JPH11208410A - Head-protecting air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To elongate a holding time of the pressure and the tension of an air bag capable of protecting the head of occupant without increasing output of an inflator. SOLUTION: An air bag 16 has an A pillar side inflator supply expansion portion 36 expanded by an A pillar side inflator 14 and a C pillar side inflator supply expansion portion 38 expanded by a C pillar side inflator 15. The expansion portion 36 has a front pillar 20, an introduction passage 36A expanding along a roof side rail 28 and a quarter pillar 30, and a first expansion room 36B, a second expansion room 36C, and a third expansion room 36D which extend from the introduction passage 36A. The expansion portion 38 has an introduction passage 38A expanding along a belt line 40, and a first expansion room 38B, a second expansion room 38C, a third expansion room 38D and a fourth expansion room 38E which extend from the introduction passage 38A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air blower which injects gas from an inflator when a predetermined high load is applied to a side of a vehicle body, and the gas is stored over an A pillar, a roof side rail, and a C pillar. The present invention relates to a head protection airbag device for inflating a bag bag body into a curtain shape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the performance of protecting the heads of occupants seated in front and rear seats when a predetermined high load is applied to the side of a vehicle body, the vehicle straddles an A pillar, a roof side rail, and a C pillar. 2. Description of the Related Art A head protection airbag device has been proposed in which an airbag bag body stored in a folded state is inflated in a curtain shape along a side window glass. Hereinafter, the configuration shown in DE 296 05 896 U1, which discloses this type of head protection airbag device, will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, this head protection airbag device 100 stores an airbag bag 102 in a folded state over an A pillar 104, a roof side rail 106, and a C pillar 108. When a predetermined high load acts on the side of the vehicle body, gas is discharged from the inflator 110 disposed below the A-pillar 104 to the airbag bag body 10.
2, whereby the airbag bag body 102 expands in a curtain shape along the side window glasses 112 and 114.

[0004]

However, in the head protection airbag device 100, when gas is supplied from the inflator 110 disposed below the A pillar 104 to the airbag bag body 102, the gas is close to the inflator 110. The pressure increases in order from the inflation portion 102A, but during the time when the inflation portion 102B far from the inflator 110 is deployed,
Inflatable portion 102A close to inflator 110 that has been inflated first
Pressure gradually decreases after passing the peak. On the other hand, since the tension of the entire airbag body is maximized when all the inflated portions are fully inflated, it is difficult to maintain effective tension and internal pressure for a long time with such a time lag. In order to improve this, it is necessary to increase the output of the inflator 110. When the output of the inflator 110 is increased, the airbag device 10 is reinforced by reinforcing the airbag body 102 or the like.
0, which is disadvantageous in terms of storage and the like.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a head protection airbag device capable of extending the pressure and tension holding time of an airbag bag capable of protecting an occupant's head without increasing the output of an inflator. The purpose is to get.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head protection airbag apparatus comprising: a curtain-shaped airbag bag which is stored over an A pillar, a roof side rail, and a C pillar; , An inflator disposed on the A-pillar and the C-pillar, wherein the airbag bag body is provided in a front seat occupant head protection area and a rear seat occupant head protection area by gas flowing from the inflator on the A pillar side. An A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion that inflates, and a C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion that inflates into a rear-seat occupant head protection region and a front-seat occupant head protection region by gas flowing from the C-pillar-side inflator. It is characterized by having.

Therefore, the internal pressure of the A-pillar side inflator supply and inflation portion increases in the order of the front passenger protection area and the rear passenger protection area. On the other hand, the internal pressure of the C-pillar side inflator supply / inflation section increases in the order of the rear passenger protection area and the front passenger protection area. As a result, the pressure and tension holding time of the airbag bag that can protect the occupant's head can be extended without increasing the inflator output. Further, since the inflator on the A-pillar side and the inflator on the C-pillar side can be divided, each inflator can be reduced in size, which is advantageous in terms of storage.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the first aspect, the A-pillar-side inflator supply and inflation portion includes an introduction passage extending along a roof side rail, and a passage extending from the introduction passage. A C-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion section extending downward, the C-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation section includes an introduction passage extending along a belt line, and a C-pillar-side inflator supply extending upward from the introduction passage. It is characterized by having an expansion chamber.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in claim 1, C
The inflator supply inflator on the pillar side is configured to expand upward from the introduction passage extending along the belt line, so that the airbag bag can be quickly pulled down from the C pillar side, and the airbag bag can be quickly deployed. Can be done.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the second aspect, the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber and the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber are alternately arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction. And a tension line connecting the front and rear ends of the airbag body in a region where the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber and the C-pillar-side inflator supply and inflation chamber overlap in the vehicle vertical direction. It is characterized by.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in claim 2, it is possible to further increase the tension at the time of deploying the airbag bag while securing the deployment performance of the airbag bag.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head protecting airbag device according to the second aspect, the introduction passage of the C-pillar side inflator supply / inflation portion is set at a position overlapping the belt line in a side view. It is characterized by having.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in the second aspect, substantially the entire area of the door opening can be covered by the deployed airbag bag. As a result, it is possible to suppress the amount of movement of a part of the occupant's body toward the outside of the vehicle in substantially the entire area of the door opening.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the operation timings of the A-pillar-side inflator and the C-pillar-side inflator are different. It is characterized by that.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in any one of claims 1 to 4, in addition to the time lag due to the difference in the distance from the inflator to each expansion chamber, the difference between the A-pillar-side inflator and the C-pillar-side inflator is not limited. By utilizing the difference in operation timing, the pressure and tension holding time of the airbag bag that can protect the occupant's head can be further lengthened.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the head protection airbag device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the drawings, an arrow FR indicates a forward direction of the vehicle, an arrow UP indicates an upward direction of the vehicle, and an arrow IN indicates an inward direction of the vehicle width.

As shown in FIG. 1, a head protection airbag apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a sensor 12 for detecting a side collision state, and two cylindrical cylinders that eject gas when activated. The inflators 14 and 15 and the airbag bag 16 are configured as main components. The sensor 12 is disposed near the lower end of the center pillar (B pillar) 18 and detects a side collision state when a side collision load of a predetermined value or more acts on the vehicle body side.

The A-pillar-side inflator 14 is disposed near the connection between the front pillar (A-pillar) 20 and the instrument panel 22 and is connected to the sensor 12 described above. The C-pillar-side inflator 15 is provided near a connection between the quarter pillar (C-pillar) 30 and the package tray trim 31. The A-pillar-side inflator 14 and the C-pillar-side inflator 15 are connected to the sensor 12 described above. Therefore, when the sensor 12 detects the side collision state, the inflators 14 and 15 operate.

The A-pillar-side inflator is supplied and inflated to the airbag bag body 16 by means of gas flowing from the A-pillar-side inflator 14 into the head protection area of the front passenger 32 and the head protection area of the rear passenger 34. And a C-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion portion 38 that expands and deploys in the head protection region of the rear occupant 34 and the head protection region of the front occupant 32 by the gas flowing from the inflator 15 on the C pillar side. I have.

A-pillar side inflator supply inflation section 36
Indicates that when the inflator 14 is activated, the front pillar 20, the roof side rail 28 and the quarter pillar 3
There is provided an introduction passage 36A that expands and expands along 0, a first expansion chamber 36B, a second expansion chamber 36C, and a third expansion chamber 36D that extend downward from the introduction passage 36A. In addition, the C-pillar side inflator supply inflation portion 38 includes an introduction passage 38A that expands and expands along the belt line 40 when the inflator 15 operates, and an introduction passage 38A
A first expansion chamber 38B, a second expansion chamber 38C, a third expansion chamber 38D, and a fourth expansion chamber 38E extending upward from the first expansion chamber 38B.

Between the first inflation chamber 38B and the second inflation chamber 38C of the C-pillar inflator supply inflation section 38, there is a first inflation chamber 36B of the A-pillar inflator supply and inflation section 36.
The second expansion chamber 36C of the A-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion part 36 is formed behind the second expansion chamber 38C of the C-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion part 38. The second inflation chamber 38C of the C-pillar inflator supply / inflation portion 38 is formed on the side of the head 32A of the front passenger 32, and the second inflation chamber 36C of the A-pillar inflator supply / inflation portion 36 is , Are formed on the sides of the center pillar 18.

Between the third expansion chamber 38D and the fourth expansion chamber 38E of the C-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion section 38, a third expansion chamber 36D of the A-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion section 36 is provided.
Are formed. The third inflation chamber 36D of the A-pillar inflator supply inflation section 36 and the fourth inflation chamber 38E of the C-pillar inflator supply inflation section 38 are provided by the rear passenger 3
4 is formed on the side of the head 34A.

The airbag bag 16 has a trapezoidal shape that covers substantially the entire area of the door opening when viewed from the side, and the lower end 16A is set at a position below the belt line 40 by a predetermined amount. Further, a tension line T connecting the front end fixed point and the rear end fixed point of the airbag bag 16 is formed in the vertical middle part of the airbag bag 16 in side view. The first inflation chamber 36B, the second inflation chamber 36C, the third inflation chamber 36D of the A-pillar-side inflator supply and inflation section 36, and the C-pillar inflator supply and inflation section 38
Of the first expansion chamber 38B, the second expansion chamber 38C, and the third expansion chamber 3
8D, the fourth expansion chamber 38E crosses.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first inflation chamber 36B and the second inflation chamber 3 of the A-pillar side inflator supply and inflation section 36 are provided.
6C, the third inflation chamber 36D, and the second inflation chamber 38C, the third inflation chamber 38D of the C-pillar side inflator supply inflation section 38,
Each shape of the fourth inflation chamber 38E when the airbag bag is deployed is cylindrical. The non-expandable portion 42 connecting the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion 36 and the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion 38 is formed by suturing with a suture and applying a sealant.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air bag 16
The front end 16B of the intermediate portion 16C is disposed at a position where the inflator is disposed so that the gas ejected from the inflator 14 flows therein.
0, the roof side rail 28 and the C-pillar 30, and the rear end 16 </ b> D is disposed at the inflator arrangement position so that the gas ejected from the inflator 15 flows in. A mounting hole 39 is formed at the upper edge of the airbag bag body 16, and the upper end of the airbag bag body 16 is fixed to the front pillar 20 by a fixing means such as a bolt that passes through the mounting hole 39. The roof side rail 28 is fixed to the C pillar 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air bag 16
Are folded in a bellows shape in a substantially vertical direction to have a long shape, and are housed over the A pillar garnish 44, the roof side rail garnish 46, and the C pillar garnish 48.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air bag 16
Is formed by stacking two base cloths 50 and sewing the upper edge 50A and the lower edge 50B with a suture 52. Further, the A-pillar side inflator supply inflation portion 36
And the edge of the C-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation portion 38 are also sewn with a suture 52. The inflator 14 and the inflator 15 are attached to the A-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation portion 36 and the C-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation portion 38.
From each other.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. In the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment, at the time of a side collision,
When the sensor 12 detects the side collision state, the inflator 14
Operates. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the introduction passage 36A of the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion 36 of the airbag bag body 16 moves from the vehicle front side (front seat occupant head protection area side) to the vehicle rear side (rear seat occupant). (The head protection area side) and the first inflation chamber 36 </ b> B
The second expansion chamber 36C is expanded and deployed to the side of the second head 32A.
Expands and expands to the side of the center pillar 18, and the third expansion chamber 3
6D is inflated and deployed to the side of the head 34A of the rear passenger 34. At this time, the internal pressure P1 of the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion 36 is as shown by a broken line in FIG. 5, and the pressure and the pressure that can protect the head 32A of the front seat occupant 32 and the head 34A of the rear seat occupant 34. The tension holding time is T2.

In the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment, when the sensor 12 detects a side collision state during a side collision, the inflator 15 is activated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the introduction passage 38A of the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion 38 of the airbag bag 16 moves from the vehicle rear side (the rear seat occupant head protection area side) to the vehicle front side (the front seat occupant). The fourth inflation chamber 38E, the third inflation chamber 38D, the second inflation chamber 38C, and the first inflation chamber 38B inflate and deploy toward the head protection area. The fourth expansion chamber 38
E expands and deploys to the side of the head 34A of the rear occupant 34, and the second inflation chamber 38C expands and expands to the side of the head 32A of the front occupant 32. At this time, the internal pressure P2 of the C-pillar side inflator supply inflation portion 38 becomes as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 5, and is a pressure capable of protecting the head 32A of the front passenger 32 and the head 34A of the rear passenger 34. And the holding time of the tension is T3.

As described above, in the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment, the A-pillar side inflator supply inflation portion 3
In 6, the internal pressure increases in the order of the front seat occupant head protection area and the rear seat occupant head protection area. On the other hand, the internal pressure of the C-pillar side inflator supply / inflation section 38 increases in the order of the rear passenger protection area and the front passenger protection area. As a result, the internal pressure P of the airbag bag 16 becomes as shown by the solid line in FIG. That is, without increasing the inflator output, the front passenger 32
Holding time T1 of the pressure and tension of the airbag bag 16 that can protect the head 32A of the airbag bag 16 and the head 34A of the rear passenger 34.
(T1> T2, T1> T3) can be lengthened.

Further, since the inflator can be divided into the inflator 14 on the A-pillar side and the inflator 15 on the C-pillar side, each of the inflators 14 and 15 can be reduced in size, which is advantageous in terms of storability and cost.

In the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment, the first inflation chamber 38B, the second inflation chamber 38C, and the third inflation chamber 38 of the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation section 38 are provided.
D, since the fourth inflation chamber 38E is configured to inflate upward from the introduction passage 38A extending along the belt line 40, the airbag bag body 16 can be quickly pulled down from the C pillar side, and the airbag bag can be inflated. The body 16 can be deployed quickly.

In the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment, the first inflation chamber 36B, the second inflation chamber 36C, and the third inflation chamber 36 of the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation section 36 are provided.
D and the first inflation chamber 38B, the second inflation chamber 38C, the third inflation chamber 38D, and the fourth inflation chamber 38E of the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion 38 are alternately arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction. The first inflation chamber 36B, the second inflation chamber 36C, and the third inflation chamber 36D of the pillar-side inflator supply inflation section 36
The first inflation chamber 38B, the second inflation chamber 38C, the third inflation chamber 38D, and the fourth inflation chamber 38 of the C-pillar inflator supply inflation section 38
Since the tension line T connecting the front and rear ends of the airbag body 16 is set in a region where the inflation chamber 38E overlaps in the vertical direction of the vehicle, the deployment performance of the airbag body 16 is ensured. The tension at the time of expanding the bag can be further increased.

In the head protection airbag device 10 of the present embodiment, since the introduction passage 38A of the C-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation portion 38 is set at a position overlapping the belt line 40 in a side view, the deployment is achieved. With the airbag body 16 thus formed, substantially the entire area of the door opening can be covered. As a result, the amount of movement of a part of the occupant's body in the outward direction can be suppressed by the airbag 16 over substantially the entire area of the door opening.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to a specific embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various other embodiments are included within the scope of the present invention. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that is possible. For example, in the present embodiment, the operation timings of the A-pillar-side inflator 14 and the C-pillar-side inflator 15 are the same, but instead, the operation timings of the A-pillar-side inflator 14 and the C-pillar-side inflator 15 are different. You may let it. In this case, each inflator 1
In addition to the time lag due to the difference in the distance from each of the expansion chambers 4 and 15 to each of the expansion chambers of each of the expansion sections 36 and 38, the occupant's head can be obtained by utilizing the difference in the operation timing between the A-pillar-side inflator 14 and the C-pillar-side inflator 15. The pressure and tension holding time of the airbag bag body 16 that can protect the portion can be further lengthened. Further, in the present embodiment, the inflated portion and the non-inflated portion of the airbag body 16 are formed by suturing and bonding predetermined portions of the base cloth. Alternatively, the weaving method of the base cloth may be changed. The inflated portion and the non-inflated portion of the airbag body 16 may be configured by this.

[0037]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head protection airbag device, comprising: a curtain-shaped airbag bag which is stored over an A pillar, a roof side rail, and a C pillar;
An inflator disposed on the A-pillar and the C-pillar, wherein the airbag bag is inflated into a front-seat occupant head protection area and a rear-seat occupant head protection area by gas flowing from the inflator on the A-pillar side. The inflator has a pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion, and a C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation portion that inflates into a rear-seat occupant head protection region and a front-seat occupant head protection region by gas flowing from the C-pillar side inflator. This has an excellent effect that the pressure and tension holding time of the airbag that can protect the occupant's head can be extended without increasing the output of the airbag. In addition, there is an excellent effect that each inflator can be reduced in size and the storage property is also advantageous.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the first aspect, the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflating portion has an introduction passage extending along the roof side rail and a lower portion extending from the introduction passage. A C-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion section extending toward the belt, a C-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation section includes an introduction passage extending along the belt line, and a C-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion chamber extending upward from the introduction passage. Therefore, in addition to the effect described in claim 1, there is an excellent effect that the airbag body can be quickly deployed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the second aspect, the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber and the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber are alternately arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A tension line connecting the front and rear ends of the airbag body is set in a region where the A-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber and the C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber overlap in the vehicle vertical direction. In addition to the effects described in the item 2, there is an excellent effect that the tension at the time of deploying the airbag body can be further increased while ensuring the deployment performance of the airbag body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head protecting airbag device according to the second aspect, the introduction passage of the C-pillar side inflator supply and inflation portion is set at a position overlapping the belt line in a side view. Therefore, in addition to the effect described in claim 2, there is an excellent effect that the amount of movement of a part of the occupant's body in the direction outside the vehicle can be suppressed over the entire area of the door opening.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the operation timings of the A-pillar-side inflator and the C-pillar-side inflator are different. In addition to the effects described in any one of claims 1 to 4, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to further increase the pressure and tension holding time of the airbag bag that can protect the occupant's head by the airbag bag. Has excellent effects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an expanded state of an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a stored state of an airbag body in the head protection airbag device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between time and internal pressure in the head protection airbag device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a completed deployment state of an airbag body in a head protection airbag device according to a conventional embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Head protection airbag device 14 Inflator on A pillar side 15 Inflator on C pillar side 16 Airbag bag 18 Center pillar (B pillar) 20 Front pillar (A pillar) 28 Roof side rail 30 Quarter pillar (C pillar) 36 A-pillar-side inflator supply / expansion section 36A Introductory passage 36B First inflation chamber 36C Second inflation chamber 36C Third inflation chamber 38C Pillar-side inflator supply / inflation section 38A Introductory path 38B First inflation chamber 38C Second inflation chamber 38D Third inflation Chamber 38E Fourth expansion chamber 40 Belt line

Claims (5)

[Claims] The airbag bag comprises: a curtain-shaped airbag bag stored over the A pillar, the roof side rail, and the C pillar; and an inflator disposed on the A pillar and the C pillar. The body flows from the A-pillar-side inflator supply and inflating portion, which expands into the front seat occupant head protection area and the rear-seat occupant head protection area by the gas flowing from the A-pillar-side inflator, and flows from the C-pillar-side inflator. A head protection airbag device, comprising: a C-pillar side inflator supply inflation portion that inflates into a rear passenger head protection region and a front passenger head protection region by gas. 2. The A-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation portion includes an introduction passage extending along a roof side rail, and an A-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation chamber extending downward from the introduction passage. An inflator supply inflation section, an introduction passage extending along the belt line,
The head protection airbag device according to claim 1, further comprising a C-pillar-side inflator supply inflation chamber extending upward from the introduction passage. 3. The A-pillar-side inflator supply and expansion chamber and the C-pillar-side inflator supply and expansion chamber are alternately arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the A-pillar-side inflator supply and expansion chamber and the C-pillar-side inflator supply and expansion. 3. The head protection airbag device according to claim 2, wherein a tension line connecting the front and rear ends of the airbag body is set in a region where the room and the vehicle overlap in the vehicle vertical direction. 4. The head protection airbag device according to claim 2, wherein an introduction passage of the C-pillar-side inflator supply / inflation portion is set at a position overlapping with a belt line in a side view. 5. The head protection airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the operation timings of the A-pillar-side inflator and the C-pillar-side inflator are different.