Method for manufacturing an airbag device and an airbag device.

Abstract

To provide an air bag device manufacturing method by which an expansion shape of an air bag cushion, that is assumed after inflation is completed, can be satisfactorily realized, and an air bag device.SOLUTION: An air bag cushion, which inflates and expands between adjacent seats in a cabin, comprises: an upper surface panel and a lower surface panel which are separated in a vertical direction and face each other during expansion; a side face panel which connects circumferences of the upper surface panel and the lower surface panel; a projection which projects upward from the upper surface panel; and a cylindrical inflator which is fitted along an inner surface of the side face panel on one side of the projection. A first roll part in which the upper surface panel and the side face panel, on which a fitting part of the inflator is provided, are stacked on the front and back and the projection is rolled into a roll form, a folding part of which one side part is folded so as to cover the fitting part of the inflator, and a second roll part of the other side part is rolled into a roll form are stored in the folded state that those parts are arranged on the upper surface panel with the second roll part as a center.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an airbag device and an airbag device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, many vehicles are equipped with airbag devices. Airbag devices are activated in an emergency such as a vehicle collision, and protect the occupant by receiving the occupant with an airbag cushion that inflates and deploys due to gas pressure. There are various types of airbag devices depending on the installation location and application, and one of them is an airbag device, so-called a side airbag device, which has an airbag cushion that inflates and deploys between adjacent seats inside the vehicle (for example, between the driver's seat and the passenger seat) and restrains the occupant seated in each seat from the sides to suppress the lateral movement of the occupant in a side collision (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-115947 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the airbag device described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a large-sized airbag cushion that occupies the space between adjacent seats when inflated and deployed, making it necessary to increase the amount of gas generated by the inflator that supplies inflation gas to this airbag cushion.

[0005] In order to solve this problem, an airbag cushion having a plurality of portions that inflate and deploy in different directions has been proposed. This airbag cushion includes, for example, a main deployment portion that inflates and deploys so as to spread laterally at a height position corresponding to the torso and shoulders of an occupant seated in a seat, and a protruding portion that inflates and deploys so as to protrude upward from the center of the upper surface of the main deployment portion. An airbag device including this airbag cushion can support the torso and shoulders of an occupant on both sides of the main deployment portion, and further support the head of the occupant as he or she moves with the protruding portion, thereby achieving the desired protective function with a small-sized airbag cushion.

[0006] However, in this type of airbag device, when the airbag cushion inflates and deploys from the stored configuration, multiple parts become entangled with each other, hindering each part from deploying properly, which can result in a problem that the airbag cushion does not deploy into the expected shape after inflation is complete.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a manufacturing method for an airbag device and an airbag device that can satisfactorily realize an expected deployed shape of the airbag cushion after inflation is complete. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The manufacturing method of an airbag device according to the present disclosure is a manufacturing method of an airbag device having an airbag cushion that inflates and deploys between adjacent seats in a vehicle cabin to restrain an occupant seated in each seat from the side, the airbag cushion having an upper panel and a lower panel that are spaced apart in the vertical direction when inflated and deployed, a side panel that connects the peripheral edges of the upper panel and the lower panel, a protruding portion that protrudes upward from the upper panel, and a cylindrical inflator that is attached along an inner surface of the side panel on one side of the protruding portion, and the airbag cushion is configured to be stored in a storage form. The folding procedure includes a first step of folding the top panel and the side panel on which the inflator mounting portion is provided so that they overlap front to back; a second step of rolling the protruding portion from its end into a roll to form a first roll portion that overlaps the top panel; a third step of folding back one side portion including the mounting portion so as to cover the mounting portion and form a folded portion with its end portion disposed adjacent to the first roll portion; and a fourth step of rolling the other side portion not including the mounting portion into a roll to form a second roll portion and dispose it between the first roll portion and the folded portion.

[0009] The method further includes, before the first step, a pulling out step of pulling out the lower panel from between the side panels.

[0010] The method further includes a folding step between the first step and the second step, or between the second step and the third step, of folding the protruding portions of the lower panel and the side panel generated in the first step between the overlapping portions of the upper panel and the side panel.

[0011] Furthermore, an airbag device according to the present disclosure is an airbag device including an airbag cushion that inflates and deploys between adjacent seats inside a vehicle cabin and restrains occupants seated in each seat from the sides, the airbag cushion including an upper panel and a lower panel that are spaced apart in the vertical direction when inflated and deployed, a side panel that connects the peripheral edges of the upper panel and the lower panel, a protrusion that protrudes upward from the upper panel, and a cylindrical inflator attached along the inner surface of the side panel on one side of the protrusion, the upper panel and the side panel having an attachment portion for the inflator are stacked front to back, and a first roll portion in which the protrusion is rolled up into a roll, a folded portion in which one side including the attachment portion is folded back to cover the attachment portion, and a second roll portion in which the other side portion is rolled up into a roll are stored in a folded form lined up on the upper panel with the second roll portion at the center. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the various parts of the folded airbag cushion from becoming entangled when it inflates and deploys, and to reliably achieve the intended deployed shape after inflation is complete, thereby achieving good protection of occupants in the event of a collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a vehicle compartment in which an airbag device according to an embodiment is provided; [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device taken along line II-II in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an airbag cushion. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the deployed state of the airbag cushion in the vehicle cabin. [Diagram 5] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a folding procedure for the airbag cushion. [Figure 6] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a folding procedure for the airbag cushion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the "upward direction" used in the following description refers to the direction on a line connecting the center of the ceiling and the center of the floor of the vehicle compartment, with the direction toward the ceiling being the "upward direction" and the direction toward the floor being the "downward direction." Additionally, the "front-rear direction" refers to the direction in which the vehicle travels, with the forward direction being the "forward direction" and the reverse direction being the "rearward direction." Furthermore, the "vehicle width direction" refers to the direction perpendicular to the above-mentioned "front-rear direction" and refers to the direction in which normal seats are arranged side by side in the vehicle compartment.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a vehicle cabin in which an airbag device according to an embodiment is provided. This drawing shows a driver's seat 2 and a passenger seat 3 arranged side by side in the width direction on a floor surface 10 of the vehicle cabin 1, and a seat belt 23 equipped to the driver's seat 2. The driver's seat 2 includes a seat portion 21 and a backrest 22 that rises upward from the rear side of the seat portion 21, and an occupant 20 (see Fig. 4) sits on the seat portion 21 wearing the seat belt 23.

[0016] The airbag device 4 according to the embodiment is incorporated into the side surface of the backrest 22 of the driver's seat 2 on the passenger seat 3 side. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device 4 taken along line II-II in Figure 1. The up-down direction in this figure corresponds to the "front-rear direction" described above.

[0017] The airbag device 4 includes an airbag cushion 5 and an inflator 6 stored in a storage section 40. The storage section 40 is a box-shaped body provided with an outward opening on the side surface of the backrest 22 on the passenger seat 3 side (left side in FIG. 2), and is formed, for example, by utilizing a part of the skeletal frame of the backrest 22. The opening of the storage section 40 is covered by a cover plate 41 that is flush with the side surface of the backrest 22. The cover plate 41 is a resin plate having a lower strength than the storage section 40, and a cleavage groove 42 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the inner surface of the front part (upper part in FIG. 2) of the cover plate 41.

[0018] The airbag cushion 5 is a bag made of fabric reinforced by weaving high-strength fibers such as nylon fibers, and is folded and stored inside the storage section 40 in a manner described below. The inflator 6 is cylindrical and attached to the inside of the airbag cushion 5. A stud bolt 60 protrudes radially outward from the circumferential surface of the inflator 6 and extends to the outside of the airbag cushion 5. The inflator 6 is fixed by tightening a nut 61 onto the stud bolt 60 that is passed through the bottom plate of the storage section 40, and the airbag cushion 5 is sandwiched and fixed between the inflator 6 and the bottom plate of the storage section 40 at the attachment position of the inflator 6.

[0019] The inflator 6 is activated in an emergency such as a vehicle collision, and injects gas for inflation and deployment into the airbag cushion 5. The airbag cushion 5 is explosively inflated by the action of the gas injected from the inflator 6, ruptures the cover plate 41 at the position of the cleavage groove 42, and deploys outward while supporting the storage section 40.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the airbag cushion 5, showing the shape when inflated and deployed. As shown in this figure, the airbag cushion 5 includes an upper panel 50 and a lower panel 51 that face each other and are spaced apart in the vertical direction when inflated and deployed, a side panel 52 that connects the peripheries of the upper panel 50 and the lower panel 51, and a protruding portion 53 that protrudes upward from the upper panel 50. The upper panel 50, the lower panel 51, and the side panel 52 are joined together, for example, by sewing together their respective peripheries, and constitute a main deployment portion that deploys in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) as shown in the figure. The protruding portion 53 rises upward at the center of the length of the upper panel 50, and deploys with an appropriate width in the left-right direction.

[0021] As shown by the dashed line in the figure, the inflator 6 has its axial length in the vertical direction, and is attached along the inner surface of the side panel 52 at one side of the protruding portion 53. The stud bolts 60 used for fixing as described above are provided at two positions spaced apart in the vertical direction of the inflator 6, and protrude outward from the side panel 52 at each position.

[0022] 4 is a front view seen from the front, showing the deployed state of the airbag cushion 5 in the vehicle compartment 1. As described above, the airbag cushion 5 is stored on the side of the backrest 22 of the driver's seat 2, and inflates by the action of gas ejected from the inflator 6 in the event of an emergency such as a vehicle collision, and deploys between the driver's seat 2 and the passenger seat 3, which are adjacent in the vehicle width direction.

[0023] The main deployment section, which is composed of the upper panel 50, the lower panel 51, and the side panels 52, expands laterally at a height corresponding to the torso and shoulders of the occupant 20 seated in the driver's seat 2 and the occupant 30 seated in the passenger seat 3, and restrains the occupants 20, 30 from the sides, reaching the front positions of the driver's seat 2 and the passenger seat 3. This prevents the occupants 20, 30 from moving laterally in the event of a side collision, and effectively protects the occupants 20, 30. The occupants 20, 30 in FIG. 4 are shown simply by two-dot chain lines.

[0024] The protrusion 53 rises upward in the center of the main deployment portion, and reaches a height position corresponding to the head of the occupant 20 seated in the driver's seat 2 and the occupant 30 seated in the passenger seat 3. Therefore, for example, even if the occupant 30 seated in the passenger seat 3 is OOP (Out Of Position: an irregular seating position), the head of the occupant 30 moving laterally toward the driver's seat 2 can be restrained by the protrusion 53, and an airbag device 4 can be provided that shows good results in a test for evaluating the degree of protection of an occupant in an irregular seating position, which is a so-called OOP test.

[0025] The deployed state of the airbag cushion 5 shown in FIG. 4 can be realized by appropriately setting the dimensions of each part of the airbag cushion 5 in accordance with the positional relationship between the driver's seat 2 and the passenger seat 3 and the position where the airbag device 4 is disposed. However, since the airbag cushion 5 has the shape described above, when it is inflated and deployed from the folded storage form, multiple parts become entangled with each other, hindering the deployment of each part, which can result in a problem that the expected deployed shape cannot be obtained after inflation is complete.

[0026] The folding form of the airbag cushion 5 shown in Fig. 2 is intended to prevent entanglement of various parts when inflated and deployed, and to reliably and quickly achieve the deployed state shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams of the folding procedure of the airbag cushion 5. The folding procedure of the airbag cushion 5 will be explained below with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. In this explanation, the terms "upper, lower" and "left, right" in the figures will be used.

[0027] Fig. 5A shows the airbag cushion 5 in an expanded state, with the inflator 6 attached at the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 5A. When folding the airbag cushion 5, first, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 5B, the lower panel 51 is pulled out from between the side panels 52 (pulling out process), and the side panels 52 and the lower panel 51 are connected below the upper panel 50.

[0028] Next, the pulled-out lower panel 51 and side panel 52 are folded in the direction indicated by the outlined arrow in Fig. 5B along one long side of the upper panel 50, so that the upper panel 50 and the side panel 52 provided with the mounting portion for the inflator 6 overlap each other back to back as shown in Fig. 5C (first step). The pulling-out step performed before the first step is a step required to easily and correctly achieve a desired overlapping state between the upper panel 50 and the side panel 52 in the first step.

[0029] On the other hand, protruding portion 53 protruding from upper panel 50 is turned into a plate shape with both sides overlapping by applying force from both the left and right sides as shown by the arrows in Fig. 5B, and is then rolled up from the upper end into a roll as shown by the outlined arrows in Fig. 5B to form first roll portion 54 overlapping upper panel 50 as shown in Fig. 5C (second process). Note that the winding direction of first roll portion 54 is not limited to the direction shown in the figure, and may be the opposite direction to that shown in the figure.

[0030] The order of the first step of stacking the top panel 50 and the side panel 52 and the second step of rolling the protruding portion 53 into a roll to form the first roll portion 54 may be arbitrary, and may be the first step followed by the second step, or the second step followed by the first step.

[0031] Furthermore, as a result of the folding in the first step, the bottom panel 51 and the remaining side panels 52 protrude outward from between the overlapping top panel 50 and side panel 52, as shown in Fig. 5C. It is desirable to fold these protruding portions between the top panel 50 and the side panel 52, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 5C. This folding step may be performed at an appropriate timing between the first step described above and the third step described next.

[0032] By carrying out the first and second steps including the above-mentioned folding step, the airbag cushion 5 has a configuration in which the first roll portion 54 is located in the center of the plate-like portion formed by overlapping the upper panel 50, the lower panel 51, and the side panel 52, as shown in FIG. 6A, and the mounting portion of the inflator 6 is aligned approximately parallel to one side (the right side) of this first roll portion 54.

[0033] Next, the right half including the mounting portion of the inflator 6 is folded back as shown by the outlined arrow in FIG. 6A, to form a folded back portion 55 that covers the mounting portion of the inflator 6 from above and has its end positioned close to the right side of the first roll portion 54 as shown in FIG. 6B (third step).

[0034] On the other hand, the left half not including the mounting portion of the inflator 6 is rolled up from the end as shown by the outline arrow in Fig. 6A, forming a second roll portion 56 located on the left side of the first roll portion 54 as shown in Fig. 6B, and the portion where this second roll portion 56 is formed is folded back as shown by the outline arrow in Fig. 6B, covering the first roll portion 54 from above with the folded back portion, and disposing the second roll portion 56 between the first roll portion 54 and the folded back portion 55 (fourth step). Note that the winding direction of the second roll portion 56 is not limited to the direction shown in the figure, and may be the opposite direction to that shown in the figure.

[0035] In the above explanation, the folded-back portion 55 in the third step is formed by folding back the right half including the mounting portion of the inflator 6, but the folded-back portion 55 can be formed by folding back one side portion (the right portion in the figure) including the mounting portion of the inflator 6 over an appropriate length that is not limited to substantially half the length, as described above. Similarly, the second rolled portion 56 in the fourth step can be formed by rolling up the other side portion (the left portion) over an appropriate length into a roll shape.

[0036] The range of the one side and the other side varies depending on the shape of the airbag cushion 5, which is determined by the vehicle structure and the relative positions of the seats, and the mounting position of the inflator 6 inside the airbag cushion 5. For example, each side may be significantly different from half the total length, such as one side being one-quarter (or three-quarters) of the total length of the above-mentioned plate-shaped portion and the other side being the remaining three-quarters (or one-quarter).

[0037] The airbag cushion 5 is folded by carrying out the above-mentioned first to fourth steps, preferably including the above-mentioned unfolding step and folding step, and is stored inside the storage section 40 as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, the arrangement of the first roll portion 54, the folded-back portion 55, and the second roll portion 56 is shown.

[0038] When the airbag cushion 5 stored in this manner is inflated and deployed, the folded-back portion 55 and the second roll portion 56 spread out to each side, thereby determining the position of the upper panel 50, and using the position of the upper panel 50 as a reference, the first roll portion 54 is deployed to extend upward to form the protruding portion 53, while the lower panel 51 is deployed to move downward and away to form the main deployment portion. Since the main deployment portion and the protruding portion 53 are not entangled with each other when the airbag cushion 5 is inflated and deployed in this manner, the expected deployed shape shown in Fig. 4 after inflation is completed can be reliably achieved, and the occupants 20, 30 can be well protected in the event of a collision.

[0039] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope of the claims. Note that the reference signs attached to the claims are added to make the claims easier to understand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Cabin 2 Driver's seat 3 Passenger seat 4. Airbag device 5 Airbag cushion 6 Inflator 20 Crew 30 Crew 50 Top Panel 51 Bottom panel 52 Side Panel 53 Protrusion 54 First Roll Section 55 Folded part 56 Second Roll Section

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an airbag device (4) including an airbag cushion (5) that inflates and deploys between adjacent seats (2), (3) in a vehicle interior (1) and restrains occupants (20), (30) seated in the respective seats from the sides, comprising: The airbag cushion (5) an upper panel (50) and a lower panel (51) which face each other and are spaced apart in the vertical direction when inflated and deployed; A side panel (52) connecting the periphery of the upper panel (50) and the lower panel (51); A protrusion (53) protruding upward from the center of the upper panel (50) in the left-right direction; a cylindrical inflator (6) attached along an inner surface of the side panel (52) at a position on one end side in the left-right direction from a position corresponding to the protrusion (53), The procedure for folding the airbag cushion (5) into a storage configuration comprises: a first step of folding the top panel (50) and the side panel (52) provided with an attachment portion for the inflator (6) so that they overlap each other; a second step of rolling the protruding portion (53) from an end into a roll shape to form a first roll portion (54) overlapping the upper panel (50); a third step of folding back one side portion including the attachment portion so as to cover the attachment portion, thereby forming a folded-back portion (55) whose end portion is disposed adjacent to the first roll portion (54); and a fourth step of rolling up the other side portion not including the attachment portion into a roll shape to form a second roll portion (56) and disposing the second roll portion (56) between the first roll portion (54) and the folded-back portion (55).

2. 2. The method for manufacturing an airbag device according to claim 1, further comprising, before the first step, a step of pulling out the lower panel (51) from between the side panels (52).

3. 3. The method for manufacturing an airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a folding step between the first step and the second step, or between the second step and the third step, of folding protruding portions of the lower panel (51) and the side panel (52) generated in the first step between overlapping portions of the upper panel (50) and the side panel (52).

4. An airbag device (4) including an airbag cushion (5) that inflates and deploys between adjacent seats (2), (3) in a vehicle interior (1) and restrains occupants (20), (30) seated in the respective seats from the sides, The airbag cushion (5) an upper panel (50) and a lower panel (51) which face each other and are spaced apart in the vertical direction when inflated and deployed; A side panel (52) connecting the periphery of the upper panel (50) and the lower panel (51); A protrusion (53) protruding upward from the center of the upper panel (50) in the left-right direction; a cylindrical inflator (6) attached along an inner surface of the side panel (52) at a position on one end side in the left-right direction from a position corresponding to the protrusion (53), an airbag device comprising: the top panel (50) and the side panel (52) having an attachment portion for the inflator (6) stacked front to back; a first roll portion (54) formed by rolling up the protrusion (53) into a roll; a folded portion (55) formed by folding back one side including the attachment portion so as to cover the attachment portion; and a second roll portion (56) formed by rolling up the other side into a roll; and the first roll portion (54) is stored in a folded form lined up on the top panel (50) with the second roll portion (56) in the center.

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