side part of a car body. SOLUTION: A bag 16 inflated in a curtain form from a front pillar 20 along a roof side rail 24 furnishes plural inflating parts 32 parallel each other, and inflated in a cylindrical form by making almost the vertical direction of the vehicle to cross a tension line T as the longitudinal direction. Of those inflating parts 32, only a specific inflating part 32A which is inflated at a specific position at the rear side of the center pillar 18 is made in a larger diameter than the other inflating parts 32B. Consequently, when the head of an occupant is abutted to the bag 16, and the load is operated to the outer side of a car room, the specific inflating part 32A made in a larger diameter is engaged to the center pillar 18. As a result, the moving amount of the head of the occupant to the outer side of the car room can be suppressed, and the restraining force of the occupant head can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas blown from an inflator when a predetermined high load is applied to a side of a vehicle body, and the gas inflates a bag from a front pillar portion along a roof side rail portion in a curtain shape. The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the protection performance of an occupant's head when a predetermined high load is applied to a side of a vehicle body, a bag stored in a folded state over a front pillar portion and a roof side rail portion is provided. An occupant protection device that expands in a curtain shape along a window glass has already been proposed.
Hereinafter, WO 96/2 which discloses this type of occupant protection device is disclosed.
The configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6087 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, an occupant protection device 100 is an elongated duct 10 disposed from a front pillar portion 102 to a roof side rail portion 104.
6, a bag 112 stored in a folded state in the duct 106 and fixed to the vehicle body at a front end fixing point 108 and a rear end fixing point 110, and connected to a rear end of the duct 106 via a hose 114. And an inflator 11 for ejecting gas when a predetermined high load acts on the side of the vehicle body.
6, a belt-shaped strap 118 having one end fixed to the vehicle body and the other end fixed to the rear end of the bag 112.
And as main components. Further, the above-described bag 112 has a plurality of cells 1 each formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and arranged with a substantially vehicle vertical direction as a longitudinal direction.
20 are connected.

According to the above configuration, when a predetermined high load is applied to the side of the vehicle body, gas is ejected from the inflator 116. Therefore, the ejected gas is supplied to the hose 114.
And the folded bag 112 via the duct 106
Into each of the cells 120. As a result, each cell 12
0 inflates in a substantially cylindrical shape with the longitudinal direction substantially in the vehicle vertical direction, whereby the bag 112 is inflated in a curtain shape along the window glass 122. In addition, the bag 112
The rear end of the bag 112 is connected to the vehicle body via the strap 118, so that the rear end of the bag 112 is reliably disposed inside the upper portion of the center pillar 124.

[0005]

However, in the case of the occupant protection device 100 described above, the occupant head is reduced due to the fact that all the cells 120 have the same horizontal cross-sectional shape when inflated. It is also conceivable that the restraint of the occupant's head when contacting the bag 112 is reduced.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an occupant protection system for an automobile which can improve the restraint of the occupant's head when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle body side.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inflator which is disposed at a predetermined portion of a vehicle body and injects gas when a predetermined high load is applied to a side portion of the vehicle body, and a roof from a front pillar portion. A plurality of inflatable portions are stored along the side rails in a folded state, and are inflated in a cylindrical shape having a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to each other and substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle due to inflow of gas, so that the overall shape is a curtain shape. And a bag forming an inflatable body of the vehicle occupant protection device, the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion inflated at a predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion. By making it different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portion, the specific inflatable portion is engaged with the center pillar portion when a load is applied to the outside of the cabin by the occupant's head on the bag. I .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inflator which is disposed at a predetermined portion of a vehicle body and injects gas when a predetermined high load is applied to a side portion of the vehicle body, and a front end fixing point is provided near an intermediate portion of a front pillar portion. The rear end fixing points are respectively provided behind the center pillar portion, and are stored in a folded state along the roof side rail portion from the front pillar portion, and cross a tension line that is substantially parallel to each other and connects both fixing points due to the inflow of gas. An automobile occupant protection device comprising: a bag that forms a curtain-shaped inflatable body as a whole by including a plurality of inflatable portions that are inflated into a cylindrical shape having a longitudinal direction. By making the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion expanded at the position overlapping with the center pillar portion visually different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portion, The tension lines in terms view is bent into the vehicle interior side at the center pillar portion, and characterized in that.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined high load is applied to the side of the vehicle body, gas is blown from an inflator disposed at a predetermined portion of the vehicle body. Therefore, gas flows from the front pillar portion into the plurality of inflatable portions of the bag stored in a folded state along the roof side rail portion. As a result, the respective inflatable portions are inflated into a cylindrical shape substantially parallel to each other and having a longitudinal direction substantially in the vehicle vertical direction. As a result, the bag is inflated as a curtain-shaped inflatable body from the front pillar portion along the roof side rail portion, and the head of the occupant is protected by the inflated bag.

Here, in the present invention, the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of a specific inflatable portion expanded at a predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion is made different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portions. With this configuration, the specific inflatable portion is engaged with the center pillar portion when a load is applied to the outside of the passenger compartment by the occupant's head, so that the inflatable portion located on the rear side of the center pillar portion is attached to the bag. Can be prevented from being substantially deviated to the front side of the vehicle due to the applied load. Therefore, the amount of movement of the occupant's head to the outside of the passenger compartment can be suppressed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined high load acts on the side of the vehicle body, gas is ejected from an inflator disposed at a predetermined portion of the vehicle body. Therefore, gas flows from the front pillar portion into the plurality of inflatable portions of the bag stored in a folded state along the roof side rail portion. As a result, each of the inflatable portions is inflated into a cylindrical shape having a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to each other and extending in a direction crossing a tension line connecting the front end fixed point and the rear end fixed point of the bag. As a result, the bag is inflated as a curtain-shaped inflatable body from the front pillar portion along the roof side rail portion, and the head of the occupant is protected by the inflated bag.

Here, in the present invention, the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of a specific inflatable portion expanded at a position overlapping with the center pillar portion in side view is different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portion. Thus, since the tension line in a plan view is configured to be bent toward the vehicle interior at the center pillar, the tension (tension) acting on the bag can be increased. Therefore, the amount of movement of the occupant's head to the outside of the passenger compartment can be suppressed.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. The first embodiment corresponds to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which an airbag device 10 as a vehicle occupant protection device is operated. As shown in FIG.
Comprises a sensor 12 for detecting a predetermined high load acting state on the side of the vehicle body, a cylindrical inflator 14 for ejecting gas by actuation, and a bag 16 folded in a predetermined folding manner. It is configured as a major component. Hereinafter, description will be made in this order.

The sensor 12 is disposed near the lower end of the center pillar (B-pillar) 18 and detects a predetermined high load acting state on the vehicle body side. The sensor 12 is connected to a center control unit provided below the console box (not shown). Therefore, when the sensor 12 detects a predetermined high load acting state, a detection signal is output to the center control unit.

The inflator 14 has a front pillar portion (A
It is arranged in the vicinity of a connection portion between the pillar portion 20 and the instrument panel 22, and is configured to eject gas when activated. The specific configuration of the inflator 14 includes a gas generating agent enclosing type in which a gas is injected by burning a gas generating agent sealed in the inside, and a high-pressure gas is jetted by breaking a partition provided in the inside. A high-pressure gas filling type or the like is applicable. The squib (ignition device) of the inflator 14
Is connected to the above-mentioned center control unit, and the inflator 14 operates when an operation current is supplied from the control unit.

The bag 16 is accommodated in a long case in a folded state, and is stored in this state between the vehicle body side components and the interior material along the roof pillars 24 from the front pillar section 20. . More specifically, the front end 16A of the bag 16 is connected to the inflator 14 so that gas flows in, and the front end 16A of the bag 16 is connected to the intermediate portion 16B.
From the front pillar section 20 to the roof side rail section 24
, And the rear end portion 16C is disposed near a quarter pillar portion (C pillar portion) 26. Further, the upper edge side of the bag 16 is fixed to the vehicle body-side constituent member together with the case at appropriate intervals including the front end and the rear end. Thus, when the bag 16 is inflated, the most tension acts on the tension line T connecting the front end fixed point P and the rear end fixed point Q.

The above-described bag 16 is formed such that the inflated shape in a side view is substantially a parallelogram.
More specifically, the outer periphery of the bag 16 is formed by sewing the peripheral edges of two base cloths cut into a substantially parallelogram shape. Further, non-inflated portions 28 and 30 which are formed by suturing or the like and have a substantially triangular shape in a side view are formed on the lower front portion and the rear portion of the bag 16, respectively. Therefore, the gas ejected from the inflator 14 does not flow into these non-inflating portions 28 and 30.

The non-inflated portion 28 of the bag 16
Except for the portion 30, there are provided a plurality of inflatable portions 32 which are substantially parallel to each other and which can be inflated into a cylindrical shape whose longitudinal direction is transverse to the tension line T (that is, substantially the vehicle vertical direction). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of non-inflated portions 34 formed by suturing are provided at predetermined intervals along the vehicle front-rear direction at portions other than the non-inflated portions 28 and 30 in the bag 16. It is formed with. Each of the non-inflated portions 34 is formed such that a direction crossing the tension line T is a longitudinal direction, and is formed so as not to reach the upper edge of the bag 16 (see FIG. 1). Thus, the plurality of inflatable portions 32 described above are formed in portions other than the non-inflatable portions 28 and 30 in the bag 16.

Here, the horizontal cross-sectional shapes of the plurality of inflatable portions 32 are all substantially circular, but their sizes are non-uniformly set. That is, the center pillar 1
The radial dimension D of the specific inflatable portion 32A inflated at a predetermined position on the rear side of 8 is set to be larger than the radial dimension d of the other inflatable portion 32B. Thus, only the inflatable portion 32A that is inflated at a predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion 18 is inflated as a substantially cylindrical body larger than the other inflatable portions 32A.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. When a predetermined high load acts on the side of the vehicle,
This state is detected by the sensor 12 and output to the center control unit. For this reason, an operating current is supplied from the center control unit to the squib of the inflator 14 to operate the inflator 14. As a result, a predetermined amount of gas is ejected from the inflator 14 and flows into the front end 16 </ b> A of the bag 16. At this time, since the non-inflated portion 28 is formed below the front portion of the bag 16, the gas flowing from the front end portion 16 </ b> A flows along the upper edge of the bag 16. Then the gas
The water flows sequentially downward from the expansion portion 32 disposed at the frontmost position. As a result, each of the expansion portions 32 is expanded in a substantially cylindrical shape that is substantially parallel to each other and has a longitudinal direction that crosses the tension line T connecting the front end fixed point P and the rear end fixed point Q. As a result, the bag 16 is
From 0, it is inflated as a curtain-shaped inflatable body along the roof side rail portion 24 and is interposed between the vehicle body side portion and the occupant's head. Thereby, the occupant's head is protected by the inflated bag 16.

Here, in the present embodiment, the radial dimension D of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion 32A that is inflated at a predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion 18 is changed to another inflatable portion 3
As shown in FIG. 3, when the occupant's head comes into contact with the bag 16 toward the outside of the passenger compartment, as shown in FIG.
(Engaged). For this reason, it is possible to prevent the inflatable portion 32 </ b> A located on the rear side of the center pillar portion 18 from shifting substantially toward the front side of the vehicle due to the load acting on the bag 16. Therefore, the amount of movement of the occupant head to the outside of the cabin can be suppressed to h.

To add to this point, as shown in FIG. 4, when the radial dimension of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of all the inflatable portions 36 is set to d, the occupant's head comes into contact with the bag 38 toward the outside of the passenger compartment. However, since the inflatable portion 36A located on the rear side of the center pillar portion 18 is not engaged with the center pillar portion 18, the inflatable portion 36A shifts from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the two-dot chain line substantially toward the front of the vehicle. Going (taken out). Therefore, the amount of movement of the occupant's head to the outside of the cabin also increases to H (> h) according to the amount of displacement of the inflated portion 36A.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the restraint of the occupant's head when a predetermined high load is applied to the vehicle body side can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the radial dimension of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion 32A to be inflated at the predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion 18 is set to be large from d to D. Therefore, the above-described effects can be obtained with a simple structure without increasing the number of components. [Second Embodiment] Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This second embodiment corresponds to one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bag 48 of this embodiment is common in that it has a plurality of cylindrical inflatable portions 50 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. . However, in the bag 48 of the present embodiment, the radial dimension D of the specific inflatable portion 50A that is inflated at the position overlapping the center pillar portion 18 in side view is larger than the radial dimension d of the other inflatable portions 50B. This is different from the first embodiment in that it is set large. As a result, only the specific inflatable portion 50A that is inflated at the position overlapping the center pillar portion 18 in side view is inflated as a substantially cylindrical body larger than the other inflatable portions 50B.

According to the above configuration, when the bag 48 is inflated by the gas ejected from the inflator 14 when a predetermined high load is applied to the side of the vehicle body, the bag 48 is inflated at a position where the bag 48 wraps with the center pillar 18 in a side view. Specific inflation part 5
Since only 0A expands more than the other expansion portions 50B, the tension line T ′ in plan view is bent toward the vehicle interior by the center pillar portion 18. Therefore, the bag 48
Can be increased. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, similarly to the above-described first embodiment, the amount of movement of the occupant's head to the outside of the passenger compartment can be suppressed, and the occupant when a predetermined high load acts on the side of the vehicle body. The restraint of the head can be improved.

Also in this embodiment, the radial dimension of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion 50A that is inflated at the position overlapping the center pillar portion 18 in side view is d to D.
The above-described effect can be obtained with a simple structure without increasing the number of parts.

In the first embodiment, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the inflatable portion 32 is substantially the same shape and substantially circular, and the radial dimension of the specific inflatable portion 32A is made larger than the radial size of the other inflatable portion 32B. Is also set to a large value so that the specific inflatable portion 3
In the second embodiment, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the inflatable portion 50 is substantially the same, and the radial dimension of the specific inflatable portion 50A is reduced. A configuration is adopted in which the tension line T ′ in plan view is bent toward the vehicle interior by the center pillar portion 18 by setting it to be larger than the radial dimension of the other expansion portion 50B. By making the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the inflatable portion different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portion, the specific inflatable portion is engaged with the center pillar portion 18, or a tension line in plan view. May be bent to the vehicle interior side by the center pillar 18. For example, the specific inflatable portion is engaged with the center pillar portion 18 by making the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion a substantially elliptical shape that is substantially larger in the vehicle width direction than the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portions. Alternatively, the tension line in plan view can be bent by the center pillar 18 on the vehicle interior side.

[0030]

As described above, the vehicle occupant protection device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a horizontal cross-sectional shape of a specific inflatable portion which is inflated at a predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion. The specific inflatable portion is engaged with the center pillar portion when a load is applied to the outside of the cabin by the occupant's head on the bag by making the size of the inflatable portion different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the other inflatable portion. As a result, it is possible to prevent the inflatable portion located on the rear side of the center pillar portion from shifting substantially toward the front side of the vehicle due to the load acting on the bag, thereby suppressing the amount of movement of the occupant's head to the outside of the passenger compartment. As a result, there is an excellent effect that the restraint of the occupant's head can be improved when a predetermined high load is applied to the side of the vehicle body.

In the vehicle occupant protection device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the specific inflatable portion expanded at the position overlapping with the center pillar portion in a side view is another inflatable portion. Since the tension line in plan view is bent toward the interior of the cabin at the center pillar by making it different from the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the part, the tension (tension) acting on the bag can be increased. It has an excellent effect that the amount of movement of the occupant head to the outside of the passenger compartment can be suppressed, thereby improving the restraint of the occupant head when a predetermined high load acts on the vehicle body side. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which an airbag device as an automobile occupant protection device according to a first embodiment is operated.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the bag shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a state in which the occupant's head is in contact with the bag shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a comparative explanatory diagram for explaining the effect of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which an airbag device as an automobile occupant protection device according to a second embodiment is operated.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the bag shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a vehicle occupant protection device according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Airbag device (automobile occupant protection device) 14 Inflator 16 Bag 18 Center pillar portion 20 Front pillar portion 24 Roof side rail portion 32 Inflatable portion 32A Specific inflatable portion 32B Other inflatable portion 48 Bag 50 Inflatable portion 50A Specific inflatable portion Part 50B Other expansion part

Claims (2)

[Claims] An inflator which is disposed at a predetermined portion of a vehicle body and injects gas when a predetermined high load is applied to a side portion of the vehicle body, is stored in a folded state along a roof side rail portion from a front pillar portion, A bag that forms a curtain-shaped inflatable body as a whole by including a plurality of inflatable portions that are inflated into a cylindrical shape having a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to each other and substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle due to the inflow. An occupant protection device for a vehicle, wherein the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of a specific inflatable portion expanded at a predetermined position on the rear side of the center pillar portion is different from the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of another inflatable portion. The specific inflatable portion is engaged with the center pillar portion when a load is applied to the outside of the cabin by the head of the occupant on the bag, the occupant protection device for an automobile. 2. An inflator which is disposed at a predetermined portion of the vehicle body and injects gas when a predetermined high load is applied to a side portion of the vehicle body, a front end fixing point is located near an intermediate portion of the front pillar portion, and a rear end fixing point is located at a center pillar. Cylinders which are respectively stored at the rear of the part and are stored in a folded state along the roof side rail part from the front pillar part, and whose longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to each other by gas inflow and crossing a tension line connecting both fixing points. An automobile occupant protection device comprising: a bag that forms a curtain-shaped inflatable body as a whole by including a plurality of inflatable portions that are inflated into a body shape; By making the size of the horizontal cross-sectional shape of a specific inflatable portion expanded at the position where The occupant protection device for an automobile, wherein the inner part is bent toward the vehicle interior at a center pillar portion.