Crew protection devices

Abstract

The present invention provides an occupant protection device that protects the occupant's protected areas with the airbag's recesses, while also providing stable support for the occupant in the area above the recess in the rear wall. [Solution] The occupant protection device 10 is provided on the lap belt portion 13 and includes an airbag 30 having a bag body portion 30a. The rear wall portion 30a1 of the bag body portion 30a that faces the occupant M in the front-rear direction when inflation is complete has a recess 30a1a that is recessed on the front side and extends from the left end portion 30a1x to the right end portion 30a1y of the rear wall portion 30a1 so as to penetrate in the left-right direction, an upper rear wall portion 30a1b located above the recess 30a1a, which has an inclined surface that is tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction such that the position of the upper end portion 30a1b1 is positioned in front of the position of the lower end portion 30a1b2, and a lower rear wall portion 30a1c located below the recess 30a1a.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device that protects an occupant sitting on a vehicle seat.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant, a configuration in which a seat belt for restraining the occupant to the seat is provided is widely known. Further, in Patent Document 1, a configuration is described in which an airbag is provided in a lap belt portion that restrains the occupant's waist in the seat belt, and the occupant is received and protected by the airbag.

[0003] Further, in Patent Document 1, a configuration is described in which a concave portion is provided in a rear wall portion of the airbag facing the occupant at the time of inflation completion, the concave portion is recessed forward and extends from the left end portion to the right end portion of the rear wall portion so as to penetrate in the left-right direction. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the protected target portion of the occupant facing the concave portion from being pressed by the airbag.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the region above the concave portion in the rear wall portion of the airbag forms an inclined surface inclined with respect to the vertical direction such that the position of the upper end portion thereof is arranged rearward with respect to the position of the lower end portion. In this case, when the occupant moves forward and downward due to a vehicle collision or the like, it is difficult to receive the occupant's neck and head in the region above the concave portion, and there is a possibility that the occupant cannot be stably received by the airbag.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an occupant protection device that protects the occupant's protected area with a recess in the airbag, and can also stably receive the occupant in the area above the recess in the rear wall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A typical configuration of the occupant protection device according to the present invention for solving the above problems is an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant seated in a vehicle seat, comprising: a seat belt having a lap belt portion configured to restrain the waist of the occupant seated in the seat; an inflator that releases inflation gas; an airbag provided in the lap belt portion, having a bag body portion that inflates when the inflation gas is supplied and catches the occupant; and a conduit portion connected to the inflator, which guides the inflation gas released from the inflator to the bag body portion and causes the inflation gas to flow into the bag body portion, wherein the rear wall portion of the bag body portion facing the occupant in the front-rear direction when inflation is complete is a recess that is recessed toward the front and extends from the left end to the right end of the rear wall portion so as to penetrate in the left-right direction; a first region located above the recess, which forms an inclined surface that is inclined forward with respect to the vertical direction such that the position of the upper end is positioned in front of the position of the lower end; and a second region located below the recess.

[0008] According to the present invention, in an occupant protection device, the part of the occupant to be protected is protected by a recess in the airbag, and the occupant can be stably supported in the area above the recess in the rear wall. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a seat in a vehicle equipped with occupant protection devices. [Figure 2] This is a left side view of the seat. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the seat. [Figure 4]This is a cross-sectional view of the bag assembly after section AA, shown in Figure 3, has been cut. [Figure 5] This is a left side view of the seat with the airbag inflated. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the airbag assembly in an inflated state. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the occupants and airbags in the case of a vehicle collision at an angle, or a head-on collision where the airbags are positioned offset to the left or right of the occupants. [Figure 8] This is a left side view of the seat in the event of a vehicle collision. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes the overall configuration of the occupant protection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings. 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 specific components unless otherwise stated.

[0011] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the left-right direction refers to the left and right directions of the seat 1 equipped with the occupant protection device 10, specifically the left and right directions as seen from the perspective of occupant M seated in seat 1. The front-rear direction refers to the front and rear directions of seat 1, specifically the front and rear directions as seen from the perspective of occupant M seated in seat 1. The up-down direction refers to the upward and downward directions in the vertical direction.

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of seat 1 of a vehicle 50 equipped with an occupant protection device 10. Figure 2 is a left side view of seat 1. Figure 3 is a front view of seat 1, in which an occupant M seated on seat 1 with a seat belt 11 fastened and the inflated airbag 30 of the occupant protection device 10 are shown by dashed lines.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the occupant protection device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 50 and protects the occupant M seated in the seat 1 of the vehicle 50. The occupant protection device 10 comprises a seat belt 11, a bag assembly 29 equipped with an airbag 30, and an inflator 24 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 30. The seat 1 comprises a backrest 2 and a seat 5.

[0014] The seat belt 11 is a belt-shaped member that restrains the occupant M to the seat 1. The seat belt 11 is configured to be extendable from a winding mechanism 15 located inside near the upper left edge of the backrest 2. The lower end of the seat belt 11 is a fixed end that is fixed to an anchor member 17 located on the left side of the seat 5. A tongue 20 is also provided in the middle of the seat belt 11. The tongue 20 is fastened to a buckle 19 located on the right side of the seat 5 of the seat 1. When the occupant M is seated on the seat 1 and the tongue 20 is fastened to the buckle 19, the occupant M is wearing the seat belt 11.

[0015] The seat belt 11, when worn by occupant M, has a shoulder belt portion 12 that extends from the tongue 20 toward the retraction mechanism 15 and is positioned on the front side of occupant M's upper body MU, configured to restrain occupant M's upper body MU, and a lap belt portion 13 that extends from the tongue 20 toward the anchor member 17 and is positioned on the front side of occupant M's waist MW, configured to restrain the waist MW. Occupant M can release the fastening of the tongue 20 to the buckle 19 and remove the tongue 20 from the buckle 19 by pressing a release button (not shown) provided on the buckle 19.

[0016] The retraction mechanism 15 has a pretensioner mechanism 16 configured to stop the retraction of the seat belt 11 if it is pulled out too quickly, and to retract the retracted seat belt 11 if the vehicle 50 collides with another vehicle. The pretensioner mechanism 16 rotates the shaft around which the seat belt 11 is wound by operating a built-in gas generator, thereby instantly retracting the seat belt 11.

[0017] The inflator 24 is composed of an inflator main body 25 that discharges inflation gas and a pipe portion 26 that guides the inflation gas discharged from the inflator main body 25 to the airbag 30. The inflator main body 25 is attached to a seat frame 4 that supports the seat portion 5 of the seat 1. The pipe portion 26 extends from the inflator main body 25 and is bent in a substantially L shape along the side surface from the bottom surface of the seat portion 5.

[0018] The bag assembly 29 includes an airbag 30 having a bag main body portion 30a and a conduit portion 30b, a bag connection portion 52 that connects the airbag 30 to the lap belt portion 13, tethers 31a, 31b (see FIG. 6) attached to the outer peripheral portion of the airbag 30, and an airbag cover 59. The bag main body portion 30a is housed inside the airbag cover 59 in a folded state before the inflation gas is supplied from the inflator 24. The conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30 is connected to the pipe portion 26 of the inflator 24, takes in the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 24, and guides it to the bag main body portion 30a. The base end portion 30b2 of the conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30 and the pipe portion 26 of the inflator 24 are connected by being fastened with a clamp 27. The detailed configurations of each member constituting the bag assembly 29 will be described later.

[0019] Next, the protection operation of the occupant M by the occupant protection device 10 will be described. First, when the vehicle 50 collides, the pretensioner mechanism 16 of the retractor mechanism 15 operates, and the seat belt 11 worn by the occupant M is retracted to stabilize the seating posture of the occupant M on the seat 1. As a result, the lap belt portion 13 of the seat belt 11 is drawn toward the tongue 20 side, and the shoulder belt portion 12 continuous from the lap belt portion 13 is drawn toward the shoulder side of the occupant M.

[0020] Next, the inflator 24 operates, and the inflation gas is supplied from the inflator main body 25 to the bag main body portion 30a of the airbag 30 via the pipe portion 26 and the conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30. As a result, the bag main body portion 30a expands. Thereafter, the upper body MU of the occupant M that moves forward due to the impact of the collision of the vehicle 50 is received by the bag main body portion 30a. In this way, the occupant protection device 10 protects the occupant M.

[0021] Next, each member constituting the airbag assembly 29 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag assembly 29 cut along the A-A cross-section shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the seat 1 in a state where the airbag 30 is inflated, and the occupant M sitting on the seat 1 and wearing the seat belt 11 is shown by a two-dot chain line. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the airbag assembly 29 in a state where the airbag 30 is inflated, and the airbag cover 59 is omitted.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the airbag 30 includes a bag main body portion 30a that expands by being supplied with inflation gas and receives the occupant M, and a conduit portion 30b that is connected to the pipe portion 26 of the inflator 24 and guides the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 24 to the inlet 30a3a of the bag main body portion 30a to allow the inflation gas to flow into the bag main body portion 30a. The bag main body portion 30a and the conduit portion 30b are each formed of a base fabric for the bag, which is a woven fabric formed by plain weaving or the like of polyester fibers, and are connected by being sewn together.

[0023] When the inflation is completed, the bag main body portion 30a faces the occupant M in the front-rear direction, is disposed immediately in front of the occupant M, and includes a rear wall portion 30a1 configured to receive the upper body MU of the occupant M that moves forward, a front wall portion 30a2 disposed in front of the rear wall portion 30a1, a lower wall portion 30a3 disposed on the lower side and supported by the thigh portion MF of the occupant M, and left and right side wall portions 30a4 and 30a5 respectively disposed on the left and right. Two inlets 30a3a, which are openings for allowing the inflation gas inside the conduit portion 30b to flow in, are provided in the lower wall portion 30a3 of the bag main body portion 30a.

[0024] The rear wall portion 30a1 is recessed on the front side and has a recess 30a1a that extends from the left end 30a1x to the right end 30a1y of the rear wall portion 30a1, penetrating in the left-right direction. This recess 30a1a is formed by an inner wall 30a1a1 extending downward and forward, and an inner wall 30a1a2 extending downward and rearward, and has a roughly V-shape with an opening at the rear when viewed from the left or right direction. The recess 30a1a is positioned below the vertical center portion 30a1z of the rear wall portion 30a1. The recess 30a1a can be formed by cutting the base fabric for the bag before sewing into a shape that can form the recess 30a1a, or by providing a tether inside the bag body portion 30a.

[0025] Furthermore, the rear wall portion 30a1 has an upper rear wall portion 30a1b (first region) located above the recess 30a1a and a lower rear wall portion 30a1c (second region) located below it. The upper rear wall portion 30a1b has an inclined surface that is tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction such that the position of its upper end portion 30a1b1 is located in front of the position of its lower end portion 30a1b2. Also, the lower end portion 30a1b2 of the upper rear wall portion 30a1b is located behind the rear end portion 30a1c1 of the lower rear wall portion 30a1c.

[0026] Furthermore, a tether 31a (first tether) is fixed to the left side wall portion 30a4 of the bag body portion 30a so as to cover a portion of the recess 30a1a of the rear wall portion from the left. One end 31a1 of the tether 31a is sewn and fixed to the left side wall portion 30a4 at a position above the recess 30a1a, and the other end 31a2 is sewn and fixed to the left side wall portion 30a4 at a position below the recess 30a1a. In addition, one end 31a1 and the other end 31a2 of the tether 31a are sewn to the rear end portion 30a4a of the left side wall portion 30a4. Note that one end 31a1 and the other end 31a2 of the tether 31a may be fixed to the left side wall portion 30a4 by means other than sewing.

[0027] Furthermore, a tether 31b (second tether) is fixed to the right side wall portion 30a5 of the bag body portion 30a so as to cover a portion of the recess 30a1a of the rear wall portion from the right. One end 31b1 of the tether 31b is sewn and fixed to the right side wall portion 30a5 at a position above the recess 30a1a, and the other end 31b2 is sewn and fixed to the right side wall portion 30a5 at a position below the recess 30a1a. In addition, one end 31b1 and the other end 31b2 of the tether 31b are sewn to the rear end portion 30a5a of the right side wall portion 30a5. Note that one end 31b1 and the other end 31b2 of the tether 31b may be fixed to the right side wall portion 30a5 by a method other than sewing.

[0028] The conduit section 30b is a cylindrical member that is connected to the pipe section 26 of the inflator 24 and the bag body section 30a, respectively, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the wrap belt section 13. The conduit section 30b has a communication port 30b1 that communicates with the inlets 30a3a of the bag body section 30a. The expansion gas inside the conduit section 30b flows into the bag body section 30a via the communication port 30b1 and the inlets 30a3a.

[0029] The bag connecting portion 52 is a cylindrical member made of the same material as the base fabric for the bag that forms the airbag 30, and connects the airbag 30 to the wrap belt portion 13. The upper surface of the bag connecting portion 52 and the lower surface of the conduit portion 30b of the airbag 30 are sewn together. The space inside the cylinder of the bag connecting portion 52 is a belt insertion portion 52a through which the wrap belt portion 13 is inserted. By inserting the wrap belt portion 13 through the belt insertion portion 52a, the airbag 30 is connected to the wrap belt portion 13 via the bag connecting portion 52.

[0030] The airbag cover 59 is a cylindrical member attached to the lap belt portion 13, and houses the entire bag body portion 30a, a part of the conduit portion 30b, the bag connecting portion 52, and a part of the lap belt portion 13 of the folded airbag 30 inside the cylinder. When the bag body portion 30a inflates, the airbag cover 59 receives pressure from the bag body portion 30a and ruptures to form an opening, allowing the bag body portion 30a to be unfurled through this opening.

[0031] Next, the protective operation of the occupant protection device 10 in the event of an oblique collision of vehicle 50 will be explained using Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7A is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between occupant M and airbag 30 in the event of an oblique collision of vehicle 50, and shows occupant M and airbag 30 as viewed from above. Figure 8 is a left side view of seat 1 in the event of a collision of vehicle 50, and occupant M is indicated by a dashed line.

[0032] As shown in Figure 7A, when vehicle 50 collides at an angle, occupant M does not move straight forward but moves forward and to the right or left. Figure 7A shows occupant M moving forward and to the right. In this case, if the recess 30a1a of the rear wall portion 30a1 of the bag body portion 30a does not extend from the left end 30a1x to the right end 30a1y of the rear wall portion 30a1, but is only partially located near the center in the left-right direction, there is a risk that the recess 30a1a will be misaligned to the left or right relative to the occupant M's lower abdomen, chest, and other areas to be protected. In that case, there is a risk that the occupant M's areas to be protected will not fit properly into the recess 30a1a and will be compressed by the bag body portion 30a.

[0033] In contrast, in the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the recess 30a1a of the rear wall portion 30a1 of the bag body portion 30a extends from the left end 30a1x to the right end 30a1y of the rear wall portion 30a1 so as to penetrate in the left-right direction. Therefore, even if the vehicle 50 collides at an angle and the occupant M moves diagonally forward, the recess 30a1a is prevented from being positioned offset to the left or right relative to the part of the occupant M to be protected. As a result, the part of the occupant M to be protected is more likely to fit into the recess 30a1a, and the compression of the part to be protected by the bag body portion 30a can be suppressed. This configuration is particularly effective for occupants M, such as pregnant women, who have a large waist circumference and require protection of the lower abdomen. It should be noted that the configuration of this embodiment has the same effect not only when the vehicle 50 collides at an angle, but also when the vehicle 50 collides head-on with the center position of the bag body portion 30a positioned offset to the left or right relative to the occupant M, as shown in Figure 7B, and the airbag 30 inflates.

[0034] Furthermore, since the bag body portion 30a of this embodiment has a recess 30a1a, the volume of the portion of the bag body portion 30a into which the inflation gas flows is smaller compared to a configuration without a recess 30a1a or a configuration in which the recess 30a1a is partially located near the center in the left-right direction of the rear wall portion 30a1. Therefore, with the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the time from when the bag body portion 30a starts to inflate until it is completed can be shortened, and thus the occupant M can be protected more safely.

[0035] Furthermore, the recess 30a1a is positioned below the vertical central portion 30a1z of the rear wall portion 30a1. Therefore, it is easier to accurately protect the lower abdomen and chest, which are the areas of the occupant M that the recess 30a1a of this embodiment is intended to protect. In other words, when the vehicle 50 collides, as shown in Figure 8, the occupant M tends to lean forward when moving forward. Therefore, by positioning the recess 30a1a in this way, the lower abdomen of the occupant M tends to fit into the recess 30a1a before the occupant M leans forward, and the chest tends to fit into the recess 30a1a after the occupant M leans forward. Therefore, it is easier to accurately protect the lower abdomen and chest of the occupant M, which are the areas to be protected. When an airbag 30 is provided in the lap belt portion 13, the areas of the occupant M that are most susceptible to compression by the airbag 30 are the lower abdomen and chest, so there is a high need to suppress compression of these areas. However, if, for example, the neck of the crew member M is designated as the area to be protected by the recess 30a1a, the recess 30a1a may be positioned above the central part 30a1z of the rear wall portion 30a1 in the vertical direction.

[0036] Furthermore, the upper rear wall portion 30a1b of the rear wall portion 30a1 of the bag body portion 30a forms an inclined surface that is tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction such that the position of its upper end portion 30a1b1 is positioned in front of the position of its lower end portion 30a1b2. Therefore, when the occupant M moves to fall forward and downward due to a collision with the vehicle 50, the area of ​​the upper rear wall portion 30a1b that mainly faces the neck and head of the occupant M can be increased, making it easier for the neck and head of the occupant M to be caught by the upper rear wall portion 30a1b, and the occupant M can be stably protected. Thus, according to the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the parts of the occupant M to be protected are protected by the recess 30a1a of the bag body portion 30a of the airbag 30, and the occupant M can be stably caught by the upper rear wall portion 30a1b, which is the area above the recess 30a1a of the rear wall portion 30a1.

[0037] Furthermore, the lower end portion 30a1b2 of the upper rear wall portion 30a1b of the bag body portion 30a is positioned behind the rear end portion 30a1c1 of the lower rear wall portion 30a1c. As a result, the distance between the occupant M and the upper rear wall portion 30a1b tends to be shorter, making it easier for the occupant M to be caught by the upper rear wall portion 30a1b before coming into contact with the lower rear wall portion 30a1c.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the bag body 30a has a recess 30a1a, so the width of the rear portion 30av of the recess 30a1a is narrower in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the occupant M is caught by the upper rear wall 30a1b, this rear portion 30av is more likely to bend in the direction of arrow R, and the upper rear wall 30a1b is more likely to tip forward. In response to this, tethers 31a and 31b are fixed to the left wall 30a4 and the right wall 30a5 of the bag body 30a so as to cover the recess 30a1a from the left and right, respectively. Therefore, the tension of the tethers 31a and 31b can suppress the bending of the rear portion 30av of the recess 30a1a, making it easier for the upper rear wall 30a1b to more accurately catch the occupant M.

[0039] Furthermore, one end 31a1 and the other end 31a2 of the tether 31a are fixed to the rear end 30a4a of the left wall portion 30a4. Similarly, one end 31b1 and the other end 31b2 of the tether 31b are fixed to the rear end 30a5a of the right wall portion 30a5. This increases the distance between the rear portion 30av of the recess 30a1a of the bag body portion 30a and the tethers 31a and 31b, thereby increasing the tension of the tethers 31a and 31b acting as a force in the opposite direction to the direction of arrow R on the rear portion 30av. As a result, bending of the rear portion 30av can be suppressed more effectively.

[0040] In this embodiment, the recess 30a1a is formed by inner walls 30a1a1 and 30a1a2, and a configuration has been described in which the recess has a substantially V-shape with an opening at the rear when viewed from the left and right directions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the recess 30a1a may have other shapes as long as it extends from the left end 30a1x to the right end 30a1y of the rear wall portion 30a1 so as to penetrate in the left and right directions. For example, the same effect as above can be obtained even if the inner walls 30a1a1 and 30a1a2 are made into a single curved surface, and the recess 30a1a has an arc shape when viewed from the left and right directions.

[0041] Furthermore, although the occupant protection device 10 has been described using a so-called three-point seat belt 11, which comprises a shoulder belt portion 12 and a lap belt portion 13, as an example in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, even if the present invention is applied to a so-called two-point seat belt 11, which has a lap belt portion 13 but does not have a shoulder belt portion 12, the same effects as described above can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1...Seat, 10...Occupant protection device, 11...Seat belt, 13...Wrap belt section, 15...Retraction mechanism, 24...Inflator, 30...Airbag, 30a...Bag body section, 30a1...Rear wall section, 30a1a...Recess, 30a1b...Upper rear wall section (first area), 30a1b1...Upper end, 30a1b2...Lower end, 30a1c...Lower rear wall section (second area), 30a 1c1...rear end, 30a1x...left end, 30a1y...right end, 30a4...left wall, 30a4a...rear end, 30a5...right wall, 30a5a...rear end, 30b...conduit, 31a ...Tether (first tether), 31a1...one end, 31a2...other end, 31b...tether (second tether), 31b1...one end, 31b2...other end, 50...vehicle, M...occupant, MW...waist

Claims

1. An occupant protection device that protects occupants seated in a vehicle seat, A seat belt having a lap belt portion configured to restrain the waist of an occupant seated in the seat, An inflator that releases expansion gas, An airbag provided in the lap belt portion, comprising: a bag body portion that inflates to catch the occupant when the inflation gas is supplied; and a conduit portion connected to the inflator, which guides the inflation gas released from the inflator to the bag body portion and allows the inflation gas to flow into the bag body portion; Equipped with, When inflation is complete, the rear wall portion of the bag body that faces the occupant in the front-to-rear direction is, A recess that is recessed on the front side, and extends from the left end to the right end of the rear wall portion so as to penetrate in the left-right direction, A first region located above the recess, the first region having an inclined surface that is tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction such that the position of the upper end is positioned forward of the position of the lower end, A second region located below the recess, A occupant protection device characterized by having the following features.

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower end of the first region is positioned rearward from the rear end of the second region.

3. A first tether, fixed to the left side wall of the bag body when inflation is complete, covering at least a portion of the recess from the left, wherein one end of the first tether is fixed to the left side wall at a position above the recess, and the other end is fixed to the left side wall at a position below the recess, A second tether, fixed to the right side wall of the bag body when inflation is complete, covering at least a portion of the recess from the right, wherein one end of the second tether is fixed to the right side wall at a position above the recess, and the other end is fixed to the right side wall at a position below the recess, The occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the following:

4. The occupant protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that one end and the other end of the first tether are fixed to the rear end of the left side wall, and one end and the other end of the second tether are fixed to the rear end of the right side wall.

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