Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device that can accurately receive an occupant with airbags provided on left and right armrests of a seat.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device 10 comprises a seat 1, an airbag 11 folded-back and stored in a left armrest 1d of the seat 1, and an airbag 12 folded-back and stored in a right armrest 1e of the seat 1. The left armrest 1d is configured to extend obliquely with respect to a longitudinal direction so that a front end part 1d3 is arranged closer to a right side than a rear end part 1d4 and not to rotate in a lateral direction, when being positioned at a use position P2. The right armrest 1e is configured to extend obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction so that a front end part 1e3 is arranged closer to a left side than a rear end part 1e4 and not to rotate in the lateral direction, when being positioned at the use position P2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an occupant protection device that includes airbags provided in the left and right armrests of a vehicle seat, and that catches and protects an occupant seated in the seat when an impact is applied to the vehicle, as in the configuration described in Patent Document 1. The airbags are inflated by the supply of inflation gas from an inflator, and are deployed toward the center of the seat in the left-right direction.

[0003] Patent Document 1 also describes a configuration in which the front ends of the left and right armrests are rotated left and right toward the center of the seat to form a V-shape, so that the front ends of the armrests are positioned in front of the occupant sitting in the seat, making it easier for the airbag to receive reaction force from the armrests. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-125944 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the armrest has a rotation shaft for rotating the front end of the armrest in the left-right direction. In this case, when a large forward load is applied by the occupant to the front end of the armrest via the airbag, the front end of the armrest rotates around this rotation shaft away from the center of the seat in the left-right direction, and there is a risk that the occupant may be thrown forward through a gap formed when the two airbags separate from each other.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an occupant protection device that can accurately catch an occupant using airbags provided in the left and right armrests of a seat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A representative configuration of an occupant protection device according to the present invention for solving the above problems includes a seat on which an occupant sits, the seat including a left armrest disposed on the left side of the seat and a right armrest disposed on the right side of the seat; a first airbag that is folded and stored in the left armrest and that is inflated and deployed to the right when inflation gas is supplied to it; a first inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the first airbag; and a second airbag that is folded and stored in the right armrest and that is inflated and deployed to the left when inflation gas is supplied to it, and that abuts against the first airbag to engage with the first airbag. The seat is also equipped with a second airbag that receives an occupant and a second inflator that releases inflation gas to be supplied to the second airbag, and the left armrest, when positioned in a usage position for placing the left arm of the occupant seated on the seat, extends in a direction inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that its front end is located to the right of its rear end, and is configured not to rotate left or right, and the right armrest, when positioned in a usage position for placing the right arm of the occupant seated on the seat, extends in a direction inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that its front end is located to the left of its rear end, and is configured not to rotate left or right.

[0008] According to the present invention, in the passenger protection device, the passenger can be properly supported by the airbags provided in the left and right armrests of the seat. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a left side view of a seat provided in a vehicle equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2]FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the seat with the airbag of the passenger protection device inflated. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the seat with the airbag inflated. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat with the airbag inflated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An occupant protection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The occupant protection device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 50 and protects an occupant M of the vehicle 50. Fig. 1 is a left side view of a seat 1 of the vehicle 50. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the seat 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the seat 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the seat 1. In Figs. 1 to 5, an occupant M seated in the seat 1 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Fig. 4 shows a state in which the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e of the seat 1 are positioned in a retracted position P1, which will be described later. Figs. 1 to 3 and 5 show a state in which the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e of the seat 1 are positioned in a use position P2, which will be described later.

[0011] 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 the 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 the occupant M seated in the seat 1. 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.

[0012] 1 to 5, an occupant protection device 10 includes a seat 1 provided inside a vehicle 50. The seat 1 includes a backrest 1a that contacts the back of an occupant M to support the upper half of the body of the occupant M, a seat portion 1b that contacts the buttocks of the occupant M to support the lower half of the body of the occupant M, a headrest 1c that contacts the back of the head of the occupant M to support the head of the occupant M, a left armrest 1d, and a right armrest 1e. The seat 1 also includes a seat belt 5 that restrains the occupant M to the seat 1.

[0013] The left armrest 1d is a member on which the left arm ML of the occupant M is placed, and has a support surface 1d1 on which the left arm ML is placed. The left armrest 1d has a shaft 1d2 arranged so that its rotation axis extends horizontally. The shaft 1d2 is pivotally supported on the left side surface 1a1 of the backrest 1a, thereby allowing the left armrest 1d to rotate about the shaft 1d2 in response to operation by the occupant M between a retracted position P1 retracted toward the backrest 1a (shown in FIG. 4) and a use position P2 (shown in FIG. 5) on which the left arm ML of the occupant M is placed. The left armrest 1d does not have any other rotation axis than the shaft 1d2, and is configured so that it cannot rotate except between the retracted position P1 and the use position P2. Therefore, when the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2, it is configured not to rotate left or right about the vertical axis. Note that "not rotating" here means that it does not rotate during normal use, and does not include rotation due to damage or the like.

[0014] When the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2, the support surface 1d1 is disposed approximately parallel to the seat surface 1b1 of the seat portion 1b near the abdomen of the occupant M. This makes it easy for the occupant M to place their left arm ML on the support surface 1d1. Furthermore, when the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2, it extends linearly in a direction inclined at an inclination angle θ1 with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that its front end 1d3 is located to the right of its rear end 1d4. In other words, when the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2, it extends linearly in a diagonally forward-right direction from rear to front. In this embodiment, the inclination angle θ1 is set to 12 degrees. This makes it easy for the front end 1d3 side of the left armrest 1d to be located in front of the occupant M seated in the seat 1. Furthermore, because the left armrest 1d extends in the inclined direction as described above, the left side surface 1a1 of the backrest portion 1a to which the left armrest 1d is attached is also inclined inward toward the front.

[0015] Furthermore, when the left armrest 1d is located in the retracted position P1, the left armrest 1d is positioned so that its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the left side surface 1a1 of the backrest 1a. This prevents the left armrest 1d from getting in the way of the occupant M when the occupant M sits in the seat 1. The retracted position P1 does not necessarily have to be the above-described position, but may be positioned at least closer to the left side surface 1a1 of the backrest 1a than when the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2. In other words, when the left armrest 1d is located in the retracted position P1, the left armrest 1d may be positioned so that the angle θ3 ( FIG. 5 ) formed between the longitudinal direction of the left armrest 1d and the left side surface 1a1 of the backrest 1a is smaller than when the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2. Furthermore, if ease of seating for the occupant M is not a consideration, the left armrest 1d may be configured to always be located in the use position P2 without rotating between the retracted position P1 and the use position P2.

[0016] The right armrest 1e is a member on which the right arm MR of the occupant M is placed, and has a support surface 1e1 on which the right arm MR is placed. The right armrest 1e is disposed symmetrically with the left armrest 1d with respect to the center of the seat 1 in the left-right direction, and is configured to be symmetrical, including its internal structure. That is, the right armrest 1e has a shaft 1e2 disposed so that its rotation axis extends horizontally, and the shaft 1e2 is pivotally supported on the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a, thereby rotatably supported on the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a. In response to operation by the occupant M, the right armrest 1e rotates about the shaft 1e2 between a retracted position P1, shown in FIG. 4, where it is retracted toward the backrest 1a, and an in-use position P2, shown in FIG. 5, on which the right armrest MR of the occupant M is placed. The right armrest 1e does not have any rotation axis other than the shaft 1e2, and is configured so that it cannot rotate except between the retracted position P1 and the use position P2. Therefore, when the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2, it is configured so that it cannot rotate left or right around the vertical axis. Note that "not rotatable" here means that it does not rotate during normal use, and does not include rotation due to damage, etc.

[0017] When the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2, the support surface 1e1 is disposed approximately parallel to the seat surface 1b1 of the seat portion 1b near the abdomen of the occupant M. This makes it easy for the occupant M to place their right arm MR on the support surface 1e1. Furthermore, when the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2, it extends linearly in a direction inclined at an inclination angle θ2 with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that its front end 1e3 is disposed to the left of its rear end 1e4. In other words, when the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2, it extends linearly in a diagonally forward-left direction from rear to front. In this embodiment, the inclination angle θ2 is set to 12 degrees. This makes it easy for the front end 1e3 side of the right armrest 1e to be disposed in front of the occupant M seated in the seat 1. Furthermore, because the right armrest 1e extends in the inclined direction as described above, the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a to which the right armrest 1e is attached is also inclined inward toward the front.

[0018] Furthermore, when the right armrest 1e is located in the retracted position P1, the right armrest 1e is positioned so that its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a. This prevents the right armrest 1e from getting in the way of the occupant M when the occupant M sits in the seat 1. The retracted position P1 does not necessarily have to be the above-described position, but may be positioned at least closer to the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a than when the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2. In other words, when the right armrest 1e is located in the retracted position P1, the right armrest 1e may be positioned so that the angle θ4 ( FIG. 5 ) formed between the longitudinal direction of the right armrest 1e and the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a is smaller than when the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2. Furthermore, if ease of seating for the occupant M is not a consideration, the right armrest 1e may be configured to always be located in the use position P2 without rotating between the retracted position P1 and the use position P2.

[0019] The seat belt 5 is configured to be retractable from a retracting mechanism (not shown) provided inside the seat back 1a near the upper left edge. The lower end of the seat belt 5 is a fixed end fixed to an anchor member 8 provided in the seat portion 1b. A tongue (not shown) is provided in the middle of the seat belt 5. The tongue is fastened to a buckle 9 provided on the right side of the seat portion 1b. When an occupant M is seated in the seat 1 and the tongue is fastened to the buckle 9, the seat belt 5 is fastened to the occupant M. When fastened to the occupant M, the seat belt 5 has a shoulder belt portion 6 that extends from the buckle 9 toward the retracting mechanism and is positioned in front of the occupant M's upper body to restrain the occupant M's upper body, and a lap belt portion 7 that extends from the buckle 9 toward the anchor member 8 and is positioned in front of the occupant M's waist to restrain the occupant M's waist.

[0020] The occupant protection device 10 also includes airbags 11 and 12, inflators 13 and 14 that release inflation gas supplied to these airbags 11 and 12, a control device 18 that controls the operation of the inflators 13 and 14, and an acceleration sensor 19 electrically connected to the control device 18.

[0021] The acceleration sensor 19 is attached to the periphery of a front bumper (not shown) of the vehicle 50. The control device 18 is provided inside the vehicle 50 and is electrically connected to the inflators 13, 14. The control device 18 transmits an activation signal to the inflators 13, 14 to activate the inflators 13, 14 when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 19 becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined value due to a collision of the vehicle 50 or the like.

[0022] The inflator 13 (first inflator) is a cylindrical member that generates inflation gas when activated and is housed inside the left armrest 1d. The inflator 13 has a discharge port 13a from which inflation gas is discharged. The portion of the inflator 13 where the discharge port 13a is formed is located inside the airbag 11. The inflator 13 is electrically connected to the control device 18 via lead wires 15 and is activated when it receives an activation signal from the control device 18.

[0023] The inflator 14 (second inflator) is a cylindrical member that generates inflation gas when activated and is housed inside the right armrest 1e. The inflator 14 has a discharge port 14a from which inflation gas is discharged. The portion of the inflator 14 where the discharge port 14a is formed is located inside the airbag 12. The inflator 14 is electrically connected to the control device 18 via lead wires 16 and is activated when it receives an activation signal from the control device 18.

[0024] The airbag 11 (first airbag) is stored in a folded state inside the left armrest 1d of the seat 1. The airbag 11 has an opening (not shown) through which a portion of the inflator 13 having a discharge port 13a formed therein is inserted. The airbag 11 is inflated by the supply of inflation gas from the inflator 13, and tears open the right side surface 1d5 of the left armrest 1d, causing the airbag 11 to extend rightward from the opened portion. Note that the right side surface 1d5 of the left armrest 1d has a slit (not shown) to facilitate tearing of the airbag 11 when it inflates.

[0025] The airbag 12 (second airbag) is stored in a folded state inside the right armrest 1e of the seat 1. The airbag 12 has an opening (not shown) through which a portion of the inflator 14 having an outlet 14a formed therein is inserted. The airbag 12 is inflated by the supply of inflation gas from the inflator 14, rupturing the left side surface 1e5 of the right armrest 1e and extending leftward from the ruptured portion. Note that the left side surface 1e5 of the right armrest 1e has a slit 1e5b to facilitate rupture of the airbag 12 when it inflates.

[0026] Next, the operation of protecting the occupant M by the occupant protection device 10 will be described. Fig. 6 is a left side view of the seat 1 with the airbags 11 and 12 inflated. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the seat 1 with the airbags 11 and 12 inflated. Fig. 8 is a front view of the seat 1 with the airbags 11 and 12 inflated. In Figs. 6 to 8, the occupant M seated in the seat 1 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Figs. 6 to 8 also show the state in which the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e are positioned in the use position P2.

[0027] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, when the vehicle 50 collides and the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 19 exceeds a predetermined value, the control device 18 sends an activation signal to the inflators 13 and 14. This activates the inflators 13 and 14, supplying inflation gas into the airbags 11 and 12. As the airbag 11 receives the inflation gas, it presses against the right side surface 1d5 of the left armrest 1d, causing it to rupture, and then extends to the right from the rupture, completing inflation. Similarly, as the airbag 12 receives the inflation gas, it presses against the left side surface 1e5 of the right armrest 1e, causing it to rupture, and then extends to the left from the rupture, completing inflation.

[0028] When fully inflated, the airbag 11 is positioned in front of the occupant M seated in the seat 1. When fully inflated, the airbag 11 has a right wall portion 11a that is positioned on the right side and comes into contact with the airbag 12 while receiving the upper body of the occupant M, and a left wall portion 11b that is positioned on the left side and comes into contact with the right side surface 1d5 of the left armrest 1d to receive a reaction force. When fully inflated, the front end portion 11c of the airbag 11 is positioned rearward of the front end portion 1d5a of the right side surface 1d5 of the left armrest 1d in a free state where the occupant M is not in contact with it. Furthermore, when fully inflated, the upper end portion 11d of the airbag 11 in the free state is positioned above the left armrest 1d, and the lower end portion 11e is positioned below the left armrest 1d.

[0029] When fully inflated, the airbag 12 is positioned in front of the occupant M seated in the seat 1. When fully inflated, the airbag 12 has a left wall portion 12a that is positioned on the left side and comes into contact with the airbag 11 to receive the upper body of the occupant M, and a right wall portion 12b that is positioned on the right side and comes into contact with the left side surface 1e5 of the right armrest 1e to receive a reaction force. When fully inflated, the front end portion 12c of the airbag 12 is positioned rearward of the front end portion 1e5a of the left side surface 1e5 of the right armrest 1e in a free state where the occupant M is not in contact with it. Furthermore, when fully inflated, the upper end portion 12d of the airbag 12 in the free state is positioned above the right armrest 1e, and the lower end portion 12e is positioned below the right armrest 1e.

[0030] The airbags 11, 12 arranged in front of the occupant M in this manner receive the occupant M who moves forward due to the impact caused by a collision of the vehicle 50. Specifically, the right wall portion 11a of the airbag 11 and the left wall portion 12a of the airbag 12 are positioned by abutting against each other near the center of the seat 1 in the left-right direction, and receive the occupant M at the periphery of this abutting portion, sandwiching the occupant M from the left and right directions. In this way, the occupant protection device 10 protects the occupant M.

[0031] In the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, when the left armrest 1d is located in the use position P2, the left armrest 1d extends in a direction inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that the front end 1d3 is located to the right of the rear end 1d4. Similarly, when the right armrest 1e is located in the use position P2, the right armrest 1e extends in a direction inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction so that the front end 1e3 is located to the left of the rear end 1e4. This makes it easier to position the front end 1d3 side of the left armrest 1d and the front end 1e3 side of the right armrest 1e in front of the occupant M seated in the seat 1, and therefore makes it easier for the airbags 11, 12 to receive a reaction force from the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e when a forward load is input by receiving the occupant M.

[0032] Furthermore, the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e are configured not to rotate left or right when they are in the use position P2. As a result, even if a large forward load is applied from the occupant M to the front end 1d3 of the left armrest 1d via the airbag 11, the front end 1d3 of the left armrest 1d does not rotate left. Similarly, even if a large forward load is applied from the occupant M to the front end 1e3 of the right armrest 1e via the airbag 12, the front end 1e3 of the right armrest 1e does not rotate right. In other words, if the left armrest 1d were provided with a rotation shaft for rotating left or right about a vertical axis, applying a large forward load to the front end 1d3 of the left armrest 1d would easily cause the left armrest 1d to rotate unintentionally leftward around the rotation shaft. However, in this embodiment, such rotation is prevented because no such rotation shaft is provided. The same applies to the right armrest 1e. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the right wall portion 11a of the airbag 11 and the left wall portion 12a of the airbag 12 from separating from each other to form a gap, and it is possible to prevent the occupant M from jumping forward through the gap.

[0033] Therefore, according to the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the occupant M can be properly supported by the airbag 11 provided in the left armrest 1d and the airbag 12 provided in the right armrest 1e.

[0034] Furthermore, the front end 11c of the airbag 11 when fully inflated is located rearward of the front end 1d5a of the right side surface 1d5 of the left armrest 1d in the free state. Similarly, the front end 12c of the airbag 12 when fully inflated is located rearward of the front end 1e5a of the left side surface 1e5 of the right armrest 1e in the free state. This makes it less likely that the airbags 11 and 12 will jump out forward relative to the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e when they receive the occupant M, and makes it easier for the airbags 11 and 12 to receive reaction forces from the left armrest 1d and the right armrest 1e.

[0035] Furthermore, the upper end 11d of the airbag 11 in a free state upon completion of inflation is located above the left armrest 1d, and the lower end 11e is located below the left armrest 1d. Similarly, the upper end 12d of the airbag 12 in a free state upon completion of inflation is located above the right armrest 1e, and the lower end 12e is located below the right armrest 1e. This makes it difficult for the entire airbag 11 to jump out to the left relative to the left armrest 1d when the airbag 11 receives the occupant M, making it easier for the airbag 11 to receive a reaction force from the left armrest 1d. Similarly, when the airbag 12 receives the occupant M, the entire airbag 12 is unlikely to jump out to the right relative to the right armrest 1e, making it easier for the airbag 12 to receive a reaction force from the right armrest 1e.

[0036] Although the present embodiment has been described as having the left armrest 1d supported on the left side surface 1a1 of the backrest 1a of the seat 1 and the right armrest 1e supported on the right side surface 1a2 of the backrest 1a, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as long as the left armrest 1d is located on the left side of the center in the left-right direction of the seat 1 and the right armrest 1e is located on the right side of the center, they may be supported by other parts of the seat 1. For example, the same effect as above can be obtained by a configuration in which the left armrest 1d is supported on the left side surface of the seat bottom 1b of the seat 1 and the right armrest 1e is supported on the right side surface of the seat bottom 1b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1...seat, 1a...backrest, 1a1...left side, 1a2...right side, 1b...seat, 1d...left armrest, 1d3...front end, 1d4...rear end, 1d5...right side, 1d5a...front end, 1e...right armrest, 1e3...front end, 1e4...rear end, 1e5...left side, 1e5a...front end, 10...occupant protection device, 11...airbag (first airbag), 11c...front end, 12...airbag (second airbag), 12c...front end, 13...inflator (first inflator), 14...inflator (second inflator), 50...vehicle, M...occupant, ML...left arm, MR...right arm, P1...retracted position, P2...use position

Claims

1. a seat for a passenger to sit on, the seat including a left armrest disposed on the left side of the seat and a right armrest disposed on the right side of the seat; a first airbag that is folded and stored in the left armrest and that is inflated and deployed to the right when inflation gas is supplied; a first inflator that releases inflation gas to be supplied to the first airbag; a second airbag that is folded and stored in the right armrest, that is inflated and extended to the left when inflation gas is supplied to the second airbag, and that abuts against the first airbag to receive an occupant together with the first airbag; a second inflator that releases inflation gas to be supplied to the second airbag; Equipped with the left armrest extends in a direction inclined relative to the front-to-rear direction so that a front end portion is located to the right of a rear end portion when the left armrest is located in a use position for placing a left arm portion of an occupant seated on the seat, and is configured not to rotate in the left-to-right direction; The right armrest extends in a direction inclined relative to the front-to-rear direction so that its front end is positioned to the left of its rear end when positioned in a usage position for supporting the right arm of an occupant seated in the seat, and is configured so as not to rotate left or right.

2. 2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein a front end of the first airbag when fully inflated is located rearward of a front end of a right side surface of the left armrest, and a front end of the second airbag when fully inflated is located rearward of a front end of a left side surface of the right armrest.

3. The seat includes a backrest and a seat. the left armrest is rotatably supported on a left side surface of the backrest portion and configured to be rotatable between the use position and a retracted position that is further along the left side surface of the backrest portion than the use position, 3. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the right armrest is rotatably supported on the right side surface of the backrest and is configured to be rotatable between the use position and a retracted position that is further along the right side surface of the backrest than the use position.

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