Vehicle passenger-side airbag system and vehicle passenger-side airbag control method

Abstract

The objective is to provide a passenger-side airbag system and a passenger-side airbag control method for a vehicle that can restrain the occupant's head early, even when the vehicle is in a frontal collision while driving with the seatback tilted to a predetermined angle or greater. [Solution] A vehicle passenger-side airbag device 30 and a vehicle passenger-side airbag control method are provided, which include an airbag 32 housed in the instrument panel of the vehicle and which inflates and deploys toward an occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator, wherein when a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected while the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is set to a predetermined angle or greater, the position of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag 32 that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position that is further rearward than the first position when the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than the predetermined angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle and a method for controlling a passenger seat airbag for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] An airbag device provided with an airbag whose protrusion amount during inflation from a storage position in an instrument panel to the rear side is variable and which is deployed in a shape corresponding to the build of a passenger in the passenger seat has been conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This airbag device has two tethers, and by releasing one tether, a small-sized occupant is restrained, and by releasing the other tether, a large-sized occupant is restrained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, with the spread of vehicles capable of automatic driving, driving in a reclining posture (comfortable posture) with the seat back greatly reclined is assumed. In the reclining posture, the distance between the deployment surface (restraint surface) of the airbag and the head of the occupant becomes long. That is, since the position along the front-rear direction of the deployment surface of the airbag is determined based on a small-sized occupant whose seat cushion is located on the front side (predetermined front region), during a frontal collision when driving in the reclining posture, it is difficult for the head of the occupant to reach the deployment surface of the airbag.

[0005] Furthermore, in the case of seat belts that extend from the top of the center pillar, the occupant's chest separates from the seat belt when the seat is reclined. Therefore, in the initial stages of a frontal collision while driving in a reclined position, chest deceleration by the seat belt cannot be expected, and there is a risk that the injury value due to the backward bending of the occupant's neck will increase. However, if the position of the airbag deployment surface is set to the rear, it will result in excessive force being applied to smaller occupants in the event of a frontal collision while driving in the driver's seat.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a passenger-side airbag device and a passenger-side airbag control method for a vehicle that can restrain the occupant's head early even when the vehicle is in a frontal collision while driving with the seatback tilt angle set to a predetermined angle or greater. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, a passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes an airbag housed in the instrument panel of the vehicle, which inflates and deploys toward an occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator, and when a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected with the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back at a predetermined angle or greater, the airbag is configured such that the position of the deployment surface that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position that is further rearward than the first position when the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than the predetermined angle.

[0008] According to the first embodiment of the invention, an airbag is housed in the instrument panel of the vehicle, which inflates and deploys toward the occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator. When a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected while the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than a predetermined angle, the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position further rearward than the first position when the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than the predetermined angle. Therefore, even if the vehicle is involved in a frontal collision while driving with the rearward tilt angle of the seat back greater than the predetermined angle, the occupant's head is restrained early.

[0009] Furthermore, a second embodiment of the present invention provides a passenger-side airbag system for a vehicle that is housed in the instrument panel of the vehicle and inflates and deploys toward an occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator, and when a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected when the position of the passenger seat cushion is in a predetermined rear area and the backward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, the airbag is configured such that the position of the deployment surface that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position that is further rearward than the first position when the position of the seat cushion is in a predetermined front area or the backward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle.

[0010] According to the second embodiment of the invention, an airbag is housed in the instrument panel of the vehicle, which inflates and deploys toward the occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator. Here, when a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected while the passenger seat cushion is in a predetermined rearward region and the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position further rearward than the first position when the seat cushion is in a predetermined forward region or the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle. Therefore, even if the vehicle is involved in a frontal collision while driving with the seat cushion in a predetermined rearward region and the rearward tilt angle of the seat back greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, the occupant's head is restrained early.

[0011] Furthermore, a third embodiment of the vehicle passenger-side airbag device according to the present invention is a vehicle passenger-side airbag device according to the first or second embodiment, wherein a plurality of tethers of different lengths are provided inside the airbag, and the position of the deployment surface is changed to the second position by releasing at least some of the plurality of tethers.

[0012] According to the third embodiment of the invention, a plurality of tethers of different lengths are provided inside the airbag. When at least some of these tethers are released, the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position. Therefore, the change to the second position is carried out quickly.

[0013] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the vehicle passenger-side airbag device according to the present invention is a vehicle passenger-side airbag device according to the third aspect, wherein a first tether and a second tether longer than the first tether are provided inside the airbag, and the first tether is configured to be releasable such that the position of the deployment surface is restricted to a first position by the first tether and to a second position by the second tether.

[0014] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, a first tether and a second tether longer than the first tether are provided inside the airbag. The first tether is configured to be releaseable such that the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head is limited to a first position by the first tether and to a second position by the second tether. Therefore, the change to the second position can be performed quickly with a simple configuration.

[0015] Furthermore, a fifth aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle passenger-side airbag control method, which is a control method for an airbag housed in the instrument panel of a vehicle and which inflates and deploys toward an occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator, and includes a trigger step of predicting or detecting a frontal collision of the vehicle when the position of the passenger seat cushion is in a predetermined rear region and the backward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, and a modification step of changing the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head to a second position that is further rearward than a first position when the position of the seat cushion is in a predetermined front region or the backward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle, based on the prediction or detection by the trigger step.

[0016] According to the fifth embodiment of the invention, in the trigger step, a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected when the position of the passenger seat cushion is in a predetermined rear area and the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle. Then, in the modification step, based on the prediction or detection in the trigger step, the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position that is further rearward than the first position when the seat cushion is in a predetermined forward area or the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle. Therefore, even if the vehicle is involved in a frontal collision while driving with the seat cushion in a predetermined rear area and the rearward tilt angle of the seat back greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, the occupant's head is restrained early. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, according to the present invention, even if a vehicle is involved in a frontal collision while driving with the seatback tilted to a predetermined angle or greater, the occupant's head can be restrained early. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the inflated and deployed state of the airbag according to this embodiment. [Figure 2]It is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an airbag according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] (A) It is a schematic plan view showing the state when the airbag according to this embodiment takes the first position. (B) It is a schematic plan view showing the state when the airbag according to this embodiment takes the second position. [Figure 4] (A) It is a schematic side view showing the state before the release of the first tether by the release mechanism according to this embodiment. (B) It is a schematic side view showing the state after the release of the first tether by the release mechanism according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] (A) It is a schematic side view showing the first position (conventional position) and the second position of the airbag according to this embodiment and the state before the occupant moves during a frontal collision. (B) It is a schematic side view showing the first position (conventional position) and the second position of the airbag according to this embodiment and the state after the occupant moves during a frontal collision. [Figure 6] (A) It is a graph showing the comparison of the head contact load on the airbag during a frontal collision in a reclined posture with the conventional one. (B) It is a graph showing the comparison of the moment (injury value) generated at the neck during a frontal collision in a reclined posture with the conventional one.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the arrow UP appropriately shown in each figure is the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR is the forward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow RH is the right direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, when the directions of up and down, front and back, left and right are described without special mention, they indicate up and down, front and back, left and right in the vehicle. Also, the left and right directions are synonymous with the vehicle width direction.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an "airbag device") 30 according to the present embodiment is provided in a vehicle 10 with a right steering wheel as an example. That is, this airbag device 30 is housed on the back side (front side) of a resin instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as an "instrument panel") 20 located in front of a vehicle seat 12 for the passenger seat, which is the left front seat of the vehicle 10.

[0021] The vehicle 10 in the present embodiment is an automobile having an automatic driving mode. The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion 14, a seat back 16 provided rotatable (reclining and tilting forward) in the left - right direction as the axial direction at the rear end of the seat cushion 14, and a headrest 18 provided vertically movable at the center in the seat width direction at the upper end of the seat back 16.

[0022] Also, FIG. 1 shows a state in which a dummy human figure (human dummy) for a collision test is seated on the seat cushion 14 of the vehicle seat 12 as a model of an occupant (seated person) to be protected. The dummy human figure is, for example, AM50 (50th percentile of adult American males) of a front - collision test dummy (Hybrid III). Hereinafter, this dummy human figure will be referred to as "occupant P". The occupant P is restrained to the vehicle seat 12 by a three - point seat belt device 15.

[0023] Also, the position along the front - rear direction of the deployment surface (restraint surface) 36 of the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 described later is determined based on a small - sized occupant P0 seated on the vehicle seat 12. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the small - sized occupant P0 is also shown by a virtual line. The dummy human figure corresponding to the small - sized occupant P0 is, for example, AF05 (5th percentile of adult American females) of a front - collision test dummy.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, when the vehicle 10 is in autonomous driving mode, the occupant P may adopt a reclining posture (comfortable posture) in which the seat cushion 14 is positioned in a predetermined rearward area and the seat back 16 is tilted backward at a predetermined angle θ or more with respect to the vertical. In Figure 1, as an example, a state is shown in which the seat cushion 14 is in its rearmost position and the seat back 16 is tilted backward at 45 degrees with respect to the vertical.

[0025] The position of the seat cushion 14 and the backward tilt angle of the seat back 16 are detected by position sensors (not shown) and angle sensors (not shown), respectively. The position sensors and angle sensors are electrically connected to a control device 26 (see Figure 2) located in the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is also equipped with collision prediction sensors (not shown), such as cameras, and these collision prediction sensors are also electrically connected to the control device 26.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the airbag device 30 includes an airbag 32 that is stored in a folded state in a case 22 provided on the back (front side) of the door portion (not shown) formed in the instrument panel 20, and a single inflator 28 that is supported by the case 22 and instantly injects (supplies) gas into the airbag 32. Note that in Figure 1, the occupant P0 seated in the vehicle seat 12 is deliberately drawn separately from the airbag 32 in order to show the shape of the inflated and deployed airbag 32.

[0027] The inflator 28 is electrically connected to the control device 26. Therefore, when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 is predicted by the collision prediction sensor, the inflator 28 is controlled by the control device 26 to activate at a predetermined timing and instantaneously release gas. The door section, which is integrally formed with the instrument panel 20, is configured to rupture and open when the airbag 32 inflates and deploys upon the operation of the inflator 28.

[0028] The airbag 32 comprises a fabric airbag body 34 and a plurality of fabric tethers 40 provided inside the airbag body 34. As shown in Figure 1, when the airbag 32 inflates and deploys, a portion of the outer surface of the airbag body 34 facing forward contacts the inner surface of the front windshield glass 24 at a predetermined pressure, and is pressed relatively backward by the front windshield glass 24 (a reaction force is obtained from the front windshield glass 24).

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the airbag body 34 has a deployment surface 36 that, upon completion of inflation and deployment, is sized to relatively contact and restrain at least the head H (see Figure 1) of the occupant P. In other words, the outer surface of the inflated and deployed airbag body 34 facing the rear is the deployment surface 36.

[0030] Furthermore, a bellows section 38 is formed on the rear side of the airbag body 34 to shorten the length of the airbag body 34 (reduce the amount of protrusion to the rear). On the front side of the airbag body 34, a vent hole (not shown) is formed for the gas to be released after the occupant P's head H has been restrained.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, multiple tethers 40 are provided inside the airbag body 34. Specifically, one end 42A of a cylindrical first tether 42 is releasably attached to the base 34A side (case 22 side) of the airbag body 34. Then, one end 44A of a cylindrical second tether 44, which is longer than the first tether 42, is attached to the base 34A side of the airbag body 34 inside the first tether 42.

[0032] Furthermore, the other end 42B of the first tether 42 and the other end 44B of the second tether 44 are sewn to the base 46A of the third tether 46. In other words, the second tether 44 has a bellows section 45 formed to shorten its length (reduce the amount of protrusion to the rear). The third tether 46 is formed in a roughly fan shape when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction, and the arc portion 46B opposite to its base 46A is sewn to the inside (inner surface) of the left-right center of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34.

[0033] Furthermore, the bases 48A of the pair of fourth tethers 48 are sewn to the base 46A of the third tether 46. The fourth tether 48 is formed in a roughly fan shape when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction, and the arc portion 48B on the opposite side of each base 48A is sewn to the inside (inner surface) of both left and right ends of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, one end 42A of the first tether 42 is configured to be released by a release mechanism 50. The release mechanism 50 includes an actuator 52 located on the rear side of the case 22. The actuator 52 has a pin 54 configured to be movable in the front-rear direction. The pin 54 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape and is configured to be able to protrude from and be housed within an opening 52B formed in the front wall 52A of the actuator 52.

[0035] A hole 42C through which a pin 54 can be inserted is formed at one end 42A of the first tether 42, and a hole 22B through which a pin 54 can be inserted is also formed in the rear wall 22A of the case 22. In other words, as shown in Figure 4(A), the pin 54 protruding from the opening 52B is inserted through the hole 42C of the first tether 42, and then through the hole 22B of the case 22, thereby restraining the first tether 42.

[0036] Then, as shown in Figure 4(B), the first tether 42 is released when the pin 54 is instantly retracted into the opening 52B, that is, when the pin 54 is released from the hole 22B of the case 22, and subsequently from the hole 42C of the first tether 42. In other words, as shown in Figure 3(B), the bellows section 45 of the second tether 44 and the bellows section 38 of the airbag body 34 extend to the rear, and the deployment surface 36 is configured to be changeable from a first position to a second position, which will be described later.

[0037] Furthermore, as a configuration for instantly retracting the pin 54 into the opening 52B, for example, a coil spring (not shown) is provided on the outer circumference of the pin 54 to constantly bias the pin 54 in the direction of retracting it into the opening 52B, and a locking mechanism (not shown) is provided to cause the pin 54 to protrude from the opening 52B against the biasing force of the coil spring. If this locking mechanism is electrically connected to the control device 26 and configured to be instantly unlocked by the control device 26, the pin 54 can be instantly retracted into the opening 52B.

[0038] Next, the first and second positions of the deployment surface 36 in the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 will be described. As described above, the position of the deployment surface 36 in the airbag body 34 along the longitudinal direction is determined based on a small occupant P0 seated in the vehicle seat 12. Specifically, it is determined based on the position of the seat cushion 14 in a predetermined forward area and the backward tilt angle of the seat back 16 being less than a predetermined angle θ. The position of the deployment surface 36 in the airbag body 34 along the longitudinal direction determined by this criterion is the conventional position and is referred to as the first position.

[0039] When the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 is inflated and deployed to this first position, the first tether 42 is not released. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3(A), when the airbag body 34 is inflated and deployed, the bellows portion 45 of the second tether 44 remains in its shortened state, and the bellows portion 38 of the airbag body 34 also remains in its shortened state. In this embodiment, the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 is configured to be in the first position when the position of the seat cushion 14 is in a predetermined forward region or when the backward tilt angle of the seat back 16 is less than a predetermined angle θ.

[0040] On the other hand, when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 is predicted while the seat cushion 14 is in a predetermined rearward region and the seat back 16 is in a reclined position with a backward tilt angle of θ or greater, the first tether 42 is released. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3(B), when the airbag body 34 inflates and deploys, the bellows section 45 of the second tether 44 is extended, and the bellows section 38 of the airbag body 34 is also extended. Thus, in this embodiment, the position of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 is set to the second position when the seat cushion 14 is in a predetermined rearward region and the seat back 16 is in a backward tilt angle of θ or greater.

[0041] The operation of the airbag device 30 according to this embodiment, which has the configuration described above, will now be explained.

[0042] As described above, an airbag 32 is housed on the back (front) side of the instrument panel 20, which inflates and deploys towards the occupant P seated in the vehicle seat 12 when gas is supplied from the inflator 28. The position of the seat cushion 14 is detected by a position sensor, and the backward tilt angle of the seat back 16 is detected by an angle sensor. A collision prediction sensor predicts that the vehicle 10 will be in a frontal collision. The position sensor, angle sensor, and collision prediction sensor are each electrically connected to the control device 26.

[0043] In the trigger step, when the position sensor detects that the seat cushion 14 is in a predetermined rearward region, and the angle sensor detects that the rearward tilt angle of the seat back 16 is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle θ, and the collision prediction sensor predicts a frontal collision of the vehicle 10, in the modification step, the position of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 is changed from the first position to the second position.

[0044] To explain in more detail, the airbag 32 is provided with a first tether 42 and a second tether 44 which is longer than the first tether 42. The first tether 42 is configured to be releaseable by a release mechanism 50 so that the position of the deployment surface 36 on the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 is restricted to a first position by the first tether 42 and to a second position by the second tether 44.

[0045] Therefore, based on the prediction by the trigger process, the release mechanism 50 is activated by the control device 26, releasing the first tether 42, and the position of the deployment surface 36 in the airbag body 34 is changed to the second position. In this way, the position of the deployment surface 36 in the airbag body 34 is quickly changed from the first position to the second position with a relatively simple configuration.

[0046] As a result, when the vehicle 10 is driving in autonomous driving mode, that is, when the seat cushion 14 is in a predetermined rearward area and the occupant P is in a reclined position with the seat back 16 tilted backward at a predetermined angle θ or greater, even if the vehicle 10 is involved in a frontal collision, the occupant P's head H will reach the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 and be restrained early by the deployment surface 36.

[0047] In other words, as shown in Figure 5(A), the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 has been changed from the first position (conventional position) shown by the dashed line to the second position shown by the solid line. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5(B), when the head H of the occupant P moves forward due to the inertial force caused by a frontal collision of the vehicle 10, the airbag body 34 with the deployment surface 36 positioned in the second position can restrain the head H earlier (at an earlier timing than when the deployment surface 36 is positioned in the first position).

[0048] Figure 6 shows an example of specific data as a graph. In Figure 6, as in Figure 5, the position of the deployment surface 36 on the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 is shown by a dashed line when it is in the first position (conventional position), and by a solid line when it is in the second position.

[0049] As shown in Figure 6(A), by changing the position of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 from the first position to the second position, the position of the deployment surface 36 can be brought approximately 150 mm closer to the head H of the occupant P. Therefore, the head H of the occupant P can be restrained earlier. As a result, as shown in Figure 6(B), the maximum moment (injury value) in the direction of backward bending of the occupant P's neck can be reduced by approximately 40 Nm.

[0050] Thus, the airbag device 30 according to this embodiment is effective in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 in autonomous driving mode. Specifically, with the airbag device 30 according to this embodiment, when the seat cushion 14 is in a predetermined rear area and the rearward tilt angle of the seat back 16 is set to a predetermined angle θ or greater (reclining position), the injury value to the neck of the occupant P can be reduced, and the protective performance (safety) of the occupant P's head H can be improved.

[0051] The passenger-side airbag system 30 for a vehicle according to this embodiment has been described above based on the drawings. However, the passenger-side airbag system 30 for a vehicle according to this embodiment is not limited to the illustrated version, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the numerical values ​​shown in Figure 6 are just examples and the invention is not particularly limited to those values.

[0052] Furthermore, the configuration of the multiple tethers 40 for changing the position of the deployment surface 36 on the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 from a first position to a second position is not particularly limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. Also, the configuration of the release mechanism 50 is not particularly limited to the configuration of the above embodiment.

[0053] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 is predicted with the seat cushion 14 in a predetermined rear region and the rearward tilt angle of the seat back 16 being greater than or equal to a predetermined angle θ, the position of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 is changed from the first position to the second position, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

[0054] In other words, regardless of the position of the seat cushion 14, when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 is predicted with the rearward tilt angle of the seat back 16 being greater than or equal to a predetermined angle θ, the position of the deployment surface 36 of the airbag body 34 of the airbag 32 may be changed from the first position to the second position. Alternatively, this may occur not when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 is predicted, but when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 is detected by a detection sensor (not shown) or the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 10 vehicles 12 Vehicle seats 14 Seat Cushions 16 Seatback 20 Instrument Panel 28 Inflators 30. Airbag system (passenger-side airbag system for vehicles) 32 airbags 36. Unfolding surface 40 tethers 42. First Tether 44 Second Tether P Crew H head

Claims

1. The vehicle's instrument panel houses an airbag that, when gas is supplied from an inflator, inflates and deploys towards the occupant seated in the front passenger seat. When a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected while the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is set to an angle greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, The passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle is configured such that the position of the deployment surface that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position further rearward than the first position when the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle.

2. The vehicle's instrument panel houses an airbag that, when gas is supplied from an inflator, inflates and deploys towards the occupant seated in the front passenger seat. When a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected while the position of the passenger seat cushion is in a predetermined rearward region and the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, The passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle is configured such that the position of the deployment surface that contacts the occupant's head is changed to a second position further rearward than a first position where the seat cushion is in a predetermined forward area or the backward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle.

3. The airbag is provided with multiple tethers of different lengths inside it. The passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position of the deployment surface is changed to the second position by releasing at least some of the tethers among the plurality of tethers.

4. Inside the airbag, a first tether and a second tether that is longer than the first tether are provided. The passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the first tether is configured to be releasable such that the position of the deployment surface is restricted to a first position by the first tether and to a second position by the second tether.

5. A control method for an airbag that is housed in the instrument panel of a vehicle and inflates and deploys toward an occupant seated in the passenger seat when gas is supplied from an inflator, A trigger step for predicting or detecting a frontal collision of a vehicle when the position of the passenger seat cushion is in a predetermined rearward region and the rearward tilt angle of the passenger seat back is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, Based on the prediction or detection by the trigger step, a modification step is made to change the position of the deployment surface of the airbag that contacts the occupant's head to a second position that is further rearward than the first position when the seat cushion is in a predetermined forward area or when the rearward tilt angle of the seat back is less than a predetermined angle. A vehicle passenger-side airbag control method having the following.

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