Pedestrian airbag system

Abstract

To provide a pedestrian airbag device that has a simple configuration and can reliably release inflation gas from the airbag when a pedestrian is caught. [Solution] The airbag 39 in the pedestrian airbag device ML has a vehicle body side wall portion 31 that is positioned on the vehicle body side when inflation is complete, and a pedestrian side wall portion 32 that is positioned on the pedestrian side, and the outer edges of the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion are joined together to form a bag shape, and when inflation is complete it is positioned to cover the area near the hood panel 8 and is configured to catch a pedestrian P. The vehicle body side wall portion is formed from a coated fabric in which a gas leak prevention coating agent is applied to the surface of the woven fabric, and the pedestrian side wall portion is formed from an uncoated fabric in which at least a part of the woven fabric does not have a coating agent applied to the surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pedestrian airbag device disposed near a hood panel of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an airbag used in an airbag device, in order to suppress a rapid increase in internal pressure when receiving a protected person (such as an occupant or a pedestrian), there is a configuration having an exhaust hole through which the inflation gas flowing into the interior can be exhausted to the outside (for example, see Patent Document 1). Specifically, in a conventional airbag device, an exhaust hole is disposed at a position near the outer peripheral edge of the airbag at the completion of inflation, and this exhaust hole is folded inwardly to the inner peripheral side of the airbag together with the peripheral region, and the peripheral region is sewn so as to maintain the folded state. And the stitching part that maintains the folded state of the arrangement area of this exhaust hole is configured such that a part of the stitching thread is cut between immediately before and immediately after the completion of inflation of the airbag, the stitching state is released, the peripheral region of the exhaust hole is released from the folded state, and the exhaust hole is opened.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in a conventional airbag, in order to control the opening and closing of the exhaust hole, a part of the airbag (the peripheral region of the exhaust hole) is folded inwardly, and a stitching part for maintaining this folded state is formed, and the configuration is not simple.

[0005] Pedestrian airbag systems are designed to protect pedestrians (including cyclists) who collide with a vehicle by using an inflated airbag to catch them. However, because the time between collision detection and the start of pedestrian capture is relatively long, it is desirable to maintain a relatively high internal pressure in the airbag for a considerable period of time. To maintain this internal pressure, airbags are typically formed from coated fabric, which has a gas-leak-preventing coating applied to the surface of the woven fabric. However, in order to smoothly protect pedestrians with the inflated airbag, it is desirable that the internal pressure of the airbag at the time of pedestrian capture not be too high, and it is desirable to exhaust any excess inflation gas that has flowed into the airbag at the time of pedestrian capture.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a pedestrian airbag device that has a simple configuration and can stably release inflation gas from the airbag when a pedestrian is caught. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The pedestrian airbag device according to the present invention comprises an airbag that is folded and stored in a storage area located near the hood panel of a vehicle, and an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, The airbag has a vehicle body side wall portion positioned on the vehicle body side when inflation is complete, and a pedestrian side wall portion positioned on the pedestrian side, with the outer edges of the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion joined together to form a bag shape, and is positioned to cover the hood panel or the area near the hood panel when inflation is complete, and is configured to catch pedestrians. Either the vehicle body side wall or the pedestrian side wall is formed from a coated fabric in which a gas leak prevention coating agent is applied to the surface of the woven fabric. The vehicle body side wall portion or the other pedestrian side wall portion is characterized in that at least a portion of it is formed from an uncoated fabric in which a coating agent has not been applied to the surface of the woven fabric.

[0008] In the pedestrian airbag device of the present invention, at least a portion of either the vehicle side wall portion or the pedestrian side wall portion that constitutes the airbag is formed from uncoated fabric, and the remainder is formed from coated fabric. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the airbag rises due to pedestrian contact, the inflation gas can be exhausted to the outside from the area where the uncoated fabric is located, by passing through the uncoated fabric that constitutes at least a portion of this area. Furthermore, in the pedestrian airbag device of the present invention, the entire airbag is not formed from uncoated fabric, but rather from coated fabric to which a gas leakage prevention coating agent is applied, except for the area where the uncoated fabric is located. This also suppresses the leakage of inflation gas from the airbag before pedestrian contact. As a result, the pedestrian airbag device of the present invention can stably protect pedestrians with an airbag of appropriate internal pressure by maintaining a high internal pressure before pedestrian contact and exhausting excess inflation gas when pedestrian contact occurs, without providing folded or sewn portions as in conventional airbag devices.

[0009] Therefore, the pedestrian airbag device of the present invention has a simple configuration and can stably release inflation gas from the airbag when a pedestrian is caught.

[0010] Furthermore, in the pedestrian airbag device of the present invention, if at least a portion of the pedestrian side wall is formed from uncoated fabric, the pedestrian side wall is positioned away from vehicle body components (such as the hood panel and front windshield) when the airbag inflation is complete. This allows for stable exhaust of the inflation gas from the uncoated fabric area without being affected by such vehicle body components when a pedestrian is caught, which is preferable. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a pedestrian airbag system, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a pedestrian airbag device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the airbag used in the pedestrian airbag device of the embodiment, in a flat, unfolded state. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a bottom view of the airbag. [Figure 5] Figure 3 is a magnified cross-sectional view of the airbag, showing the VV section of Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the base materials that make up the airbag. [Figure 7] This is a plan view of a vehicle showing the state in which the pedestrian airbag device of the embodiment has completed inflation. [Figure 8] This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the left airbag in the pedestrian airbag device of the embodiment after it has completed inflation. [Figure 9] This is a schematic, partially enlarged perspective view showing the state in which the left airbag has completed inflation in the pedestrian airbag device of the embodiment, illustrating the state before and after receiving a pedestrian. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as a pedestrian airbag system, two pedestrian airbag systems ML and MR, mounted on the lower left and right ends near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 of the vehicle V, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 7, and 8, will be used as an example for the description. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions will be described in accordance with the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions of the vehicle V, respectively.

[0013] Since the two pedestrian airbag devices ML and MR have the same configuration and are arranged symmetrically, in this embodiment, the pedestrian airbag device ML, which is located on the left side, will be used as an example for explanation, and a detailed explanation of the pedestrian airbag device MR on the right side will be omitted. In this embodiment, when the pedestrian airbag devices ML and MR are activated, the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 is lifted upward by an actuator (not shown) (see Figures 2, 8, and 9).

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pedestrian airbag device ML is positioned adjacent to the cowl 6, which is the area behind the engine compartment (figure not shown). It comprises an airbag 30, an inflator 22 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 30, a case 15 that serves as a storage area for the folded airbag 30 and inflator 22, and an airbag cover 20 that covers the folded airbag 30. The cowl 6 consists of a highly rigid cowl panel 6a on the body 1 side and a synthetic resin cowl louver 6b above the cowl panel 6a. In detail, the pedestrian airbag device ML is positioned adjacent to the cowl louver 6b in front of it (see Figure 2).

[0015] The case 15, which serves as the storage area, is made of metal (sheet metal) and is fixed to a mounting portion 2 formed from a flange or the like extending from the cowl panel 6a on the body 1 side of the vehicle V, using the bolts 26 and nuts 27 of the mounting bracket 25 of the inflator 22 (see Figure 2). The case 15 is a roughly rectangular box shape with a protruding opening 15a at its upper end for pushing out the airbag 30 when inflated. It comprises a roughly rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall portion 16 that extends roughly along the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle V, and a roughly rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall portion 17 that extends upward from the outer edge of the bottom wall portion 16. The case 15 is located near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8, specifically on the front end side of the cowl 6 below the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8.

[0016] The airbag cover 20 is arranged to extend forward from the cowl louver 6b so as to be substantially flush with the cowl louver 6b to cover the protruding opening 15a of the case 15. In the case of the embodiment, it is attached to the front part of the peripheral wall part 17 in the case 15. When the airbag 30 housed in the case 15 expands, this airbag cover 20 will be pushed open by the airbag 30 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and FIG. 8).

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the inflator 22 is configured as a substantially cylindrical shape arranged such that the axial direction substantially follows the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle V. A gas discharge part 23 for discharging inflation gas is provided on the tip side (in the case of the embodiment, the left end side). In the case of the embodiment, the inflator 22 is held on the outer peripheral side by a plurality (in the case of the embodiment, three) of mounting brackets 25, and is inserted into the airbag 30 (specifically, inside the case-side part 34 described later) in a state where it is surrounded by the inner tube 60. It is fixed to the bottom wall part 16 of the case 15 using the bolts 26 of the mounting brackets 25 (see FIG. 8). As described above, the bolts 26 of the mounting brackets 25 penetrate the bottom wall part 16 and are nut-fixed to the mounting part 2 on the body 1 side of the vehicle V, fixing the case 15 to the mounting part 2 together with the inflator 22 (see FIG. 2). Further, since this inflator 22 is in a state of being inserted into the airbag 30, when the mounting brackets 25 are attached to the mounting part 2, the airbag 30 will also be attached and fixed to the bottom wall part 16 of the case 15. Incidentally, the inflator 22 is configured to operate when a collision between the vehicle V and the pedestrian P is detected by a sensor (not shown) provided on the front bumper 3 of the vehicle V.

[0018] As shown by the two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 7, the airbag 30 includes a case-side portion 34 disposed from the case 15 side to the lower surface side of the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 when inflation is completed, and a protection body portion 40 disposed so as to extend rearward from the case 15 when inflation is completed and capable of receiving a pedestrian P. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the airbag 30 has substantially the same outer shape, and includes a vehicle body side wall portion 31 (vehicle body side panel 65) disposed on the lower surface side that becomes the body 1 side when inflation is completed, and a pedestrian side wall portion 32 (pedestrian side panel 66) disposed on the upper surface side that faces the vehicle body side wall portion 31 and is on the pedestrian side. The outer peripheral edges 31a and 32a of the vehicle body side wall portion 31 and the pedestrian side wall portion 32 (the outer peripheral edges of the vehicle body side panel 65 and the pedestrian side panel 66) are joined (sewn) over the entire circumference to form a bag shape.

[0019] The case-side portion 34 is formed to extend forward from the cowl cover portion 41 of the protective body portion 40, which will be described later. It is the rear end portion (protective body portion 40 side) when inflation is complete, and is attached to the case 15. When inflation is complete, it is configured to cover the area above the front region directly above the case 15, that is, below the area near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 (see Figure 8). In this embodiment, the case-side portion 34 is slightly narrower than the cowl cover portion 41 of the protective body portion 40 (smaller width dimension in the left-right direction), and its inner edge (right edge in this embodiment) on the vehicle width side is configured to roughly coincide with the inner edge (right edge) of the cowl cover portion 41. In the vehicle body side wall portion 31, an insertion opening 35 for inserting the inflator 22 into the rear end portion 34 is formed in the region constituting the rear end portion of the case-side portion 34 (see Figure 4). The insertion opening 35 includes an insertion slit 36 ​​for inserting the inflator 22, which is enclosed on its outer circumference by the inner tube 60, into the airbag 30, an insertion hole 37 for inserting the bolt 26 of the mounting bracket 25, and a cover panel 38 that closes the insertion slit 36 ​​from the outer circumference. The insertion slit 36 ​​is formed in a substantially straight line substantially along the left-right direction, and the insertion hole 37 is formed in the area in front of the insertion slit 36 ​​(see Figures 4 and 6). The cover panel 38 covers the outer surface of the insertion slit 36, and its rear edge is joined (sewn) to the vehicle body side wall 31 behind the insertion slit 36, and a mounting hole 38a for allowing the bolt 26 of the mounting bracket 25 to protrude is provided at the front end, corresponding to the insertion hole 37 (see Figures 4 and 6).

[0020] The protective body portion 40 is positioned to cover the area near the hood panel 8 when the airbag 30 has finished inflating, specifically, as shown in Figures 7 and 9, from the upper surface of the cowl 6 near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 to the front surface 5a (upper surface) of the front pillar 5L, and is a portion that can catch a pedestrian P. Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the protective body portion 40 is formed to extend to the rear left from the case side portion 34 when the airbag 30 is deployed flat, and comprises a cowl cover portion 41 positioned substantially along the left-right direction behind the case side portion 34, and a pillar cover portion 42 extending rearward from the outer end (left end) of the cowl cover portion 41 in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, the cowl cover portion 41 is formed to extend only to the left (outward in the vehicle width direction) from the rear of the case-side portion 34, and when the airbag 30 has finished inflating, it is configured to cover the upper surface near the edge (left end) in the vehicle width direction of the portion that is at the rear end 8a side of the hood panel 8, mainly from the cowl 6 to the lower part 4a side of the front windshield 4 (see Figures 7 and 8). The pillar cover portion 42 is configured to cover the upper surface (front 5a) side of the left front pillar 5L over almost the entire front and rear area when the airbag 30 has finished inflating (see A in Figures 7 and 9). In this embodiment, when the airbag 30 is deployed flat, the pillar cover portion 42 is configured to be wider at the front end, which is on the case-side portion 34 side, and to gradually narrow towards the rear end (see Figures 3 and 4).

[0021] In the airbag 30 of this embodiment, a portion of the pillar cover portion 42 in the pedestrian side wall portion 32, specifically the portion of the pillar cover portion 42 on the rear end 42a side of the pedestrian side wall portion 32, is formed from a different base material. In the airbag 30 of this embodiment, the vehicle side panel 65, which will be described later and constitutes the vehicle side wall portion 31, is formed from a coated fabric CF, which has a coating agent for preventing gas leaks applied to the surface of the woven fabric (having a coating layer CL on the surface) (see Figures 5 and 6). The pedestrian side panel 66 that constitutes the pedestrian side wall portion 32 is divided into front and rear sections, as shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, and comprises a front member 66a that constitutes the area other than the rear end 42a side of the pillar cover portion 42, and a rear member 66b that constitutes the area on the rear end 42a side of the pillar cover portion 42. The front member 66a is formed from the coated fabric CF. The rear member 66b is formed from an uncoated fabric NF, which does not have a coating agent applied to the surface of the woven fabric, as shown in detail in Figure 5. In other words, in the airbag 30 of this embodiment, a portion of the pedestrian side wall portion 32 (the rear region, rear member 66b) is formed from uncoated fabric NF. When the airbag 30 has finished inflating, if the protective body portion 40 receives a pedestrian P, the internal pressure of the protective body portion 40 will increase. When this internal pressure rises, the inflation gas G will be exhausted from the rear region of the pedestrian side wall portion 32 that is formed from uncoated fabric NF, passing through the uncoated fabric NF (see Figures 5 and 9, B). In other words, in the airbag 30 of this embodiment, the uncoated fabric NF located on the rear end 42a side of the pillar cover portion 42 in the pedestrian side wall portion 32, which is the upper side when inflation is complete, constitutes a gas exhaust portion 45 that can exhaust the inflation gas when a pedestrian P is received. In detail, as shown in Figure 3, the gas discharge section 45 (non-coated cloth NF) is located behind the tether 55, which will be described later, and is positioned over the entire width of the pillar cover section 42.

[0022] Inside the airbag 30, tethers 55, 56, 57, and 58 are provided to connect the pedestrian side wall portion 32 and the vehicle body side wall portion 31, thereby regulating the thickness when inflation is complete. Tether 55 is provided within the area of ​​the pillar cover portion 42, except near the rear end 42a, and is formed continuously so as to extend along the length direction (front-rear direction) of the pillar cover portion 42 at a position approximately in the center in the width direction (approximately coinciding with the vehicle width direction) of the pillar cover portion 42. Multiple openings 55a (four in this embodiment) are arranged in a row at the front and rear, through which inflation gas can be inserted (see Figure 6). Tether 56 is provided partially at a position approximately in the center of the front-rear and left-right directions of the cowl cover portion 41. Tether 57 is provided so as to extend to the left and right at a position near the front edge of the cowl cover portion 41. The tether 57 is positioned near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 when the airbag 30 has finished inflating. The tether 58 is positioned near the boundary between the case side portion 34 and the cowl cover portion 41 (protective main body portion 40), and is arranged roughly along the left-right direction so as to partially close this boundary. Multiple openings 58a through which inflation gas can be inserted are arranged side by side on the left-right side (two in this embodiment) (see Figure 6).

[0023] The inner tube 60, which covers the outer circumference of the inflator 22, is configured as a roughly three-pronged cylindrical shape, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 4. It has an insertion tube portion 60a into which the inflator 22 with the mounting bracket 25 attached is inserted, and outlets 60b and 60c are provided on both sides from the location of the gas discharge portion 23 in the insertion tube portion 60a, with outlets 60b and 60c at the tips for releasing expansion gas. Mounting holes (not shown in the figure) are formed in the insertion tube portion 60a for passing through the bolts 26 of each mounting bracket 25. The inner tube 60 is made of a tube base material 76 as shown in Figure 6.

[0024] As shown in Figure 6, the airbag 30 of this embodiment is composed of a vehicle side panel 65 constituting the vehicle side wall portion 31, a pedestrian side panel 66 constituting the pedestrian side wall portion 32, tether base materials 70, 71, 72, 73 constituting the tethers 55, 56, 57, 58, and a tube base material 76 constituting the inner tube 60. The pedestrian side panel 66 has an external shape that is substantially the same as the external shape of the vehicle side panel 65 when the rear edge of the front member 66a and the front edge of the rear member 66b are joined (sewn together). Except for the rear member 66b of the pedestrian side panel 66, these base materials are formed by cutting a coated cloth CF, which is made by weaving polyamide yarn or polyester yarn and applying a gas leak prevention coating agent to the surface of the woven fabric, into a predetermined shape. As described above, the rear member 66b of the pedestrian-side panel 66 is formed from a non-coated fabric NF, which is a woven fabric formed by weaving polyamide yarn, polyester yarn, etc., and on which no coating agent is applied to the surface.

[0025] To describe the installation of the pedestrian airbag device ML of this embodiment onto a vehicle V, first, the airbag 30 is folded so that it can be stored inside the case 15, and with the inflator 22, which has the mounting bracket 25 already assembled, inserted into the inner tube 60, the airbag 30 is inserted into the case-side portion 34 using the insertion slit 36. Then, the bolts 26 of each mounting bracket 25 that protrude from the mounting holes (not shown in the figure) of the inner tube 60 are made to protrude from the insertion holes 37 of the airbag 30, and then the cover panel 38 is closed so as to cover the insertion slit 36, and the bolts 26 are inserted into the mounting holes 38a. After that, the airbag 30 and inflator 22 are stored inside the case 15, the airbag cover 20 is attached to the case 15, the bolts 26 protruding from the case 15 are secured to the mounting portion 2 with nuts 27, and the inflator 22 is connected to an operating circuit (not shown), thereby enabling the pedestrian airbag device ML to be installed on the vehicle V. The pedestrian airbag system MR on the right side can also be mounted on vehicle V in the same manner.

[0026] In the pedestrian airbag devices ML and MR of this embodiment, an operating circuit (not shown) detects a collision between the vehicle V and a pedestrian (specifically, a pedestrian or cyclist) based on an operating signal from a sensor (not shown) located on the front bumper 3. When this occurs, the inflators 22, 22 are activated, causing the airbags 30, 30 to inflate by introducing inflation gas into them, and each inflates to cover the area from near the left or right end of the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 to the upper surface (front 5a) of the front pillars 5L and 5R (see the dashed lines in Figures 1 and 2, and A in Figures 7, 8, and 9).

[0027] In the pedestrian airbag device ML(MR) of this embodiment, at least a portion of either the vehicle side wall portion 31 or the pedestrian side wall portion 32 that constitutes the airbag 30 (in this embodiment, a portion of the pedestrian side wall portion 32) is formed from uncoated fabric NF, and the remainder is formed from coated fabric CF. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the airbag 30 rises due to the arrival of a pedestrian P, the inflation gas G can be exhausted to the outside from the area where the uncoated fabric NF is located, by passing through the uncoated fabric NF (gas discharge portion 45) that constitutes at least this portion of the area (see Figures 5 and 9B). In addition, in the pedestrian airbag device ML(MR) of this embodiment, the entire airbag 30 is not formed from uncoated fabric NF, but rather from coated fabric CF which has a gas leak prevention coating agent applied (has a coating layer CL on its surface) except for the area where the uncoated fabric is located. This also suppresses the leakage of inflation gas from the airbag 30 before the arrival of a pedestrian. As a result, in the pedestrian airbag devices ML and MR of the embodiment, even without providing folded parts or sutured parts as in conventional airbag devices, it is possible to maintain a high internal pressure before receiving a pedestrian, and when receiving a pedestrian P, the excess inflation gas G is released, thereby providing stable protection for the pedestrian P with an airbag 30 at an appropriate internal pressure.

[0028] Therefore, the pedestrian airbag device ML(MR) of this embodiment has a simple configuration and can stably exhaust the inflation gas G from the airbag 30 when a pedestrian is caught.

[0029] Furthermore, in the pedestrian airbag device ML(MR) of this embodiment, a portion of the pedestrian side wall 32 is formed from uncoated fabric NF. In other words, in the pedestrian airbag device ML(MR) of this embodiment, a gas discharge section 45 is provided on the pedestrian side wall 32 side. Since the pedestrian side wall 32 is positioned away from vehicle body components (hood panel 8, front windshield 4, front pillars 5L, 5R, etc.) when the airbag 30 has finished inflating (see A in Figure 9), when a pedestrian is caught, the expansion gas G can be stably exhausted from the area where the uncoated fabric NF is located (gas discharge section 45) without being affected by such vehicle body components.

[0030] If these points are not considered, the vehicle body side wall (or at least a part thereof) may be formed from coated fabric. In this embodiment, a part of the pedestrian side wall is formed from uncoated fabric, but the entire pedestrian side wall can also be formed from uncoated fabric. The amount of uncoated fabric used (area ratio of coated fabric to uncoated fabric) can be appropriately changed depending on the volume of the airbag itself, the vehicle specifications, the required protective performance of the airbag, etc. In addition, in the airbag 30 of this embodiment, the uncoated fabric NF (gas discharge section 45) is arranged in the area on the rear end 42a side of the pillar cover section 42 in the pedestrian side wall section 32, but the placement of the uncoated fabric is not limited to this embodiment. If the goal is to smoothly discharge the expansion gas from the uncoated fabric, it is preferable to arrange the uncoated fabric NF in the area on the pedestrian side wall section 32 that is less likely to be touched by pedestrians (in this embodiment, on the rear end 42a side of the pillar cover section 42).

[0031] In this embodiment, the pedestrian airbag device ML(MR) is described using as an example a pedestrian airbag device 30 that is folded and stored near the rear end 8a of the hood panel 8 and inflates to cover the upper surface from the lower part 4a of the cowl 6 and the front windshield 4 to the front pillar 5L, which is the area near the hood panel 8. However, the mounting position of the pedestrian airbag device is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the present invention may be applied to a pedestrian airbag device that includes an airbag configured to cover the upper surface of the rear end of the hood panel, an airbag configured to cover only the front side of the front pillar, or an airbag configured to cover the upper surface of the front fender located to the side of the hood panel. Furthermore, in the embodiments, a pedestrian airbag system is exemplified in which two airbags each cover from the front (upper) side of the front pillar to the rear edge of the hood panel (near the lower edge of the cowl and front windshield). However, the present invention is also applicable to a pedestrian airbag system of the type that comprises one airbag having two pillar cover parts and a cowl cover part arranged to connect these pillar cover parts. In the pedestrian airbag system of the present invention, the airbag maintains a high internal pressure when inflation is complete, and when a pedestrian is caught, it appropriately releases the inflation gas, thereby being able to catch a pedestrian with an appropriate internal pressure. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for a pedestrian airbag system configured in which two airbags with relatively small volumes are arranged as separate units, as in the embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 1...Body, 8...Hood panel, 15...Case (storage area), 22...Inflator, 30...Airbag, 31...Vehicle side wall, 31a...Outer edge, 32...Pedestrian side wall, 32a...Outer edge, 65...Vehicle side panel, 66...Pedestrian side panel, 66a...Front member, 66b...Rear member, CF...Coated fabric, NF...Uncoated fabric, G...Inflation gas, V...Vehicle, ML,MR...Pedestrian airbag device.

Claims

1. A pedestrian airbag system comprising an airbag that folds and stores within a storage compartment located near the hood panel of a vehicle, and an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, The airbag has a vehicle body side wall portion positioned on the vehicle body side when inflation is complete, and a pedestrian side wall portion positioned on the pedestrian side, and the outer edges of the vehicle body side wall portion and the pedestrian side wall portion are joined together to form a bag shape, and is positioned to cover the hood panel or the area near the hood panel when inflation is complete, and is configured to catch the pedestrian. Either the vehicle body side wall or the pedestrian side wall is formed from a coated fabric in which a gas leak prevention coating agent is applied to the surface of the woven fabric. A pedestrian airbag device characterized in that at least a portion of the vehicle body side wall or the other of the pedestrian side wall is formed from a non-coated fabric in which the coating agent has not been applied to the surface of the woven fabric.

2. The pedestrian airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a portion of the pedestrian side wall portion is formed from the uncoated fabric.

Images