Airbag system

Abstract

The present invention provides an airbag device that can increase the rigidity of the intermediate portion of the belt member with a simple configuration. [Solution] The airbag device 10 includes an airbag 11 that is folded and stored above the side windows 54a and 54b of the vehicle 50, inflates and deploys downward when inflation gas is supplied, covering at least a portion of the side windows 54a and 54b, and a tension belt 13 that applies tension to the airbag 11 when inflation is complete, the tension belt 13 having one longitudinal end 13a connected to the airbag 11 and the other end 13b connected to the inner panel 52 of the vehicle 50. When the airbag 11 is folded, a rolled-fold portion 13r is provided in the intermediate portion 13c between the part of the tension belt 13 that is in contact with the airbag 11 and the other end 13b in the longitudinal direction, where the tension belt 13 is rolled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag device that includes an airbag covering at least a part of a side window of a vehicle and receives and protects an occupant with the airbag.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an airbag device that deploys an airbag to cover a side window during a vehicle collision and receives and protects an occupant who is about to collide with the side window with the airbag is widely known.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which, in the above-described airbag device, a belt member that applies tension to the airbag at the time of completion of inflation is provided. The belt member is connected to the airbag and the vehicle body, and applies the tension generated by being pulled by both of them to the airbag when the airbag inflates.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a configuration is described in which the connection portion of the belt member to the airbag is roll-folded together with the airbag when the airbag is folded. However, the configuration of the intermediate portion between the portion of the belt member in the longitudinal direction that contacts the airbag and the connection portion to the vehicle body in the state where the airbag is folded is not mentioned.

[0006] Airbags tend to have higher rigidity because their thickness increases when folded, making them less prone to deformation and movement even if unintentionally contacted by an assembly worker. The same applies to the part of the belt component that comes into contact with the folded airbag. In contrast, belt components do not need to expand as much as airbags, so if we only consider their function of applying tension to the airbag, there is no need for them to be folded. Therefore, the thickness of the middle section of the belt component tends to be thinner, and its rigidity tends to be lower.

[0007] If the rigidity of the middle section of the belt component is low, it is prone to deformation and movement when force is applied to the middle section. Therefore, if an assembler unintentionally comes into contact with the middle section of the belt component when installing the airbag, the middle section may deform and move to an unintended position. When the airbag inflates, the middle section may interfere with other components, potentially hindering the deployment of the airbag.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an airbag device that can increase the rigidity of the intermediate portion of the belt member with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A typical configuration of the airbag device according to the present invention for solving the above problems is an airbag that is folded and stored in the upper part of the side window of a vehicle, inflates and deploys downward when inflation gas is supplied, and is configured to cover at least a part of the side window; an inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the airbag; and a belt member that applies tension to the airbag when inflation is complete, the belt member having one end in the longitudinal direction connected to the airbag and the other end connected to the vehicle body, wherein, when the airbag is folded, a roll-fold portion is provided in the intermediate part between the portion of the belt member in contact with the airbag in the longitudinal direction and the other end, where the belt member is roll-folded.

[0010] According to the present invention, the rigidity of the intermediate portion of the belt member can be increased in an airbag device with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a view from the right side of the area around the seat of a vehicle equipped with an airbag system. [Figure 2] This is a view from the right side of the area around the seat of a vehicle with the airbag fully inflated. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the inner panel surrounding the side window of a vehicle. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the actions of an occupant when an airbag system deploys. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the airbag and tension belt laid flat. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the sequential folding operation of an airbag. [Figure 7] This is a front view of the folded airbag and tension belt. [Figure 8] This is a magnified perspective view of the front pillar portion of the inner panel. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view of the pillar garnish on the front pillar, seen from the back, and a perspective view of the front pillar with the pillar garnish attached. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing other configurations of a tension belt. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The following description of an airbag device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be made with reference to the drawings. The airbag device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 50. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to those unless otherwise specified.

[0013] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear direction means the front direction and the rear direction when the vehicle 50 is moving straight. The left-right direction means the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 50, specifically, the left direction and the right direction when the vehicle 50 is moving straight. The up-down direction means the vertical direction.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a view of the surroundings of the seat 51 of the vehicle 50 as seen from the right side. FIG. 2 is a view of the surroundings of the seat 51 of the vehicle 50 as seen from the right side in a state where the airbag 11 of the airbag device 10 has completed inflation. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inner panel 52 around the side windows 54a and 54b of the vehicle 50. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the occupant M when the airbag device 10 is activated.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the airbag device 10 is mounted around two side windows 54a and 54b arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 50. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 50 is a right-hand drive vehicle, the seat 51 is the passenger seat on the left side, and the occupant M is a person sitting in the passenger seat.

[0016] The airbag device 10 includes an airbag 11, an inflater 12 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 11, a tension belt 13 (belt member) that applies tension to the airbag 11 when inflation is completed, and an airbag cover 14 that covers the airbag 11 in a folded state. Further, the airbag device 10 includes a control device 18 that controls the operation of the inflater 12, and an acceleration sensor 19 that is electrically connected to the control device 18.

[0017] The control device 18 and the acceleration sensor 19 are attached to the body of the vehicle 50. The acceleration sensor 19 detects the impact generated due to a collision or the like of the vehicle 50 as acceleration. The control device 18 is electrically connected to the inflater 12, and transmits an operation signal for operating the inflater 12 to the inflater 12 according to the detection result of the acceleration sensor 19.

[0018] The inflator 12 is a substantially cylindrical member that generates inflation gas when activated, and has a discharge port 12a for discharging the inflation gas generated at the front end. The portion around the discharge port 12a of the inflator 12 is disposed inside the airbag 11. Further, the portion around the discharge port 12a is fastened from the outer peripheral side of the airbag 11 by a clamp 15, so that the inflation gas discharged from the discharge port 12a does not leak to the outside of the airbag 11.

[0019] Also, the inflator 12 is fixed via a bracket 75 to a portion above the side windows 54a, 54b of the inner panel 52 of the vehicle 50. Specifically, in a state where the bracket 75 is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the inflator 12, the bracket 75 is fixed to the inner panel 52 with bolts (not shown), whereby the inflator 12 is fixed to the inner panel 52. The inflator 12 is electrically connected to the control device 18 via a lead wire (not shown) and operates by receiving an activation signal from the control device 18. Note that the inner panel 52 is a part of the body of the vehicle 50 and is disposed over substantially the entire area of the vehicle 50 as a frame portion forming the skeleton of the vehicle 50.

[0020] The airbag 11 is a bag-shaped member formed of a woven fabric made of polyester yarn. Before the airbag device 10 is activated, the airbag 11 is stored in a storage space between the inner panel 52 of the vehicle �0 and the airbag cover 14 in a folded state. Specifically, the airbag 11 in the folded state is disposed in a storage space formed from the front pillar 55 of the vehicle 50 to a portion reaching the upper part of the rear pillar 57 via the upper parts of the side windows 54a, 54b. Note that the airbag 11 in the folded state is prevented from collapsing by winding a plurality of tapes 77. This tape 77 breaks during the inflation process of the airbag 11 so as not to hinder the deployment of the airbag 11.

[0021] The airbag 11 inflates when inflation gas is supplied from the inflator 12, and extends out of the airbag cover 14, deploying downwards. When inflation is complete, the overall shape of the airbag 11 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped with its long side extending along the front-to-back direction, and is configured to cover the side windows 54a, 54b, center pillar 56, and rear pillar 57 of the vehicle 50 from the inside.

[0022] The airbag 11 also has an inflatable section 11a that inflates when inflation gas flows in, generating a reaction force to catch the occupant M, and a non-inflatable section 11b that does not inflate when inflation gas does not flow in. The upper central part of the inflatable section 11a is connected to the inflator 12 and serves as a connecting passage 11a1 that allows inflation gas to flow into the inflatable section 11a. The rear end of the connecting passage 11a1 is open, and the part of the inflator 12 into which the discharge port 12a is formed is inserted through this opening. The non-inflatable section 11b also has the function of narrowing the thickness (width in the left-right direction) of the inflatable section 11a around it. The non-inflatable section 11b is provided in multiple locations on the airbag 11, thereby adjusting the overall thickness of the airbag 11.

[0023] Furthermore, multiple connecting tabs 16 are sewn along the front-to-back direction to the upper edge 11y1 of the airbag 11 when inflation is complete. The connecting tabs 16 are used together with the bracket 71 when attaching the airbag 11 to the inner panel 52. In this embodiment, the bracket 71 is made of sheet metal, and the connecting tabs 16 are made of the same woven fabric as the airbag 11. With the bracket 71 pressed against the connecting tabs 16, bolts (not shown) are inserted through them, and the bolts are fastened to the inner panel 52, thereby attaching the airbag 11 to the inner panel 52 via the bracket 71.

[0024] Furthermore, a strip-shaped tension belt 13 is sewn to the vicinity of the front end of the uninflated portion 11b of the airbag 11 when inflation is complete. In this embodiment, the tension belt 13 is formed from a woven fabric made of polyamide yarn or polyester yarn. One end 13a in the longitudinal direction of the tension belt 13 is sewn and connected to the vicinity of the front end of the uninflated portion 11b of the airbag 11 when inflation is complete, and the other end 13b is connected to the front pillar 55 portion of the inner panel 52 via a bracket 73.

[0025] The airbag cover 14 consists of a pillar garnish 55a that covers the front pillar 55 portion of the vehicle 50 on the inner panel 52 from the inside, and a roof headlining 58a that covers the roof side rail 58 portion from the inside. In this embodiment, the pillar garnish 55a and the roof headlining 58a are made of synthetic resin and are fitted and attached to the inner panel 52.

[0026] Next, the operation of the airbag system 10 when it is activated will be explained. First, when an impact occurs due to a diagonal collision of the vehicle 50, the acceleration sensor 19 detects this impact as acceleration. If the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 19 is above a predetermined level, the control device 18 sends an activation signal to the inflator 12. As a result, the inflator 12 activates and inflation gas is supplied to the inside of the airbag 11, causing the airbag 11 to begin inflating.

[0027] As the airbag 11 begins to inflate, it first pressurizes and ruptures the tape 77. Next, the airbag 11 pushes open the pillar garnish 55a and roof headlining 58a that make up the airbag cover 14 from the inside and extends outwards. After that, the airbag 11 deploys downward to complete its inflation, covering the side windows 54a, 54b, the center pillar 56, and the rear pillar 57 from the inside of the vehicle.

[0028] When the airbag 11 has finished inflating, one end 13a of the tension belt 13 is pulled towards the airbag 11, and the other end 13b is pulled towards the inner panel 52. The tension generated by the tension belt 13 in this way acts on the airbag 11, thereby applying tension from the tension belt 13 to the airbag 11. This makes it difficult for the airbag 11 to move in the lateral direction, and prevents the airbag 11 from curling up and causing the occupant M to enter the side windows 54a, 54b or the center pillar 56 when the occupant M comes into contact with the airbag 11.

[0029] Due to the impact of the collision with vehicle 50, occupant M, while restrained at the waist by a seat belt (not shown), leans forward and moves to the left, bringing his upper body closer to his lower body. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, occupant M's head MH enters the airbag 11 at an angle and is caught and protected by the airbag 11.

[0030] Next, the method for folding the airbag 11 and tension belt 13, and the method for assembling the folded airbag 11 and tension belt 13 to the vehicle 50 will be described.

[0031] Figure 5 is an unfolded view of the airbag 11 and tension belt 13 laid flat before being installed in the vehicle 50. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the folding operation of the airbag 11 in the order of Figures 6A to 6D. Figure 7 is a front view of the folded airbag 11 and tension belt 13. Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the front pillar 55 portion of the inner panel 52, with Figure 8A showing the state before the airbag 11 and tension belt 13 are installed and Figure 8B showing the state after they are installed. Figure 9A is a perspective view of the pillar garnish 55a of the front pillar 55 seen from the back side. Figure 9B is a perspective view of the front pillar 55 with the pillar garnish 55a installed.

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, the tension belt 13 is sewn to the airbag 11 at the seam 13x before the airbag 11 is folded. When the tension belt 13 is laid flat, it has a wide section 13y1 that is wider in the vertical direction and a narrow section 13y2 that is narrower in the vertical direction than the wide section 13y1. The wide section 13y1 is the region from one end 13a to a predetermined position on the other end 13b in the longitudinal direction of the tension belt 13, and the front side of the wide section 13y1 protrudes forward relative to the airbag 11. The narrow section 13y2 is the region from the predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the tension belt 13 to the other end 13b. Note that the directions described using Figures 5 and 6 indicate the direction in which the airbag 11 and tension belt 13 are assembled to the vehicle 50 for the sake of explanation.

[0033] As described above, a bracket 73 is attached to the other end 13b of the tension belt 13. The bracket 73 has a hook-shaped projection 73a formed at its tip, a mounting hole 73b to which the tension belt 13 is attached, and a screw hole 73c through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted when it is fixed to the inner panel 52. The bracket 73 is attached to the other end 13b of the tension belt 13 by passing the loop portion (not shown) of the tension belt 13 through the mounting hole 73b.

[0034] Next, the method for folding the airbag 11 will be explained. First, as shown in Figure 6A, the folding operator folds the lower part of the flattened airbag 11 upwards so that the lower edge 11y2 of the airbag 11 faces upwards. Next, as shown in Figure 6B, the operator roll-folds the folded part of the airbag 11 from bottom to top to form a roll-folded portion 11r.

[0035] Next, as shown in Figure 6C, the worker folds the airbag 11 near the upper edge 11y1 in an accordion-like manner, creating multiple folds along the front-to-back direction, thereby forming the accordion-folded portion 11j. Then, as shown in Figure 6D, the worker aligns the roll-folded portion 11r with the accordion-folded portion 11j. In this way, the airbag 11 is folded.

[0036] Furthermore, when the airbag 11 is roll-folded, the wide portion 13y1 of the tension belt 13 is also roll-folded together with the airbag 11, thereby forming the roll-fold portion 13r of the tension belt 13 (see Figure 7). Here, "roll-folded" means that the tension belt 13 is wound at least once to form layers on an arc. Therefore, the roll-fold portion 13r of the tension belt 13 does not include configurations in which the tension belt 13 is wound less than one turn. As described above, the wide portion 13y1 of the tension belt 13 protrudes forward relative to the airbag 11. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, the roll-fold portion 13r of the tension belt 13 has a position that overlaps with the folded airbag 11 and a position that protrudes forward without overlapping.

[0037] Furthermore, multiple tapes 78 are wrapped around the roll-fold portion 13r of the tension belt 13 to prevent it from unraveling. These tapes 78 remain wrapped around the roll-fold portion 13r even when the airbag 11 is inflating. Therefore, the roll-fold portion 13r remains folded even after the airbag 11 has finished inflating. In this embodiment, the vertical width of the narrow portion 13y2 of the tension belt 13 is narrower than the diameter of the roll-fold portion 11r of the airbag 11, so the narrow portion 13y2 is not roll-folded.

[0038] As shown in Figure 8, the folded airbag 11 and tension belt 13 are assembled to the inner panel 52 using brackets 71, 73, etc., as described above. At this time, the projection 73a of bracket 73 fits into the positioning hole 52b of the inner panel 52, thereby positioning both. In addition, a bolt (not shown) is inserted through the screw hole 73c of bracket 73, and the bolt is fastened to the inner panel 52, so that the other end 13b of the tension belt 13 is connected to the inner panel 52 via bracket 73.

[0039] As shown in Figure 9, after the folded airbag 11 and tension belt 13 are assembled to the inner panel 52, the assembly worker fits the projection 55a1 (fitting part) formed on the back surface of the pillar garnish 55a into the fitting hole 52a (fitting part) formed in the inner panel 52. In this way, the pillar garnish 55a is attached to the pillar 55 portion of the inner panel 52. In this embodiment, the projection 55a1 of the pillar garnish 55a is used to fix it to the inner panel 52, but the projection 55a1 may be used for other purposes. For example, the projection 55a1 may be used for positioning relative to the inner panel 52, and the two may be fixed together with bolts or the like.

[0040] Here, the airbag 11 and tension belt 13 are folded and assembled to the inner panel 52. The portion of the tension belt 13 between the part in contact with the airbag 11 and the other end 13b in the longitudinal direction of the tension belt 13 before inflation gas is supplied to the airbag 11 is referred to as the intermediate portion 13c of the tension belt 13 (Figures 7, 8, and 9). At this time, a part of the intermediate portion 13c of the tension belt 13 is a rolled portion 13r. This provides the following effects.

[0041] In other words, when the airbag 11 is folded, it is folded and its thickness increases, making it more rigid and less likely to deform or move even if an assembly worker unintentionally comes into contact with the airbag 11. The same applies to the part of the tension belt 13 that comes into contact with the folded airbag 11. On the other hand, the tension belt 13 does not need to spread out as much as the airbag 11, so if we only consider its function of applying tension to the airbag 11, it does not need to be folded. Therefore, if a roll-fold portion 13r is not provided in the middle portion 13c of the tension belt 13 as in this embodiment, the middle portion 13c tends to become thinner and its rigidity tends to be lower.

[0042] If the rigidity of the intermediate portion 13c of the tension belt 13 is low, it is prone to deformation and movement when force is applied to the intermediate portion 13c. Therefore, if an assembly worker unintentionally comes into contact with the intermediate portion 13c, the intermediate portion 13c may deform and move to an unintended position, and when the airbag 11 inflates, the intermediate portion 13c may interfere with other components, potentially hindering the deployment of the airbag 11. For example, if the intermediate portion 13c deforms and moves due to unintentional contact by an assembly worker and is positioned above the projection 55a1 of the pillar garnish 55a, when the airbag 11 inflates, the intermediate portion 13c may get caught on the projection 55a1, potentially hindering the downward deployment of the airbag 11.

[0043] In contrast, by providing a roll-fold portion 13r in the intermediate portion 13c of the tension belt 13, as in this embodiment, the thickness of the intermediate portion 13c can be increased with a simple configuration, thereby increasing its rigidity. As a result, even if an assembly worker comes into contact with the intermediate portion 13c, it is less likely to deform or move, and the intermediate portion 13c is less likely to be placed in an unintended position. Therefore, according to the airbag device 10 of this embodiment, the rigidity of the intermediate portion 13c of the tension belt 13 can be increased with a simple configuration, and interference between the intermediate portion 13c and other members that hinders the deployment of the airbag 11 can be suppressed.

[0044] Furthermore, the rolled portion 13r of the tension belt 13 is positioned below the projection 55a1 of the pillar garnish 55a. This increases the rigidity of the portion of the intermediate portion 13c below the projection 55a1 of the pillar garnish 55a, effectively preventing the intermediate portion 13c from unintentionally being positioned above the projection 55a1. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the intermediate portion 13c of the tension belt 13 from getting caught on the projection 55a1 when the airbag 11 inflates, thereby preventing the downward deployment of the airbag 11.

[0045] In this embodiment, a configuration in which the upper portion of the tension belt 13 relative to the bracket 73 is widened to form a wide portion 13y1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, as shown in Figure 10A, a configuration in which the lower portion of the tension belt 13 relative to the bracket 73 is widened to form a wide portion 13y1 may be used, or as shown in Figure 10B, a configuration in which both sides of the tension belt 13 relative to the bracket 73 are widened substantially equally to form a wide portion 13y1 may be used. The same effects as described above can be obtained with such configurations as well.

[0046] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes a configuration in which the tension belt 13 has a wide portion 13y1 and a narrow portion 13y2, and only the wide portion 13y1 is the roll-fold portion 13r, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, even if the tension belt 13 does not have a narrow portion 13y2 and the entire tension belt 13 is the roll-fold portion 13r, the same effects as described above can be obtained.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration was described in which the other end 13b of the tension belt 13 is connected to the front pillar 55 portion of the inner panel 52 via a bracket 73. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any configuration in which the other end 13b of the tension belt 13 is connected to the body of the vehicle 50 is acceptable. For example, the same effects as described above can be obtained by a configuration in which the other end 13b is connected to another position on the inner panel 52, or by a configuration in which the other end 13b is connected to the body of the vehicle 50 by another method without using the bracket 73.

[0048] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described using an airbag system 10 equipped with an airbag 11 that covers the passenger-side side windows 54a and 54b as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as long as the airbag 11 is configured to cover at least a portion of the side window of the vehicle 50 when fully inflated, the same effect can be obtained even if the airbag system 10 is placed in another location. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 10...Airbag device, 11...Airbag, 12...Inflator, 13...Tension belt (belt component), 13a...One end, 13b...Other end, 13c...Middle section, 13r...Rolled folding section, 14...Airbag cover, 50...Vehicle, 52...Inner panel (body), 52a...Fitting hole (fitting part), 54a, 54b...Side window, 55a...Pillar garnish (airbag cover), 55a1...Protrusion (fitting part), M...Occupant

Claims

1. An airbag is configured to be folded and stored at the top of the vehicle's side window, inflated by the supply of inflation gas and deployed downward to cover at least a portion of the side window, An inflator that releases the inflation gas supplied to the airbag, A belt member for applying tension to the airbag when inflation is complete, wherein one end in the longitudinal direction is connected to the airbag and the other end is connected to the vehicle body, Equipped with, An airbag device characterized in that, when the airbag is folded, a roll-fold portion is provided in the intermediate portion between the portion of the belt member in contact with the airbag in the longitudinal direction and the other end of the belt member, where the belt member is roll-folded.

2. The airbag cover has a fitting portion that fits into the fitting portion of the body, and when attached to the body, covers at least a portion of the folded airbag from the inside of the vehicle, The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that the roll folding portion is located below the fitting portion.

3. The airbag device according to claim 2, characterized in that the other end of the belt member is connected to the front pillar of the vehicle, and the airbag cover is a pillar garnish of the front pillar.

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