Curtain airbag and curtain airbag device

Abstract

To provide a curtain airbag that distributes stress applied to a curtain bag body from a front tether when expanded, and a curtain airbag device.SOLUTION: An external panel 40 is arranged on a front outside of a vehicle-outside panel 2 of panels 2 and 3 constituting a curtain airbag body part 1a. Upper side and lower side parts 42 and 45 of the external panel 40 are sewn to the panels 2 and 3 by a linear coupling part 10. A vertical midway part of a rear part of the external panel 40 is sewn to the panels 2 and 3 by an annular coupling part 21. A rear part of a front tether 50 is sewn to a front part of the external panel 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a curtain airbag that inflates and deploys along a side door window or the like in the event of a side collision or rollover of an automobile, and to a curtain airbag device equipped with this curtain airbag. [Background technology]

[0002] As an airbag for restraining the heads of automobile occupants, there is a curtain airbag that is placed near the corner where the ceiling and side of the automobile interior intersect and is configured to inflate along the side door window, etc. by gas introduced from a gas inlet.

[0003] In automobiles equipped with a curtain airbag device, if the automobile is hit in a side collision or rolls over, the curtain airbag inflates downward along the side of the vehicle interior (such as the door or pillar) to restrain the head of the occupant and, if the window is open, to prevent the occupant from being thrown out of the vehicle.

[0004] As such a curtain airbag, one having a curtain airbag body and a front strap connecting a front end side of the curtain airbag body to a front pillar (A pillar) is described in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, the rear end side of the front strap is sewn to a side portion of the curtain airbag body.

[0005] When the curtain airbag of Patent Document 1 inflates and deploys, stress is likely to concentrate in the vicinity of the seam on the rear end side of the front strap among the panels (base fabrics) that constitute the curtain airbag body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-20719 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the present invention, when the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed, the curtain airbag body is separated from the front tether. Department The object of the present invention is to provide a curtain airbag and a curtain airbag device in which stress applied to the curtain airbag is dispersed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The curtain airbag of the present invention is a curtain airbag having a curtain airbag main body and a front tether extending forward from a front portion of the curtain airbag main body, characterized in that an external panel is arranged along the outer side of the front portion of the curtain airbag main body, and a rear portion of the front tether is connected to the external panel.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, the upper and lower sides of the external panel are Department are connected to the top and bottom edges of the

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, a vertical intermediate portion of the rear edge of the external panel is Department is bonded to

[0011] In one aspect of the present invention, a vertical middle portion of the rear edge of the external panel is Department by a ring-shaped bond.

[0012] In one aspect of the present invention, in front of the external panel The side , the curtain airbag body Department It is located behind the front end of the

[0013] The curtain airbag device of the present invention comprises the curtain airbag of the present invention and an inflator for inflating the curtain airbag. Effect of the Invention

[0014] In the curtain airbag of the present invention, the rear portion of the front tether is only connected to the external panel, and is not directly connected to the curtain airbag main body. Therefore, the attachment position of the rear portion of the front tether is not limited to the tip of the curtain airbag main body, and the design freedom of the length of the front tether and the tip position of the curtain airbag main body is increased. In addition, the tether length can be made longer than when the front tether is attached to the tip of the curtain airbag main body, and the load generated on the tether attachment portion can be reduced.

[0015] In one aspect of the present invention, portions along the upper and lower edges of the external panel are joined to the curtain airbag body, so that the forward tensile load applied to the external panel from the front tether is distributed over a wide area of ​​the curtain airbag body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a curtain airbag according to an embodiment before inflation, as viewed from the vehicle exterior side. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the curtain airbag according to the embodiment, seen from the inside of the vehicle compartment before inflation. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1 in a state in which the curtain airbag is inflated. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1 in a state in which the curtain airbag is inflated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] 1, a short, cylindrical gas inlet 1b extending upward and diagonally backward is provided in the center of the upper side of the main body 1a of the curtain airbag 1, and the tip of this gas inlet 1b serves as a gas inlet 1c. The tip of the inflator 9 is inserted into this gas inlet 1c and bound with a band (not shown). The inflator is fixed to the roof side of the vehicle body by a mounting member (not shown).

[0019] This curtain airbag 1 is formed by overlapping two panels (base fabrics) 2, 3 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of almost the same shape and joining these panels 2, 3 together at linear joining parts 10-13 and annular joining parts 21-24 to form an inflatable part (chamber) 31 and a non-inflatable part 30. Although not shown in the drawings, multiple patch cloths (base fabrics) are sewn together near the gas inlet part 1b.

[0020] Each of the panels 2 and 3 may be an integral whole, or the main body 1a and the gas inlet portion may be separate bodies.

[0021] Also, instead of sewing the panels 2, 3 together, the curtain airbag may be formed by one piece woven in a tubular shape using a Jacquard weaving machine or the like.

[0022] The curtain airbag may or may not have a silicone seal.

[0023] Each of the linear joints 10-13 and each of the annular joints 21-24 is formed by a strong joining means (for example, sewing with a high-strength sewing thread, bonding with a highly adhesive adhesive, or welding) that airtightly joins the panels 2, 3 together and prevents the panels 2, 3 from separating even if the internal pressure of the curtain airbag 1 rises to the design upper limit pressure.

[0024] The linear joint 10 goes around the curtain airbag 1, and parts 10a, 10b thereof extend along the leading and trailing edges of the gas inlet portion 1b.

[0025] The annular joints 21 to 24 are disposed at intervals in the front-rear direction of the curtain airbag main body 1a. The annular joint 21 is located rearward of the front ends 2f of the panels 2, 3 by a predetermined distance.

[0026] Linear joint 11 extends downward and forward from annular joint 21 and is connected to linear joint 10 at the lower edge. Linear joint 12 extends to connect annular joints 22 and 24. Linear joint 13 extends downward from linear joint 12 in a substantially U-shape. The front upper end and rear upper end of linear joint 13 are each connected to linear joint 12.

[0027] The region surrounded by the linearly joined portions 12 and 13 is a non-expanding portion 30. The region inside the linearly joined portion 10 other than the non-expanding portion 30 is an expanding portion 31.

[0028] In this embodiment, an external panel 40 is disposed on the vehicle exterior side in front of the curtain airbag 1. The external panel 40 is substantially pentagonal having a front side 41, an upper side 42, a rear upper side 43, a rear lower side 44, and a lower side 45.

[0029] The upper side 42 and the lower side 45 are positioned so as to respectively match the upper and lower sides of the panels 2, 3 of the curtain airbag 1. The front side 41 extends in the vertical direction and is positioned a predetermined distance rearward of the front ends 2f of the panels 2, 3. In this embodiment, the lower end of the front side 41 is positioned near the intersection of the front and lower sides of the panels 2, 3.

[0030] An intersection 46 between the rear edge upper portion 43 and the rear edge lower portion 44 of the external panel 40 is located rearward of the annular joint portion 21. The rear ends of the upper side 42 and the lower side 45 are located forward of the annular joint portion 21.

[0031] The portions of the external panel 40 along the upper side 42 and the lower side 45 are sewn (stitched together) to the panels 2, 3 by linear connecting portions 10. In addition, the vicinity of an intersection portion 46 of the external panel 40 is sewn (stitched together) to the panels 2, 3 by an annular connecting portion 21. Other portions of the external panel 40 are not connected to the panels 2, 3.

[0032] A rear end 51 of a front tether 50 is attached to the front of the external panel 40 near the center in the up-down direction by sewing with a connecting portion 60. The front tether 50 extends in the front-rear direction, and its front end is in front of the panels 2, 3. end It is located forward of 2f. The length of the front tether 50 is preferably 200 mm or more.

[0033] The main body 1a of the curtain airbag 1 is folded elongatedly by roll folding or the like so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and is tied and held in shape by a tie (not shown). This tie has the strength to break or come undone when the curtain airbag 1 inflates. The tie is disposed at a plurality of locations spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the folded body. This curtain airbag 1 is disposed along the vicinity of the intersection between the ceiling and side of the vehicle, and a front end 52 of a front tether 50 is attached to a front pillar (A-pillar).

[0034] When a vehicle equipped with a curtain airbag device configured in this manner experiences a side collision or rolls over, the inflator is activated to eject gas, which is supplied to the curtain airbag 1, causing the curtain airbag 1 to begin to inflate, causing the lower edge of the roof side garnish to open toward the inside of the vehicle cabin, and causing the curtain airbag 1 to inflate and deploy downward along the B-pillar garnish and side door glass.

[0035] In this embodiment, the rear portion of the front tether 50 is sewn only to the external panel 40, and is not directly connected to the panels 2 and 3. Therefore, the front tether 50 does not generate a large localized stress on the panels 2 and 3 when the curtain airbag 1 is inflated and deployed.

[0036] In this embodiment, the portions of the external panel 40 along the upper side 42 and the lower side 45 are joined to the panels 2, 3 by the linear joining portion 10. In addition, a ring-shaped joining portion 21 is present behind the front tether 50, and the external panel 40 is connected to the panels 2, 3 by this ring-shaped joining portion 21. Therefore, the forward tensile load applied from the front tether 50 to the external panel 40 is dispersed over a wide range of the curtain airbag main body 1a.

[0037] In order for a roll-folded curtain airbag to deploy, it is necessary to ensure that the front tether length (hereafter referred to as tether) is at least a certain length. In the case of a conventional structure in which a tether is fastened to the tip of the curtain airbag, if the tether length is made too short, a large stress is generated in the front tether. Therefore, in the conventional structure, the tip position of the curtain airbag's inflatable body is regulated by the tether length.

[0038] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the tip position of the curtain airbag inflation body is no longer restricted by the tether length, making it possible to set the curtain airbag inflation body further forward in the vehicle, making it easier to accommodate small overlaps.

[0039] According to this embodiment, the tether and the curtain airbag body Department This allows greater freedom in the positioning of the tether, making it possible to use a longer tether than before, thereby reducing the load on the tether when it is deployed.

[0040] In this embodiment, the connection between the front tether 50 and the external panel 40 is on the vehicle outer side of the side of the curtain airbag inflation portion. This causes the curtain airbag to be deployed closer to the vehicle inner side than in the past. This allows the occupant to be restrained more quickly in the event of an oblique impact.

[0041] The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention may be embodied in other forms than those described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Curtain airbag 1a Curtain airbag body 1b Gas inlet 10~13 Linear joint 21~24 Circular joint 30 Non-expandable section 31 Expansion section (chamber) 40 External Panel 50 Front Tether

Claims

1. A curtain airbag having a curtain airbag body and a front tether extending forward from a front portion of the curtain airbag body, An external panel is disposed along a side surface of the front part of the curtain airbag body on the vehicle exterior side, The upper and lower edges of the external panel are respectively coupled to the upper and lower edges of the curtain airbag body, A vertical middle portion of the rear edge of the external panel is connected to the curtain airbag body portion by an annular connecting portion, A curtain airbag, wherein a rear portion of the front tether is connected to the external panel.

2. The curtain airbag according to claim 1, wherein a front edge of the external panel is located rearward of a front end of the curtain airbag body.

3. 3. A curtain airbag device comprising: the curtain airbag according to claim 1; and an inflator that supplies gas to the curtain airbag.

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