Air bag device

Abstract

To provide an air bag device that includes an air bag disposed between two adjacent seats when inflation is completed and can prevent a positional relation between an occupant's head and the air bag from shifting by a tether.SOLUTION: An air bag device 10 includes: an air bag 11; an inflator 12; and a tether 15 that regulates a position of the air bag 11 when inflation is completed, the tether 15 including one end portion 15a connected to the air bag 11 and the other end portion 15b connected to a seat 52 at a position below a connection portion between the tether 15 and the air bag 11. A front end portion 15a1x of a bag connection portion 15a1 of the tether 15, which is the connection portion with the air bag 11, is arranged at the same position as a front end portion 15b2x of a seat connection portion 15b1, which is the connection portion with the seat 52, or is arranged at a rear side of the front end portion 15b2x in a front-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an airbag device that is mounted on a vehicle seat and that catches and protects an occupant seated in the seat with an airbag when a side impact is applied to the vehicle, as in the configuration described in Patent Document 1. This airbag inflates so as to extend forward from the seat when a side impact is applied to the vehicle, and is positioned between two adjacent seats in the left-right direction to catch and protect an occupant who moves sideways from the seat.

[0003] The airbag device described in Patent Document 1 also has a tether connected to the outer periphery of the airbag to regulate the position of the airbag when it is fully inflated. One end of the tether is connected to the airbag, and the other end is connected to a holding member that holds the tether. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-111269 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the connection between the tether and the airbag is located forward and above the connection between the other end of the tether and the retaining member, so that the tension of the tether acts to pull the connection between the airbag and the tether rearward and downward when the airbag is inflated.

[0006] When the airbag is pulled backward and downward by the tether in this way, there is a possibility that the airbag may bend backward and downward during the process from the start to the completion of inflation, which may cause the positional relationship between the occupant's head and the airbag to shift, resulting in the airbag not properly receiving the head of an occupant who has a high protection priority.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that includes an airbag that is positioned between two adjacent seats when inflation is complete, and that can prevent the positional relationship between the occupant's head and the airbag from shifting using a tether. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A typical configuration of the airbag device of the present invention for solving the above problem is an airbag device mounted on a vehicle having a first seat and a second seat arranged adjacent to the first seat in the left-right direction, comprising: an airbag that is folded and stored in the first seat, inflated and extended forward when inflation gas is supplied, and positioned between the first seat and the second seat when inflation is complete; an inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the airbag; and a tether that regulates the position of the airbag when inflation is complete, the tether having one end connected to the airbag and the other end connected to the first seat at a position below the connection between the tether and the airbag, and wherein a front end of the connection between the tether and the airbag is positioned at the same position as or rearward of a front end of the connection between the tether and the first seat in the front-to-rear direction.

[0009] According to the present invention, in an airbag device having an airbag that is disposed between two adjacent seats when inflation is complete, the tether can prevent the positional relationship between the occupant's head and the airbag from shifting. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a right side view of a seat equipped with an airbag device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an airbag device and a seat. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the seat with the airbag inflated. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat with the airbag inflated, as viewed from the right. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat with the airbag inflated, as viewed from the left. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a development view of an airbag with a tether attached. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle with an inflated airbag. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat with the airbag inflated, as viewed from the right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An airbag device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle 50 equipped with the airbag device 10, with occupants M1 and M2 seated in seats 52 and 53 of the vehicle 50 indicated by two-dot chain lines. Fig. 2 is a right side view of the seat 52 equipped with the airbag device 10, with occupant M1 indicated by two-dot chain lines. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device 10 and the seat 52 taken along the line AA shown in Fig. 2.

[0012] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the left-right direction refers to the left and right directions relative to the vehicle 50, specifically the width direction of the vehicle 50. The front-rear direction refers to the front and rear directions relative to the vehicle 50, specifically the front and rear directions when the vehicle 50 is traveling straight. The up-down direction refers to the up and down directions in the vertical direction. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to only those.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 50 has door sections 51a and 51b on one and the other of its left and right sides, which are used by occupants M1 and M2 to get in and out of the vehicle 50. Side windows 55a and 55b are provided at the top of each door section 51a and 51b. Inside the vehicle 50, seats 52 and 53 (first and second seats) are provided side by side in the left and right direction. In this embodiment, the seat 52 is a passenger seat, and the seat 53 is a driver's seat. An airbag device 10 is mounted on each of the seats 52 and 53.

[0014] The seats 52 and 53 have the same configuration except that the mounting positions of the airbag devices 10 are symmetrical. The airbag devices 10 mounted on the seats 52 and 53 are also the same except that they are symmetrical. Therefore, in the following explanation, the seat 52 and the airbag device 10 mounted on the seat 52 will be described, and an explanation of the seat 53 and the airbag device 10 mounted on the seat 53 will be omitted.

[0015] 2 and 3, the seat 52 includes a backrest 52a that contacts the back of the occupant M1 and supports the upper half of the occupant M1's body, a seat portion 52b that contacts the buttocks of the occupant M1 and supports the lower half of the occupant M1's body, and a headrest 52c that contacts the back of the occupant M1's head and supports the occupant M1's head. The backrest 52a is composed of a frame 52a1 made of sheet metal and a cushioning material 52a2 attached to the frame 52a1. The headrest 52c is attached to the top of the backrest 52a by inserting legs 52c1 into sockets (not shown) formed in the frame 52a1 of the backrest 52a.

[0016] The airbag device 10 includes an airbag 11, a tether 15 connected to the airbag 11 and regulating the position of the airbag 11 when fully inflated, an inflator 12 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 11, and a retainer 13 that secures the airbag 11 and the inflator 12 to a frame 52a1 of the backrest 52a. The airbag device 10 also includes a control device 18 that controls the operation of the inflator 12, and an acceleration sensor 19 electrically connected to the control device 18.

[0017] Acceleration sensor 19 is attached to door portions 51 a, 51 b of vehicle 50 and detects, as acceleration, an impact applied to door portions 51 a, 51 b due to a side collision of vehicle 50, etc. Control device 18 is provided inside vehicle 50 and transmits an activation signal to inflator 12 to activate inflator 12 in accordance with the detection result of acceleration sensor 19.

[0018] The inflator 12 is a cylindrical member that generates inflation gas when activated, and has an outlet 12a at its top for discharging the generated inflation gas. The portion of the inflator 12 where the outlet 12a is formed is located inside the airbag 11. The inflator 12 is electrically connected to a control device 18 via lead wires 17, and is activated when it receives an activation signal from the control device 18.

[0019] The airbag 11 is stored in a folded state inside the seat 52. Specifically, the airbag 11 is fixed to a frame 52a1 of the backrest 52a. An opening 11h is provided at the lower end of the airbag 11, through which a portion of the inflator 12 having a discharge port 12a formed therein is inserted. The airbag 11 is inflated by the supply of inflation gas from the inflator 12, rupturing the cushioning material 52a2 of the seat 52 and being extended to the outside of the seat 52. Note that a restraint 16 is wrapped around the airbag 11 in the folded state to prevent the airbag 11 from collapsing, but the restraint 16 detaches from the airbag 11 as the airbag 11 inflates. The configuration of the airbag 11 when inflation is complete and its relationship with the tether 15 will be described later.

[0020] The retainer 13 is disposed inside the airbag 11 and includes a cylindrical holding portion 13a that holds the inflator 12 so as to cover the outer periphery of the inflator 12, and a bolt portion 13b that extends from the holding portion 13a toward the frame 52a1 of the backrest 52a. The bolt portion 13b is inserted into a screw hole (not shown) in the airbag 11 and a screw hole (not shown) in the frame 52a1, and a nut 82 is fastened to the bolt portion 13b. This fixes the airbag 11 and the inflator 12 to the frame 52a1 of the backrest 52a via the retainer 13.

[0021] Next, the configuration of the airbag 11 and tether 15 when inflation is complete will be described. Fig. 4 is a right side view of the seat 52 with the airbag 11 inflated, with the occupant M1 indicated by a two-dot chain line. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the seat 52 with the airbag 11 inflated, as seen from the right and left, respectively. Fig. 7 is a development view of the airbag 11 with the tether 15 attached.

[0022] 4 to 6, the airbag 11 at full inflation includes a side wall portion 11a disposed between the seats 52 and 53 in the left-right direction, and an upper wall portion 11b extending from the side wall portion 11a in the left-right direction and covering a portion of the backrest portion 52a and a portion of the seat portion 52b from above. The side wall portion 11a is composed of an inner wall portion 11a1 disposed on the side of the occupant M1 and an outer wall portion 11a2 opposed to the inner wall portion 11a1 and disposed on the side opposite the occupant M1. The upper wall portion 11b is composed of an inner wall portion 11b1 disposed on the side of the occupant M1 and an outer wall portion 11b2 opposed to the inner wall portion 11b1 and disposed on the side opposite the occupant M1.

[0023] Furthermore, one longitudinal end 15a of a strip-shaped tether 15 is sewn to the vicinity of the center of the inner wall portion 11b1 of the upper wall portion 11b of the airbag 11. Here, the one end 15a refers to the area surrounding one longitudinal end of the tether 15. The tether 15 is formed of a flexible strip-shaped woven fabric, and determines the position of the upper wall portion 11b of the airbag 11 by tension when the airbag 11 is fully inflated. The other longitudinal end 15b of the tether 15 is connected to a frame 52a1 of the backrest 52a of the seat 52. Specifically, a screw hole 15h (FIG. 7) is formed in the other end 15b of the tether 15. A bolt 31 is inserted through the screw hole 15h and a screw hole (not shown) formed in the frame 52a1, and a nut 32 is fastened to connect the other end 15b of the tether 15 to the frame 52a1. The other end 15b here refers to the area surrounding the other longitudinal end of tether 15. Note that the other end 15b of tether 15 may be connected to frame 52a1 by other methods such as crimping.

[0024] Here, the portion of one end 15a of the tether 15 that is connected to the airbag 11 is referred to as a bag connecting portion 15a1 (connecting portion). In this embodiment, almost the entire widthwise area of ​​one end 15a of the tether 15 is sewn to the airbag 11, and therefore almost the entire widthwise area of ​​the one end 15a is the bag connecting portion 15a1. One end 15a of the tether 15 may be connected to the airbag 11 over only a portion of its widthwise area. Also, one end 15a of the tether 15 may be connected to the airbag 11 by a method other than sewing, such as with a bolt or by crimping.

[0025] Furthermore, the portion of the other end 15b of the tether 15 that is connected to the seat 52 is referred to as a seat connecting portion 15b1 (connecting portion). In this embodiment, the seat connecting portion 15b1 is a portion of the other end 15b of the tether 15 that is fixed by the bolt 31. The bag connecting portion 15a1 is disposed above an upper end 52au of the backrest portion 52a, and the seat connecting portion 15b1 is disposed below the upper end 52au. Furthermore, when the airbag 11 is fully inflated, a front end 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1 is disposed rearward of a front end 15b1x of the seat connecting portion 15b1 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the airbag 11 is fully inflated, the tether 15 is disposed so as to extend upward and rearward from the other end 15b to one end 15a when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0026] The airbag 11 is formed into a bag shape by sewing together the periphery of a piece of flexible woven fabric 80. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the airbag 11 is formed into a bag shape by sewing together a sewn portion 80a1 at the periphery of an inner wall forming portion 80a of the woven fabric 80, which forms the inner wall portion 11a1 of the side wall portion 11a and the inner wall portion 11b1 of the top wall portion 11b of the airbag 11, and a sewn portion 80b1 at the periphery of an outer wall forming portion 80b of the woven fabric 80, which forms the outer wall portion 11a2 of the side wall portion 11a and the outer wall portion 11b2 of the top wall portion 11b of the airbag 11. The inner wall forming portion 80a and the outer wall forming portion 80b have the same shape. Parts of the peripheries of the inner wall forming portion 80a and the outer wall forming portion 80b are unsewn portions 80a2, 80b2, and these unsewn portions 80a2, 80b2 form the opening 11h of the airbag 11.

[0027] Next, the operation of protecting the occupant M1 by the airbag device 10 will be described. First, when an impact is applied to the door portion 51b of the vehicle 50 due to a side collision or the like, the acceleration sensor 19 detects this impact as acceleration. If the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 19 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control device 18 sends an activation signal to the inflator 12. This activates the inflator 12, and inflation gas is supplied into the airbag 11, causing the airbag 11 to begin inflation.

[0028] When the airbag 11 begins to inflate, it first pressurizes the cushion material 52a2 of the backrest 52a of the seat 52, causing the cushion material 52a2 to rupture. Next, the airbag 11 extends forward from the ruptured portion and completes inflation as shown in FIG. 8. The airbag 11 that has completed inflation has the side wall portion 11a and the top wall portion 11b as described above, and covers the upper body of the occupant M1 seated in the seat 52 from the right and above. As a result, if the occupant M1 attempts to move toward the occupant M2 due to an impact applied to the door portion 51b of the vehicle 50, the occupant M1 is caught by the airbag 11, and is protected from coming into contact with the occupant M2 or the interior components of the vehicle 50 and being injured.

[0029] As described above, the front end 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1, which is the connecting portion of the tether 15 to the airbag 11, is located rearward in the front-to-rear direction from the front end 15b1x of the seat connecting portion 15b1, which is the connecting portion of the tether 15 to the seat 52. As a result, when the airbag 11 is inflated, the tension of the tether 15 is less likely to act to pull the connecting portion between the airbag 11 and the tether 15 rearward, and therefore the upper portion of the airbag 11, which inflates toward the front, is less likely to bend during the inflation process. Therefore, the airbag device 10 of this embodiment can prevent the positional relationship between the head of the occupant M1 and the airbag 11 from shifting during the inflation process of the airbag 11, making it easier for the airbag 11 to accurately receive the head of the occupant M1, which has a high protection priority.

[0030] Furthermore, the airbag 11 at the time of full inflation has a side wall portion 11a disposed between the seats 52 and 53 in the left-right direction, and an upper wall portion 11b extending in the left-right direction from the upper end of the side wall portion 11a so as to cover a portion of the backrest portion 52a from above. This reduces the distance between the airbag 11 and the head of the occupant M1 compared to a configuration in which the airbag 11 does not have the upper wall portion 11b, allowing the airbag 11 to more accurately receive the head of the occupant M1. Note that the upper wall portion 11b may be configured to cover the entire backrest portion 52a from above. If this point is not taken into consideration, the airbag 11 may be configured without the upper wall portion 11b.

[0031] Furthermore, when the airbag 11 is fully inflated, the tether 15 is connected to the airbag 11 at a position above the upper end 52au of the backrest 52a of the seat 52. Specifically, in this embodiment, the airbag 11 has an upper wall 11b, and therefore the tether 15 is connected to the upper wall 11b of the airbag 11. This allows the tension of the tether 15 to act directly on the upper part of the airbag 11, i.e., the portion that receives the head of the occupant M1, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the portion of the airbag 11 that receives the head of the occupant M1.

[0032] In this embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the front end 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1 of the tether 15 is positioned rearward of the front end 15b1x of the seat connecting portion 15b1 of the tether 15. However, the same effect as above can also be achieved by a configuration in which the front end 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1 of the tether 15 is positioned at the same position in the front-rear direction as the front end 15b1x of the seat connecting portion 15b1 of the tether 15.

[0033] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described with respect to a configuration in which the other end 15b of the tether 15 is connected to the seat 52, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the tether may be connected to another member. That is, the same effect as described above can be obtained as long as the positional relationship between the front end 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1, which is the connecting portion of the tether 15 to the airbag 11, and the front end of the connecting portion of the other end 15b of the tether 15 to another member is as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the other end 15b of the tether 15 is connected by sewing or the like to a position lower than the connecting portion of the one end 15a of the tether 15 to the airbag 11. With respect to the upper end 52au of the backrest 52a, the one end 15a of the tether 15 is connected to the airbag 11 at a position above, and the other end 15b is connected to the airbag 11 at a position below. Here, the connecting portion between the other end 15b of the tether 15 and the airbag 11 is referred to as the bag connecting portion 15b2 (connecting portion). The front end 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1 of the tether 15 is located at the same position as or behind the front end 15b2x of the bag connecting portion 15b2 of the tether 15 in the front-rear direction. This provides the same effect as above.

[0034] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the airbag 11 is disposed between the seats 52 and 53 when fully inflated, thereby mainly preventing the occupants M1 and M2 seated on the seats 52 and 53 from colliding with each other. However, the airbag device 10 may be laterally reversed and disposed at the left end of the seat 52, and the airbag 11 when fully inflated may be disposed between the seat 52 and the door portion 51a or the side window 55a of the vehicle 50. This allows the airbag 11 to prevent the occupant M1 from colliding with the door portion 51a or the side window 55a. In this case, the same effect as above can be obtained by setting the positional relationship between the front end portion 15a1x of the bag connecting portion 15a1, which is the connecting portion of the tether 15 to the airbag 11, and the front end portion of the connecting portion of the other end portion 15b of the tether 15 to another member, as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10...airbag device, 11...airbag, 11a...side wall portion, 11b...upper wall portion, 12...inflator, 15...tether, 15a...one end portion, 15a1...bag connecting portion (connecting portion), 15a1x...front end portion, 15b...other end portion, 15b1...seat connecting portion (connecting portion), 15b1x...front end portion, 15b2...bag connecting portion (connecting portion), 15b2x...front end portion, 50...vehicle, 52...seat (first seat), 52a...backrest portion, 53...seat (second seat)

Claims

1. An airbag device mounted on a vehicle including a first seat and a second seat disposed adjacent to the first seat in the left-right direction, an airbag that is folded and stored in the first seat, that is inflated and extended forward when inflation gas is supplied thereto, and that is disposed between the first seat and the second seat when inflation is complete; an inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the airbag; a tether that restricts the position of the airbag when it is fully inflated, the tether having one end connected to the airbag and the other end connected to the first seat at a position below a connection point between the tether and the airbag; Equipped with an airbag device, wherein a front end of the tether's connecting portion to the airbag is located at the same position as or rearward of a front end of the tether's connecting portion to the first seat in the fore-and-aft direction.

2. 2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the tether is connected to the airbag at a position above a backrest of the first seat when the airbag is fully inflated.

3. 2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the tether is connected to an outer periphery of the airbag.

4. 4. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag, when fully inflated, comprises: a side wall portion disposed between the first seat and the second seat in the left-right direction; and an upper wall portion extending in the left-right direction from the side wall portion so as to cover at least a portion of an upper surface of a backrest portion of the first seat from above.

5. 5. The airbag device according to claim 4, wherein the one end of the tether is connected to the upper wall portion.

6. An airbag device mounted on a vehicle including a first seat and a second seat disposed adjacent to the first seat in the left-right direction, an airbag that is folded and stored in the first seat, that is inflated and extended forward when inflation gas is supplied thereto, and that is disposed between the first seat and the second seat when inflation is complete; an inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the airbag; a tether having one end and the other end connected to the airbag, the tether restricting the position of the airbag when the airbag is fully inflated, the other end connected to the airbag at a position lower than the one end; Equipped with a front end of a connection portion between the one end of the tether and the airbag is located at the same position as a front end of a connection portion between the other end of the tether and the airbag in the front-to-rear direction, or is located rearward of the front end.

7. 7. The airbag device according to claim 6, wherein the one end of the tether is connected to the airbag at a position above a backrest of the first seat when the airbag is fully inflated.

8. 7. The airbag device according to claim 6, wherein the one end of the tether is connected to an outer periphery of the airbag.

9. 9. The airbag device according to claim 6, wherein the airbag, when fully inflated, comprises: a side wall portion disposed between the first seat and the second seat in the left-right direction; and an upper wall portion extending in the left-right direction from the side wall portion so as to cover at least a portion of an upper surface of a backrest portion of the first seat from above.

10. 10. The airbag device according to claim 9, wherein the one end of the tether is connected to the upper wall portion.

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