Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device that enables an airbag to be stably arranged at an appropriate position even in a configuration in which the folded airbag is arranged movably with respect to a lap belt.SOLUTION: An airbag 25 arranged in a region of a lap belt 10 of a seat belt includes a bag body 26 and a conduit part 35 connected to an inflator 17 arranged near the lower end of a seat part 3 in a seat 1. The airbag is held in a folded state on the lap belt. The conduit part is arranged substantially along the lap belt in a state of being held by a conduit holding body 45. The conduit holding body is made of a material that has flexibility and higher rigidity than the conduit part, is arranged substantially along the conduit part and both ends thereof are fixed on the seat side and the bag body side by a seat side fixing part 48 or a bag body side fixing part 52, respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device disposed in a vehicle seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been an occupant protection device attached to a seat that has an airbag disposed in the area of ​​the lap belt of the seat belt, and when activated, protects an occupant seated in the seat with the seat belt fastened by the inflated airbag (bag body) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conventional occupant protection device, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag is disposed on the lower end side of the seat portion of the seat, and the airbag has a bag body that is held by the lap belt and inflates to protect the occupant, and a conduit portion that is connected to the inflator and allows the inflation gas to flow into the bag body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7243557 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this conventional passenger protection device, the folded bag body (completely folded body) is arranged on the tip side of the conduit portion that extends from the inflator and is arranged so as to be held by the lap belt. However, in this conventional passenger protection device, the conduit portion arranged between the completely folded body and the inflator is long and formed from a flexible sheet body that is the same material as the bag body. Therefore, when the bag is mounted on the vehicle (not worn), it may be twisted together with the lap belt, and there is room for improvement in terms of preventing such twisting and making it easier to wear.

[0005] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an occupant protection device that can suppress the occurrence of twisting and the like and can be easily installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is disposed in a vehicle seat, Seat belt and an airbag disposed in a region of a lap belt that restrains the waist of an occupant seated in a seat when the lap belt is fastened; an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag; With this in mind, The inflator is disposed in the seat at a position near the lower end of the seat portion, The airbag is a bag-shaped airbag made of a flexible sheet body, a bag body that is held by a lap belt in a folded state and that inflates to protect an occupant who is fastening a seat belt; A conduit portion connected to the inflator for allowing inflation gas to flow into the bag body; In a passenger protection device having a configuration comprising: The conduit portion is held by the conduit holder and is disposed so as to be generally aligned along the lap belt; The conduit holder is formed from a material having flexibility and higher rigidity than the conduit section, and is arranged so as to substantially follow the conduit section, and both ends are fixed to the sheet side and the bag body side by sheet side fixing parts and bag body side fixing parts, respectively.

[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, the conduit portion of the airbag, which extends from the folded bag body and is connected to the inflator, is held by a conduit holder. The conduit holder is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the conduit portion, and both ends of the conduit holder are fixed to the seat side and the bag body side, and is made of a material having a higher rigidity than the conduit portion. Therefore, the conduit holder can appropriately prevent the region of the conduit portion from being twisted together with the lap belt when the seat is not worn (when the occupant is not seated), such as when the seat is mounted in the vehicle. As a result, when wearing the seat, the wearer (occupant) does not need to correct the twisted state of the region of the conduit portion by hand or the like, and the folded body can be easily placed in an appropriate position with respect to the occupant by simply wearing the seat belt.

[0008] Therefore, the passenger protection device of the present invention can suppress the occurrence of twisting and the like, and can be easily installed.

[0009] In addition, in the passenger protection device of the present invention, since the conduit portion is held by the conduit holder, when the inflation gas discharged from the inflator flows into the bag body through the conduit portion during operation of the inflator, fluttering caused by the inflow of the inflation gas in the area of ​​the conduit portion can be suppressed, and the position of the inflating bag body can be quickly stabilized, making it possible to quickly and stably protect the occupant with the inflated airbag (bag body). Furthermore, since the conduit holder is flexible, it can be easily bent together with the lap belt and the conduit portion so as to generally conform to the lower body of the wearer, and it also feels good when worn.

[0010] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device of the present invention, it is preferable that a fully folded body formed by folding the bag body is held by the lap belt so as to be movable and shiftable relative to the lap belt.

[0011] With such a configuration of the passenger protection device, it is possible to position the bag body (completely folded body) in an appropriate position relative to the passenger when the device is worn. In addition, in the passenger protection device configured as described above, when the device is mounted in the vehicle (when the passenger is not wearing the device), the lap belt is disposed substantially along the vertical direction, but since the conduit portion is held by the conduit holder, even if the folded body is configured to be able to shift relative to the lap belt, the conduit holder can adequately prevent the area of ​​the conduit portion from sagging relative to the lap belt, and can also prevent the bag body from sliding down relative to the lap belt due to the generation of such sagging.

[0012] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, if the conduit holder is formed from a roughly cylindrical body capable of covering the outer peripheral side of the conduit portion, then when the airbag is inflated, the conduit portion will inflate within the conduit holder, which is preferable as it prevents the expanding conduit portion from directly and strongly pressing against the occupant's arms, etc.

[0013] Specifically, examples of the approximately cylindrical conduit holder used in the occupant protection device of the above configuration include a bellows cylindrical body made of synthetic resin, and a cylindrical body configured by using a rubber-like elastic material as a base material and disposing a mesh-like reinforcing layer around the entire circumference.

[0014] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device having the above configuration, the seat side fixing part is configured to be attached to a position on the side of the seat part via a position adjustment part, It is preferable that the position adjustment portion is configured to allow the seat-side fixing portion to slide along the length direction of the conduit holder relative to the seat portion.

[0015] With such a configuration of the occupant protection device, the seat side fixing portion of the conduit holder, i.e., the mounting position of the conduit holder on the seat side (side of the seat part), can be slid and moved by the position adjustment portion. Therefore, the substantial length dimension of the conduit holder when the seat belt is fastened (the distance from the bag body side fixing portion of the conduit holder to the position corresponding to the upper surface of the seat part) can be increased or decreased by the position adjustment portion, and the position of the folded body can be adjusted according to the physique of the occupant.

[0016] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device of the present invention, a belt loop portion through which a lap belt can be inserted is provided on the airbag, It is preferable that the bag body side fixing portion is configured to be attached to a belt loop portion.

[0017] With such a configuration of the occupant protection device, the conduit holding part does not have to be directly attached to the bag body, the conduit holding part can be attached easily, and the airtightness of the bag body can be ensured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a partially enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the location of the inflator and the position adjustment unit in the seat of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the location of the inflator in the seat of FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an airbag used in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment in a state in which the airbag is inflated by itself; [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing one end side of a conduit holder used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 8]4 is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a fixed state between a bag body side fixing portion of a conduit holder and an airbag in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conduit holder in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion of a conduit holder when an airbag has completed inflation in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 11] 2 is a front view (view from the left side when mounted on a vehicle) of a position adjustment portion used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a rear view of the position adjustment unit of FIG. 11 (as viewed from behind in a state in which the unit is mounted on a vehicle). [Figure 13] 12 is a vertical sectional view of the position adjustment part of FIG. 11. [Figure 14] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion of a seat-side fixing portion in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the movable side portion is slid relative to the slide rail portion. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is a front view of a seat in a state where a seat belt is fastened in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 17] 1 is a side view of a seat in a state where a seat belt is fastened in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] 1 is a front view of a seat in a state where an airbag has completed inflation in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 19] 1 is a side view of a seat in a state where an airbag has completed inflation in the occupant protection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] 4 is a partially enlarged side view of the seat in the passenger protection device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which a movable side portion has been slid downward. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a conduit holder according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle seat 1, and includes a seat belt 7, an airbag 25, an inflator 17 for supplying inflation gas to the airbag 25, a conduit holder 45 for holding a conduit portion 35 (described later) in the airbag 25, a position adjustment unit 60 for mounting the conduit holder 45 to the seat 1, and a cover unit 100 for covering the periphery of the airbag 25. The seat 1 includes a backrest portion 2 and a seat portion 3. In the embodiment, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions will be described as corresponding to the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions with respect to an occupant MP seated on the seat 1, unless otherwise specified.

[0020] In the embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 16, includes a belt body 8 for restraining an occupant MP seated on the seat 1, a tongue plate 12 attached to the belt body 8, and a buckle 13 for connecting the tongue plate 12. In the embodiment, the buckle 13 is disposed on the rear right end side of the seat part 3 of the seat 1 (on the right side near the boundary between the backrest part 2 and the seat part 3) (see Figs. 1 and 16). One end of the belt body 8 is fastened to a winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest part 2, and the other end side is fastened to an anchor member 14 (see Figs. 1 to 3) disposed on the rear left end 3a side of the seat part 3 of the seat 1, so that the belt body 8 can be unwound from the retractor when worn. In detail, the belt body 8 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper left edge side of the backrest 2, and in the case of the embodiment, when the occupant MP is not seated, as shown in Fig. 1, the lap belt 10 for disposing the airbag 25 is configured to be exposed to the front surface of the backrest 2. In detail, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 10 is exposed to the front surface of the backrest 2 on the left edge side of the backrest 2 so as to extend substantially along the up-down direction, as shown in Fig. 1. The belt body 8 has a lap belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 stored in the backrest 2, and when an occupant is seated, the lap belt 10, which is disposed substantially along the left-right direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13, restrains the lower body MD (waist) of the occupant MP, and the shoulder belt 9, which extends from the upper left edge side of the backrest 2 and is disposed obliquely toward the buckle 13, restrains the upper body MU (from the shoulders to the chest) of the occupant MP (see FIGS. 16 and 17). In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

[0021] The inflator 17 is disposed in a position near the lower end of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1, and in the embodiment, is attached to the seat 1. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the inflator 17 is disposed in a position below the seat portion 3 on the back side of the seat 1, and includes a substantially cylindrical inflator body 18 disposed with its axial direction substantially aligned with the left-right direction, and a connecting pipe portion 19 extending from the inflator body 18 and connected to the conduit portion 35 of the airbag 25 (see Fig. 4). In the embodiment, the inflator body 18 is attached to the seat frame 4 in the area on the lower rear side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 by using a predetermined bracket (reference numeral omitted). The connecting pipe portion 19 is disposed so as to be bent while extending from the inflator body 18, and a tip 19a is positioned to the left of the seat frame 4. The connecting pipe portion 19 has a tip 19a connected to a tip 37a (left end) of the conduit portion 35 of the airbag 25 by using a clamp 20 (see FIG. 4). In this embodiment, the inflator body 18 is set to start operating later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seatbelt 7 in order to regulate the withdrawal of the belt body 8 of the seatbelt 7 caused by the inflation of the airbag 25.

[0022] 5 and 6, the airbag 25 is configured as a bag-like bag made of a flexible sheet body, and includes a bag body 26 that inflates to protect an occupant MP wearing a seat belt 7, a conduit portion 35 that is connected to the inflator 17 to allow inflation gas to flow into the bag body 26, and a belt loop portion 40 through which the lap belt 10 can be inserted. In the embodiment, the airbag 25 (the bag body 26, the conduit portion 35, and the belt loop portion 40) are formed from a flexible woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.

[0023] The bag body 26 is configured such that the outer shape when fully inflated is a substantially triangular prism with the axial direction substantially aligned with the left-right direction, the shape when fully inflated as viewed from the left and right sides is a substantially right-angled triangle with a hypotenuse on the front side, and the shape when fully inflated as viewed from the front-rear direction is a substantially rectangular shape with a wide top and bottom (see Figs. 18 and 19). As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bag body 26 has a rear wall portion 28 disposed on the occupant MP side (rear side) when fully inflated, a front wall portion 27 disposed opposite the rear wall portion 28 in the front-rear direction, a lower wall portion 29 disposed on the lower end side when fully inflated, and a left wall portion 30 and a right wall portion 31 disposed opposite each other in the left-right direction when fully inflated. The bag body 26 is configured to receive the upper body MU of the occupant MP by the rear wall portion 28 when the inflation is complete, and is also configured to receive the occupant MP by abutting the lower wall portion 29 against the thighs MT of the occupant MP and supporting the thighs MT when the upper body MU is received by the rear wall portion 28 (see FIG. 19). The bag body 26 is configured such that a conduit portion 35 is connected to the lower surface side of the rear end 29a of the lower wall portion 29, and inflation gas from the inflator 17 flows into the bag body 26 through the conduit portion 35. In the region of the rear end 29a of the lower wall portion 29, a communication hole 33 communicating with the conduit portion 35 opens in a circular shape, and in this embodiment, two communication holes 33 are provided side by side on the left and right sides (see FIG. 5). The bag body 26 is connected to the conduit portion 35 at the peripheral portion of the communication hole 33.

[0024] Conduit 35 is disposed so as to extend leftward from the underside of bag body 26 in this embodiment and is connected to inflator 17 (specifically, connection pipe 19 of inflator 17), with its base side (right end side) on the bag body 26 side closed and its tip side (left end side) open so as to be connectable to connection pipe 19. Specifically, conduit 35 includes a wide main body part 36 located on the underside of bag body 26 and a connection side part 37 extending leftward from bag body 26 when inflation is complete, as shown in Fig. 5. Connection side part 37 is formed narrower than main body part 36. Conduit portion 35 is configured to be disposed generally along the left-right direction so as to be generally along lap belt 10 when airbag 25 is fully inflated (see Figs. 18 and 19), and tip 37a (left end) of connection side portion 37 is connected to connection pipe portion 19 of inflator 17 using clamp 20 as described above (see Fig. 4). In the case of this embodiment, connection side portion 37 of conduit portion 35 is held by conduit holder 45. In detail, connection side portion 37 is disposed while being held by conduit holder 45 such that its outer circumferential side is covered by conduit holder 45 (inserted into conduit holder 45) over substantially its entire length, as shown in Figs. 4, 8 to 10 and 14.

[0025] 5 and 6, the belt loop portion 40 is disposed on the underside of the main body portion 36 of the conduit portion 35 (i.e., the area below the bag body 26) and is configured as a generally cylindrical shape disposed generally along the left-right direction so as to be able to pass the lap belt 10. By passing the lap belt 10 through this belt loop portion 40, the bag body 26 is held by the lap belt 10.

[0026] In the embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured to be held by the lap belt 10 in a state in which the region of the bag body 26 is folded into a long shape, and the bag body 26 is folded into a folded body 105, which is formed so as to be movable relative to the lap belt 10. Specifically, although detailed illustration is omitted, the airbag 25 is folded such that the front wall portion 27 is overlapped with the rear wall portion 28 and the lower wall portion 29, and the bag body 26 is folded so as to reduce the width dimension in the front-rear direction to form the long folded body 105 that is approximately along the left-right direction. The folded body 105 formed by folding the bag body 26 in this manner is arranged so as to be overlapped on the upper surface side of the lap belt 10 when worn, together with the main body side portion 36 of the conduit portion 35, by inserting the lap belt 10 through the belt loop portion 40. The completely folded body 105 is disposed in the area of ​​the lap belt 10 with the periphery thereof, including the belt loop portion 40 and the lap belt 10, covered by a main cover 101 (to be described later) of the cover portion 100 (see FIG. 16). In the embodiment, when the completely folded body 105 is not worn as shown in FIG. 1, the completely folded body 105 is disposed on the left side of the twisted lap belt 10 so as to twist the lap belt 10.

[0027] The conduit holder 45 that holds the conduit section 35 is made of a material that is flexible and has higher rigidity than the conduit section 35. In the embodiment, the conduit holder 45 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed of a bellows-shaped body that can cover the outer periphery of the conduit section 35. In detail, the conduit holder 45 has a moderate degree of self-supporting (non-flexible) when handled alone, and is easily bendable because of its bellows-shaped shape. Specifically, examples of materials that form the conduit holder 45 include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and various thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) such as olefin-based and urethane-based. In detail, the conduit holder 45 is disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the region of the connection side part 37 of the conduit section 35 over substantially the entire length (see FIGS. 3, 4, 8, and 9). The conduit holder 45 is made of a bellows-shaped tubular body having a substantially rectangular cross section, and in the embodiment, the long side is arranged so as to be substantially aligned along the front-rear direction (see Figs. 1 and 14). More specifically, in the embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conduit holder 45 is set smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connection side portion 37 in a state in which the conduit holder 45 has completed inflation by itself. Specifically, the width dimension W1 of the long side of the conduit holder 45 is set smaller than the width dimension W2 of the connection side portion 37 in a state in which the conduit holder 45 is deployed flat (see Figs. 6 and 9). The connection side portion 37 is inserted into the conduit holder 45 in a folded state so as to reduce its width dimension, as shown in Figs. 9 and 14. In the embodiment, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35 is inflated and arranged so as to fill the inside of the conduit holder 45 when the airbag 25 completes inflation (see Fig. 10). The cross-sectional area of ​​conduit holder 45 is set to a dimension (dimension that allows the inflation gas to flow smoothly through connection side portion 37) that does not impede rapid inflation of airbag 25 (bag body 26) when inflator 17 is activated. Both ends of conduit holder 45 are fixed to seat 1 and bag body 26 by seat side fixing portions 52 and bag body side fixing portions 48, respectively (see FIG. 3).

[0028] In the case of this embodiment, the bag body side fixing part 48 is connected to the belt loop part 40 of the airbag 25. Specifically, the bag body side fixing part 48 has an attachment piece 49 that protrudes rightward from the right end part 45b of the conduit holder 45 (see FIG. 7), and this attachment piece 49 is overlapped with an area on the left edge 40a side of the belt loop part 40 as shown in FIG. 8, and is connected to the belt loop part 40 by using a fixing means 50 such as a rivet, thereby being fixed to the bag body 26 side.

[0029] In the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the seat side fixing part 52 of the conduit holder 45 is disposed at a position closer to the center than the end 45a on the other side (left side) of the conduit holder 45, and is fixed to the seat 1 side via a position adjustment part 60 provided on the seat 1 side. Specifically, the seat side fixing part 52 is configured to include a bracket part 53 arranged so as to wrap the periphery of the conduit holder 45 from the outer periphery side of a conduit side cover 102 described later in the cover part 100, and is fixed to a position on the side of the seat part 3 of the seat 1 by connecting this bracket part 53 to a movable side part 75 described later in the position adjustment part 60 (see Fig. 14). In addition, in the embodiment, the left end 45a of the conduit holder 45 is curved and connected to the connection pipe part 19 of the inflator 17 using a clamp 46 at a position rearward of the clamp 20 connecting the tip 37a of the connection side part 37 (see Fig. 4).

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the position adjustment unit 60 is disposed to the side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 (to the left in the case of this embodiment), more specifically, slightly rearward of the center between the front and rear of the seat portion 3 and adjacent to the front of the conduit portion 35 and the conduit holder 45. As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the position adjustment unit 60 includes a slide rail portion 61 fixed to the seat 1 side, and a movable side portion 75 attached so as to be slidable relative to the slide rail portion 61. As described above, the movable side portion 75 is connected to the bracket portion 53 which constitutes the seat side fixed portion 52 in the conduit holder 45 (see Figure 14).

[0031] The slide rail portion 61 is elongated and disposed substantially along the vertical direction, and in the embodiment, is disposed so that the width direction side is substantially along the front-rear direction so as to be along the left side surface of the seat portion 3, and is disposed slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the upper end side is positioned forward. The slide rail portion 61 includes an elongated main body portion 62, and an upper attachment portion 71 and a lower attachment portion 72 disposed on the upper end 62a side and the lower end 62b side of the main body portion 62 and attached to the seat 1 side, respectively. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the upper attachment portion 71 is configured to be attached to a predetermined bracket or the like disposed in the seat portion 3, and the lower attachment portion 72 is configured to be attached to the seat frame 4.

[0032] The main body 62 includes a rail main body 64 disposed in a region on the front edge 62c side and a region on the rear edge 62d side, a locking hole portion 66 into which a pin main body 81 of a locking pin portion 80, which will be described later, can be inserted, and a locking recess 67 into which the pin main body 81 can be inserted, which is formed in the movable side portion 75. The rail main body 64 is slidable along the longitudinal direction of the main body 62 on the movable side portion 75, and in the embodiment, the rail main body 64 is bent and formed so as to be raised from the central region of the main body 62 and to be substantially parallel to the main body 62 on the front edge 62c side and the rear edge 62d side of the main body 62 (see FIG. 14). Each rail main body 64 is formed continuously over substantially the entire upper and lower regions of the main body 62. The locking hole portion 66 is formed on the upper end side of the central region (region between the rail main bodies 64, 64) of the main body 62 so as to penetrate the main body 62 (see FIG. 11B and FIG. 13). The locking hole 66 has an opening shape that is slightly wider on the longitudinal side (vertical side) of the rail main body 64 so that the tip 81a of the pin main body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 can be inserted therethrough (see B in FIG. 11). The locking recess 67 is disposed below the locking hole 66 in a central region of the main body 62, and can be locked by inserting the pin main body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 of the movable side portion 75 that slides relative to the slide rail portion 61 (main body 62) as shown in B in FIG. 13. In the case of the embodiment, three locking recesses 67 are arranged in a row substantially along the longitudinal direction of the rail main body 64 as shown in A and B in FIG. 13. In the embodiment, each locking recess 67 has a bottom, and its external shape as viewed from the left is configured as a substantially elliptical shape that allows the tip 81a of the pin body 81 to be inserted and has a width dimension in the vertical direction larger than that of the locking hole 66 (see B in FIG. 11). In detail, the locking recess 67 is configured to lock the tip 81a of the pin body 81 in a lower region, and a guide wall 67a that can guide the tip 81a of the pin body 81 during sliding movement toward the lower region is formed at an incline on the bottom surface side of the upper region of the locking recess 67 (see FIG. 15).Further, a stopper piece 69 for restricting the downward movement of the movable side portion 75 is formed near the lower end 62b of the main body portion 62 by being cut out and raised on the front surface side (left side surface 75c side) (see Figures 13A and 13B).

[0033] The movable side portion 75 is disposed on the left side of the slide rail portion 61, and includes a sliding portion 76 slidable relative to the rail body 64 formed in the slide rail portion 61, a locking pin portion 80 inserted into the locking hole portion 66 or the locking recess 67 for locking, an operating portion 85 capable of retracting the locking pin portion 80 when pressed down, a holding portion 78 for holding the locking pin portion 80 and the operating portion 85, and a mounting portion 95 for mounting the bracket portion 53 constituting the sheet side fixing portion 52 in the conduit holder 45 (see Figs. 11 to 13). The sliding portions 76, 76 are formed so as to wrap the outer periphery of the rail body 64 on approximately three sides at the front edge 75a side and the rear edge 75b side of the movable side portion 75, respectively (see Fig. 14), and are formed continuously over approximately the entire upper and lower areas of the movable side portion 75 as shown in Fig. 12.

[0034] The holding portion 78 is formed between the sliding portions 76, 76 so as to protrude in a generally box shape from the left side surface 75c of the movable side portion 75, and is configured to be able to house and hold the locking pin portion 80, and to hold an operation main body 86 (described later) in the operation portion 85 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. In the case of the embodiment, the holding portion 78 is disposed in an area of ​​about the upper half of the movable side portion.

[0035] The locking pin portion 80 has a pin body 81 having a generally cylindrical outer shape, and is held by the holding portion 78 so that a tip 81a of the pin body 81 protrudes from the right side surface 75d of the movable side portion 75 toward the slide rail portion 61 (rightward) when the operating portion 85 is in a non-operating state (see Figs. 13 and 15). The locking pin portion 80 has a pressed portion 82 that is pressed by a pressing piece portion 88 of the operating portion 85 (described later) when the operating portion 85 is operated (see Fig. 15). Although not shown in detail, the pressed portion 82 is formed in a region on the base portion 81b side (left end side) of the pin body 81 so as to protrude on both the front and rear sides and to be generally perpendicular to the pin body 81. The pressed portion 82 is configured to be pressed to the left by a pressing piece portion 88 of the operating body 86 when the operating unit 85 presses an operating body 86 (described later), and the locking pin portion 80 receives a pressing force acting on the pressed portion 82 when the operating body 86 is pressed, and slides to the left within the holding portion 78 so as to retract the tip 81a side of the pin body 81 (see B in Figure 15).

[0036] The operation unit 85 includes an operation body 86 for pressing down, and a compression coil spring 92 as a biasing means disposed within the holding unit 78. The operation body 86 includes a pressing plate 87 disposed on the upper end side, and a pressing piece 88 extending downward from the pressing plate 87 for moving the pressed unit 82, and is held by the holding unit 78 so as to be slidable up and down. The pressing plate 87 is for operation when pressed down, and in this embodiment, is disposed at a position above the holding unit 78 in a non-operated state, and has an outer shape of a substantially rectangular plate disposed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the pressing direction (see FIGS. 11 to 13). As shown in Fig. 11, the pressing piece 88 is formed so as to extend downward from both front and rear ends of the pressing plate 87, and has a narrow tip piece 89 disposed adjacent to the right side (the tip 81a side of the pin body 81) of the pressed part 82 of the locking pin 80 at the lower end, and a guide piece 90 formed at an incline so as to be expanded from the upper end side of the tip piece 89 (the upper side of the pressed part 82 when not operated) (see Figs. 13 and 15). The guide piece 90 is for guiding the pressed part 82 to move leftward against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 92 when the pressing plate 87 is pressed. The compression coil spring 92 is disposed in the holding part 78, to the left of the locking pin 80, so as to bias the locking pin 80 rightward (toward the slide rail part 61), as shown in Fig. 13.

[0037] The mounting portion 95 is disposed in a region below the holding portion 78, and in this embodiment, includes a mounting bolt 95a protruding toward the left (see Figs. 12 and 13). In this embodiment, the bracket portion 53 constituting the seat side fixed portion 52 is configured to be attached to the movable side portion 75 by using the mounting bolt 95a and a nut 96, as shown in Fig. 14.

[0038] The movable side portion 75 can be slid relative to the slide rail portion 61 as follows. When an occupant MP (wearer) seated in the seat 1, with the seat belt 7 fastened, presses down the pressing plate portion 87 of the operation main body 86 with a finger or the like while gripping the movable side portion 75, the locking pin portion 80 can be moved leftward, and with this movement, the pin body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 can be pulled into the holding portion 78. Then, since the pin body 81 is released from the locking hole portion 66 or the locking recess 67, the movable side portion 75 can be slid up and down relative to the slide rail portion 61 while the pressed-down state of the pressing plate portion 87 is maintained (see B in FIG. 15). When the finger or the like is released from the pressing plate portion 87 after the sliding movement, the compression coil spring 92 restores the operation body 86 to the position before the operation, and the pin body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 is also arranged to protrude from the movable side portion 75, and the tip 81a side of the pin body 81 is inserted into the locking hole portion 66 or the locking recess 67 and locked to the periphery (see C in FIG. 15). In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, by sliding the movable side portion 75 relative to the slide rail portion 61, the position of the seat side fixing portion 52 (bracket portion 53) of the conduit holder 45 can be moved up and down relative to the seat portion 3, that is, the substantial length of the conduit holder 45 (the distance from the bag body side fixing portion 48 of the conduit holder 45 to the position corresponding to the left edge side of the upper surface 3b of the seat portion 3) can be changed. In the embodiment, a total of four locking holes 66 and locking recesses 67 are arranged, so that the position of the movable side portion 75 can be changed in four stages. In other words, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the actual length of the conduit holder 45 can be changed in four stages.

[0039] 1 to 3, the cover portion 100 that covers the periphery of the airbag 25 includes a main cover 101 arranged so as to cover the folded body 105, and a conduit side cover 102 arranged so as to cover the conduit portion 35. The cover portion 100 is made of a flexible sheet body, specifically, a sheet body such as synthetic leather or fabric.

[0040] Specifically, the main cover 101 is configured to cover the substantially entire outer circumferential side of the folded body 105 and the main body portion 36 of the conduit 35, including the belt loop portion 40 and a part of the lap belt 10. The main cover 101 is configured to break a predetermined portion substantially over the entire left and right sides when the airbag 25 is inflated, allowing the bag body 26 to protrude. The conduit side cover 102 is disposed so as to be continuous with the main cover 101, and is configured to cover the outer circumferential side of the conduit holder 45 (see Figs. 8 and 14). In the embodiment, the conduit side cover 102 is configured to cover the conduit holder 45 up to the vicinity of the arrangement area of ​​the bracket portion 53 (the seat side fixing portion 52) as shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

[0041] In the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, when the inflator 17 is activated while the passenger MP is seated in the seat 1 mounted in the vehicle with the seat belt 7 fastened, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 17 flows into the bag body 26 through the conduit portion 35, and the bag body 26 of the airbag 25 breaks the main cover 101 and protrudes forward and upward from the lap belt 10, completing the inflation as shown in Figures 18 and 19. In the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, when the airbag 25 completes the inflation, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35 inflates to fill the inside of the conduit holder 45 (see Figure 10).

[0042] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, in the airbag 25, the conduit portion 35 extending from the folded bag body 26 (completely folded body 105) and connected to the inflator 17 is held by the conduit holder 45. The conduit holder 45 is disposed so as to be substantially aligned with the conduit portion 35 (more specifically, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35), and is configured so that both ends are fixed to the seat 1 side and the bag body 26 side, and is formed of a material having a higher rigidity than the conduit portion 35. Therefore, when the airbag 25 is not worn (when the occupant is not seated), such as when the airbag 25 is mounted in the vehicle, the conduit holder 45 can appropriately prevent the region of the conduit portion 35 from being twisted together with the lap belt 10. As a result, when putting on the seat, the wearer (occupant MP) does not have to correct the twisted state in the area of ​​the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) by hand or the like, and by simply putting on the seat belt 7, the folded body 105 (bag body 26) can be easily positioned in the appropriate position for the occupant MP.

[0043] Therefore, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the occurrence of twisting or the like can be suppressed, and the device can be easily installed.

[0044] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, since the conduit portion 35 is held by the conduit holder 45, when the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 17 flows into the bag body 26 through the conduit portion 35 during operation of the inflator 17, fluttering caused by the inflow of the inflation gas can be suppressed in the region of the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37), and the position of the inflating bag body 26 can be quickly stabilized, and the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26) can quickly and stably protect the occupant MP. Furthermore, since the conduit holder 45 is flexible, it can be easily bent together with the lap belt 10 and the conduit portion 35 so as to generally conform to the lower body MD of the wearer (occupant MP), and the feel when worn is also good.

[0045] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the completely folded body 105 formed by folding the bag body 26 is held by the lap belt 10 so as to be movable relative to the lap belt 10. Therefore, when worn, the bag body 26 (the completely folded body 105) can be disposed at an appropriate position relative to the passenger MP. In addition, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the lap belt 10 is disposed so as to be substantially aligned along the vertical direction when the device is mounted in the vehicle (when the passenger is not wearing the device), but since the conduit portion 35 is held by the conduit holder 45, even if the completely folded body 105 is movable relative to the lap belt 10, the conduit holder 45 can appropriately prevent the region of the conduit portion 35 from sagging relative to the lap belt 10, and the movement of the bag body 26 that slides down relative to the lap belt 10 due to the occurrence of such sagging can also be restricted. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the bag body (completely folded body) may be configured to be fixed to the lap belt so as not to shift or move.

[0046] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the conduit holder 45 is formed of a substantially cylindrical body capable of covering the outer circumferential side of the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37), and more specifically, is formed of a bellows cylindrical body made of synthetic resin. Therefore, when the airbag 25 is inflated, the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) is inflated inside the conduit holder, and the inflated conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) is prevented from directly and strongly pressing the arm or the like of the passenger. In particular, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conduit holder 45 is set smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35 when it has completed inflating by itself, and the connection side portion 37 is inserted into the conduit holder 45 in a folded state. Therefore, the area of ​​the conduit portion 35 (specifically, the area of ​​the connection side portion 37) is not bulky and can be mounted in a compact state in the vehicle. Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35 is configured to inflate so as to fill the conduit holder 45 when the airbag 25 is completely inflated. That is, the region of the connection side portion 37 is covered on the outer circumferential side by the conduit holder 45 to form a double tube shape, and the conduit holder 45 reinforces the connection side portion 37. This makes it possible to relatively reduce the outer diameter dimension (cross-sectional area when inflated) of the conduit portion (connection side portion), and also makes it possible to contribute to cost reduction by reducing the amount of base material used.

[0047] Furthermore, when a cylindrical body is used as the conduit holder, it does not have to be a bellows cylindrical body as in the embodiment, and the conduit holder may be formed, for example, from a cylindrical body having a rubber-like elastic body as a base material and a mesh-like reinforcing layer disposed all around. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 21, an example of conduit holder 110 is one having a structure in which reinforcing layer 110c made of a synthetic resin mesh is interposed between base layers 110a, 110b made of synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or the like.

[0048] If the above points are not taken into consideration, the conduit holder does not have to be a cylindrical body. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the conduit holder may be formed from, for example, a flexible synthetic resin plate, or a rod-shaped body (a rod-shaped body formed by connecting a large number of links) made of synthetic resin or metal that can be bent in only one direction, as long as it is made from a material that is flexible and has higher rigidity than the conduit portion.

[0049] When conduit holder 45 is formed of a generally cylindrical body capable of covering the outer periphery of conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) as in the embodiment, by configuring at least one end of conduit holder 45 to be fixed to the seat side or the bag body side, the position of conduit holder 45 relative to conduit portion 35 can be stabilized to a certain degree. Therefore, when a cylindrical conduit holder is used and disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the conduit portion, even if at least one end is configured to be fixed to the seat side or the bag body side, the conduit holder can adequately prevent the area of ​​the conduit portion from twisting together with the lap belt.

[0050] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the seat side fixing part 52 is configured to be attached to a position on the side of the seat part 3 via the position adjustment part 60, and this seat side fixing part 52 is slidable along the length direction of the conduit holder 45 with respect to the seat part 3 by the position adjustment part 60. Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the seat side fixing part 52 of the conduit holder 45, i.e., the attachment position of the conduit holder 45 on the seat 1 side (the side of the seat part 3) can be slidable by the position adjustment part 60, so that the substantial length dimension of the conduit holder 45 when the seat belt 7 is fastened (the distance from the bag body side fixing part 48 of the conduit holder 45 to a position corresponding to the left edge side of the upper surface 3b of the seat part 3) can be increased or decreased by the position adjustment part 60, and the position of the folded body 105 can be adjusted according to the physique of the occupant. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, if the movable side portion 75 is positioned at the lower end side of the slide rail portion 61 and the seat side fixed portion 52 is positioned at a position shifted relatively downward, the substantial length dimension of the conduit holder 45 can be reduced compared to the case where the movable side portion 75 is positioned at the upper end side of the slide rail portion 61 (see FIGS. 2, 3, and 17). By reducing the substantial length dimension of the conduit holder 45, it is possible to position the folded body so that the center in the length direction is approximately aligned with the center of the occupant's left and right even when a small occupant such as a woman wears the seat belt. In addition, when the seat side fixed portion 52 is positioned at a position shifted downward in this way, the seat side fixed portion 52 is positioned close to the floor surface of the vehicle by the amount of the movement distance, but in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the conduit holder 45 is formed of a bellows tubular body. Therefore, the portion of the conduit holder 45 closer to the end 52a than the sheet side fixing part 52 (the area of ​​the conduit holder 45 exposed from the conduit side cover 102) can be easily curved, and even if the downward movement of the sheet side fixing part 52 results in excess area being generated in the area on the lower end side of the conduit holder 45, such area can be positioned relatively compactly without protruding significantly between the floor surface.If such a point is not taken into consideration, the position adjustment portion may not be provided, and the sheet-side fixing portion of the conduit holder may be directly attached to the sheet side.

[0051] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the bag body side fixing part 48 is configured to be attached to the belt loop part 40 that is provided on the airbag 25 and through which the lap belt 10 can be inserted. Therefore, the conduit holder 45 does not have to be directly attached to the bag body 26, the conduit holder 45 can be easily attached, and the airtightness of the bag body 26 can be ensured. Of course, if such a point is not taken into consideration, the bag body side fixing part does not have to be configured to be attached to the belt loop part.

[0052] In the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the seat belt 7 and the inflator 17 are configured to be mounted on the seat 1. Therefore, even when the seat 1 is slid back and forth or rotated significantly and moved relative to the vehicle, the passenger MP seated on the seat 1 can be adequately protected by the airbag 25. Of course, the passenger protection device of the present invention is not limited to a seat configured as described above, and can also be mounted on a type of seat that restrains the passenger with a seat belt having a retractor provided on the vehicle body side. The inflator may also be configured to be attached to the vehicle body side. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...seat, 3...seat portion, 7...seat belt, 10...lap belt, 17...inflator, 25...airbag, 26...bag body, 35...conduit portion, 37...connection side portion, 40...belt loop portion, 45...conduit holder, 45a, 45b...end portion, 48...bag body side fixing portion, 52...seat side fixing portion, 60...position adjustment portion, 61...slide rail portion, 75...movable side portion, 100...cover portion, 105...folded body, 110...conduit holder, MP...occupant, S...occupant protection device.

Claims

1. It is arranged on the seat of the vehicle, Seat belt and an airbag disposed in a region of a lap belt that restrains a waist of an occupant seated in the seat when the occupant is fastened; an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag; With this in mind, The inflator is disposed in a position adjacent to a lower end of a seat portion of the seat, The airbag is a bag-shaped airbag made of a flexible sheet body, a bag body that is held by the lap belt in a folded state and that inflates to protect the occupant while wearing the seat belt; a conduit portion connected to the inflator for allowing inflation gas to flow into the bag body; In a passenger protection device having a configuration comprising: The conduit portion is arranged so as to be substantially aligned along the lap belt while being held by a conduit holder, This occupant protection device is characterized in that the conduit holder is formed from a material that is flexible and has higher rigidity than the conduit portion, is arranged so as to roughly follow the conduit portion, and has both ends fixed to the seat side and the bag body side by a seat side fixing portion and a bag body side fixing portion, respectively.

2. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is held by the lap belt so that a folded body formed by folding the bag body can be shifted relative to the lap belt.

3. 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the conduit holder is formed of a generally cylindrical body capable of covering an outer periphery of the conduit portion.

4. 4. The passenger protection device according to claim 3, wherein the conduit holder is formed of a bellows-shaped cylindrical body made of synthetic resin.

5. 4. The passenger protection device according to claim 3, wherein the conduit holder is formed of a tubular body having a rubber-like elastic body as a base material and a mesh-like reinforcing layer disposed around the entire periphery.

6. The seat side fixing portion is attached to a position on the side of the seat portion via a position adjustment portion, 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 2, wherein the position adjustment portion is configured to allow the seat side fixing portion to slide along the length direction of the conduit holder relative to the seat portion.

7. the airbag has a belt loop through which the lap belt can be inserted, 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body side fixing portion is attached to the belt loop portion.

8. It is arranged on the seat of the vehicle, Seat belt and an airbag disposed in a region of a lap belt that restrains a waist of an occupant seated in the seat when the occupant is fastened; an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag; With this in mind, The inflator is disposed in a position adjacent to a lower end of a seat portion of the seat, The airbag is a bag-shaped airbag made of a flexible sheet body, a bag body that is held by the lap belt in a folded state and that inflates to protect the occupant while wearing the seat belt; a conduit portion connected to the inflator for allowing inflation gas to flow into the bag body; In a passenger protection device having a configuration comprising: The conduit portion is arranged so as to be substantially aligned along the lap belt while being held by a conduit holder, The conduit holder is formed from a material that is flexible and has a higher rigidity than the conduit portion, is formed as a roughly cylindrical body that can cover the outer circumferential side of the conduit portion, and has at least one end fixed to the seat side or the bag body side.

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