JPH1148900A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent vibration during inflation and expansion of a bag body of a compact device without increasing the volume of the bag body and to make the width of expansion of the bag body compact. SOLUTION: A bag body 10 for supporting the head of a passenger at inflation and expansion and a strap 42 in this bag body 10 are arranged in the front and rear direction of a vehicle along the side of the vehicle. To the bag body 10, cloths 56 and 57 are sewn inside to the front and the rear of the vehicle. The cloth 56 is sewn outside in the car width direction, while the cloth 57 is sewn inside in the car width direction. The bag body 10 is usually in the housed and contraction state along the vehicle side. At a side collision, the bag body 10 is inflated and expanded so as to absorb kinetic energy in the lateral direction of the vehicle of the head of a passenger. A vibrating force acts on the bag body 10 during inflation and expansion, but the vibration of the bag body 10 is quickly eliminated by the strap 42. As the strap 42 and the bag body 10 are connected by the cloths 56 and 57, the width of expansion of the bag body 10 is made compact.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device in which a bag is inflated between a side portion of a vehicle body and an upper part of an occupant to support the upper part of the occupant and absorb kinetic energy of the upper part of the occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an airbag device, in the event of a collision (side collision) on the side of a vehicle, a bag body is inflated between a side portion of a vehicle body and an upper portion of an occupant to support the upper portion of the occupant, thereby causing the upper occupant to move. Energy absorbing structures have been proposed.

[0003] Specifically, an airbag device is installed on a center pillar, a roof side, or the like, and an inflator communicating with the bag body is actuated at the time of a side collision or the like to supply a pressurized gas into the bag body so that the airbag device can be operated. Is inflated.

[0004]

However, since the positional relationship between the door glass of the vehicle and the occupant, that is, the distance from the door glass to the upper part of the occupant is short, the space in which the bag body can be deployed at the time of a side collision is extremely small. That is, the airbag device for protecting the head at the time of a side collision is more than the airbag device for the frontal collision.
It is necessary to quickly inflate and deploy the bag body, and to accurately face the inflated and deployed bag body (for example, to prevent the swinging of the bag body) to the upper part of the occupant.

Therefore, in the airbag device for protecting the head in the event of a side collision, if there is no means for preventing the bag from swaying, a large capacity airbag is required so that the kinetic energy of the upper part of the occupant can be reliably supported. A bag may be required.

However, if the capacity of the bag is increased, the size of the airbag device including the inflator is increased as a whole (the inflator is required to have a larger output, so the size is increased), and the cost is increased. Become.

Further, in order to reduce the capacity of the bag,
It is desired that the deployment width (length in the vehicle width direction at the time of deployment) of the bag during inflation and deployment be made compact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an airbag device that prevents a swing during the inflation and deployment of a bag and reduces the width of deployment of the bag with a small device without increasing the capacity of the bag. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

The airbag device of the present invention according to the first aspect is mounted in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the side of the vehicle, and crosses the window opening of the vehicle when inflating and deploying. A bag used as a support, arranged along the vehicle side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and arranged so as to cross the window opening of the vehicle when the bag is inflated and deployed, and And a strap to which a part of the bag is inserted while the bag is being inserted, and a pulling means connected to an end of the strap for pulling the end of the strap when the bag is inflated and deployed. It is characterized by the following.

In the above configuration, the bag is normally in a retracted state along the roof side. In the event of a collision (side collision) on the side of the vehicle, the end of the strap is pulled by the pulling means, and the bag body is inflated and deployed. At this time, the bag body faces and supports the upper part of the occupant. This allows the bag to absorb kinetic energy in the vehicle width direction above the occupant.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a force is applied to the bag body during the inflation and deployment, but the movement of the entire bag body (shake) is restricted by the strap, so that the bag body swings quickly. Will be recovered. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, compared with the case where the strap and the bag are not attached, a part of the bag inserted between the strap and the bag inserted into the bag is attached. Since the force for restricting the swing of the body is increased, the bag body can be deployed more quickly and more accurately at the position corresponding to the upper part of the occupant.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
Since the strap prevents the bag from swinging, the upper portion of the occupant can be properly supported even if the bag is small. Thus, it is possible to sufficiently absorb the kinetic energy of the upper part of the occupant with a small device without increasing the capacity of the bag body.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the strap is inserted into the bag and a part of the strap is inserted during the insertion of the strap and the bag, the deployment width of the bag is expanded. Length in the vehicle width direction). That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the development width of the bag is compact, it is possible to provide a compact device without increasing the capacity of the bag.

Here, the expression that the strap is attached to a part of the bag while the bag is being inserted means that the strap and the bag are fixed, or the strap is attached so as to be movable (through) with respect to the bag. It is a concept including things. Here, the upper part of the occupant is the upper body of the occupant, and specifically includes a head, a shoulder, and the like.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the airbag apparatus according to the first aspect, the mounting portion between the strap and the bag is provided at the rear of the bag in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. And the inside of the bag body in the vehicle width direction at the front side of the bag body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the mounting portion is provided on the rear side of the bag body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction so that the mounting portion faces the upper part of the occupant when the bag body is inflated and deployed. The inflated portion is bulged inward in the vehicle width direction to separate the strap from the inside of the bag in the vehicle width direction so that the strap does not impact the upper portion of the occupant immediately after the upper occupant comes into contact with the bag. Things. Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the strap and the inside of the bag in the vehicle width direction are separated from each other, even immediately after the upper part of the occupant comes into contact with the bag, the strap can impact the upper part of the occupant. Do not give.

Further, in the present invention according to claim 2, the mounting portion is provided on the front side of the bag body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction of the bag body, when the bag body is inflated and deployed. This is to reduce the deployment width in the vehicle width direction. That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the bag and the strap are attached to a part of the way through the attachment via the attachment portion, when the bag is inflated and deployed, the bag extends in the vehicle width direction. The deployment width (length in the vehicle width direction at the time of deployment) can be reduced. Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the development width of the bag body in the vehicle width direction is regulated, the development width of the bag body becomes compact, the capacity of the bag body can be reduced, and the device can Become smaller.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the airbag apparatus according to the second aspect, the attachment portion is a fabric having a through hole through which the strap is inserted, and the fabric is used as the bag. It is characterized by being sewn.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of an airbag device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The front of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow FR, the inner side in the vehicle width direction (same as the inside of the vehicle) is indicated by an arrow IN, and the upper side of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow UP.

The airbag device according to the present embodiment expands from the retracted state of the bag body at the time of a collision (side collision) on the side of the vehicle to the space between the vehicle body side and the upper part of the occupant such as the occupant head. The occupant's upper part (occupant's head) is supported by the bag when deployed, and the kinetic energy of the occupant's head is absorbed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roof side 14 and the center pillar 16, which constitute a part of the vehicle side portion, are continuous, and the front end of the roof side 14 in the vehicle front-rear direction is indicated by a broken line in FIG. A front pillar 12, which forms a part of the vehicle side, is joined by welding or the like. An outer panel 23 is joined to the roof side 14 by welding or the like outside the center pillar 16 in the vehicle width direction (the direction opposite to the arrow IN direction in FIG. 2). In addition, the roof panel 1 is provided on the roof side 14.
5 are joined by welding or the like.

A roof interior material 17 and a garnish 26 are continuously connected to the interior of the roof panel 15 and the center pillar 16. That is, the upper edge of the garnish 26 presses the corresponding roof interior material 17.

As shown in FIG. 1, a garnish 27 is disposed inside the front pillar 12 on the vehicle side. On both sides of the center pillar 16 in the vehicle front-rear direction, a door glass 40 is disposed in a window opening 39 of the door 19 so as to be able to move up and down.

(Structure of Bag Body) As shown in FIG. 1, a long bag body 10 is disposed in a section from the front end of the front pillar 12 to the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the center pillar 16 of the roof side 14. Have been. The bag body 10 is elongated in the vehicle front-rear direction in both the retracted state (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1) and the inflated and deployed state (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 5).

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the bag body 10 has a strap 4 whose rear end in the vehicle front-rear direction (rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the center pillar 16 of the roof side 14) will be described later.
2 are connected.

The bag body 10 is a front pillar 1 shown in FIG.
2 and the roof side 14 and the roof interior material 17 and the garnish 27 (see FIG. 2). That is,
The bag 10 includes a front pillar 12 and a roof side 14.
And the roof interior material 17 and the garnish 27 are wrapped and concealed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a thin portion 30 is linearly formed on the surface of the garnish 27 and the roof interior material 17 facing the bag 10 along the longitudinal direction of the bag 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the thin portion 30 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. Then, the thin portion 30 is broken by the expansion of the bag body 10, and the bag body 10 expands and deploys toward the inside of the vehicle. The bag body 10 is made of a flexible material such as cloth or synthetic resin, and is folded and contracted with a folding line along the longitudinal direction, and is stored.

As shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, a case 37 of a module 36 is connected to the front end of the bag body 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the bag body 10 has an open end 10A on the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the end 10A is fitted on the outer periphery of the communication port 37A of the case 37 to form an annular band. It is fastened at 46. This communication port 3
7A is provided so as to correspond to a cylinder chamber 37C described later.

The interior of the case 37 is divided into two parts, an inner part and an outer part, via a partition wall 48. The inner part is an inflator chamber 37B in which the inflator 44 is stored, and the outer part is a pulling means in which a piston 50 forming a part of the pulling means is stored and the piston 50 moves from the vehicle rear side to the vehicle front side. Is a cylinder chamber 37C that constitutes a part of the cylinder chamber. A communication port 37D is formed in the case 37 on the rear side of the cylinder chamber 37C so as to communicate the inside of the bag body 10 with the cylinder chamber 37C.

A gas generating agent (not shown) for generating a large amount of gas is provided inside the inflator 44. Also,
A primer (not shown) that operates in the event of a side collision or the like is disposed in the inflator 44. When a side collision sensor (not shown) that ignites this primer detects a vehicle side collision or the like, a gas (gas pressure) is generated from a gas generating agent. Is generated, and gas is ejected from a gas ejection port 44A provided on the vehicle rear side of the inflator 44.

The piston 50 and the strap 42 are connected by a wire 52 constituting a part of the pulling means.
That is, a loop 52A (see FIG. 6) is formed on the vehicle rear side of the wire 52, and the loop 52A is inserted into a hole 42A (see FIG. 5) formed on the front side of the strap 42 and locked by the strap 42. . The vehicle front side of the wire 52 is locked to the piston 50 through the communication port 37A of the case 37 and the cylinder 37C.

As shown in FIG. 3, the piston 50 is normally located at a position on the vehicle front side of the cylinder 37C.
It is held based on the sliding resistance between the cylinder and the cylinder 37C. As shown in FIG. 4, when the inflator 44 operates and gas is ejected from the gas ejection port 44A, the piston 50
Is driven by gas, is pushed to the front of the vehicle and moves,
The end of the bag 10 on the vehicle front side is pulled toward the vehicle front via the wire 52, and gas flows into the bag 10 via the communication port 37A.

When the gas flows into the bag 10, the bag 10 is inflated. As long as the gas flows, the piston 50 is pushed by the gas and the end of the bag 10 is pulled. Thereby, the bag body 10 is expanded from the retracted contracted state bent along the roof side 14 and the front pillar 12 to a linear state obliquely across the window opening 39 to reach an inflated and expanded state ( (See FIG. 5).

Although not shown, the piston 50 and the cylinder 37C and the like are provided with a reverse-prevention mechanism for preventing the piston 50 from returning from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape (side shape) of the bag body 10 when inflated and deployed when viewed from the side of the vehicle in the inflated and deployed state is substantially rectangular.

(Structure of strap) As shown in FIG.
Inside the bag 10, a rectangular and band-shaped strap 42 is provided.
Is arranged. The strap 42 is arranged along the roof side 14 and the front pillar 12 between the front pillar 12 and the roof side 14 shown by a broken line in FIG. 1 and the garnish 27 and the roof interior material 17.

The strap 42 is formed of a soft and flexible fabric or cloth, and its surface is coated with a friction reducing means such as a coating for reducing the friction between the strap 42 and the bag 10. Is also good.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rear end of the strap 42 in the vehicle front-rear direction (a rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the center pillar 16 of the roof side 14) is a bolt 18 as a fastening member. It is fixed to the roof side 14 shown by the imaginary line in FIG. As described above, the strap 42 has the vehicle front side connected to the wire 52.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a ring-shaped cloth 56 (see FIG. 7) as an attachment portion is provided on the inner surface of the bag body 10 on the front side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and on the rear side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. 57 are sewn. As shown in FIG. 6, these cloths 56 and 57 are formed with through holes 58 through which the straps 42 are inserted. Therefore, the bag body 10 and the strap 42 are connected via the fabrics 56 and 57,
The bag body 10 is inflated and deployed to project toward the vehicle interior, and the strap 42 slides toward the vehicle front side by the piston 50 so that the strap 42 also projects toward the vehicle interior. That is, when the strap is pulled by the piston 50, the strap 42 moves in the through hole 58.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed in a substantially rectangular shape, the strap 42 and the bag body 10 are expanded.
Protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle, and the bag body 10 and the strap 42 are in a linear state. As shown in FIG. 7, in this state, a portion of the bag body 10 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is the strap 4
2 and the door glass 40 (that is, the window opening 39).

As shown in FIG. 6, the fabric 56 on the rear side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is sewn to the outside of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction. The fabric 57 on the front side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is a bag 1
0 is sewn on the inside in the vehicle width direction.

Here, the reason why the fabric 56 is joined to the outside of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction is that when the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed, the portion facing the occupant's head is bulged inward in the vehicle width direction. Thus, the strap 42 and the inside of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction are separated from each other so that the strap 42 does not give an impact to the occupant head immediately after the occupant head comes into contact with the bag body 10. The reason why the fabric 57 is bonded to the inside of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction is that when the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed, the width of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction (the length in the vehicle width direction at the time of deployment). ) Is made smaller. In the example shown in FIG. 6, one fabric 57 for reducing the development width is provided, but two or more fabrics 57 may be provided.

(Operation) Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG.
Is normally in a retracted state along the front pillar 12 and the roof side 14 (see FIG. 2).

In the event of a side collision, the case 3
7, a side collision sensor (not shown) detects the side collision, and the inflator 44 is actuated. Gas is fed into the bag body 10 from the communication port 37A shown in FIG. Is driven by the gas to be pushed and moved toward the front of the vehicle, and the front end of the strap 42 is pulled toward the front of the vehicle via the wire 52.

Therefore, the garnish 27 on the front pillar 12 side and the thin portion 30 of the roof interior material 17 are broken, and as shown in FIG. 5, the bag 10 and the strap 42 are pulled out to the inside of the vehicle, and the bag 10 is It is expanded and expanded.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the bag 10 and the strap 42 are linearly arranged so as to cross the window opening 39 during this inflation and deployment.
The bag 10 absorbs the kinetic energy of the occupant's head.

According to the present embodiment, the force swinging on the bag body 10 during the inflation and deployment acts, but the strap 42 pulled by the piston 50 and the bag body 10
Since the connection is made at two points 6 and 57, the swing of the bag body 10 is quickly collected. That is, according to the present embodiment, the strap 42 prevents the bag body 10 from swaying.
Can be deployed faster and more accurately at a position corresponding to the occupant's head.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the swing of the bag body 10 is prevented by the strap 42, the bag body 1
Even if 0 is small, the occupant's head can be properly supported. Thereby, it is possible to sufficiently absorb the kinetic energy of the occupant's head with a small device without increasing the capacity of the bag body 10.

In this embodiment, since the fabric 56 is bonded to the outer side of the bag 10 in the vehicle width direction, the bag 1
During the inflation and deployment of 0, the portion facing the occupant's head is bulged inward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the strap 42 and the inside of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction are separated from each other, even immediately after the occupant head comes into contact with the bag body 10, the strap 42 Do not give a shock.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fabric 56
Or, the bag 10 and the strap 42 are attached to a part of the way of insertion through 57, so that when the bag 10 is inflated and deployed, the deployment width of the bag 10 in the vehicle width direction (the vehicle width direction at the time of deployment) Length) can be reduced. That is, according to the present embodiment, since the development width of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction is regulated, the development width of the bag body 10 becomes compact, the capacity of the bag body 10 can be reduced, and the device can be downsized. become.

The front pillar 12 of the above embodiment is
Although the thin portion 30 formed on the roof interior material 17 is an example in which the thin portion is formed on these surfaces, the thin portion may be formed on the back surface of the front pillar 12 and the roof interior material 17.
Further, the cross-sectional shape of the thin portion is not limited to the U-shape in the above embodiment, and may be, for example, a V-shape, a U-shape, or the like.

In the above embodiment, the fabric 56 having the through holes 58 formed thereon is sewn to the bag body 10. Thus, a through hole may be formed, or a through hole may be formed in the bag body 10 itself without providing a separate fabric.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the bag body 10 at the time of inflation and deployment is arranged in a straight line across the window opening 39 obliquely, but in the present invention, the bag body is separated from the front pillar 12 and the roof side 14. It is good also as a structure which does not separate. Further, the bag of the present invention may be configured to be stored only on the roof side.

[0053]

As described above, according to the airbag apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the vibration of the bag body during the inflation and deployment by using a small-sized apparatus without increasing the capacity of the bag body, and to provide the vehicle with the bag body. Make the development width in the width direction compact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a retracted state of a bag body of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inside in a vehicle width direction.

FIG. 2 is an end view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a main part of the case shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a piston in a case shown in FIG. 3 slides.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state where the bag body shown in FIG. 1 is inflated and deployed, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 6 is an end view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an end view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bag body 12 Front pillar (vehicle side part) 14 Roof side (vehicle side part) 37C Cylinder 1 (tensile means) 39 Window opening 42 Strap 44 Inflator (tensile means) 50 Piston (tensile means) 52 Wire (tensile means) 56 Cloth (Mounting part) 57 Cloth (Mounting part) 58 Through hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bag attached along the vehicle side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, traversing the window opening of the vehicle during inflation and deployment, and supporting the upper part of the occupant; It is arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and is arranged so as to cross the window opening of the vehicle when the bag body is inflated and deployed, and is inserted into the bag body and a part of the bag body during insertion is attached. An airbag device, comprising: a strap; and a pulling means connected to an end of the strap and pulling the end of the strap when the bag body is inflated and deployed. 2. A mounting portion between the strap and the bag body is located outside the bag body in the vehicle width direction at the rear side of the bag body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the bag body is front and rear of the vehicle body. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the front side of the bag is located inside the bag body in the vehicle width direction. 3. The airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the attachment portion is a fabric having a through hole through which the strap is inserted, and the fabric is sewn to the bag.