Automotive restraint system for restraining occupants seated in vehicle seats, and inflatable airbags.

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automobile restraint system for restraining an occupant seated in a vehicle seat, comprising a seat belt device having an inflatable airbag, and a gas generator connected to the airbag (15) in relation to the flow and inflating the airbag (15) with gas when activated, wherein the airbag (15) has a holder for holding the airbag (15) on the slanted belt portion (6) of the seat belt device (2), the slanted belt portion crosses the chest (5) of the occupant (1), the airbag (15) has a basic triangular shape with rounded corners, and the inflated airbag (15) has an orientation defined by its attachment to the slanted belt portion (6), with two rounded corners (21, 22) arranged horizontally adjacent to each other, and a rounded corner (20) extending centrally upward between the horizontally arranged corners (21, 22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a restraint system having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and an inflatable airbag having the features of the preamble of claim 10.

Background Art

[0002] Automotive seat belt devices have long been known in the prior art and serve to restrain occupants during an accident in order to prevent serious injuries. For this purpose, seat belt devices having seat belts designed as three-point belts have proven particularly successful, in which the seat belt is fixed at one end to the vehicle structure via an end fitting on the underside of the vehicle seat and can be wound up at the other end by a belt retractor fixed on the same side. To achieve a three-point-shaped seat belt, the belt tongue is guided so as to be displaceable on the seat belt, and this belt tongue can be latched into a belt buckle arranged on the other side of the vehicle seat. In the latched position, the belt tongue divides the seat belt into a diagonal belt portion crossing the occupant's chest and a lap belt portion crossing the occupant's pelvis.

[0003] Furthermore, conventional technology has long been known for airbag systems that have airbags that can be positioned in various locations on a vehicle and that rapidly inflate to a significantly larger volume by a gas generator in the event of an accident. For example, front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, knee airbags, and overhead airbags are known, and due to their positioning, intentionally designed inflation behavior, and inflation shape, they restrain occupants in specific accident scenarios, and in particular, prevent occupants from impacting the vehicle's internal structure in the event of an accident. Particularly important airbags are the front airbags, which are positioned in the steering wheel for the driver and in the instrument panel for front seat occupants. If front airbags are also provided for rear seat occupants, they are positioned in the backrest or headrest of the front seat. The basic role of front airbags is to capture occupants seated facing the direction of travel in the event of a frontal collision and protect occupants from their heads or upper bodies impacting the vehicle's internal structure or the inside of the windshield. Even in the case of a very serious accident where such a collision cannot be prevented, they can at least reduce the collision momentum.

[0004] In modern vehicles, restraint systems combining seat belts and airbags for occupant restraint have proven particularly useful, with occupant restraint achieved via seat belts in the initial stages and via airbags in the later stages of forward displacement. In this case, the load on the occupant can be further reduced by the targeted use of irreversible or reversible belt tensioners and force limiting devices, thereby controlling the forward displacement.

[0005] However, despite the significant reduction in load on the occupant, a drawback of such restraint systems is that the restraint requires a specific orientation of the occupant relative to the airbag system, especially in the case of airbag systems. In this case, situations known as "out of position" (OOP) situations are particularly problematic, such as when the occupant is hunched over in the footwell, in an extreme sleeping position, or facing towards the rear seat. This significantly reduces the effectiveness of the airbag system. In such cases, the airbag inflates, but the occupant, being OOP, moves in a completely different way and is not trapped by the airbag system. Furthermore, seat belts and airbags are fixed to the vehicle independently of each other, which already increases assembly effort, but nevertheless, they must be adapted to each other in terms of restraint characteristics, even in their separate configurations, resulting in a considerably more complex design.

[0006] A restraint system having a combination of a seat belt device and an airbag positioned on the seat belt of the seat belt device is already known from U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0159350, in which the occupant is restrained by both the seat belt and an airbag that deploys on the seat belt. In this case, the airbag is an inflatable airbag having a chamber that is held in the pelvic belt portion or the diagonal belt portion and deploys in front of the occupant's upper body when activated.

[0007] The German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2021 111 522 (A1) discloses a restraint system having a seat belt with an angled belt portion, in which an airbag having a main chamber and an additional chamber is provided in the angled belt portion, the main chamber having a specific geometric shape having a wide central portion and two narrow edge portions, and the additional chamber is connected to the main chamber at the central portion. The additional chamber can provide additional damping of further forward displacement of the occupant after initial contact. Furthermore, the wider central portion of the main chamber allows the occupant to be restrained over a wider width. [Overview of the project]

[0008] Against this backdrop, the present invention aims to provide a restraint system having a seat belt device comprising a seat belt, an airbag held in the diagonal belt portion of the seat belt, and an inflatable airbag for attachment to the diagonal belt portion, which has a simple structural design while simultaneously providing good restraint of the occupant in the event of an accident.

[0009] The basic idea of ​​the present invention is to provide a restraint system as described in the preamble of claim 1, wherein the airbag has a triangular basic shape with rounded corners, and the inflated airbag has an orientation defined by its attachment to the slanted belt portion, with two rounded corners positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, and the rounded corners extending upward in the center between the horizontally positioned corners.

[0010] The advantage of the proposed restraint system is that the airbag is formed from a single inflatable chamber and therefore has a much simpler structural design. This makes the restraint system significantly more cost-effective to manufacture. The restraint system also has improved restraint characteristics in that, due to the shape and orientation of the proposed airbag, the occupant is restrained in the upper body region, particularly the extended portion of the shoulder region, via the rounded corners that are positioned horizontally toward each other, while the head region is restrained via the rounded corner region of the airbag that extends upward in the center. Thus, the restraint system conforms better to the occupant's body structure due to the shape and orientation of the airbag as defined by the mounting section. The shape and orientation of the airbag are specifically designed so that the occupant's head and shoulders enter the airbag when restrained. It is especially important to protect the head and shoulders because injuries to these body parts are particularly serious. Furthermore, these body parts move the greatest distance forward during an accident and experience the greatest acceleration, and as a result, the load on these body parts is particularly large in the case of a collision. This means that in the event of an accident, the possibility of serious injury to the occupant can be particularly effectively reduced in the body part that has special protection, thanks to the specific shape of the airbag which is properly oriented by being fastened to the angled belt portion. Due to the geometric shape of the seat belt, the angled belt portion is always positioned in front of the occupant's chest when the seat belt is fastened, and therefore, mounting to the angled belt portion is particularly important because the airbag is also positioned in front of the occupant's chest when the seat belt is fastened by mounting to the angled belt portion.

[0011] Furthermore, it is proposed that, in the inflated state of the airbags, the corners of the horizontally positioned airbags adjacent to each other are positioned on opposite sides of the diagonal belt section. In addition to restraint by the diagonal belt section, the occupant is also restrained by inflatable airbags on both sides of the diagonal belt section.

[0012] Furthermore, it is proposed that the rounded corner extending upward from the center of the airbag be positioned above the slanted belt portion when inflated. This means that above the slanted belt portion, the occupant will be more effectively restrained across their central body region, particularly across their neck extending from the shoulders and their head extending from the neck.

[0013] Furthermore, it is proposed that the rounded corners, which are positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, have a smaller radius than the centrally raised rounded corner. Because the radius of the centrally raised rounded corner is larger, the larger radius of the central part allows the airbag to be made larger or wider in the area of ​​the centrally raised rounded corner, thereby allowing the restraint to be better fitted to a relatively large head compared to a small shoulder area.

[0014] Furthermore, it is proposed that the airbag have a shape that curves radially inward at the edges connecting the rounded corners. The proposed deployment allows for a reduction in the volume of the airbag without adversely affecting its restraint function. Conversely, it can increase the utilization rate of the amount of gas generated by the gas generator to restrain the occupant. This allows for a reduction in the amount of gas generated and a reduction in the size of the gas generator itself. In addition, it is possible to shorten the inflation time until the airbag is fully deployed while maintaining the same amount of gas generated.

[0015] Furthermore, it is proposed that the airbag have a smaller radius of curvature at the lower edge surface connecting two horizontally adjacent rounded corners than at the side edge surface connecting the horizontally adjacent rounded corners to the upper central rounded corner. With the proposed solution, the edge surface connecting the two horizontally adjacent rounded corners extends deeper into the airbag than the two edge surfaces extending to the upper central rounded corner. This is advantageous because the occupant is restrained by a larger contact surface in the transition area of ​​the head and shoulders, which is important for restraining the occupant, while the amount of airbag gas is intentionally reduced by a greater reduction in the contact surface in the central chest area of ​​the occupant, which is restrained by the diagonal belt portion in both cases.

[0016] Furthermore, it is proposed that the airbag be symmetrical with respect to a vertically oriented axis of symmetry extending through the center, passing through a rounded corner extending upwards from the airbag. This ensures that the occupant is restrained symmetrically.

[0017] Furthermore, it is proposed that the slanted belt section has a gas line connecting a gas generator to the airbag in relation to the flow. Thus, the airbag is filled by an external gas generator through the gas line of the slanted belt section, thereby eliminating the need to directly place the gas generator on the airbag. Consequently, the airbag can be fixed to the slanted belt section without a gas generator and with significantly reduced installation space requirements.

[0018] Furthermore, it is proposed to connect the airbag to the slanted belt section and provide a tension strap to limit the deflection of the airbag when inflated. The tension strap can be optimally used to restrain the occupant by holding the airbag in a specific orientation relative to the slanted belt section and the occupant restrained by it during inflation, especially when fully inflated. Moreover, even during forward displacement of the occupant or when the occupant is restrained, the airbag is held in place relative to the occupant and the slanted belt section via the tension strap.

[0019] Furthermore, to achieve this objective, an inflatable airbag for attachment to the slanted belt portion of a seat belt system has been proposed. The airbag has a basic triangular shape with rounded corners, and when inflated, the airbag has an orientation defined by its attachment to the slanted belt portion, with two rounded corners positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, and one rounded corner extending upward in the center between the horizontally positioned corners. The proposed inflatable airbag can be added as an additional feature to an otherwise unmodified seat belt system, and only a holder for fixing the inflatable airbag to the slanted belt portion is required.

[0020] Airbags equipped with holders are preferably designed such that the rounded corners of the inflated airbag, which are horizontally adjacent to each other, are positioned on opposite sides of the slanted belt portion. In this way, the airbag provides symmetrical support to the occupant on both sides of the slanted belt portion and is held in place by the holder on the slanted belt portion during inflation and restraint.

[0021] Furthermore, the airbag holder is designed so that the rounded corner extending upward from the center of the airbag is positioned above the slanted belt when the airbag is inflated. Because the central corner of the airbag is positioned above the slanted belt, it improves the restraint of occupants above the slanted belt, particularly in the upper body and head area.

[0022] Furthermore, it is proposed that the rounded corners, which are positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, have a smaller radius than the centrally raised rounded corner. Thus, the shape of the airbag is specifically designed to restrain the occupant in the area of ​​the occupant's head and shoulders, which travel the longest distance when the occupant moves forward during an accident.

[0023] The amount of gas required for the inflation of the airbag can be reduced by forming the edge surfaces that connect the rounded corners of the airbag into a shape that curves radially inward, without adversely affecting the restraint function of the airbag.

[0024] In particular, by means of an airbag in which the radius of curvature of the lower edge surface connecting two horizontally adjacent rounded corners is smaller than the radius of curvature of the side edge surface connecting the horizontally adjacent rounded corners to the rounded corner at the upper center, the amount of gas can be further reduced without impairing the restraint function.

[0025] Furthermore, it is proposed that the airbag be symmetric with respect to the axis of symmetry extending centrally through the rounded corner extending upward. Thus, the airbag enables symmetric restraint of the occupant with the lowest and most uniform load possible on the occupant in case of an accident.

[0026] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] The first and second perspective views of an occupant wearing the restraint system according to the present invention having an airbag according to the present invention at the normal buckle position are shown. [Figure 2] The restraint system according to the present invention of FIG. 1 having an inflated airbag is shown. [Figure 3] The restraint system according to the present invention of FIG. 1 having an inflated airbag, and a steering wheel having an inflated driver airbag are shown. [Figure 4] The cut-out portions of the diagonal belt portions having inflated airbags in three different embodiments are shown.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Figure 1 shows an occupant 1 seated in a vehicle seat 3 having a backrest 9 and a seat cushion 10, the occupant being restrained by a seat belt 18 to which a seat belt device 2 is applied. The seat belt 18 is wrapped around a first belt retractor 13 at its first upper end and can be fixed at its second lower end to the vehicle structure or vehicle seat 3 via an end attachment 14, or wrapped around a second belt retractor that is fixedly installed in the vehicle. The first belt retractor 13 can also be fixed here to the vehicle seat 3 or vehicle structure, for example, in the area of ​​the upper edge of the backrest 9, which can provide additional deflection of the seat belt 18 to the path of the first belt retractor 13. The belt tongue 12, shown in the left-hand view of Figure 1, is displaceably guided on the seat belt 18, and this belt tongue can be locked to the end attachment 14 and the first belt retractor 13 in a belt buckle 11 located on the other side of the vehicle seat 3. In the position where it is locked to the belt buckle 11, the belt tongue 12 divides the seat belt 18 into a diagonal belt portion 6 that crosses the occupant's chest 5 and a lap belt portion 7 that crosses the occupant's pelvis 4. Furthermore, additional irreversible or reversible belt tensioners and force limiting devices can be provided on the first belt retractor 13, the end attachment 14, or the belt buckle 11.

[0029] The occupant 1 is restrained by a restraint system designed according to the present invention, which has a seat belt device 2 and an airbag 15 according to the present invention positioned in the diagonal belt portion 6, the airbag 15 being visible due to the thickening of the seat belt 18 in the area of ​​the diagonal belt portion 6. Furthermore, a second belt retractor may be provided instead of the end attachment 14, which retracts the seat belt 18 from the free end of the lap belt portion 7. The lap belt portion 7 and the diagonal belt portion 6 are preferably designed as separate belt portions, which are fixedly connected to a belt tongue 12 by one end in each case. In this case, the belt tongue 12 is guided immovably on the seat belt 18, forming a separation between the lap belt portion 7 and the diagonal belt portion 6. The airbag 15 is held and positioned on the diagonal belt portion 6 via a holder in such a position that the diagonal belt portion 6 can be fully retracted to a fastening position via the first belt retractor 13 without the need to retract the airbag 15 using the first belt retractor 13. The holder may be part of the airbag 15 in the form of a loop provided on the airbag 15, or it may be a separate holder from the airbag 15, and the holder may further form a cover for the airbag 15. The airbag 15 is equipped with a gas generator (not shown), and when the gas generator is activated, a large amount of gas is rapidly generated, thereby inflating the airbag 15 into the shape shown in Figures 2-4. The gas generator may be located on and / or fixed to the belt retractor 13 or belt buckle 12, or it may be fixed to the vehicle structure from the outside in a separate fixture, as long as it is connected to the airbag 15 with respect to the flow.

[0030] In its inflated state, the airbag 15 has a basic triangular shape with three rounded corners 20, 21, and 22, as shown in the left-hand diagram of Figure 4, and is fixed to the slanted belt portion 6 via a holder (not shown). To fix the airbag 15 to the slanted belt portion 6, a housing or casing can be provided that surrounds the airbag 15 in its folded or rolled state and is fixed to the slanted belt portion 6. Alternatively, the airbag 15 can be attached by sewing it directly to the slanted belt portion 6, and an additional casing or housing can be provided to enclose the airbag 15.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the orientation of the airbag 15 relative to the slanted belt portion 6 is defined by the attachment of the airbag 15 to the slanted belt portion 6. The airbag 15 has an orientation in which two rounded corners 21 and 22 are positioned horizontally adjacent to each other. A third rounded corner 20 extends upward in the center between the horizontally positioned rounded corners 21 and 22, resulting in the basic triangular shape of the airbag 15. By being attached to the slanted belt portion 6, the airbag 15 is oriented such that the two horizontally adjacent rounded corners 21 and 22 are positioned on different sides of the slanted belt portion 6, and the central upper rounded corner 20 is positioned above the slanted belt portion 6.

[0032] The lower rounded corners 21 and 22, which are positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, have a smaller radius RA than the central upper rounded corner 20. Therefore, the airbag 15 has a larger surface area in the region of the upper rounded corner 20 than in the region of the lower rounded corners 21 and 22, which are positioned adjacent to each other. The end faces 23, 24, and 25 of the airbag 15 have a curvature directed radially inward relative to the airbag 15, thereby reducing the volume of the airbag 15 while maintaining the dimensions of the rounded corners 20, 21, and 22. In comparison, the lower edge face 25 connecting the horizontally adjacent corners 21 and 22 has a smaller radius of curvature R1, while the edge faces 23 and 24 connecting the lateral corners 21 and 22 to the central corner 20 have a larger radius of curvature R2. Therefore, the lower edge surface 25 extends deeper into the airbag 15 than the side edge surfaces 23 and 24. As seen in the center diagram of Figure 4, a tension strap 17 is additionally attached to the diagonal belt portion 6 and connected to the airbag 15 at its free end to hold the airbag 15 in place during inflation and limit the deflection of the airbag 15 during inflation. Furthermore, a gas line 19 is provided in the diagonal belt portion 6, as seen in the right diagram of Figure 4, and the gas line is connected to both the gas generator and the airbag 15 with respect to flow. For this purpose, the tension strap 17 can also be designed as a gas line.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, due to the aforementioned fixation to the diagonal belt portion 6 and the orientation defined thereby, the airbag 15 inflates so that the occupant 1 is covered by the airbag 15 in the area of ​​the head 8 by the rounded corner 20 portion of the upper center of the airbag 15, and by the rounded corners 21 and 22 portions of the airbag 15 that are positioned adjacent to each other in the area of ​​the shoulder portion 26. In the occupant 1's normal driving position, the airbag 15 is supported on the end face 25 by the upper arms of the occupant 1, i.e., below the adjacent corners 21 and 22 portions. Therefore, if the occupant 1 is displaced forward in an accident, the occupant's head 8 will be covered by the upper part of the airbag 15 formed by the rounded corner 20 at the top center, and the occupant's shoulder portion 26 will be covered by the lower, horizontally adjacent rounded corners 21 and 22 of the airbag 15. Based on its shape, the airbag 15 substantially forms a copy of the geometric shape of the occupant 1 in the head and shoulder areas. The head 8 and shoulders 26 travel the greatest distance and experience particularly large accelerations when displaced forward from the normal driving position during an accident, so the restraint of the occupant 1 in the areas of these body parts provides particularly effective protection and particularly effective load reduction to the occupant during an accident.

[0034] Figure 3 shows the restraint system of Figure 2, comprising a steering wheel 8 and a driver airbag 16 that inflates from the steering wheel 8. The airbag 15, held by the diagonal belt portion 6, is positioned and oriented in the inflated state between the driver airbag 16 and the occupant 1, covering the chest 5 and the front of the head 8 in the shoulder portion 26 area.

Claims

1. A restraint system for an automobile for restraining an occupant (1) seated in a vehicle seat (3), comprising a seat belt device (2), wherein the seat belt device (2) is Inflatable airbag (15) and The system includes a gas generator connected to the airbag (15) in relation to the flow, which inflates the airbag (15) with gas when activated, The airbag (15) has a holder for holding the airbag (15) in the diagonal belt portion (6) of the seat belt (18) of the seat belt device (2) that crosses the chest (5) of the occupant (1). The airbag (15) has a basic triangular shape with rounded corners. The airbag (15), when inflated, has an orientation defined by its attachment to the diagonal belt portion (6), with two rounded corners (21, 22) positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, and a rounded corner (20) extending upward in the center between the horizontally positioned corners (21, 22). A restraint system characterized by the following:

2. The restraint system according to claim 1, characterized in that when inflated, the horizontally adjacent corners (21, 22) of the airbag (15) are located on different sides of the diagonal belt portion (6).

3. The restraint system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rounded corner portion (20) extending upward in the center of the airbag (15) is positioned above the diagonal belt portion (6) when inflated.

4. The restraint system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rounded corners (21, 22) arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction have a smaller radius (RA) than the rounded corner (20) that is raised in the center.

5. The restraint system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the airbag (15) has a shape that is curved radially inward at the edge surfaces (23, 24, 25) that connect the rounded corners (20, 21, 22) to each other.

6. The restraint system according to claim 5, characterized in that the airbag (15) has a smaller radius of curvature (R1) at the lower edge surface (25) connecting the two rounded corners (21, 22) which are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, than the side edge surfaces (23, 24) which connect the rounded corners (21, 22) which are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction to the upper central rounded corner (20).

7. The restraint system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the airbag (15) is symmetrical with respect to a vertically oriented axis of symmetry (S) that extends through the center and passes through the rounded corner (20) extending upward of the airbag (15).

8. The restraint system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the diagonal belt portion (6) has a gas line (19) that connects the gas generator to the airbag (15) in relation to the flow.

9. A restraint system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the airbag (15) is connected to the diagonal belt portion (6) when inflated, and a tension strap (17) is provided to limit the deflection of the airbag (15) when inflated.

10. An inflatable airbag (15) to be attached to the diagonal belt portion (6) of the seat belt device (2), The airbag (15) has a basic triangular shape with rounded corners (20, 21, 22), The airbag (15), when inflated, has an orientation defined by its attachment to the diagonal belt portion (6), with two rounded corners (21, 22) positioned horizontally adjacent to each other, and a rounded corner (20) extending upward in the center between the horizontally positioned corners (21, 22). An inflatable airbag (15) characterized by the following features.

11. The inflatable airbag (15) according to claim 10, characterized in that when inflated, the rounded corners (21, 22) of the airbag (15), which are horizontally adjacent to each other, are located on different sides of the diagonal belt portion (6).

12. The inflatable airbag (15) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, when inflated, the rounded corner portion (20) extending upward from the center of the airbag is positioned above the diagonal belt portion (6).

13. The inflatable airbag (15) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the rounded corners (21, 22) arranged horizontally adjacent to each other have a smaller radius (RA) than the rounded corner (20) that is raised in the center.

14. The airbag (20) is characterized in that the edge surfaces (23, 24, 25) connecting the rounded corners (20, 21, 22) have a shape that is curved radially inward, as described in any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. The inflatable airbag (15) according to claim 14, characterized in that the lower edge surface (25) connecting the two horizontally adjacent rounded corners (21, 22) has a smaller radius of curvature (R1) than the side edge surfaces (23, 24) connecting the horizontally adjacent rounded corners (21, 22) to the upper central rounded corner (20).

16. The inflatable airbag (15) according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the airbag (15) is symmetrical with respect to an axis of symmetry (S) that extends through the rounded corner portion (20) that extends upward in the center.

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