Side airbag for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicular side airbag that can improve initial restraining performance at the time of side collision.SOLUTION: A vehicular side airbag 10 comprises a bag main body 12 stored inside a vehicular seat 14. The bag main body 12 receives supply of gas from an inflator 42 to be inflated and expanded when a side collision is predicted or detected, so that an upper chamber 12A covers a side of a head H of an occupant P and a lower chamber 12B covers a side of a portion lower than the head of the occupant. Further, the bag main body 12 is formed by sewing a front base cloth 50 positioned at a front side of the seat and a rear base cloth 52 positioned at a rear side of the seat, at a center part in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, of the bag main body 12, in an inflated and expanded state when viewed from a width direction of the seat. The front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 are formed in a shape in which the upper chamber 12A is positioned on an inner side, in the width direction of the seat, of the lower chamber 12B in the inflated and expanded state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a side airbag for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a side airbag that inflates and deploys to the side of an occupant during a side collision. The side airbag disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a head protection inflation section that restrains the occupant's head, a lumbar protection inflation section that restrains the occupant's lumbar region, and an intermediate inflation section that connects the head protection inflation section and the lumbar protection inflation section. In Patent Document 1, an inner tube (duct member) is disposed inside the intermediate inflation section, and this inner tube distributes gas generated by the inflator to the head protection inflation section and the lumbar protection inflation section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-105107 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the side airbag described in Patent Document 1 above, the head protection inflation portion (upper chamber) is inflated and deployed at a position away from the occupant's head, leaving room for improvement in terms of improving initial restraint performance during a side collision.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a side airbag for a vehicle that can improve the initial restraint performance during a side collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle side airbag according to claim 1 is stored inside a vehicle seat, and is inflated and deployed to the side of an occupant by receiving gas from an inflator when a side collision is predicted or detected, and has a bag body equipped with an upper chamber that covers the side of the occupant's head in an inflated and deployed state and a lower chamber that covers the side below the occupant's head, and the bag body is formed by sewing a front base fabric located in front of the seat in an inflated and deployed state and a rear base fabric located behind the seat at a center portion of the bag body in the vehicle front-rear direction as viewed from the seat width direction, and the front base fabric and the rear base fabric are formed in a shape such that the upper chamber is located more inward in the seat width direction than the lower chamber in an inflated and deployed state. The seat back of the vehicle seat is bent or curved inward in the seat width direction from a height near the upper end of the seat back in the seat vertical direction. is.

[0007] In the vehicle side airbag according to claim 1, a bag body is stored inside a vehicle seat, and this bag body is inflated and deployed on the side of the occupant by receiving gas from an inflator when a side collision is predicted or detected. The bag body also has an upper chamber and a lower chamber, and the side of the occupant's head is covered by the upper chamber, and the lower chamber covers the lower side of the occupant's head. This makes it possible to protect the occupant in the event of a side collision.

[0008] The bag body is formed by sewing the front and rear base fabrics together at the center in the vehicle front-rear direction. Furthermore, the front and rear base fabrics are formed in a shape in which the upper chamber is located more inward in the seat width direction than the lower chamber when inflated and deployed. This allows the upper chamber to inflate and deploy near the occupant's head immediately after a side collision, making it possible to restrain the head early. The vehicle side airbag of claim 2 is related to claim 1, wherein the bag body is configured as an integrated bag body in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber are connected, and the lower chamber is shaped to cover the outside of the seat width direction from the shoulders to the waist of the occupant in an inflated and deployed state, and is inflated and deployed linearly in the vertical direction from its lower end to the height of the upper end of the seat back. Effect of the Invention

[0009] As described above, according to the vehicle side airbag of the present invention, it is possible to improve the initial restraint performance during a side collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a vehicle seat to which a vehicle side airbag according to an embodiment is applied, showing a state in which the side airbag is inflated and deployed; [Diagram 2] 1 is a side view showing a vehicle seat to which a vehicle side airbag according to an embodiment is applied, showing a state in which the side airbag is inflated and deployed; [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a vehicle side airbag according to a modified example, corresponding to FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the vehicle side airbag 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrows FR, UP, and RH in each drawing indicate the front side, upper side, and right side of the vehicle seat 14 in which the vehicle side airbag 10 is mounted, respectively. When describing using the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions, they refer to front-rear in the seat front-rear direction, left-right in the seat width direction, and top-bottom in the seat up-down direction, unless otherwise specified.

[0012] (Vehicle seat 14) 1 and 2, a vehicle seat 14 equipped with a vehicle side airbag 10 of this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as "side airbag 10") includes a seat cushion 16, a seat back 18, and a headrest 20. As an example, the vehicle seat 14 is disposed in the driver's seat on the left side of the vehicle, so that the front of the seat coincides with the front of the vehicle. In addition, the left and right sides of the seat width direction coincide with the left and right sides of the vehicle width direction.

[0013] A dummy P for a crash test is seated in place of an actual occupant in the vehicle seat 14 shown in Figures 1 and 2. This dummy P is, for example, AM50 (50th percentile of adult American males) of the WorldSID (World Side Impact Dummy). For convenience of explanation, dummy P will be referred to as "occupant P" below.

[0014] The seat cushion 16 extends in the front-rear direction and the width direction of the seat, and is configured to be able to support the buttocks and thighs of the occupant P. The seat back 18 is rotatably connected to a rear end of the seat cushion 16, extends in the up-down direction of the seat, and is configured to be able to support the back of the occupant P. The headrest 20 is provided at the upper end of the seat back 18, and is configured to be able to support the head H of the occupant P.

[0015] (Seatbelt device 24) 1, an occupant P is restrained in a vehicle seat 14 by a seat belt device 24. The seat belt device 24 includes a webbing 26, a tongue plate 30, a buckle 32, and a retractor (not shown).

[0016] The webbing 26 is formed in a long belt shape, and includes a shoulder belt 26A that restrains the upper body of the occupant P to the seat back 18 when worn, and a lap belt 26B that restrains the waist L of the occupant P. The shoulder belt 26A extends obliquely from the left shoulder S to the right waist L of the occupant P. The lower end of the shoulder belt 26A is passed through a tongue plate 30.

[0017] The tongue plate 30 is passed through the webbing 26 and configured to be detachable from a buckle 32 provided on the right side of the seat. When the tongue plate 30 is attached to the buckle 32, the occupant P is restrained by the webbing 26.

[0018] The webbing 26 extends from the tongue plate 30 to the left side of the seat, and the portion extending in the seat width direction constitutes a lap belt 26B. Therefore, the right end of the lap belt 26B is connected to the lower end of the shoulder belt 26A. The left end of the lap belt 26B is fixed to a belt anchor 34 provided on the floor panel 40.

[0019] An upper end of the shoulder belt 26A is wound around a shoulder anchor (not shown) provided on the vehicle body. An end of the webbing 26 is wound around a retractor (not shown). When the webbing 26 is suddenly pulled out, an emergency locking mechanism of the retractor is activated to lock the webbing 26 from being pulled out. The retractor is also provided with a pretensioner mechanism that is activated when a collision is detected to forcibly wind up the webbing 26.

[0020] (Side airbag 10) As shown in FIG. 2, the side airbag 10 includes a bag body 12, an inflator 42, and a sock 44.

[0021] The bag body 12 is stored inside the seat back 18 and is inflated when gas generated by the inflator 42 is supplied to the bag body 12. The inflation pressure of the side airbag 12 breaks the skin of the seat back 18, causing the bag body 12 to inflate and deploy laterally outward in the seat width direction relative to the occupant P.

[0022] The bag body 12 includes an upper chamber 12A that is inflated and deployed on the seat width direction outer side of the head H of the occupant P to cover the sides of the head H, and a lower chamber 12B that is inflated and deployed below the head H of the occupant P to cover the seat width direction outer side of the shoulders S to the waist L. The bag body 12 is configured as an integrated bag body in which the upper chamber 12A and the lower chamber 12B are connected to each other. Details of the bag body 12 will be described later.

[0023] The inflator 42 is a cylindrical gas generating device formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, with its axial direction aligned with a side frame 54 (see FIG. 3) that constitutes the framework of the seat back 18. The inflator 42 is also provided with a gas ejection portion (not shown), and gas is generated from the gas ejection portion and supplied to the side airbag 12 when a side collision of the vehicle is predicted or detected.

[0024] 3, the inflator 42 is disposed inside the bag body 12. A stud bolt (not shown) extends from the outer surface of the inflator 42 toward the inside in the seat width direction, and the inflator 42 is fastened to the side frame 54 by inserting the stud bolt into the side frame 54 and tightening it with a nut.

[0025] 1 and 2, a sock 44 is provided inside the bag body 12. The sock 44 is also called a duct, an inner tube, a flow straightening cloth, or a diffuser.

[0026] The sock 44 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with upper and lower ends open, and extends in the seat up-down direction from the upper chamber 12A to the lower chamber 12B. Therefore, the gas generated from the inflator 42 is configured to flow through the sock 44 to the upper chamber 12A and the lower chamber 12B.

[0027] 3, the sock 44 is formed by sewing two pieces of base fabric arranged in the seat width direction. Specifically, the two pieces of base fabric constituting the sock 44 have their front ends sewn at a sewing portion S2 and their rear ends sewn at a sewing portion S3. Although not shown, the base fabric constituting the sock 44 on the inner side in the seat width direction is sewn to the bag body 12 at multiple points.

[0028] (Bag body 12) Next, a detailed description will be given of the bag body 12. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the bag body 12 includes a front base cloth 50 located in front of the seat and a rear base cloth 52 located behind the seat in an inflated and deployed state.

[0029] The front base cloth 50 constitutes the front half of the bag body 12 in the inflated and deployed state. The rear base cloth 52 constitutes the rear half of the bag body 12 in the inflated and deployed state. The front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 are sewn together at a sewing portion S1 in the center of the bag body 12 in the vehicle front-rear direction when viewed from the seat width direction. That is, while a typical side airbag is sewn in the seat front-rear direction of the bag body, the bag body 12 of this embodiment is sewn in the seat width direction.

[0030] 1, the front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 are formed in a shape such that the upper chamber 12A is located more inward in the seat width direction than the lower chamber 12B in the inflated and deployed state. Specifically, the front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 are formed in a substantially straight line from the lower end of the lower chamber 12B to the height of the shoulders of the occupant P, and are formed in an outer shape that is bent or curved inward in the seat width direction from the shoulder height.

[0031] Therefore, the upper chamber 12A is configured to be inflated and deployed in the space between the upper rear surface of the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20. In the present embodiment, as an example, the upper chamber 12A is stored in a folded state along the seat width direction at the upper end of the seatback 18 together with the sock 44. When gas is supplied to the upper chamber 12A, the skin at the upper end of the seatback 18 is broken by the inflation pressure of the upper chamber 12A, and the upper chamber 12A is configured to be inflated and deployed toward the space between the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20. There is no particular limitation on the folding method of the upper chamber 12A and the sock 44, and various folding methods may be adopted.

[0032] (action) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0033] In the vehicle side airbag 10 of this embodiment, a bag body 12 is stored inside a vehicle seat 14, and this bag body 12 receives gas from an inflator 42 when a side collision is predicted or detected, and is inflated and deployed to the side of an occupant P. The bag body 12 also includes an upper chamber 12A and a lower chamber 12B, and the side of the head H of the occupant P is covered by the upper chamber 12A, and the lower side of the head H of the occupant P is covered by the lower chamber 12B. This makes it possible to protect the occupant P in the event of a side collision.

[0034] The bag body 12 is formed by sewing the front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 together at a sewing portion S1 at the center in the vehicle front-rear direction. The front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 are formed in a shape in which the upper chamber 12A is located more inward in the seat width direction than the lower chamber 12B when inflated and deployed. This allows the upper chamber 12A to be inflated and deployed near the head H of the occupant P immediately after a side collision, making it possible to restrain the head H early. As a result, the initial restraint performance during a side collision can be improved.

[0035] Here, a typical side airbag is formed by sewing the outer peripheral ends of two pieces of base fabric along the front-rear direction of the seat. In such a side airbag, it is not possible to form the upper chamber into a shape that is bent or curved inward in the seat width direction. In contrast, the bag body 12 of this embodiment is formed by sewing two pieces of base fabric (the front base fabric 50 and the rear base fabric 52) in the seat width direction, so that the upper chamber 12A can be easily formed into a shape that is bent or curved inward in the seat width direction.

[0036] Furthermore, by forming the bag body 12 by sewing the front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 in the seat width direction as in this embodiment, the thickness of the bag body 12 in the seat width direction when inflated and deployed can be freely adjusted. For example, since a large load is input from the waist L of the occupant P during a side collision, the shape of the front base cloth 50 and the rear base cloth 52 can be changed so that the portion of the lower chamber 12B corresponding to the waist L is thickened, thereby improving the protection performance for the waist L.

[0037] 1, the side airbag 10 of this embodiment is configured to inflate and deploy in the space between the upper rear surface of the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20. As a result, the upper chamber 12A restrains the head H of the occupant P in a state where the head H is sandwiched between the head H of the occupant P and the shoulder belt 26A, and therefore can protect the head H better than in a configuration in which the upper chamber 12A is inflated and deployed outside the shoulder belt 26A.

[0038] In this embodiment, the side airbag 10 is disposed on the outer side of the side frame 54 in the seat width direction as shown in Fig. 3, but is not limited to this. For example, a structure of a modified example shown in Fig. 4 may be adopted.

[0039] (Modification) As shown in FIG. 4, a vehicle side airbag 11 according to this modified example (hereinafter simply referred to as "side airbag 11") includes a bag body 12 and a sock 44, similar to the embodiment.

[0040] Here, the bag body 12 is disposed on the seat width direction inner side of the side frames 54 that constitute the framework of the seat back 18. Specifically, the bag body 12 is stored in a space on the seat width direction inner side of the side frames 54 in a folded state, and the inflator 42 is attached from the seat width direction inner side of the side frames 54. The other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment.

[0041] In the side airbag 11 according to the modified example described above, the storage position of the bag body 12 is located more inward in the seat width direction than in the embodiment, so that the side airbag 11 can be inflated and deployed closer to the occupant P. As a result, the initial restraint performance can be improved.

[0042] Although the side airbags 10 and 11 according to the embodiment and the modified example have been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the sock 44 extends from the upper part of the upper chamber 12A to the lower part of the lower chamber 12B, but is not limited thereto. For example, the upper end of the sock 44 may be positioned at the shoulder S of the occupant P.

[0043] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper chamber 12A is inflated and deployed in the space between the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper chamber 12A may be inflated and deployed outward in the seat width direction from the shoulder belt 26A. Even in this case, if the upper chamber 12A is formed in a shape that is bent or curved inward in the seat width direction, the initial restraint performance can be improved compared to a configuration in which the upper chamber 12A extends from the lower chamber 12B in a substantially linear manner toward the upper side of the seat.

[0044] Furthermore, the shapes of the upper chamber 12A and the lower chamber 12B are not limited to the shapes shown in Figures 1 and 2. For example, the thickness of the upper chamber 12A in the seat width direction may be formed thin so that the upper chamber 12A can easily enter the space between the shoulder belt 26A and the headrest 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10, 11 Vehicle side airbag 12 Bag body 12A Upper Chamber 12B Lower chamber 14 Vehicle seats 42 Inflator 50 Front base fabric 52 rear base fabric P Crew H Head

Claims

1. The bag body is stored inside a vehicle seat, and is inflated and deployed at the side of an occupant by receiving gas from an inflator when a side collision is predicted or detected, and has an upper chamber that covers the side of the occupant's head when inflated and deployed, and a lower chamber that covers the side below the occupant's head, the bag body is formed by sewing a front base fabric located in front of the seat and a rear base fabric located behind the seat in an inflated and deployed state together at a vehicle front-rear direction central portion of the bag body as viewed in the seat width direction, The front base fabric and the rear base fabric are formed in a shape such that, when inflated and deployed, the upper chamber is positioned more inward in the seat width direction than the lower chamber, and the vehicle side airbag is bent or curved inward in the seat width direction from a height near the upper end of the seat back in the seat vertical direction.

2. The bag body is configured as an integrated bag body in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber are connected, 2. The vehicle side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the lower chamber is shaped to cover an outer side of an occupant's shoulders to a waist in a seat width direction when inflated and deployed, and is inflated and deployed linearly in the vertical direction from a lower end to the height of an upper end of the seat back.

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