Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device which may inhibit an airbag which has completed inflation from pressing an occupant more than necessary.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device is mounted on a seat of a vehicle and includes an airbag 25 which is attached to a belt body 8 at a seat belt in a folded state and may cause an expansion gas discharged from an inflator when the inflator operates to flow thereinto to expand so as to protect an occupant seated on the seat while protruding forward. The airbag is attached to the belt body side through a connection member 47.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a passenger protection device mounted on a vehicle seat that has a configuration in which a folded airbag is attached to the belt body of a seat belt, and when an inflator is activated, inflation gas discharged from an inflator flows into the airbag, which inflates so as to protrude forward, to protect a passenger seated in the seat (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in the conventional passenger protection device, the airbag is disposed in the lap belt of the seat belt, which restrains the waist of the passenger when the seat belt is worn. More specifically, in the conventional passenger protection device, the airbag is attached to the belt body by inserting a belt loop portion disposed on the lower surface side of the rear end of the seat belt into the belt body when the seat belt is fully inflated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-160414 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this conventional passenger protection device, the airbag is configured to complete inflation by projecting forward and upward as inflation gas discharged from an inflator flows into the airbag. However, in the conventional passenger protection device, when the airbag completes inflation, a part of the airbag that is inflated by the flow of inflation gas into the airbag (more specifically, the rear lower end region) is disposed adjacent to the belt body that restrains the occupant. Therefore, when the airbag that has completed inflation receives the occupant, the part disposed adjacent to the belt body may press the occupant more than necessary, and there is room for improvement in suppressing such unnecessary pressing.

[0005] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an occupant protection device that can prevent the airbag from pressing against the occupant more than necessary when the airbag is fully inflated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle seat, Seat belt and An inflator, an airbag configured to be attached to a belt body of a seat belt in a folded state, and to be inflated to protect an occupant seated in a seat by allowing inflation gas discharged from an inflator to flow therein and projecting forward when an inflator is activated; In a passenger protection device having a configuration comprising: The airbag is attached to the belt body via a connecting member.

[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, when the airbag is fully inflated, a connecting member is interposed between the airbag and the belt body, in other words, a gap is created between the belt body restraining the occupant and the inflated airbag by the length of the connecting member. That is, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, when the airbag is fully inflated, a gap by the length of the connecting member can be created between the occupant and the inflated airbag, so that when the inflated airbag receives the occupant, the airbag can be prevented from pressing the occupant more than necessary.

[0008] Therefore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the airbag, when fully inflated, from pressing against the occupant more than necessary.

[0009] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, if the airbag is configured to be placed on the lap belt of the seat belt, which restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat when the airbag is worn, this is preferable because it prevents the airbag, when fully inflated, from pressing more than necessary against the area near the abdomen of the occupant wearing the lap belt.

[0010] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device having the above configuration, the airbag is configured to include a bag body that is inflated by flowing inflation gas therein, and a belt loop portion through which the belt body can be inserted, It is preferable that the connecting member is disposed so as to connect the bag body and the belt loop portion.

[0011] With the occupant protection device configured in this manner, the airbag can be attached to the belt body by inserting the belt loop portion, to which the bag body is connected via a connecting member, into the belt body. This makes it easier to attach the airbag to the belt body compared to when the airbag is directly connected to the belt body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [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] FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat of FIG. 1, showing the seat belt fastened. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an airbag used in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment is inflated by itself; [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a plan view showing the base materials constituting the conduit portion, the belt loop portion, and the tether portion in the airbag of FIG. 4 arranged side by side. FIG. [Figure 7] 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 8] 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 9] 1 is a side view of a seat illustrating a state in which an occupant is restrained by an airbag that has completed inflation in the occupant protection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a schematic diagram of a region near a lap belt (near the abdomen of an occupant) illustrating a state in which an occupant is received by an airbag at the completion of inflation in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, 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, and a cover portion 50 for covering the periphery of a fully folded body 55 formed by folding the airbag 25. In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 25 is disposed in a lap belt 10 in a belt main body 8 of the seat belt 7, which will be described later. 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 being the same as the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions with respect to an occupant MP seated on the seat 1, unless otherwise specified.

[0014] In the embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 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 Fig. 1). One end of the belt body 8 is secured to a winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest part 2, and the other end side is secured to the rear left end 3a side of the seat part 3 of the seat 1 by an anchor member 14 (see Figs. 1 and 2), so that the belt 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 arranged so as to extend substantially along the left-right direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13 restrains the lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP, and the shoulder belt 9 extending from the upper left edge side of the backrest 2 and arranged diagonally to the buckle 13 restrains the upper body MU (from the shoulders to the chest) of the occupant MP (see FIG. 3). That is, in the seat belt 7, the shoulder belt 9 is arranged so as to restrain the upper body MU of the occupant MP, and the lap belt 10 is arranged so as to restrain the lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP. In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) arranged in the backrest 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

[0015] In the embodiment, the inflator 17 is attached to the seat 1, and specifically, is disposed at a position near the lower end of the seat portion 3 on the rear side of the seat 1. The inflator 17 includes a substantially cylindrical inflator body 18 (detailed illustration is omitted) disposed with its axial direction substantially aligned with the left-right direction, and a pipe portion 19 extending from the inflator body 18 to supply inflation gas to the airbag 25 (see FIG. 2). Although detailed illustration is omitted, the inflator body 18 is attached to the seat frame 4 using a predetermined bracket. The pipe portion 19 extends from the inflator body 18 and is disposed so that its tip is positioned on the left side of the seat 1 near the boundary between the seat portion 3 and the backrest portion 2, and this tip is configured to be connected to a conduit portion 37 of the airbag 25 (described later) using a clamp 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In this embodiment, the inflator body 18 is set to start operating later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7 in order to regulate the withdrawal of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7 due to the inflation of the airbag 25.

[0016] As described above, the airbag 25 is disposed in the area of ​​the lap belt 10 that restrains the lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1, and is formed of a flexible sheet body. In the embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the airbag 25 includes a bag body 26 that is inflated by flowing inflation gas therein, a belt loop portion 45 through which the lap belt 10 (belt body 8) can be inserted, and a tether portion 47 as a connecting member that connects the bag body 26 and the belt loop portion 45. The airbag 25 (bag body 26, belt loop portion 45, and tether portion 47) are formed of flexible woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.

[0017] In this embodiment, the bag body 26 includes a protective main body portion 28 that inflates to protect the occupant MP when the seat belt 7 is fastened, and a conduit portion 37 that is connected to the inflator 17 and allows inflation gas to flow into the protective main body portion 28.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 4, the protection main body 28 has an outer shape at the time of completion of inflation that is a substantially triangular prism with an axial direction substantially aligned with the left-right direction, and is configured so that the shape at the time of completion of inflation when viewed from the left and right sides is a substantially right-angled triangle with a hypotenuse on the front side, and the shape at the time of completion of inflation when viewed from the front-rear direction is a substantially rectangular shape that is wider in the top and bottom directions (see Figs. 7 and 8). As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the protection main body 28 includes a rear wall 30 that is disposed on the occupant MP side (rear side) at the time of completion of inflation, a front wall 29 that is disposed opposite the rear wall 30 in the front-rear direction, a lower wall 31 that is disposed on the lower end side at the time of completion of inflation, and a left wall 32 and a right wall 33 that are disposed opposite each other in the left-right direction at the time of completion of inflation. The protection main body 28 is configured to receive the upper body MU of the occupant MP by the rear wall 30 when the inflation is complete, and is configured to receive the occupant MP by abutting the lower wall 31 against the thighs MT of the occupant MP and supporting the thighs MT when the upper body MU is received by the rear wall 30 (see FIG. 9). The protection main body 28 is configured such that a conduit 37 is connected to the lower surface side of the rear end 31a of the lower wall 31, and inflation gas from the inflator 17 flows into the inside through the conduit 37. In the region of the rear end 31a of the lower wall 31, a communication hole 35 communicating with the conduit 37 opens in a circular shape, and in this embodiment, two communication holes 35 are provided side by side on the left and right sides (see FIG. 4). The protection main body 28 is connected to the conduit 37 at the peripheral portion of the communication hole 35.

[0019] The conduit section 37 is disposed so as to extend leftward from the underside of the protection main body section 28 in the present embodiment and is connected to the inflator 17 (specifically, the pipe section 19 of the inflator 17). The base section (right end) on the protection main body section 28 side is closed, and the tip section 39a (left end) is open so as to be connectable to the pipe section 19. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the conduit section 37 includes a wide main body section 38 located on the underside of the protection main body section 28 and a connection section 39 extending leftward from the protection main body section 28 when inflation is complete. In the present embodiment, the length of the main body section 38 is set to be slightly smaller than the width of the rear lower end side of the protection main body section 28 in the left-right direction when inflation is complete (see FIG. 4). The connection section 39 is formed to be narrower than the main body section 38. The conduit portion 37 is arranged generally along the left-right direction so as to generally follow the lap belt 10 when the airbag 25 is fully inflated, and the tip 39a side (left end side) of the connection side portion 39 is connected to the pipe portion 19 of the inflator 17 by using the clamp 20 as described above (see FIG. 2). In the embodiment, the conduit portion 37 is configured to include an upper wall portion 41 and a lower wall portion 42 having generally the same outer shape, and the outer peripheral edges of the upper wall portion 41 and the lower wall portion 42 are sewn (joined) to each other over substantially the entire length except for the portion on the side of the tip 39a of the connection side portion 39, thereby forming a cylindrical shape (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

[0020] The belt loop portion 45 is disposed on the lower surface side of the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 (the lower surface side of the bag body 26), and in the embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is connected to the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 via a tether portion 47. The belt loop portion 45 is substantially cylindrical and disposed substantially along the left-right direction so as to be able to insert the lap belt 10 (see Figs. 4 and 5). The bag body 26 is held by the lap belt 10 (belt body 8) by inserting the lap belt 10 into the belt loop portion 45. In the embodiment, the length of the belt loop portion 45 is set slightly smaller than the length of the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37, and is disposed over substantially the entire area of ​​the main body portion 38 except for the left and right edges (see Figs. 4 and 6). In the airbag 25 of this embodiment, a tether portion 47 serving as a connecting member is interposed between the belt loop portion 45 and the main body side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37. In other words, the bag main body 26 in the airbag 25 is attached to the belt main body 8 side (belt loop portion 45) via the tether portion 47.

[0021] The tether portion 47 as a connecting member is arranged to connect the bag body 26 (in the embodiment, the main body side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37) and the belt loop portion 45 through which the belt body 8 is inserted, and in the embodiment, the outer shape is elongated with the left and right side (the axial side of the belt loop portion 45) as the longitudinal direction (see Figs. 4 and 6). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the tether portion 47 is substantially strip-shaped with the length dimension substantially equal to the length dimension of the belt loop portion 45, and is disposed over substantially the entire length of the belt loop portion 45 (i.e., substantially the entire area excluding the left and right edge sides of the main body side portion 38). The width dimension of the tether portion 47 is set to about half the width dimension of the belt loop portion 45 in a flatly deployed state. Specifically, in the embodiment, the width dimension of the tether portion 47 is set to about 40 to 80 mm. The width dimension of the tether portion 47 is set to a dimension that can prevent the bag body 26 (specifically, the rear lower end region of the protection main body portion 28 and the main body side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37) from excessively pressing the vicinity of the abdomen MA of the occupant MP wearing the lap belt 10 when the upper body MU of the occupant MP is received by the airbag 25 at the completion of inflation, and can quickly and accurately protect the upper body MU of the occupant MP by the protection main body portion 28. In the case of the embodiment, the tether portion 47 is disposed at a position that is approximately the center in the front-rear direction of the belt loop portion 45 in the flat deployed state, so that the length direction is approximately along the length direction of the belt loop portion 45. The tether portion 47 is also disposed at a position that is approximately the center in the front-rear direction, left-right direction of the main body side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 in the flat deployed state. The tether portion 47 has both widthwise edges 47a, 47b sewn continuously over substantially the entire length using sutures to the belt loop portion 45 or the main body portion 38 (more specifically, the portion of the lower wall portion 42 that constitutes the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37), respectively, to form sewing regions 48A, 48B, connecting the belt loop portion 45 and the main body portion 38 (see Figures 5 and 6).

[0022] In the embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured to be held by the lap belt 10 in such a manner that the region of the protection main body portion 28 in the bag body 26 is folded into an elongated shape substantially along the lap belt 10, and the protection main body portion 28 is folded into a folded body 55, which is formed so as to be movable relative to the lap belt 10. Specifically, although not shown in detail, the airbag 25 (protection main body portion 28) is folded so that the protection main body portion 28, which is in a substantially flat deployed state, is folded so as to reduce the width dimension in the front-rear direction to form the elongated folded body 55 substantially along the left-right direction. The folded body 55 formed by folding the protection main body portion 28 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 38 of the conduit portion 37 by inserting the lap belt 10 through the belt loop portion 45. At this time, as shown in Fig. 3, the tether portion 47 is folded in an accordion shape and disposed between the completely folded body 55 and the main body portion 38. The completely folded body 55 is disposed in the area of ​​the lap belt 10 with the periphery covered by the cover portion 50 including the belt loop portion 45 and the lap belt 10 (see Fig. 3). In the case of this embodiment, the completely folded body 55 is disposed on the back side (backrest portion 2 side) of the lap belt 10 exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2 in the unworn state as shown in Fig. 1.

[0023] In the embodiment, the cover portion 50 is configured to cover the periphery of the completely folded body 55 of the airbag 25, and is configured from a flexible sheet body. Specifically, the cover portion 50 is configured from a sheet body such as synthetic leather or fabric. In detail, in the embodiment, the cover portion 50 is configured to cover substantially the entire outer periphery of the entire airbag 25 (i.e., the outer periphery from the outer periphery of the completely folded body 55 to the connection side part 39 of the conduit portion 37), including the lap belt 10 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). The cover portion 50 is configured to break substantially the entire left and right regions at predetermined locations when the airbag 25 is inflated, allowing the protection main body portion 28 to protrude.

[0024] In the embodiment of the occupant protection device S, when an occupant MP is seated in a seat 1 mounted in a vehicle with a seat belt 7 fastened, and the inflator 17 is activated, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 17 flows into the protective main body portion 28 via the conduit portion 37, and the protective main body portion 28 in the bag body 26 of the airbag 25 breaks the cover portion 50 and protrudes forward and upward from the lap belt 10, completing inflation as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0025] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the airbag 25 is fully inflated, the tether portion 47 as a connecting member is interposed between the airbag 25 (in the embodiment, the bag body 26) and the belt body 8 (in the embodiment, the belt loop portion 45 through which the belt body 8 is inserted), in other words, a gap of the length of the tether portion 47 (in the embodiment, the width of the tether portion 47) is generated between the belt body 8 restraining the occupant MP and the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26). That is, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the airbag 25 is fully inflated, a gap of the width of the tether portion 47 can be provided between the occupant MP and the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26), so that the airbag 25 (bag body 26) can be prevented from pressing the occupant MP more than necessary when the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26) receives the occupant MP.

[0026] Therefore, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, it is possible to prevent the airbag 25 at the time of completing inflation from pressing the passenger MP more than necessary.

[0027] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 25 is arranged in the seat belt 7 on the lap belt 10 that restrains the waist MW of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1 when worn. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the airbag 25 (bag body 26) at the time of complete inflation from pressing more than necessary against a portion near the abdomen MA of the occupant MP wearing the lap belt 10. Specifically, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 25, specifically, the protection body portion 28 of the bag body 26 is configured to complete inflation while protruding forward and upward from the lap belt 10, and at the time of complete inflation, the upper body MU that leans forward is received by the rear wall portion 30, and when the upper body MU is received by the rear wall portion 30, the lower wall portion 31 is abutted against the thighs MT of the occupant MP and supported by the thighs MT, thereby receiving the occupant MP. That is, in the embodiment, the protection main body portion 28 is sandwiched between the thighs MT and the upper body MU (chest, etc.) of the occupant MP to restrain the upper body MU of the occupant MP (see FIG. 9). In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the tether portion 47 is disposed between the belt loop portion 45 through which the lap belt 10 is inserted and the bag main body 26 (the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37), so that at this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the protection main body portion 28 escapes forward and upward from the occupant MP by the width of the tether portion 47, that is, a gap is generated between the lap belt 10 and the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 by the width of the tether portion 47 (see A in FIG. 10). Therefore, even if the occupant MP received by the protection main body portion 28 further tilts the upper body MU forward (even if the upper body MU compresses the protection main body portion 28 so as to bring the rear wall portion 30 closer to the lower wall portion 31), the portions of the bag main body 26 arranged near the abdomen MA (the region on the rear lower end 28a side of the protection main body portion 28 and the main body side portion 38 of the conduit 37) can be prevented from pressing against the abdomen MA (see B in FIG. 10), and the upper body MU of the occupant MP can be appropriately protected by the protection main body portion 28. Therefore, the occupant protection device S of the embodiment can be suitably used for occupants for whom it is desirable to minimize the generation of load on the abdomen, such as pregnant women.

[0028] Furthermore, in the passenger protection device of the embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured to include the bag body 26 that is inflated by flowing inflation gas therein, and the belt loop portion 45 through which the belt body 8 (lap belt 10) can be inserted, and the tether portion 47 as a connecting member is disposed so as to connect the bag body 26 and the belt loop portion 45. That is, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 25 can be attached to the belt body 8 by inserting the belt loop portion 45, to which the bag body 26 is connected via the tether portion 47, into the belt body 8. Therefore, compared to the case where the airbag is directly connected to the belt body, the airbag 25 can be easily attached to the belt body 8. Also, by configuring the tether portion 47 to be attached to the belt loop portion 45 (configuring the airbag 25 to be attached to the lap belt 10 via the belt loop portion 45), the airbag 25 can be shifted relative to the lap belt 10. Of course, if such a point is not taken into consideration, the tether portion as the connecting member may be directly connected (sewn) to the belt main body without providing the belt loop portion. Note that the description in claim 1 that "attached to the belt main body side via the connecting member" includes a configuration in which the connecting member is attached to the belt main body via another member such as the belt loop portion as in the embodiment, and a configuration in which the connecting member is directly connected to the belt main body as described above.

[0029] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the bag body 26 is configured to include a protection body portion 28 that protects the occupant MP and a conduit portion 37 that causes the inflation gas to flow into the protection body portion 28, and the tether portion 47 as a connecting member is configured to be connected to the conduit portion 37 (specifically, the main body side portion 38 disposed on the lower surface side of the protection body portion 28 in the conduit portion 37) rather than to the protection body portion 28 that protects the occupant MP. Therefore, the inflating protection body portion 28 is less likely to be affected by the tether portion 47 (the tether portion 47 can suppress the occurrence of changes in the protection performance of the protection body portion 28), and the protection body portion 28 can be smoothly inflated to protect the occupant MP without taking into consideration the strength of the tether portion 47, etc. Of course, if such a point is not taken into consideration, the connecting member may be configured to be directly connected to the protection body portion (the portion of the airbag that protects the occupant when inflation is completed). Furthermore, the present invention can of course also be applied to airbags of a type in which the conduit portion is not disposed on the underside of the protective main body portion, and when an airbag of this configuration is used, the connecting member is directly connected to the protective main body portion (the portion of the airbag that protects the occupant when inflation is complete).

[0030] In the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the tether portion 47 as a connecting member is long and has a length dimension that is approximately the same as the length dimension of the belt loop portion 45, and the edge portion 47a is sewn (connected) at a position that is approximately the center between the front and rear of the belt loop portion 45 in a flatly unfolded state, but the shape and arrangement of the tether portion (connecting member) are not limited to the embodiment. For example, the edge portion of the tether portion may be connected to the front edge side or the rear edge side of the belt loop portion in a flatly unfolded state. In addition, the tether portion may be configured to be arranged at multiple locations, such as both edges and a middle portion in the length direction of the belt loop portion, so as to be approximately aligned in the width direction of the belt loop portion. In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing bulkiness and arranging it compactly when mounted on the seat, it is preferable to use a tether portion configured so that the connecting portion to be connected to the belt loop portion or the bag body is approximately aligned in the length direction of the belt loop portion, i.e., the length direction of the belt body. In addition, by forming the tether portion 47 in a long shape that is approximately aligned along the length of the belt main body 8, the separation state between the bag main body 26 (main body side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37) and the lap belt 10 can be stably maintained over a wide range (over the entire length of the belt loop portion 45 in the embodiment) on the lengthwise side (left and right sides) of the lap belt 10 when the airbag 25 is fully inflated. From this viewpoint, it is preferable to use a tether portion that is approximately aligned along the length of the belt main body. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the tether portion (connecting member) is made of the same base material (flexible woven fabric) as the base material constituting the airbag, but the material and shape of the connecting member are not limited to the embodiment. For example, the connecting member may be a flexible string-like body made of a material different from the base material constituting the airbag, or a string made of an elastic material such as a spring-like elastic body or a rubber-like elastic body. Of course, such a connecting member can be provided at one or more locations.

[0031] 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 used in a state where it is moved relative to the vehicle by sliding it significantly back and forth or rotating it, 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. In the embodiment of the occupant protection device S, although the airbag 25 is held by the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7, the inflator 17 operates with a delay (about 5 ms) from the operation of the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7, so that the airbag 25 can be inflated while the seat belt 7 keeps the occupant MP stably seated in the seat 1, and the airbag 25 and the seat belt 7 can provide stable protection for the occupant MP.

[0032] In addition, in the embodiment, the passenger protection device S in which the airbag 25 is arranged on the lap belt 10 is taken as an example and described, but the passenger protection device to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the embodiment. The present invention can also be applied to a passenger protection device in which the airbag is arranged on a shoulder belt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1...seat, 7...seat belt, 8...belt body, 10...lap belt, 17...inflator, 25...airbag, 26...bag body, 45...belt loop portion, 47...tether portion (connecting member), MP...occupant, MW...waist, S...occupant protection device.

Claims

1. Installed in the vehicle seat, Seat belt and An inflator, an airbag configured to be attached to a belt body of the seat belt in a folded state, and to be inflated to protect an occupant seated in the seat by allowing inflation gas discharged from the inflator to flow therein and projecting forward when the inflator is activated; In a passenger protection device having a configuration comprising: The passenger protection device, wherein the airbag is attached to the belt body via a connecting member.

2. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is disposed in a lap belt of the seat belt, which, when worn, restrains the waist of an occupant seated in the seat.

3. The airbag is configured to include a bag body that is inflated by flowing inflation gas therein, and a belt loop portion through which the belt body can be inserted, 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is disposed so as to connect the bag body and the belt loop portion.

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