Occupant protection device
By positioning the airbag conduit between the seat cushion and side cover, held by a frame-attached holder, the device addresses installation difficulties, ensuring easy mounting and improved workability on seats with side covers.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024098309
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-06
AI Technical Summary
Conventional occupant protection devices face installation challenges when side covers are present, as the flexible conduit of the airbag is difficult to position accurately, leading to poor workability during assembly.
The occupant protection device positions the airbag conduit between the seat cushion and side cover, held by a holder attached to the seat frame, allowing easy installation and preventing the conduit from being caught between the side cover and seat frame.
Enables easy mounting of the airbag on seats with side covers by securing the conduit's position, improving installation workability and facilitating the attachment of side covers to the seat frame.
Smart Images

Figure 2026000778000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, there has been an occupant protection device configured to dispose an airbag in the area of the lap belt of a seatbelt, and when activated, to protect an occupant seated in a seat with the seatbelt fastened by the inflated airbag (bag body) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conventional occupant protection device, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag is disposed on the lower end side of the seat bottom, and the airbag is bag-shaped and formed from a flexible sheet body, and includes a bag body that inflates to protect the occupant, and a conduit portion connected to the inflator to allow inflation gas to flow into the bag body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-66425 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] In this conventional passenger protection device, the conduit of the airbag is arranged to pass along the side of the seat cushion, but when the airbag is installed in a seat where the sides of the seat cushion are covered with side covers, the conduit may be arranged to pass between the seat cushion and the side cover. In a seat with such a configuration, the side cover is attached to the seat frame after the airbag is secured to the lap belt, but because the conduit is long and made of a flexible sheet material that is the same as the airbag body, it is difficult to position it in the desired position, and the installation workability when attaching the side cover to the seat frame is poor.
[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an occupant protection device that allows an airbag to be easily mounted even on a seat that is equipped with a side cover. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant, a seat having a backrest, a seat portion, and a side cover that covers the sides of the seat portion; A seat belt capable of restraining an occupant seated in the seat; an airbag disposed in a region of a lap belt in a seat belt that restrains the waist of an occupant seated in a seat when the lap belt is fastened; an inflator disposed near the lower end of the seat portion and supplying inflation gas to the airbag; With The airbag is in the form of a bag formed from a flexible sheet body, and is configured to include a bag body that inflates to protect an occupant wearing a seat belt, and a conduit portion that is connected to an inflator and allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body, The conduit portion is characterized in that it is arranged between the seat portion and the side cover in a state where it is held by a holder attached to the seat frame side of the seat.
[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, the seat is configured to include side covers that cover the sides of the seat cushion, and the airbag body is configured to be connected to an inflator located near the lower end of the seat cushion via a conduit, which is held by a holder attached to the seat frame and positioned between the seat cushion and the side cover. That is, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, even if the long conduit, made of a flexible sheet material that is the same as the airbag body, is positioned to pass between the seat cushion and the side cover, the holder that holds the conduit is attached to the seat frame, thereby restricting the position of the conduit relative to the seat (seat cushion, etc.). Therefore, when the side cover is attached to the seat frame with the airbag held by the lap belt, the conduit can be positioned appropriately and prevented from being caught between the side cover and the seat frame.
[0008] Therefore, in the passenger protection device of the present invention, the airbag can be easily mounted even on a type of seat that has a side cover.
[0009] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, if the retaining body is configured to be able to hold the lap belt together with the conduit portion, it becomes possible to regulate the position of the lap belt relative to the seat (seat portion, etc.), which makes it even easier to attach the side cover to the seat frame, which is preferable.
[0010] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the above configuration, if the retaining body is configured so that the conduit insertion portion for inserting and holding the conduit portion and the lap belt insertion portion for inserting and holding the lap belt are arranged side by side at the front and rear, this is preferable because it prevents the retaining body from becoming bulky even when configured to hold the conduit portion and the lap belt.
[0011] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the above configuration, if a lid portion that covers the side cover side is arranged on the holder, the side cover side of the conduit portion can be covered by the lid portion, and the conduit portion can be accurately prevented from protruding from the holder, which makes the installation workability when attaching the side cover to the seat frame even better, which is preferable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing a state in which a seat belt is fastened. [Figure 3] 2 is a partially enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the outer cover in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the outer cover in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a seat used in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an airbag used in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment in a state where the airbag is inflated by itself; [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 2 is a front view (viewed from the left side when mounted on a vehicle) of a holder used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the holder of FIG. 8 taken along the front-rear direction. [Figure 10] 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the holder in FIG. 8 taken along the left-right direction, showing a lap belt inserted into a connection side portion of the conduit portion. [Figure 11] 9 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the holder of FIG. 8 taken along the left-right direction at the location of the conduit insertion portion. [Figure 12] 1 is a front view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing a state in which an airbag has completed inflation. [Figure 13] 1 is a side view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing a state in which an airbag has completed inflation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. An occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle (not shown), and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes a seat 1, a seat belt 10, an airbag 25, an inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 25, and a holder 50 that holds a conduit portion 35 (described later) of the airbag 25 and a lap belt 13 (belt main body 11) of the seat belt 10 (described later). In the embodiment, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions will be described as corresponding to the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions relative to an occupant MP seated in the seat 1, unless otherwise specified.
[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the seat 1 includes a backrest 4, a seat portion 5, and side covers 7 that cover the sides of the seat portion 5. The backrest 4, seat portion 5, and side covers 7 are each supported by a seat frame 2. Specifically, the backrest 4, seat portion 5, and side covers 7 are each appropriately attached to the seat frame 2 so as to cover the outer periphery of the seat frame 2. In the present embodiment, the vehicle in which the seat 1 is installed is a right-hand drive vehicle, and the seat 1 is a passenger seat, although detailed illustrations are omitted. That is, the seat 1 is installed in the vehicle with the right side positioned at the center of the vehicle width direction and the left side positioned at the outer side of the vehicle width direction. In the seat 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side covers 7 are arranged to cover only the outer side (left side) of the seat portion 5 in the vehicle width direction. However, a side cover (not shown) is also arranged on the inner side (right side) of the seat portion 5 in the vehicle width direction, but this is merely omitted from the illustration.
[0015] The side cover 7 is made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP) and is disposed to cover the left side of the seat cushion 5, including the area of the lower end 2a of the seat frame 2 exposed below the seat cushion 5. It also covers the left side of the area of the end 11a of the belt main body 11 of the seat belt 10 (the area near the anchor member 17), which will be described later, and the area of the conduit 35 of the airbag 25 (more specifically, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35) (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 4). The side cover 7 is attached to the seat frame 2 by inserting and engaging a plurality of locking protrusions (not shown), which are formed at predetermined locations so as to protrude rightward (toward the seat frame 2), into locking recesses (not shown) provided in the seat frame 2. A recess 7b for positioning a retainer 50 is formed at the upper end 7a of the side cover 7, specifically, at the upper end area slightly rearward of the center between the front and rear, recessed leftward from the right edge (see FIG. 4).
[0016] In the present embodiment, the seat belt 10 is mounted on the seat 1, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes a belt body 11 for restraining an occupant MP seated on the seat 1, a tongue plate 15 attached to the belt body 11, and a buckle 16 for connecting the tongue plate 15. The buckle 16 is disposed on the right rear end side of the seat portion 5 of the seat 1 (see Fig. 1). One end of the belt body 11 is fastened to a winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest 4, and the other end (end portion 11a) side is fastened to an anchor member 17 (see Figs. 1 and 3) disposed on the rear left end side of the seat portion 5 of the seat 1, so that the belt can be unwound from the retractor when worn. The belt body 11 is arranged so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper left edge of the backrest 4, and in this embodiment, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 13 for deploying the airbag 25 is exposed and aligned generally vertically on the front surface of the backrest 4, as shown in Fig. 1. The belt body 11 has the lap belt 13 and a shoulder belt 12 stored in the backrest 4, and when the occupant is seated, with the tongue plate 15 fastened to the buckle 16, the lap belt 13, which is aligned horizontally between the anchor member 17 and the buckle 16, restrains the lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP, and the shoulder belt 12, which extends from the upper left edge of the backrest 4 and is aligned diagonally to the buckle 16, restrains the upper body MU (from the shoulders to the chest) of the occupant MP (see Fig. 2). In the embodiment, a portion of the belt main body 11 (lap belt 13) near the end 11a (a portion near the anchor member 17) is held by the holder 50. Specifically, the portion of the belt main body 11 (lap belt 13) near the end 11a (a portion near the anchor member 17) is held by the holder 50 in a state where it is inserted into a lap belt insertion portion 54 formed in the holder 50 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 10). In the seat belt 10, a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest 4 has a pretensioner mechanism.
[0017] In this embodiment, the inflator 20 is attached to the seat 1, and specifically, is disposed near the lower end of the seat cushion 5 on the back side of the seat 1. The inflator 20 includes a substantially cylindrical inflator body 21 (detailed illustration omitted) disposed with its axial direction aligned substantially along the left-right direction, and a pipe portion 22 extending from the inflator body 21 to supply inflation gas to the airbag 25 (see FIG. 3). Although detailed illustration omitted, the inflator body 21 is attached to a portion of the seat frame 2 near the lower end 2a using a predetermined bracket. The pipe portion 22 extends from the inflator body 21 and is disposed so that its tip is positioned below the rear end of the seat cushion 5 on the left side of the seat 1, and this tip is configured to be connected to a conduit portion 35 (described later) of the airbag 25 using a clamp 23 (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the inflator body 21 is set to start operating later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 10 in order to regulate the pulling out of the belt body 11 of the seat belt 10 due to the inflation of the airbag 25.
[0018] The airbag 25 is disposed in the area of the lap belt 13 that restrains the lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1, and is a bag-shaped bag made of a flexible sheet body. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the airbag 25 includes a bag body 26 that inflates to protect the occupant MP wearing the seat belt 10, a conduit 35 that is connected to the inflator 20 and allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body 26, and a belt loop 40 through which the lap belt 13 can be inserted. The airbag 25 (the bag body 26, the conduit 35, and the belt loop 40) are formed from a flexible woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.
[0019] The bag body 26 has an outer shape when fully inflated that is a substantially triangular prism with its axial direction aligned substantially along the left-right direction, and is configured so that when viewed from the left or right sides, the fully inflated shape is a substantially right-angled triangle with its hypotenuse at the front, and when viewed from the front-rear direction, it is a substantially rectangular shape that is wider in the vertical direction (see FIGS. 12 and 13). As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bag body 26 includes a rear wall 28 that is positioned on the occupant MP side (rear side) when fully inflated, a front wall 27 that is positioned opposite the rear wall 28 in the front-rear direction, a bottom wall 29 that is positioned at the lower end when fully inflated, and left wall 30 and right wall 31 that are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction when fully inflated. When fully inflated, the bag body 26 is configured to receive the upper body MU of the occupant MP with the rear wall portion 28. When the upper body MU is received by the rear wall portion 28, the lower wall portion 29 abuts against the thighs MT of the occupant MP and is supported by the thighs MT, thereby receiving the occupant MP (see FIG. 13). The bag body 26 is configured such that a conduit 35 is connected to the underside of the rear end 29a of the lower wall portion 29, and inflation gas from the inflator 20 flows into the bag body 26 through the conduit 35. In an area of the rear end 29a of the lower wall portion 29, a circular communication hole 33 communicating with the conduit 35 is opened. In this embodiment, two communication holes 33 are provided side by side on the left and right sides (see FIG. 6). The bag body 26 is connected to the conduit 35 at the periphery of the communication hole 33.
[0020] Conduit 35 is disposed to extend leftward from the underside of bag body 26 and is connected to inflator 20 (specifically, pipe 22 of inflator 20). It is closed at its base (right end) facing bag body 26 and has an open tip 37a (left end) that can be connected to pipe 22. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , conduit 35 includes a wide main body portion 36 located on the underside of bag body 26 and a connection portion 37 that extends leftward from bag body 26 when inflation is complete. Connection portion 37 is narrower than main body portion 36. Conduit 35 is held by holder 50 at a longitudinally intermediate portion of connection portion 37 (a region located to the left of seat 5). Specifically, an intermediate portion of connection side portion 37 is inserted into conduit insertion portion 53 formed in holder 50 and is held by holder 50 (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 4). Then, when airbag 25 is fully inflated, conduit 35 is held by holder 50 at the intermediate portion of connection side portion 37 and is disposed substantially along the left-right direction so as to substantially follow lap belt 13 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). Tip 37a (left end) of connection side portion 37 is connected to pipe 22 of inflator 20 using clamp 23 as described above (see FIG. 3).
[0021] 6 and 7, the belt loop portion 40 is disposed on the underside of the main body portion 36 of the conduit portion 35 (i.e., the area below the bag main body 26), and is configured as a tube disposed substantially along the left-right direction so as to be able to pass the lap belt 13. In the embodiment, the belt loop portion 40 is configured so that the belt main body 11, with the anchor member 17 connected to the end portion 11a, can be passed through the belt loop portion 40, along with the anchor member 17. By passing the lap belt 13 through the belt loop portion 40, the bag main body 26 is held by the lap belt 13.
[0022] In this embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured such that a region of the bag main body 26 is folded into an elongated shape, and the airbag 25 is held by the lap belt 13 in a state in which the fully folded body 65 formed by folding the bag main body 26 is movable and shiftable relative to the lap belt 13. Specifically, although not shown in detail, the airbag 25 is folded such that the front wall portion 27 overlaps the rear wall portion 28 and the lower wall portion 29, and the bag main body 26 is deployed substantially flat. The fully folded body 65 is then folded to reduce the width dimension in the front-to-rear direction, forming a long, fully folded body 65 that is substantially aligned in the left-to-right direction. By inserting the lap belt 13 through the belt loop portion 40, the fully folded body 65 formed by folding the bag main body 26 in this manner is positioned so that it overlaps the main body portion 36 of the conduit portion 35 on the upper surface of the lap belt 13 when worn. The completely folded body 65 is disposed in the area of the lap belt 13 with its periphery covered by the airbag cover 45, including the belt loop portion 40 and the lap belt 13 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the completely folded body 65 is disposed on the back side (the backrest 4 side) of the lap belt 13 that is exposed on the front surface of the backrest 4 when the seat belt 10 is not worn as shown in FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35 is disposed to the left of the completely folded body 65 and exposed on the upper surface side of the lap belt 13 when the seat belt 10 is worn (see FIG. 2).
[0023] The airbag cover 45, which covers the periphery of the fully folded body 65, is made of a flexible sheet, specifically made of synthetic leather, fabric, or the like. As described above, the airbag cover 45 is configured to cover substantially the entire outer periphery of the fully folded body 65 and the main body portion 36 of the conduit portion 35, including the belt loop portion 40 and a portion of the lap belt 13 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The airbag cover 45 is configured to rupture predetermined portions across substantially the entire left and right areas when the airbag 25 inflates, allowing the bag main body 26 to protrude.
[0024] In this embodiment, the retaining body 50 is configured to be able to hold the conduit 35 of the airbag 25 and the lap belt 13 (belt main body 11) of the seat belt 10, and is disposed between the bottom portion 5 of the seat 1 and the side cover 7. Specifically, the retaining body 50 is configured to penetrate and cover the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35 and the portion of the belt main body 11 (lap belt 13) near the end 11a (the portion near the anchor member 17) from above and below, and is disposed so as to be enclosed by the side cover 7 and the bottom portion 5 with its upper end exposed (see FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 11). The retaining body 50 is made of a soft synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP). The holder 50 has an outer shape that is a flat, approximately rectangular cylinder, and includes a main body portion 51 that is arranged on the seat portion 5 side (right side), and a lid portion 60 that is arranged to cover the main body portion 51 on the side cover 7 side (left side) (see Figures 8 to 11).
[0025] The main body 51 is formed with a conduit insertion portion 53 into which the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35 can be inserted, and a lap belt insertion portion 54 into which the lap belt 13 (a portion of the belt main body 11 near the end 11a) can be inserted, each recessed from the left side (see FIG. 10). Each of the conduit insertion portions 53 and lap belt insertion portions 54 is recessed substantially uniformly across the entire top and bottom of the main body 51 (so as to penetrate in the vertical direction) (see FIGS. 9 and 11). In this embodiment, the conduit insertion portion 53 and the lap belt insertion portion 54 are arranged side by side at the front and rear, and more specifically, the conduit insertion portion 53 is disposed on the front side. The conduit insertion portion 53 has a width dimension in the front-rear direction that is larger than the width dimension of the connection side portion 37 in the flat deployed state, and the lap belt insertion portion 54 has a width dimension in the front-rear direction that is larger than the width dimension of the belt main body 11 (see FIGS. 9 and 10 ). In this embodiment, the conduit insertion portion 53 and the lap belt insertion portion 54 are separated front and rear by a partition wall 55. When the airbag 25 is deployed and inflated, the connection side portion 37 is inflated and positioned within the conduit insertion portion 53 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10 , but the cross-sectional area of the conduit insertion portion 53 is set to a size that allows the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 20 to flow smoothly through the connection side portion 37 toward the bag main body 26 without abruptly narrowing the cross-sectional area of the connection side portion 37.
[0026] Further, on the lower end 51a side of the main body 51, a protrusion 57 and an insertion piece 58 are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction (see Figures 8 and 9). The protrusion 57 is formed so as to protrude downward near the rear end of the main body 51, and although detailed illustration is omitted, it is insertable into an insertion hole formed on the side of the seat 5. The insertion piece 58 is formed so as to protrude downward at a position forward of the protrusion 57, on the right end side of the main body 51, and is shaped like a plate that extends approximately along the front-to-rear direction, and is configured so as to be insertable into the gap between the seat 5 and the seat frame 2, as shown schematically in Figure 11.
[0027] The lid 60 is disposed so as to cover substantially the entire left side of the main body 51 except for the protrusion 57 and the insertion piece 58, and is integrally formed with the main body 51 by connecting the front end thereof to the front end thereof via a thin-walled hinge 60a (see FIGS. 8 and 10). A locking protrusion 60b is formed at the rear end of the lid 60 so as to protrude leftward and to be inserted into and locked into a locking hole 51b provided at the rear end of the main body 51 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The locking protrusion 60b is formed near the center of the rear end of the lid 60 in the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction.
[0028] This retainer 50, holding the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35 and the lap belt 13 (belt main body 11), is attached to the seat frame 2 of the seat 1 before the side cover 7 is attached. Specifically, although not shown in detail, the protrusions 57 are inserted into insertion holes (not shown) provided on the sides of the seat bottom 5, and the insertion pieces 58 are simultaneously inserted into the gaps between the seat bottom 5 and the seat frame 2, thereby attaching the retainer 50 to the seat frame 2 in a state where movement in the front-rear and left-right directions is restricted. Attaching the retainer 50 to the seat frame 2 fixes the positions of the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35 and the lap belt 13 (belt main body 11) relative to the seat frame 2 and the seat bottom 5.
[0029] Next, the installation of the occupant protection device S of this embodiment in a vehicle will be described. The seat 1 is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) in advance without the side cover 7 attached (with the seat portion 5 and the backrest 4 attached to the seat frame 2). First, the bag main body 26 is folded to form the fully folded body 65, and a wrapping material (not shown) to prevent the bag from collapsing is wrapped around the outer periphery of the fully folded body 65 and the main body portion 36 of the conduit 35. Next, the tip 37a of the connection portion 37 of the conduit 35, which is arranged to extend from the fully folded body 65, is connected to the inflator 20 using the clamp 23 to form an airbag assembly. Thereafter, the inflator 20 is attached to the lower end 2a of the seat frame 2 using a predetermined bracket (not shown). The belt body 11 of the seat belt 10, which is disposed so as to extend from a retractor (not shown), is inserted together with the anchor member 17 into the belt loop portion 40 disposed on the underside of the fully folded body 65. The airbag cover 45 is also disposed so as to cover the periphery of the fully folded body 65. Then, the end portion 11a of the belt body 11 is fixed to the rear left side of the seat cushion 5 of the seat 1 using the anchor member 17. Next, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit 35 of the airbag 25 and the belt body 11 (lap belt 13) are inserted into the conduit insertion portion 53 and the lap belt insertion portion 54, respectively, and the retainer 50 is disposed around the connection side portion 37 and the belt body 11 (lap belt 13). The retainer 50 is attached to the seat frame 2 using the protrusion 57 and the insertion piece 58. Thereafter, the side cover 7 is attached to the seat frame 2 so as to cover the left side of the seat portion 5, and the occupant protection device S can be mounted in the vehicle.
[0030] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the inflator 20 is activated while the occupant MP is seated in the seat 1 mounted in the vehicle while fastening the seat belt 10, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 20 flows into the bag body 26 via the conduit portion 35, and the bag body 26 of the airbag 25 ruptures the airbag cover 45, protruding forward and upward from the lap belt 13, and completing inflation as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and in FIGS. 12 and 13.
[0031] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the seat 1 is configured to include side covers 7 that cover the sides of the seat bottom 5, and the bag main body 26 of the airbag 25 is configured to be connected to the inflator 20 that is arranged near the lower end of the seat bottom 5 via a conduit 35, which is configured to be held by a holder 50 that is attached to the seat frame 2 and is arranged between the seat bottom 5 and the side cover 7. That is, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, even if the long conduit 35, which is made of a flexible sheet material that is the same as the bag main body 26, is arranged to pass between the seat bottom 5 and the side cover 7, by attaching the holder 50 that holds the conduit 35 to the seat frame 2, the position of the conduit 35 relative to the seat 1 (seat bottom 5, etc.) can be regulated. Therefore, when the side cover 7 is attached to the seat frame 2 with the airbag 25 held by the lap belt 13, the conduit portion 35 can be positioned in an appropriate position, preventing it from being caught between the side cover 7 and the seat frame 2.
[0032] Therefore, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 25 can be easily mounted even on a seat 1 of the type that is equipped with a side cover 7.
[0033] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the holder 50 is configured to be able to hold the lap belt 13 (belt main body 11) together with the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37). This makes it possible to regulate the position of the lap belt 13 relative to the seat 1 (seat portion 5, etc.), making it easier to attach the side cover 7 to the seat frame 2. Of course, if this point is not taken into consideration, a holder configured to hold only the conduit portion without holding the lap belt may be used.
[0034] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the retainer 50 is configured such that the conduit insertion portion 53, through which the conduit 35 is inserted and held, and the lap belt insertion portion 54, through which the lap belt 13 is inserted and held, are arranged side by side at the front and rear. Therefore, even when the retainer is configured to hold the conduit 35 and the lap belt 13, the retainer can be prevented from becoming bulky. Note that if this point is not taken into consideration, a retainer configured such that the conduit insertion portion and the lap belt insertion portion are arranged to overlap on the left and right sides may be used. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the conduit insertion portion 53 and the lap belt insertion portion 54 are separated by the partition wall 55. However, such a partition wall may not be provided, and the conduit insertion portion and the lap belt insertion portion may not be separated from each other at the front and rear.
[0035] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the retainer 50 is configured to include a lid portion 60 that covers the side cover 7 side. Therefore, the side cover 7 side of the conduit 35 and the lap belt 13 can be covered by the lid portion 60. In other words, the outer periphery of the conduit 35 and the lap belt 13 can be covered by the retainer 50 over the entire axial direction. As a result, the conduit 35 and the lap belt 13 can be prevented from protruding from the retainer 50, further improving the ease of attachment when attaching the side cover 7 to the seat frame 2. In the retainer 50 of the embodiment, the lid portion 60 and the main body 51 are integrally formed via the thin-walled hinge portion 60a, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and assembly steps. The shape of the retainer is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, a retainer may be used in which the lid portion is separate from the main body and attached to the main body using a separate attachment means. Furthermore, if the above point is not taken into consideration, it is also possible to use a holder that is configured so that the main body itself can hold the conduit and lap belt, and does not have a lid.
[0036] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the seat belt 10 and the inflator 20 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 forward and backward or rotating it, the occupant MP seated in the seat 1 can be adequately protected by the airbag 25. Of course, the occupant protection device of the present invention is not limited to a seat configured as described above, and can also be mounted on a seat of the type that restrains the occupant with a seat belt having a retractor provided on the vehicle body side. The inflator may also be configured to be attached to the vehicle body side. [Explanation of symbols]
[0037] 1...seat, 2...seat frame, 5...seat portion, 7...side cover, 10...seat belt, 11...belt body, 13...lap belt, 20...inflator, 25...airbag, 26...bag body, 35...conduit portion, 37...connection side portion, 50...retaining body, 51...main body, 53...conduit portion insertion portion, 54...lap belt insertion portion, 60...lid portion, MP...occupant, MW...waist portion, S...occupant protection device
Claims
1. An occupant protection device for protecting an occupant, a seat having a backrest, a seat portion, and a side cover that covers the sides of the seat portion; a seat belt capable of restraining the occupant seated in the seat; an airbag disposed in a region of a lap belt in the seat belt that restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat when the occupant is fastened; an inflator disposed near a lower end of the seat portion and supplying inflation gas to the airbag; With the airbag is in a bag shape formed from a flexible sheet body, and is configured to include a bag body that inflates to protect the occupant wearing the seat belt, and a conduit portion that is connected to the inflator and allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body, The occupant protection device is characterized in that the conduit portion is arranged between the seat portion and the side cover while being held by a holder attached to the seat frame side of the seat.
2. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the holding body is configured to hold the lap belt together with the conduit portion.
3. 3. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein the retaining body has a conduit insertion portion for inserting and holding the conduit portion and a lap belt insertion portion for inserting and holding the lap belt, the conduit insertion portion and the lap belt insertion portion being arranged side by side at the front and rear.
4. 4. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the holding body includes a lid portion that covers the side cover.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Occupant protection device
JP2020066425A