Lateral impact protection device

Abstract

A side impact protection device with a curtain-type side airbag (22) is proposed, wherein the curtain-type side airbag (22) has a pad area (24) which extends along a side window (90) and which, in the inflated state, at least partially covers the side window, which pad area has an upper fastening edge (28), which pad area (24) is fastened to a side roof frame (18) by means of the upper fastening edge, and which curtain-type side airbag has a receiving area (26) which, in the inflated state, extends from the side window (90) and away from the pad area (24), which receiving area forms an inwardly directed end of the curtain-type side airbag (22), and which receiving area is fastened to the roof (40) by means of its upper edge (29), spaced apart from the side roof frame (18).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a side impact protection device with a curtain-type airbag, wherein the airbag has a pad area extending along a side window and, in an inflated state, at least partially covering the side window, the pad area having an upper fastening edge by means of which the pad area is fastened to the side roof frame. Background Technology

[0002] This curtain-type side airbag, also known as a curtain bag, partially or completely covers a single side window or the side windows of occupants seated one behind the other. Extending to the side of the occupant's head, it provides adequate protection in a side impact. This high-expenditure airbag has proven to be an excellent complement to frontal airbags, providing optimized protection for occupants. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to realize a side impact protection device that provides more protection, especially when combined with a frontal airbag.

[0004] This is achieved through a side impact protection device with a curtain-type side airbag, wherein the airbag has a pad area extending along the side window and, when inflated, at least partially covering the side window, the pad area having an upper fastening edge, the pad area being fastened to the side roof frame by means of the upper fastening edge, and the airbag having a receiving area extending from the side window and away from the pad area when inflated, the receiving area forming an inward end of the airbag, and the receiving area being fastened to the roof by means of its upper edge and spaced apart from the side roof frame.

[0005] To date, cushioned curtain-type side airbags extend at most to the A-pillar to prevent contact with the A-pillar in the event of a minor oblique impact. At most in the A-pillar region, the airbag is thickened at its downwardly extending front edge. This invention proposes an alternative where the airbag extends in a generally V- or L-shape in a top view, i.e., the airbag has outriggers that extend from the cushioned area and partially extend in front of the occupant.

[0006] For this purpose, the outriggers extending inward (inward means in the direction of the vehicle's longitudinal centerline when viewed from above) are tightened separately again, the so-called receiving area, which is in particular tightened to the roof and spaced apart from the roof frame itself on the side.

[0007] Therefore, the receiving area is not merely a thickened protrusion secured to the side roof frame or A-pillar, but rather directly secured in front of the occupant, not just to the lateral airbag section in front of the occupant. Thus, the receiving area ensures that the occupant is not in contact with the A-pillar during an oblique impact, but is instead confined within the receiving area or between the receiving area and the cushion area of ​​a curtain-type side airbag. Another advantage is that the corner structure formed by the cushion area and the receiving area guides the occupant's head in a very clearly defined manner during an oblique impact. Another advantage is reduced head rotation of the vehicle occupant that might occur during an oblique impact due to contact with the frontal airbag.

[0008] To further reduce head rotation, the airbag, when inflated, has a tapering shape that gradually narrows towards the assigned A-pillar when viewed from the occupant. This shape consists of a cushion area and a receiving area. In other words, the receiving area does not extend at a right angle relative to the cushion area, but rather forms a receiving funnel with the inner side of the cushion area. Therefore, the inner wall of the receiving area (i.e., the wall pointing towards the rear of the vehicle) slopes outward and forward from its vertically extending edge. The resulting constraint surface allows the occupant to be guided outward and forward along this constraint surface. The head therefore has no possibility of "attaching" to the airbag due to friction upon entry and rotating due to an oblique impact.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the airbag has an intermediate section connecting the padding area and the receiving area, which, in the inflated state, at least partially covers the A-pillar. In the inflated state, this intermediate section may, for example, be the foremost section of the airbag.

[0010] The intermediate section is formed, for example, by the bend in the airbag. This means that the airbag is longer compared to the curtain-type airbags of the past. The longitudinal extension of the airbag exceeds the A-pillar; however, the airbag folds back (for installation) in its front region and (in the deployed state) obtains a bend, wherein the area of ​​the bend is also the overflow area between the pad area and the receiving area, which, according to the invention, are interconnected in a flow sense.

[0011] Alternatively, the intermediate section can be formed by a flexible intermediate portion, which is defined in particular by at least one cut portion that is exclusively assigned to the intermediate portion. The intermediate portion can be said to connect the pad area and the receiving area in a flow sense, acting as an overflow channel, and can additionally serve as a constraint area.

[0012] Typically, the middle section, when inflated, can have a smaller height than the sections of the directly adjacent pad area and receiving area.

[0013] To manufacture a curtain-type side airbag, according to a variant of the invention, it is sufficient to have the outer and inner walls of the airbag each individually, or at least only the inner wall, constituted by a single, larger cut-out portion. In this case, the inner wall between the padding area and the receiving area is bent.

[0014] Alternatively, the pad area and the receiving area can be composed of their respective cut-out portions that are interconnected in the area of ​​the A-pillar, i.e. physically connected, and, if necessary, also constitute an overflow area for gas in this area.

[0015] Typically, the side impact protection device according to the invention may have one or more gas generators, which are connected, for example, directly to the cushion area and / or directly to the receiving area. This means that, for example, a gas generator may be located in the roof area, near the fastening position of the receiving area, and / or one or more gas generators may be located in the roof frame of the A-pillar or side, or in the B-pillar or C-pillar, to inflate the cushion area (and additionally the receiving area if necessary).

[0016] If the receiving area is secured at least 200 mm away from the upper corner of the windshield, measured horizontally and perpendicular to the vehicle's longitudinal axis, the receiving area is positioned in a particularly stable manner. Preferably, this securing position can even be at least 300 mm away from the corner. Thus, the extension dimension inward toward the vehicle's center is large enough to "receive" the occupant's head in an oblique impact. Therefore, contact with the front airbag can be either completely avoided or reduced. The location of the securing position in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is not limited to the laterally extending front roof frame (roof beam). Rather, the securing position can be very variably positioned in the roof area, i.e., it can also be located behind the laterally extending roof frame.

[0017] In one variant of the invention, the fastening location for the receiving area is situated on the roof behind the folded sun visor in the direction of travel. Therefore, the receiving area extends relatively close to the occupants.

[0018] To minimize overlap between the receiving area and the front airbag, one embodiment of the invention provides a specific extension of the receiving area. The receiving area has a vertically extending edge region that, in the inflated state, points towards the vehicle's longitudinal centerline. This vertically extending inner edge region extends vertically downwards and forwards from the fastening position, and towards the designated A-pillar. Therefore, the receiving area is not a generally rectangular pad, but rather can be more precisely conceived as an initially rectangular pad with a large, cut-off lower corner. No contact occurs with the occupant's head at this corner, so the missing corner has almost no impact on restraint. Furthermore, the steering wheel and / or the front airbag, in the inflated state, can be located in this area, thus avoiding intersection. This also has another advantage. In the case of the driver's airbag, the driver's airbag can also be positioned differently by adjusting the steering wheel, just like the steering wheel, especially at different distances from the occupant. This means that the interference profile formed by the steering wheel and the front airbag is variable. By creating a receiving area without a downward corner, this variability in the positions of the front airbag and steering wheel can have a non-deterministic effect on the position of the receiving area.

[0019] The receiving area should be placed in front of the inflated frontal airbag, i.e., first contacted by the occupant.

[0020] Optionally, if both the receiving area and the front airbag are inflated, the receiving area is supported on the front airbag.

[0021] Both the pad area and the receiving area can be fastened to the A-pillar, especially at multiple points and thus along the A-pillar, in order to optimize the position of the pad area and the receiving area.

[0022] Naturally, the padding area and the receiving area may have additional protrusions inside, as well as pleats or straps, to optimize the shape of the padding area and the receiving area.

[0023] In addition, the pad area can extend to the rear of the vehicle and is used in this area to restrain rear occupants in the event of a side impact. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the following drawings, with reference to these drawings. In the drawings:

[0025] - Figure 1 A simplified perspective top view of a side-impact protection device according to a first variant of the invention is shown, which does not show the vehicle roof.

[0026] - Figure 2The vehicle is shown in a top-down view in its installed and inflated state, according to... Figure 1 Side impact protection device,

[0027] - Figure 3 It shows, for example, according to Figure 1 A top view of a side impact protection device according to the invention, having a folded curtain-type side airbag in a correspondingly equipped vehicle top view.

[0028] - Figure 4 The following is shown in the implementation method according to Figure 1 A schematic side view of a constructed, deployed, uninflated curtain-type side airbag.

[0029] - Figure 5 Shown from above and in the inflated state. Figure 3 A schematic view of the curtain-type side airbags, without showing parts of the vehicle.

[0030] - Figure 6 A top view of a folded curtain-type side airbag according to a second embodiment of the side impact protection device according to the present invention is shown with the folded, extended middle portion (top view) and the folded middle portion (bottom view).

[0031] - Figure 7 It shows Figure 6 The curtain-type side airbag, in its inflated state, covers a localized section.

[0032] - Figure 8 It shows according to Figure 6 A schematic top view of the inflated curtain-type side airbag in the A-pillar area, and

[0033] - Figure 9 A front view of the side impact protection device according to the invention, together with a vehicle containing a dummy, is shown in the inflated state of the receiving area. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Figure 1 A side impact protection device is shown, which effectively protects the head of occupant 10 in the event of a side impact and a frontal oblique impact. The instrument panel 12, windshield 14, and steering wheel 16 of the corresponding vehicle are shown schematically.

[0035] In addition, the roof frame 18 and A-pillar 20 can be seen on the side.

[0036] The side impact protection device includes a curtain-type side airbag 22 that substantially or completely covers at least the side window closest to and assigned to the occupant. The curtain-type side airbag 22 includes a cushion area 24 to cover the side window, the cushion area may also have pleats or straps, and the curtain-type side airbag includes a so-called receiving area 26 in circulation with the cushion area.

[0037] The pad area 24 extends forward along the side roof frame 18 and along the side window toward the A-pillar, and is mounted on the roof frame 18 at its fastening edge 28 by a plurality of fastening positions 27. Optionally, the fastening positions 27 of the pad area 24 may also be provided on the A-pillar 20.

[0038] The receiving area 26 is in circulation connection with the pad area 24 and extends from the pad area 24 away from the side window in the direction of arrow A toward the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle.

[0039] The receiving area 26 is mounted on the A-pillar 20 via fastening positions 30, and extends from these fastening positions 30, obliquely toward the occupant as viewed from the occupant 10, and in a direction toward the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. The receiving area 26 is also cushion-shaped. (As in...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As can be seen, in the inflated state, the receiving area 26 is also in front of the steering wheel 16 and is also within the possible location of the inflated front airbag 32 (see...). Figure 2 () extends forward.

[0040] The shape of a curtain-type side airbag is V-shaped or L-shaped when viewed from above, with the L-shape having legs that taper to a point at the top.

[0041] Therefore, from the perspective of occupant 10, the padding area 24 and the receiving area 26 have a shape that gradually tapers towards the A-pillar 20 (see [link]). Figure 2 and Figure 5 Since the inner wall 36 of the receiving area 26 extends forward at an angle, if the head slides forward, the occupant's head can slide along the inner wall and be received in the corner between the receiving area 26 and the pad area 24.

[0042] As in Figure 2 As can be seen, the receiving area 26 can also be supported by the front airbags 32, allowing these airbags to be close to each other. However, in any case, as mentioned before, the receiving area 26 is in front of the front airbags 32 from the perspective of the occupants.

[0043] The stability of the position of the receiving area 26 is very important. For this reason, the upper edge 38 of the receiving area 26 (see...) Figure 1) is fastened in (in Figure 1 On the roof of the car (not visible in the center). According to... Figure 1 In one embodiment, the fastening position 41 is spaced apart from the side roof frame 18 and close to the laterally extending front roof frame or roof beam 42.

[0044] Figure 2 The fastening position 41 is shown to be separated from the upper corner 50 of the windshield 14 by an interval I of at least 200 mm, and more particularly at least 300 mm, measured horizontally and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Deviations in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle are not considered in this measurement.

[0045] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The side airbag 22 in its deflated state is shown, wherein Figure 4 The planar deployment airbag is illustrated schematically. In this embodiment, the curtain-type side airbag 22, when deployed, is significantly longer than that of conventional curtain-type side airbags, i.e., extended by the receiving area 26.

[0046] In the installed state, the airbag 22 is rolled up, or in other words bent or folded, in the intermediate section 52 between the connecting pad area 24 and the receiving area 26. Therefore, the airbag extends along the side roof frame 18 from the C-pillar 56 to the A-pillar 20 (see...). Figure 3 The receiving area 26 extends downward at the A-pillar to have a middle section 52 at the lowest position. Then, the receiving area 26 extends above the A-pillar 20 and then bends or slightly folds inward (i.e. towards the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle) to the fastening position 41, for example, along the front roof beam 42, where the inward end 70 of the receiving area is located.

[0047] exist Figure 5 The intermediate section 52 shown in the diagram also connects padding area 24 and receiving area 26 in a circulation sense.

[0048] Optionally, and not limitingly so, but also not limited to one of the embodiments, the inner wall 60 of the padding area 24 and the inner wall 36 of the receiving area 26 may be formed from a common, integral cut-out portion, as may the outer wall, which simplifies manufacturing. Alternatively, the inner and / or outer walls of the airbag may also be composed of multiple parts.

[0049] exist Figure 5 The V-shape of the inflated airbag in the A-pillar area (not shown for simplicity) can be clearly identified.

[0050] according to Figures 6 to 8The implementation method is largely the same as the previously described implementation method in terms of functionality, so only the differences will be discussed below.

[0051] As in Figure 6 As can be seen above, there is an intermediate section 52' between the pad region 24 and the receiving region 26. This intermediate section serves as a hose-like connection between the two regions, and it can be formed by a cut portion of itself. If the pressurized gas is to flow directly into the pad region 24, the gas then flows to the receiving region 26 via this hose-like intermediate section 52'.

[0052] Pad area 24 and receiving area 26 can either be in the area of ​​their front end as Figure 6 The structures shown above are closed and separated from each other, or they could be additionally mechanically connected, or they could be fluid connections.

[0053] In the illustrated embodiment, the intermediate section 52' is folded between the pad region 24 and the receiving region 26, and the inward end 70 of the airbag is formed by bending or folding the receiving region 26, as in the first embodiment. Thus, the front ends of the pad region 24 and the receiving region 26 can be secured to each other in the section 72 (which forms the foremost front end of the installed airbag 22), as by means of... Figure 8 As shown in seam 74.

[0054] As in Figure 7 Symbolically shown in the figure, under constrained conditions, gas flows from pad region 24 through intermediate section 52' into the similarly pad-shaped receiving region 26. As can be seen with the aid of the accompanying drawings, the intermediate section 52', when inflated, has a smaller vertical height than the sections of the directly adjacent pad region 24 and receiving region 26, i.e., this intermediate section forms a narrowing.

[0055] For all embodiments, the fastening position 41 may optionally be located on the folded sun visor 80 (see...). Figure 6 The receiving area 26 extends on the roof behind the inner sun visor fastening device.

[0056] exist Figure 9 The receiving area 26 is symbolically visible from the front, and its shape is optional. According to... Figure 9 In one embodiment, the vertical edge region 82, pointing to the inner side of the opposite (not shown) side window in the inflated state, extends forward and diagonally downward toward the assigned A-pillar 20 from the inward upper end 70 (here from the fastening position 41).

[0057] As in Figure 9It can also be seen that the fastening position 41 for receiving area 26 is located in the central area of ​​the assigned occupant's seat.

Claims

1. A side impact protection device having a curtain-type side airbag (22), wherein the curtain-type side airbag (22) has a pad region (24) extending along a side window (90) and, in an inflated state, at least partially covering the side window, the pad region having an upper fastening edge (28), the pad region (24) being fastened to a side roof frame (18) by means of the upper fastening edge, and the curtain-type side airbag having a receiving region (26) extending from the side window (90) and away from the pad region (24) in an inflated state, the receiving region forming an inward end of the curtain-type side airbag (22), and the receiving region being fastened to the roof (40) by means of its upper edge (29) and spaced apart from the side roof frame (18), wherein, The folded curtain-type side airbag (22) extends along the roof frame (18) on the side of the vehicle, downward along the A-pillar (20), and the receiving area (26) then extends upward again from the A-pillar (20) and finally inward along the roof (40) to the fastening position (41).

2. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The curtain-type side airbag (22), when inflated, has a shape that tapers towards the assigned A-pillar (20) when viewed from the occupant (10), the shape being formed by the pad area (24) and the receiving area (26).

3. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The curtain-type side airbag (22) has an intermediate section (52, 52') connecting the pad area (24) and the receiving area (26), the intermediate section at least partially covering the A-pillar (20) when inflated.

4. The side impact protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The middle section (52) is formed by the bend of the curtain-type side airbag (22).

5. The side impact protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The intermediate section (52') consists of a tubular, gas-guiding intermediate portion, which is defined by at least one self-assigned cut portion.

6. The side impact protection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The middle section, when inflated, has a smaller vertical height than the sections of the directly adjacent pad area (24) and receiving area (26).

7. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The curtain-type side airbag (22) has an outer wall (36) and an inner wall (60), wherein at least the inner wall is composed of a single cut-out portion.

8. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The pad area (24) and the receiving area (26) are each composed of a cut-out portion, and the cut-out portions are interconnected in the area of ​​the A-pillar (20), wherein the cut-out portions optionally constitute an overflow area.

9. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The receiving area (26) is fastened to the roof (40) and separated from the designated upper corner (50) of the windshield (14) by at least 200 mm in a manner that is horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

10. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The receiving area (26) is fastened to the roof (40) behind the folded sun visor (80) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

11. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The receiving area (26) has a vertically extending edge area (82) that, when inflated, points toward the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle, wherein the vertically extending edge area (82) extends forward from the fastening position (41) of the receiving area (26) and obliquely downward toward the assigned A-pillar (20).

12. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The receiving area (26) extends in front of the inflated frontal airbag (32) when it is inflated.

13. The side impact protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The pad area (24) and the receiving area (26) are fastened to the A-pillar (20).

14. The side impact protection device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The pad area (24) and the receiving area (26) are fastened to the A-post (20) along the A-post (20).

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