Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant crash protection device capable of suppressing oscillation at an early stage when an airbag is inflated.SOLUTION: The occupant protection device 10 includes the airbags 52 and 53 that are provided in the seat 1, are disposed in front of the occupant M when the inflation is completed, and receive the occupant M, the inflator 62 that discharges the inflation gas to be supplied to the airbags 52 and 53, the tube airbag 51 that is provided in the seat 1, is disposed in front of the airbags 52 and 53 when the inflation is completed, and is fixed to the airbags 52 and 53, the inflator 61 that discharges the inflation gas to be supplied to the tube airbag 51, and the control device 18 that controls the inflators 61 and 62. The control device 18 operates the inflator 61 before operating the inflator 62, and the tube air bag 51 energizes the air bags 52, 53 in an inflation process to the occupant M side by reaction force generated by inflation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a configuration has been known as a vehicle occupant protection device that protects a vehicle occupant by receiving the occupant with an airbag mounted on a seat during a vehicle collision.

[0003] The occupant protection device described in Patent Document 1 has a tension cloth that is placed in front of the airbag when it has fully inflated. The tension cloth abuts against the airbag as it attempts to move forward after receiving the occupant, supporting the airbag by tension and biasing the airbag toward the occupant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7026233 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the airbag is not supported by the tension fabric until the airbag inflates to a certain extent and tension is generated in the tension fabric. Therefore, there is a risk that the airbag may swing significantly from the time the airbag starts to inflate until tension is generated in the tension fabric. If the airbag swings significantly during the inflation process, the relative positions of the occupant and the airbag may deviate from the intended position, and the airbag may not properly support the occupant. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress the swing of the airbag as early as possible.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an occupant protection device that can suppress the swinging motion of an airbag when it is inflated at an early stage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A representative configuration of an occupant protection device according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle, comprising: a first airbag provided on a seat on which the occupant sits, which is inflated by being supplied with inflation gas, and which is positioned in front of the occupant to receive the occupant when inflation is complete; a first inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the first airbag; a second airbag provided on the seat, which is inflated by being supplied with inflation gas, and which is positioned in front of the first airbag when inflation is complete, the second airbag being fixed to the first airbag; the second inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the second airbag; and a control unit that controls the first inflator and the second inflator, wherein the control unit activates the second inflator before activating the first inflator, and the second airbag biases the first airbag toward the occupant during inflation by a reaction force generated as the airbag inflates.

[0008] According to the present invention, in an occupant protection device, it is possible to suppress the swinging motion of an airbag when the airbag is inflated at an early stage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front view of the seat when the tube airbag has completed inflation and is in the midst of inflation. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a left side view of the seat when the tube airbag has completed inflation and is still in the process of inflation. [Figure 6]FIG. 1 is a front view of the tube airbag and the seat with the airbag fully inflated. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a left side view of the tube airbag and the seat with the airbag fully inflated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An occupant protection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The occupant protection device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 50 and protects an occupant M seated in a seat 1 of the vehicle 50. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components in the following description are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to those unless otherwise specified.

[0011] Furthermore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the left-right direction means the left and right directions of the seat 1, specifically the left and right directions as seen from the perspective of the occupant M seated in the seat 1. The front-rear direction means 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 means the upward and downward directions in the vertical direction.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the seat 1. Fig. 2 is a front view of the seat 1. Fig. 3 is a left side view of the seat 1. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the seat 1 comprises a backrest 2 that supports the upper body of the occupant M, a seat portion 3 that supports the area from the buttocks to the thighs of the occupant M, and a headrest 4 that is attached to the upper part of the backrest 2 and supports the head of the occupant M.

[0013] The backrest 2 is made of sheet metal and is composed of a frame (not shown) that forms the skeleton of the backrest 2, and a cushion material 2a that is attached to and covers the frame. Similarly, the seat 3 is made of sheet metal and is composed of a frame 3a that forms the skeleton of the seat 3, and a cushion material 3b that is attached to the frame 3a.

[0014] The occupant protection device 10 includes a tube airbag 51 and airbags 52, 53 provided in the seat 1, an inflator 61 that supplies inflation gas to the tube airbag 51, an inflator 62 that supplies inflation gas to the airbags 52, 53, and a diffuser 55 that guides the inflation gas released from the inflator 62 to the airbags 52, 53. The occupant protection device 10 also includes a control device 18 (controller) that controls the operation of the inflators 61, 62, and an acceleration sensor 19 electrically connected to the control device 18.

[0015] Acceleration sensor 19 is attached to the body (not shown) of vehicle 50 and detects, as acceleration, an impact that occurs in the event of a collision or the like of vehicle 50. Control device 18 is provided inside vehicle 50 and electrically connected to inflators 61, 62. Control device 18 transmits an activation signal to inflators 61, 62 to activate inflators 61, 62 in accordance with the detection result of acceleration sensor 19.

[0016] The inflator 61 (second inflator) is a member that generates inflation gas when activated, and is fixed to the frame of the backrest 2 above the backrest 2 of the seat 1. In this embodiment, the inflator 61 is a hybrid type that combines explosives and a filling gas. In order to quickly inflate the tube airbag 51, the amount of inflation gas released per unit time by the inflator 61 is configured to be greater than the amount of inflation gas released per unit time by the inflator 62. Furthermore, since the temperature of the inflation gas of the hybrid type inflator 61 is generally low, the tube airbag 51 is less likely to be damaged by heat.

[0017] One and the other left and right ends of the inflator 61 are outlets 61a, 61b for discharging the generated inflation gas. The outlet 61a of the inflator 61 is connected to one end 51a of the tube airbag 51 using a clamp or the like (not shown), and the outlet 61b is connected to the other end 51b of the tube airbag 51 using a clamp or the like (not shown). The inflator 61 is electrically connected to the control device 18 via lead wires (not shown), and is activated when it receives an activation signal from the control device 18.

[0018] The tube airbag 51 (second airbag) is a long, thin, bag-like member formed by sewing together the peripheries of a flexible woven fabric such as polyester yarn or polyamide yarn. Before inflation gas is supplied, the tube airbag 51 is stored in a storage space (not shown) formed inside the cushioning materials 2a, 3b of the backrest 2 and seat 3, along the upper and side edges of the seat 1.

[0019] Specifically, one end 51a and the other end 51b in the longitudinal direction of the tube airbag 51 are connected and fixed to discharge ports 61a and 61b, respectively, of the inflator 61 at the top of the backrest 2. An intermediate portion 51c between the one end 51a and the other end 51b of the tube airbag 51 is routed from the one end 51a to the other end 51b so as to follow in order the upper surface 2a1 and left side surface 2a2 of the cushion material 2a of the backrest 2, the left side surface 3b1 and right side surface 3b2 of the cushion material 3b of the seat 3, and the right side surface 2a3 and upper surface 2a1 of the cushion material 2a of the backrest 2, and is stored in a storage space (not shown) formed around the above-mentioned portions of the cushion materials 2a and 3b.

[0020] The tube airbag 51 is inflated by the supply of inflation gas from the inflator 61. The upper surface 2a1, left side surface 2a2, and right side surface 2a3 of the cushion material 2a of the backrest 2 and the left side surface 3b1 and right side surface 3b2 of the cushion material 3b of the seat 3 are pressurized from the inside, causing them to tear open, and the airbag 51 is extended out of the seat 1 through the torn portions. To facilitate the tearing, the cushion materials 2a and 3b of the backrest 2 and the seat 3 may be provided with weakened portions such as slits in the above-mentioned areas. The tube airbag 51 is fixed to the airbags 52 and 53 by stitching or other methods. Specific fixing positions will be described later.

[0021] Here, the region from one end 51a of the tube airbag 51, passing through the upper surface 2a1 and left side surface 2a2 of the cushion material 2a of the backrest 2, to the portion stored in the storage space around the left side surface 3b1 of the cushion material 3b of the seat portion 3, is located near the front of the left shoulder ML of the occupant M seated in the seat 1 when the tube airbag 51 is fully inflated. More precisely, it is located in front of the airbag 52, which is configured to be located near the front of the left shoulder ML of the occupant M when it is fully inflated. Therefore, this region will be referred to hereinafter as the left inflatable portion 51s1 (second left airbag) of the tube airbag 51.

[0022] Furthermore, the region from the other end 51b of the tube airbag 51, passing through the upper surface 2a1 and right side surface 2a3 of the cushion material 2a of the backrest 2, to the portion stored in the storage space around the right side surface 3b2 of the cushion material 3b of the seat portion 3, is located near the front of the right shoulder MR of the occupant M seated in the seat 1 when the tube airbag 51 is fully inflated. More precisely, it is located in front of the airbag 53, which is configured to be located near the front of the right shoulder MR of the occupant M when it is fully inflated. Therefore, this region will be referred to hereinafter as the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 (second right airbag).

[0023] Furthermore, a portion of the tube airbag 51 extending in the left-right direction between the left inflation portion 51s1 and the right inflation portion 51s2 connects the left inflation portion 51s1 and the right inflation portion 51s2. Therefore, this portion will be referred to as the connected inflation portion 51s3 of the tube airbag 51. The interiors of the left inflation portion 51s1 and the right inflation portion 51s2 are connected via the connected inflation portion 51s3. The connected inflation portion 51s3 is inflated by inflation gas supplied from the inflator 61, but remains housed within the seat 1 even after inflation is complete.

[0024] The inflator 62 (first inflator) is a component that generates inflation gas when activated, and is fixed to the frame 3a of the bottom portion 3 of the seat 1. In other words, the inflator 62 is disposed lower than the inflator 61. In this embodiment, the inflator 62 is a pyrotechnic inflator that generates gas by burning gunpowder. Because the combined capacity of the airbags 52, 53, and the diffuser 55 in this embodiment is greater than the capacity of the tube airbag 51, the pyrotechnic inflator 62 is used, which is suitable for deploying a large-capacity airbag. The upper portion of the inflator 62 is provided with a plurality of discharge ports 62a that discharge the generated inflation gas. The portion of the inflator 62 where the discharge ports 62a are formed is disposed inside the diffuser 55. The inflator 62 is electrically connected to the control device 18 via lead wires (not shown), and is activated when it receives an activation signal from the control device 18.

[0025] The diffuser 55 is a long, narrow, strip-like bag-like member formed by sewing together the peripheral edges of a flexible woven fabric such as polyester yarn, and is stored in a storage space (not shown) formed inside the cushion material 3b of the bottom portion 3 of the seat 1. One end 55a and the other end 55b in the longitudinal direction of the diffuser 55 are connected by sewing or other method to inlet ports (not shown) for allowing inflation gas to flow into the airbags 52 and 53. In other words, the interiors of the airbags 52 and 53 are in communication via the diffuser 55. The portion of the inflator 62 where the discharge port 62a is formed is inserted into an opening (not shown) of the diffuser 55, and is thereby positioned inside the diffuser 55.

[0026] Before inflation gas is supplied to the airbag 52 (first airbag, first left airbag), the airbag 52 is stored in a folded state inside the cushion material 3b of the sitting portion 3 of the seat 1. Specifically, the airbag 52 is stored together with the tube airbag 51 in a storage space (not shown) that is formed around the left side surface 3b1 of the cushion material 3b and stores the tube airbag 51. An inlet (not shown) of the airbag 52 for allowing inflation gas to flow in is connected to one end 55a of the diffuser 55 as described above. The airbag 52 is inflated by the supply of inflation gas from the inflator 62 via the diffuser 55.

[0027] The airbag 52 is fixed to the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51. Specifically, the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 is fixed to a front surface 52a (support surface) opposite to a rear surface 52b (occupant side surface) which is the surface of the airbag 52 facing the occupant M when inflation is complete (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Therefore, when the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 tears open the left side surface 3b1 of the cushion material 3b and is deployed to the outside of the seat 1, the airbag 52 is also deployed to the outside of the seat 1 together with the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 from the ruptured portion.

[0028] Before inflation gas is supplied to the airbag 53 (first airbag, first right airbag), the airbag 53 is stored in a folded state inside the cushion material 3b of the sitting portion 3 of the seat 1. Specifically, the airbag 53 is stored together with the tube airbag 51 in a storage space (not shown) that is formed around the right side surface 3b2 of the cushion material 3b and stores the tube airbag 51. An inlet (not shown) for allowing inflation gas to flow into the airbag 53 is connected to the other end 55b of the diffuser 55 as described above. The airbag 53 is inflated by the supply of inflation gas from the inflator 62 via the diffuser 55.

[0029] The airbag 53 is fixed to the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51. Specifically, the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 is fixed to a front surface 53a (support surface) opposite to a rear surface 53b (occupant side surface) which is the surface of the airbag 53 facing the occupant M when inflation is complete (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Therefore, when the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 tears open the right side surface 3b2 of the cushion material 3b and is deployed to the outside of the seat 1, the airbag 53 is also deployed to the outside of the seat 1 together with the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 from the ruptured portion.

[0030] Next, the configuration of the tube airbag 51 and the airbags 52 and 53 when they are inflated and when they are fully inflated, and the protective operation of the occupant M by the occupant protection device 10 using these airbags will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are a front view and a left side view of the seat 1 when the tube airbag 51 has fully inflated and the airbags 52 and 53 are in the middle of inflating. Figures 6 and 7 are a front view and a left side view of the seat 1 when the tube airbag 51 and the airbags 52 and 53 have fully inflated.

[0031] First, when an impact occurs due to a collision of the vehicle 50, 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 first transmits an activation signal to the inflator 61 and then transmits an activation signal to the inflator 62. This causes the inflators 61, 62 to operate in sequence, supplying inflation gas to the insides of the tube airbag 51 and the airbags 52, 53. That is, the control device 18 activates the inflator 61, which releases inflation gas to be supplied to the tube airbag 51, before activating the inflator 62, which releases inflation gas to be supplied to the airbags 52, 53.

[0032] As described above, the tube airbag 51, which has begun to inflate when inflation gas is supplied, applies pressure from the inside to the upper surface 2a1, left side surface 2a2, and right side surface 2a3 of the cushion material 2a of the backrest 2 and the left side surface 3b1 and right side surface 3b2 of the cushion material 3b of the seat 3, causing them to split open, and is then projected from the split portion (not shown) to the outside of the seat 1. At this time, the airbags 52 and 53 fixed to the tube airbag 51 are also projected from the split portion to the outside of the seat 1 while being inflated by the inflation gas supplied from the inflator 62.

[0033] Next, the tube airbag 51, together with the airbags 52 and 53, moves forward of the occupant M seated in the seat 1 by utilizing the wind pressure of the inflation gas released from the inflators 61 and 62 and the movement caused by the increase in the internal pressure of the tube airbag 51 and the airbags 52 and 53. Then, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the tube airbag 51 completes inflation first, before the airbags 52 and 53. Note that the completion of inflation of the tube airbag 51 and the airbags 52 and 53 means that they have reached a state where they can fully demonstrate their airbag performance.

[0034] When the tube airbag 51 has completed inflation, the left inflation portion 51s1 is located in front of the airbag 52, which is located near in front of the left shoulder ML of the occupant M seated in the seat 1, and the right inflation portion 51s2 is located in front of the airbag 53, which is located near in front of the right shoulder MR of the occupant M. In other words, when inflation is complete, the left inflation portion 51s1 and the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 are located in front of the left shoulder ML and right shoulder MR of the occupant M, respectively, with the airbags 52 and 53 in the process of inflation sandwiched between them. At this stage, the airbags 52 and 53 are in a state after starting to inflate but before completing inflation, and are in a state where they are approximately 40% inflated in this embodiment.

[0035] Here, the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 biases the front surface 52a of the airbag 52 during inflation toward the rear side where the occupant M is located due to a reaction force generated as the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 is inflated. As a result, the airbag 52 during inflation is sandwiched between the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 and the occupant M from the front-rear direction, thereby suppressing its swinging. Similarly, the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 biases the front surface 53a of the airbag 53 during inflation toward the rear side where the occupant M is located due to a reaction force generated as the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 is inflated. As a result, the airbag 53 during inflation is sandwiched between the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 and the occupant M from the front-rear direction, thereby suppressing its swinging.

[0036] 6 and 7, the airbags 52 and 53 are further inflated by the inflation gas supplied from the inflator 62 to complete inflation. At this time, the airbag 52 is positioned near the front of the left shoulder ML of the occupant M seated in the seat 1, and the airbag 53 is positioned near the front of the right shoulder MR of the occupant M seated in the seat 1. The left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 is positioned in front of the airbag 52, and a reaction force generated as the airbag 52 inflates biases the front surface 52a of the airbag 52 toward the rear where the occupant M is located. Similarly, the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 is positioned in front of the airbag 53, and a reaction force generated as the airbag 51 inflates biases the front surface 53a of the airbag 53 toward the rear where the occupant M is located.

[0037] Thereafter, the left shoulder ML of the occupant M, who attempts to move forward due to the impact accompanying the collision of the vehicle 50, is received by the airbag 52 and the left inflatable portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51, and the right shoulder MR is received by the airbag 53 and the right inflatable portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51. This prevents the occupant M from moving forward, and the occupant M is restrained in the seat 1. In this way, the occupant protection device 10 protects the occupant M seated in the seat 1 of the vehicle 50.

[0038] As described above, in the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the control device 18 activates the inflator 62 before activating the inflator 61, causing the tube airbag 51 to start inflating before the airbags 52, 53. This allows a reaction force to be generated in the tube airbag 51 at an early stage. Note that even before inflation is complete, if the tube airbag 51 is inflated to a certain extent, a reaction force is generated that urges the airbags 52, 53 in the inflation process toward the rearward side where the occupant M is located. Therefore, the reaction force generated with the inflation described above includes not only the reaction force generated when the tube airbag 51 has completed inflation, but also the reaction force generated during the inflation process.

[0039] Furthermore, the left inflation portion 51s1 of the tube airbag 51 biases the airbag 52 in the inflation process toward the rear side where the occupant M is located due to a reaction force generated as the airbag 52 in the inflation process is held between the left inflation portion 51s1 and the occupant M, thereby suppressing rocking. Similarly, the right inflation portion 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 biases the airbag 53 in the inflation process toward the rear side where the occupant M is located due to a reaction force generated as the airbag 53 in the inflation process is held between the right inflation portion 51s2 and the occupant M, thereby suppressing rocking.

[0040] Therefore, according to the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the swinging of the airbags 52, 53 when they inflate can be suppressed at an early stage by utilizing the reaction force of the tube airbag 51, which begins to inflate before the airbags 52, 53. Note that in this embodiment, the swinging of the airbags 52, 53 during the inflation process is suppressed by being sandwiched between the tube airbag 51 and the occupant M, but as long as the airbags 52, 53 are biased by the tube airbag 51, the effect of suppressing the swinging of the airbags 52, 53 can be achieved even if they are not sandwiched between the airbags 52, 53 and the occupant M.

[0041] Furthermore, the left and right inflation portions 51s1 and 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 complete inflation before the airbags 52 and 53 complete inflation, and are positioned in front of the left and right shoulders ML and MR of the occupant M, sandwiching the airbags 52 and 53 in the inflation process. Therefore, until the airbags 52 and 53 have inflated to a certain extent and generated sufficient reaction force, the occupant M, who attempts to move forward due to the reaction force of the left and right inflation portions 51s1 and 51s2 of the tube airbag 51, can be caught at an early stage and restrained in the seat 1. In other words, the left and right inflation portions 51s1 and 51s2 of the tube airbag 51 complete inflation at an early stage, and the airbags 52 and 53, which complete inflation thereafter, can compensate for the lack of reaction force. Therefore, the occupant protection device 10 according to this embodiment can restrain the occupant M in the seat 1 at an early stage.

[0042] Furthermore, the inflator 61 that inflates the tube airbag 51 is disposed in the backrest 2 located at the top of the seat 1, and the inflator 62 that inflates the airbags 52, 53 is disposed in the seat portion 3 located at the bottom of the seat 1. As a result, the tube airbag 51 is deployed from above to quickly restrain the left shoulder ML and right shoulder MR, which are hard parts of the upper body of the occupant M, while the airbags 52, 53 are deployed from below to quickly restrain the lumbar region of the occupant M, and the load on the chest can be reduced by the movement of the lumbar region with the left shoulder ML and right shoulder MR of the occupant M being restrained.

[0043] Although the present embodiment has been described using an example of a configuration in which two airbags 52, 53 are provided as airbags supported by the tube airbag 51, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the number and shapes of the tube airbag 51 and the airbags 52, 53 are not limited to those of the present embodiment, and the same effects as described above can be obtained, for example, by connecting the airbags 52, 53 in front of the occupant M to form a single airbag that is long in the left-right direction. However, a configuration with two airbags 52, 53 as in the present embodiment is preferable because the airbags are less likely to interfere with the seat 1 when deployed from the seat 1 and can be more easily positioned in front of the occupant M.

[0044] In addition, in this embodiment, the tube airbag 51 is generally annular and includes the left inflation portion 51s1, the right inflation portion 51s2, and the connecting inflation portion 51s3. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The same effects as described above can be achieved by providing a tube airbag corresponding to the left inflation portion 51s1 and a tube airbag corresponding to the right inflation portion 51s2 separately and inflating them with two inflators. However, using a single tube airbag 51 including the left inflation portion 51s1, the right inflation portion 51s2, and the connecting inflation portion 51s3, as in this embodiment, is preferable because it reduces the number of parts required since the tube airbag 51 can be inflated with a single inflator 61. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1...seat, 10...occupant protection device, 18...control device (control unit), 50...vehicle, 51...tube airbag (second airbag), 51s1...left side inflation portion (second left airbag), 51s2...right side inflation portion (second right airbag), 52...airbag (first airbag, first left airbag), 53...airbag (first airbag, first right airbag), 61...inflator (second inflator), 62...inflator (first inflator), M...occupant, ML...left shoulder, MR...right shoulder

Claims

1. An occupant protection device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle, a first airbag that is provided in a seat on which the occupant sits, that is inflated by being supplied with inflation gas, and that is positioned in front of the occupant and configured to receive the occupant when inflation is complete; a first inflator that releases the inflation gas to be supplied to the first airbag; a second airbag provided in the seat, inflated by supplying inflation gas, and disposed in front of the first airbag upon completion of inflation, the second airbag being fixed to the first airbag; a second inflator that releases the inflation gas to be supplied to the second airbag; a control unit that controls the first inflator and the second inflator; Equipped with the control unit activates the second inflator before activating the first inflator, The second airbag biases the first airbag toward the occupant during inflation by a reaction force generated as the second airbag inflates.

2. 2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the first airbag, when fully inflated, comprises a first left airbag disposed in front of the left shoulder of the occupant and a first right airbag disposed in front of the right shoulder of the occupant.

3. 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 2, wherein the inside of the first left airbag and the inside of the first right airbag are in communication with each other.

4. When the second airbag is fully inflated, a second left airbag that is disposed in front of the first left airbag when inflation is complete, is fixed to the first left airbag, and biases the first left airbag toward the occupant during inflation by a reaction force generated as the airbag inflates; a second right airbag that is disposed in front of the first right airbag when inflation is complete, is fixed to the first right airbag, and biases the first right airbag toward the occupant during inflation by a reaction force generated as the airbag inflates; 4. The passenger protection device according to claim 2, further comprising:

5. 5. The passenger protection device according to claim 4, wherein the interior of the second left airbag and the interior of the second right airbag are in communication with each other.

6. 2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the second airbag is configured to complete inflation before the first airbag and to be positioned in front of the occupant with the first airbag in the inflation process sandwiched therebetween.

7. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of inflation gas discharged per unit time from the second inflator is greater than the amount of inflation gas discharged per unit time from the first inflator.

8. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the first inflator is a pyrotechnic inflator, and the second inflator is a hybrid inflator.

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