Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device which can inhibit a conduit pipe part of an airbag from being sandwiched by a door of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device 10 includes: a seat 1; a seat belt 11 having a lap belt part 13 configured to restrain a waist part MW of an occupant M seated on the seat 1; an inflator 24 which discharges an expansion gas; and an airbag 30 provided at the lap belt part 13. An intermediate part 30b4, located between a connection part of a conduit pipe part 30b of the airbag 30 connected with a bag main part 30a and a connection part of the conduit pipe part 30b connected with the inflator 24, is fixed to a side cover 1c of the seat 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A seat belt that restrains an occupant in a seat has been widely known as an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant. Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which an airbag is provided in a lap belt portion of the seat belt that restrains the occupant's waist, and the airbag catches and protects the occupant.

[0003] The airbag described in Patent Document 1 has a bag main body portion that inflates when inflation gas is supplied to it and supports the occupant, and a conduit portion that is connected to an inflator and guides the inflation gas released from the inflator into the bag main body portion, causing the inflation gas to flow into the bag main body portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-66425 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, one longitudinal end of the conduit is connected to and fixed to the inflator, and the other end is connected to and fixed to the bag body, but the middle portion between them is not fixed anywhere, which means that the middle portion of the conduit hangs down toward the vehicle door and may be pinched and damaged when the door is opened or closed.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an occupant protection device that can prevent the conduit portion of the airbag from being caught in the vehicle door. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A typical configuration of an occupant protection device according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is an occupant protection device for protecting a vehicle occupant, comprising: a seat having a backrest portion, a seat portion, and side covers arranged between a door of the vehicle and the seat portion and covering the sides of the seat portion; a seat belt having a lap belt portion configured to restrain the waist of an occupant seated in the seat; an inflator that releases inflation gas; an airbag provided on the lap belt portion, the airbag having a bag main body portion that is inflated when the inflation gas is supplied to it and that receives the occupant; and a conduit portion having one end connected to the inflator and the other end connected to the bag main body portion, and that guides the inflation gas released from the inflator into the bag main body portion and causes the inflation gas to flow into the bag main body portion, wherein an intermediate portion of the conduit portion between the connection portion with the bag main body and the connection portion with the inflator is fixed to the side cover.

[0008] According to the present invention, in an occupant protection device, it is possible to prevent the conduit portion of the airbag from being caught in the vehicle door. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat mounted in a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the seat with the airbag inflated. [Figure 6] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bag assembly taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bag assembly in an inflated state, as viewed from below. [Figure 8]10 is a schematic perspective view of the left side of the seat side cover with the lid portion removed. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic perspective view of the left side of the airbag conduit and the seat side cover. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An occupant protection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, and the like of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the left-right direction refers to the left and right directions of the seat 1 of the vehicle 50, specifically the left and right directions as seen from the perspective of an occupant M seated in the seat 1. The front-rear direction refers to the front and rear directions of the seat 1, specifically the front and rear directions as seen from the perspective of an occupant M seated in the seat 1. The up-down direction refers to the up and down directions in the vertical direction.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat 1 mounted on a vehicle 50. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat 1. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the seat 1. FIG. 4 is a front view of the seat 1, showing an occupant M seated in the seat 1 and fastening a seat belt 11, and an airbag 30 in an inflated state, indicated by a two-dot chain line. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the seat 1 with the airbag 30 inflated, showing an occupant M seated in the seat 1 and fastening a seat belt 11, indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0012] 1 to 5, the occupant protection device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 50 and protects an occupant M riding in the vehicle 50. The occupant protection device 10 includes a seat 1, a seat belt 11, a bag assembly 29 having an airbag 30, and an inflator 24 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 30.

[0013] The seat 1 of this embodiment is disposed on the left side of the vehicle 50. The seat 1 includes a backrest 1a that supports the back of the occupant M, a seating portion 1b that supports the buttocks of the occupant M, and a side cover 1c that covers the left side of the seating portion 1b. The backrest 1a is composed of a backrest frame 1z1 that is part of the frame 1z of the seat 1, and a cushioning material 1a1 that is attached to the backrest frame 1z1 with bolts (not shown). A headrest 1a2 is attached to the upper part of the backrest 1a.

[0014] The seat 1b is made up of a seat frame 1z2, which is part of the frame 1z, and a cushioning material 1b1 attached to the seat frame 1z2 with bolts (not shown). The frame 1z is made of metal and is made up of a back frame 1z1, a seat frame 1z2, and a connecting shaft 1z3 that connects the back frame 1z1 and the seat frame 1z2.

[0015] The side cover 1c is a resin member that is attached to the left side surface 1z2a of the seat frame 1z2 to enhance the design by minimizing exposure of the seat frame 1z2. A right side surface 1c1 of the side cover 1c has multiple protrusions (not shown) that protrude to the right, and the side cover 1c is attached to the seat frame 1z2 by fitting these multiple protrusions into multiple fitting holes (not shown) formed on the left side surface 1z2a of the seat frame 1z2.

[0016] In this embodiment, the side cover 1c covers a portion of the left side surface 1z2a of the seat frame 1z2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The side cover 1c may cover the entire left side surface 1z2a of the seat frame 1z2 or may also cover the cushioning material 1b1 attached to the seat frame 1z2. That is, the side cover 1c only needs to cover at least a portion of the left side surface of the seat 1b. Furthermore, since the seat 1 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle 50 as described above, when the side cover 1c is attached to the seat frame 1z2, the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c faces the left door 50a of the vehicle 50. In other words, the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c is the portion facing the door 50a of the vehicle 50 and is also the outer periphery of the side cover 1c. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the side cover 1c is attached only to the left side surface of the seat 1b, which is the side surface of the seat 1b facing the door 50a. However, the side cover 1c may also be attached to both side surfaces of the seat 1b.

[0017] The seat belt 11 is a belt-shaped member that restrains the occupant M to the seat 1. The seat belt 11 is configured to be retractable from a retraction mechanism 15 provided inside the backrest 1a near the upper left edge. The lower end of the seat belt 11 is fixed to an anchor member 17 attached to the side cover 1c. A tongue 20 is provided in the middle of the seat belt 11. The tongue 20 is fastened to a buckle 19 provided on the right side of the bottom portion 1b of the seat 1. When the occupant M is seated in the seat 1 and the tongue 20 is fastened to the buckle 19, the seat belt 11 is fastened to the occupant M.

[0018] The seat belt 11 when worn by the occupant M includes a shoulder belt portion 12 that extends from the tongue 20 toward the retraction mechanism 15, is positioned in front of the upper body MU of the occupant M, and is configured to restrain the upper body MU of the occupant M, and a lap belt portion 13 that extends from the tongue 20 toward the anchor member 17, is positioned in front of the waist MW of the occupant M, and is configured to restrain the waist MW. The occupant M can release the fastening state of the tongue 20 with respect to the buckle 19 and remove the tongue 20 from the buckle 19 by pressing a release button (not shown) provided on the buckle 19.

[0019] The retraction mechanism 15 has a pretensioner mechanism 16 configured to stop the seat belt 11 from being pulled out suddenly, and to retract the pulled-out seat belt 11 in the event of a collision of the vehicle 50. The pretensioner mechanism 16 activates a built-in gas generator to rotate the shaft around which the seat belt 11 is wound, thereby retracting the seat belt 11 instantly.

[0020] The inflator 24 is composed of an inflator body 25 that releases inflation gas and a pipe portion 26 that guides the inflation gas released from the inflator body 25 to the airbag 30. The inflator body 25 is attached to the back (rear surface) of the sitting portion 1b of the seat 1, specifically to the lower part of the back surface of a seat frame 1z2 that is part of the sitting portion 1b. The pipe portion 26 extends from the inflator body 25 and is bent in a substantially L-shape so as to run from the back surface of the sitting portion frame 1z2 along the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c.

[0021] The bag assembly 29 is composed of an airbag 30 having a bag main body 30a and a conduit 30b, a bag connecting portion 52 that connects the airbag 30 to the lap belt portion 13, and an airbag cover 59. The bag main body 30a is folded and housed inside the airbag cover 59 before inflation gas is supplied from the inflator 24. The conduit 30b of the airbag 30 is connected to the pipe 26 of the inflator 24 and the bag main body 30a, respectively, and guides inflation gas released from the inflator 24 to the bag main body 30a. A base end 30b2, which is one longitudinal end of the conduit 30b of the airbag 30, and the pipe 26 of the inflator 24 are connected by fastening with a clamp 27. The configuration of each member that constitutes the bag assembly 29 will be described in detail below.

[0022] Next, the protective operation of the occupant protection device 10 for the occupant M will be described. First, when the vehicle 50 collides, the pretensioner mechanism 16 of the retraction mechanism 15 is activated, and the seat belt 11 is retracted to stabilize the seating position of the occupant M in the seat 1. As a result, the lap belt portion 13 of the seat belt 11 is retracted toward the tongue 20, and the shoulder belt portion 12 connected to the lap belt portion 13 is retracted toward the shoulder of the occupant M.

[0023] Next, the inflator 24 is activated, and inflation gas is supplied from the inflator body 25 through the pipe 26 and the conduit 30b of the airbag 30 to the bag body 30a. This causes the bag body 30a to inflate. Thereafter, the upper body MU of the occupant M, which moves forward due to the impact of the collision of the vehicle 50, is received by the bag body 30a. In this way, the occupant protection device 10 protects the occupant M.

[0024] Next, we will explain the components that make up the bag assembly 29. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bag assembly 29 taken along the line AA shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bag assembly 29 seen from below with the airbag 30 inflated, with the airbag cover 59 omitted.

[0025] 6 and 7, the airbag 30 is composed of a bag main body 30a that is inflated by the supply of inflation gas to receive the occupant M, and a conduit 30b that is connected to the pipe 26 of the inflator 24 and guides the inflation gas released from the inflator 24 to an inlet 30a3a of the bag main body 30a, allowing the inflation gas to flow into the bag main body 30a. The bag main body 30a and the conduit 30b are formed from a bag base fabric, which is a woven fabric formed by plain weaving polyester fibers or the like. A longitudinal tip 30b3 of the conduit 30b is connected to the bag main body 30a by stitching.

[0026] When fully inflated, the bag main body 30a is positioned directly in front of and facing the occupant M, and has a rear wall 30a1 that comes into contact with and receives the upper body MU of the occupant M as he moves forward, a front wall 30a2 that is positioned on the front side opposite the rear wall 30a1, a lower wall 30a3 that is positioned below and is supported by the thighs of the occupant M, and a left wall 30a4 and a right wall 30a5 that are positioned on the left and right sides, respectively. The lower wall 30a3 of the bag main body 30a is provided with two inlets 30a3a that are openings for allowing the inflation gas in the conduit 30b to flow in.

[0027] As described above, conduit 30b is a tubular member that is connected to pipe 26 of inflator 24 and bag body 30a, respectively, and extends along the longitudinal direction of lap belt 13. Conduit 30b has communication port 30b1 that communicates with inlet 30a3a of bag body 30a. Inflation gas inside conduit 30b flows into bag body 30a via communication port 30b1 and inlet 30a3a.

[0028] The bag connecting portion 52 is a tubular member made of the same material as the bag base fabric that forms the airbag 30, and connects the airbag 30 to the lap belt portion 13. The upper surface of the bag connecting portion 52 and the lower surface of the conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30 are connected by stitching. The space inside the tube of the bag connecting portion 52 serves as a belt insertion portion 52a through which the lap belt portion 13 is inserted. The airbag 30 is connected to the lap belt portion 13 via the bag connecting portion 52 by inserting the lap belt portion 13 into the belt insertion portion 52a.

[0029] The airbag cover 59 is a cylindrical member attached to the lap belt portion 13, and houses within the cylindrical interior the entire bag main body portion 30a of the airbag 30 in a folded state, part of the conduit portion 30b, the bag connecting portion 52, and part of the lap belt portion 13. When the bag main body portion 30a inflates, the airbag cover 59 receives pressure from the bag main body portion 30a and breaks to form an opening, through which the bag main body portion 30a is unfolded.

[0030] Next, a method for fixing the conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30 will be described. As described above, the base end 30b2 of the conduit portion 30b is connected to and fixed with the pipe portion 26 of the inflator 24, and the tip end 30b3 is connected to and fixed with the bag main body 30a. Below, a method for fixing the intermediate portion 30b4 of the conduit portion 30b between the tip end 30b3 and the base end 30b2, in other words, the intermediate portion 30b4 between the connection portion of the conduit portion 30b with the inflator 24 and the connection portion of the bag main body 30a, will be described.

[0031] Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c of the seat 1, showing a state in which a lid portion 1c2b (described later) has been removed. In Fig. 8, the conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 8, the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c has a recess 1c2a recessed toward the seat bottom 1b, and a rectangular parallelepiped lid portion 1c2b covering the opening of the recess 1c2a from the side. The inner wall 1c2a1 forming the recess 1c2a is curved. In this embodiment, the seat 1 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle 50, so the recess 1c2a is recessed to the right from the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c. As described above, the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c faces the left door 50a of the vehicle 50, so the recess 1c2a is recessed away from the left door 50a of the vehicle 50. The lid portion 1c2b covers the opening of the recess 1c2a from the left, i.e., from the door 50a side.

[0033] Four screw holes 1c2c are formed around the recess 1c2a on the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c. Similarly, four screw holes 1c2b1 are formed in the lid portion 1c2b. The lid portion 1c2b is attached to the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c by inserting screws 4 into the screw holes 1c2c and 1c2b1 and fastening them while the lid portion 1c2b is positioned to the side of the opening of the recess 1c2a.

[0034] Furthermore, a portion of intermediate portion 30b4 of conduit 30b of airbag 30 is housed within recess 1c2a. After part of intermediate portion 30b4 of conduit 30b is housed within recess 1c2a when lid 1c2b is removed, lid 1c2b is attached to side cover 1c, thereby fixing the portion within recess 1c2a of side cover 1c. Note that the spatial volume of recess 1c2a when lid 1c2b is attached is set to be larger than the volume of the portion of conduit 30b housed in recess 1c2a at maximum inflation due to the inflow of inflation gas. The volume of conduit 30b here refers to the volume including not only the volume of the base fabric portion that forms conduit 30b, but also the spatial volume inside the cylindrical conduit 30b.

[0035] Fixing the middle portion 30b4 of the conduit 30b to the side cover 1c in this manner has the following effect: If the middle portion 30b4 of the conduit 30b is not fixed and hangs down toward the door 50a of the vehicle 50, the middle portion 30b4 may be pinched and damaged by the door 50a when the door 50a is opened or closed. If the conduit 30b is repeatedly pinched by the door 50a and damage accumulates, the conduit 30b may be unable to withstand the pressure of the inflation gas when the inflator 24 is activated and may break, preventing inflation gas from being supplied to the bag main body 30a.

[0036] In contrast, in the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the middle portion 30b4 of the conduit portion 30b is fixed to the side cover 1c. This prevents the conduit portion 30b from sagging toward the door 50a and from being pinched by the door 50a. This prevents the conduit portion 30b from being damaged and from being broken by the pressure of the inflation gas, allowing for a stable supply of inflation gas to the bag main body 30a.

[0037] The recess 1c2a to which the conduit 30b is fixed is formed on the left side surface 1c2, which is the outer periphery of the side cover 1c that faces the door 50a of the vehicle 50. Therefore, the conduit 30b can be stored in the recess 1c2a without removing the side cover 1c from the seat frame 1z2, and therefore the conduit 30b can be easily fixed to the side cover 1c.

[0038] Furthermore, the opening of recess 1c2a is covered by lid 1c2b from the door 50a side of vehicle 50. This prevents a portion of conduit 30b fixed in recess 1c2a from protruding beyond door 50a. Furthermore, because the portion of conduit 30b housed in recess 1c2a is not exposed to the outside, it is possible to prevent conduit 30b in recess 1c2a from being damaged by contact with an external object, for example.

[0039] As described above, the spatial volume of recess 1c2a with lid 1c2b attached is set to be larger than the volume of the portion of conduit 30b housed in recess 1c2a at maximum inflation. This configuration prevents inner wall 1c2a1 of recess 1c2a and lid 1c2b from interfering with the inflation of conduit 30b when inflator 24 is activated and conduit 30b is inflated.

[0040] Furthermore, although the present embodiment describes a configuration in which the conduit portion 30b is housed within the recess 1c2a, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the conduit portion 30b does not necessarily need to be housed within the recess 1c2a as long as it is fixed to the side cover 1c. It may simply be fixed to the left side surface 1c2 of the side cover 1c with a bolt or the like. However, housing the conduit portion 30b within the recess 1c2a as in the present embodiment is preferable because it prevents the conduit portion 30b from protruding outward from the side cover 1c. This prevents the occupant M from getting caught on the conduit portion 30b and prevents the door 50a or the like from contacting the conduit portion 30b and damaging the conduit portion 30b during a side collision of the vehicle 50.

[0041] Although the present embodiment describes a configuration in which the conduit portion 30b is secured to the side cover 1c by storing the conduit portion 30b in the recess 1c2a and attaching the lid portion 1c2b, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, the method of securing the conduit portion 30b in the recess 1c2a is not limited to this, and other methods may be used to secure the conduit portion 30b. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the conduit portion 30b may be covered with a highly rigid cover member 35 and then fitted into the recess 1c2a to secure the conduit portion 30b to the recess 1c2a, thereby achieving the same effect. For example, a method of fitting the cover member 35 into the recess 1c2a may be employed in which the cover member 35 is provided with a claw portion 35a and a fitting hole 1c2d into which the claw portion 35a fits is provided in the inner wall 1c2a1 of the recess 1c2a.

[0042] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described as a configuration in which base end 30b2 of conduit 30b and pipe portion 26 of inflator 24 are connected by clamp 27 outside recess 1c2a, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect as described above can be obtained by connecting conduit 30b and pipe portion 26 of inflator 24 inside recess 1c2a, and storing both the connection portion of conduit 30b with inflator 24 and intermediate portion 30b4 of conduit 30b within recess 1c2a.

[0043] In addition, in this embodiment, the occupant protection device 10 has been described using as an example a so-called three-point seat belt 11 in which the seat belt 11 has the shoulder belt portion 12 and the lap belt portion 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, even if the present invention is applied to a so-called two-point seat belt 11 in which the seat belt 11 does not have the shoulder belt portion 12 but has the lap belt portion 13, the same effects as those described above can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1...seat, 1a...backrest portion, 1b...seat portion, 1c...side cover, 1c2...left side surface (opposing portion), 1c2a...recess, 1c2b...lid portion, 10...occupant protection device, 11...seat belt, 13...lap belt portion, 24...inflator, 30...airbag, 30a...bag main body portion, 30b...conduit portion, 30b2...base end portion, 30b3...tip portion, 30b4...middle portion, 50...vehicle, 50a...door, M...occupant, MW...waist portion

Claims

1. An occupant protection device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle, a seat including a backrest, a seat portion, and a side cover disposed between a door of the vehicle and the seat portion and covering a side surface of the seat portion; a seat belt having a lap belt portion configured to restrain the waist of an occupant seated in the seat; an inflator that releases inflation gas; an airbag provided on the lap belt portion, the airbag having a bag main body that is inflated by being supplied with inflation gas to receive an occupant, and a conduit having one end connected to the inflator and the other end connected to the bag main body, for guiding the inflation gas released from the inflator into the bag main body and allowing the inflation gas to flow into the bag main body; Equipped with The occupant protection device is characterized in that an intermediate portion of the conduit between a connection portion with the bag body and a connection portion with the inflator is fixed to the side cover.

2. The side cover includes a recess that is recessed from a portion facing the door toward the seat portion, 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the conduit portion is housed in the recess.

3. 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 2, wherein the side cover includes a lid portion that covers the opening of the recess from the door side.

4. 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 2, wherein the conduit portion is fixed to the side cover by fitting into the recess.

5. 5. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the inflator is fixed to a back surface of the seat.

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