Side airbag device

Abstract

To provide a side airbag device that can effectively secure performance in restraining a waist part of an occupant.SOLUTION: A side airbag device 30 comprises: a side airbag main body 34 which has a side part chamber 36 that inflates and expands at the time of a side collision of a vehicle to restrain a waist part and a chest part of an occupant and a head part chamber 38 that retrains a head part; and a cylindrical member 40 that is provided inside the side airbag main body 34, and distributes gas jetted from an inflator 32 to the side part chamber 36 and the head part chamber 38. The side part chamber 36 has a waist part retraining part 36W that inflates and expands to restrain the waist part of the occupant when gas is jetted from a gas jetting port 46 of the cylindrical member 40, and a chest part restraining part 36C that inflates and expands to restrain the chest part of the occupant when gas flows from the waist part restraining part 36W thereinto. When gas is jetted from the inflator 32, a peripheral edge part 47 of the jetting port 46 rides upward to restrict gas from flowing from the waist part restraining part 36W into the chest part restraining part 36C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a side airbag device mounted on a vehicle seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicle side airbag devices that are stored on the side support side of a seat back and are configured so that gas ejected from an inflator is distributed toward a lumbar chamber and a head chamber via an inner tube during a side collision of the vehicle have been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [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, since the gap between the occupant's waist and the door trim of the side door in the vehicle width direction is narrow, it is necessary to absorb the collision energy (restrain the occupant's waist) with a short stroke during a side collision of the vehicle. To efficiently restrain the occupant's waist with a short stroke, it is necessary to change the restraining force of the side airbag between the chest and abdomen and the waist, that is, to provide an internal pressure difference. As a countermeasure for this, for example, the part that restrains the chest and abdomen and the part that restrains the waist are separated by sewing, or a tether is added to that part to separate them.

[0005] However, with a structure in which the airbag is divided into upper and lower parts by sewing, it is difficult to say that the stroke required to absorb the collision energy is effectively secured. Also, with a structure in which a tether is added to separate the airbag, the structure of the side airbag becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost of the side airbag increases. Thus, there is still room for improvement in terms of effectively securing the restraint performance for the occupant's hips.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device that can effectively ensure the restraint performance for the hips of an occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a side airbag device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a side airbag body having a side chamber that inflates and deploys to restrain the waist and chest of an occupant in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, and a head chamber that is formed integrally with the side chamber and inflates and deploys to restrain the head of the occupant, and a tubular member that is provided inside the side airbag body so as to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle and distributes gas ejected from an inflator to the side chamber and the head chamber, the side chamber having a waist restraining portion inflated and deploying when the gas is ejected from the outlet formed at a lower end of the tubular member, and a chest restraining portion that is formed integrally with the waist restraining portion and inflates and deploys when the gas flows into it from the waist restraining portion to restrain the chest of the occupant, the tubular member having an opening of the outlet rear When the gas is ejected from the inflator, a peripheral portion of the ejection port on the vehicle lower side than an upper end of the slit portion extends toward the vehicle upper side. Parachute-like It rolls up and restricts the flow of gas from the waist restraint portion to the chest restraint portion.

[0008] According to the invention described in claim 1, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the gas ejected from the inflator is distributed to the side chamber and the head chamber by the tubular member provided inside the side airbag body so as to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle, causing the side chamber and the head chamber to inflate and deploy.

[0009] Here, the side chamber has a lumbar restraint section in which an outlet formed at the lower end of the cylindrical member is located and which inflates and deploys when gas is ejected from the outlet to restrain the lumbar region of the occupant, and a chest restraint section which is formed integrally with the lumbar restraint section and inflates and deploys when gas flows into the chest restraint section to restrain the occupant's chest. rear The inflator has a slit portion extending from the end toward the vehicle upper direction, and when gas is ejected from the inflator, the peripheral portion of the ejection port on the vehicle lower side than the upper end of the slit portion extends toward the vehicle upper side. Parachute-like It rolls up and restricts the flow of gas from the waist restraint to the chest restraint.

[0010] As a result, the pressurized gas temporarily remains in the lumbar restraint section, creating an internal pressure difference between the lumbar restraint section and the thoracic restraint section. Therefore, the stroke for absorbing collision energy is ensured in the lumbar restraint section (reduction in the stroke for absorbing collision energy is suppressed). In other words, according to the present invention, restraint performance for the lumbar region of the occupant is effectively ensured. In addition, since a tether or the like separating the lumbar restraint section and the thoracic restraint section is not required, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the side airbag body is suppressed. Note that "at the time of a side collision of the vehicle" in the present invention includes not only when a side collision of the vehicle is detected, but also when a side collision of the vehicle is predicted. Effect of the Invention

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, the restraining performance for the waist of an occupant can be effectively ensured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a side view showing the side airbag body according to the embodiment after inflation and deployment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged development view of a sock according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 and showing a state before the side airbag body according to the present embodiment is folded. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1A is a schematic side view showing a state before the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute, and FIG. [Figure 6] 1A is a schematic side view showing the state of the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment together with the gas flow before the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute, (B) is a schematic side view showing the state of the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment when the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute and starts to roll up further upward, (C) is a schematic side view showing the state of the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment together with the gas flow when the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute and starts to roll up further upward. [Figure 7] 1A is a schematic front view showing a state in which the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute together with a gas flow, and FIG. 1B is a schematic front view showing a state in which the lower end of the sock according to the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute and is further rolled up, together with a gas flow. [Figure 8] 1A is a schematic side view showing a state before the lower end of a sock according to a modified example of the present embodiment spreads out like a parachute, and FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an enlarged development view of a sock according to a modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow UP shown in each drawing indicates the upward direction of the vehicle and the vehicle seat, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction of the vehicle and the vehicle seat, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction of the vehicle and the vehicle seat. Therefore, in the following description, when the directions of up / down, front / rear, and left / right are described without special mention, they refer to up / down, front / rear, and left / right of the vehicle and the vehicle seat. In addition, the left / right direction is synonymous with the vehicle width direction and the seat width direction.

[0014] In this embodiment, the vehicle seat 10 on the left front seat of the vehicle is taken as an example. Furthermore, the "occupant P" in this embodiment is, for example, an occupant equivalent to AM50 (50th percentile of adult males in the United States) of the WorldSID (World Side Impact Dummy).

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle seat 10 equipped with a side airbag device 30 according to this embodiment has a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant P sits (supporting the buttocks and thighs of the occupant P), a seat back 14 that supports the back of the occupant P, and a headrest 16 that supports the head Ph of the occupant P.

[0016] In a side view seen from the vehicle width direction (seat width direction), the seat cushion 12 extends in the front-rear direction, and the seat back 14 extends in the up-down direction and is rotatably connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 12. The headrest 16 is provided in the center of the seat width direction at the upper end of the seat back 14 and configured to be movable up and down.

[0017] In addition, the vehicle seat 10 is configured so that an occupant P is restrained by a seat belt device 20. The seat belt device 20 includes a webbing 22 formed in a long strip shape, a tongue plate (not shown) through which the webbing 22 is passed, a buckle (not shown) to which the tongue plate is detachably attached, a retractor (not shown), and a shoulder anchor (not shown).

[0018] One end of the webbing 22 is wound up in a retractor provided inside a center pillar (not shown) so as to be able to be pulled out, and the webbing 22 pulled out from the retractor is wound around and supported by a shoulder anchor provided on the upper part of the center pillar on the passenger compartment side. The other end of the webbing 22 is fixed to a belt anchor (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the floor panel 18 on the left side of the seat cushion 12.

[0019] A webbing 22 is passed through the through hole of the tongue plate, and the tongue plate is movable along the webbing 22. The buckle is provided on the right side of the seat cushion 12, and the occupant P is restrained to the vehicle seat 10 by the webbing 22 when the webbing 22 is pulled out and the tongue plate is attached to the buckle.

[0020] That is, with the tongue plate attached to the buckle, the webbing 22 is stretched diagonally from the left shoulder Ps of the occupant P to the right side of the waist Pw, and also stretched in the seat width direction from the right side to the left side of the waist Pw of the occupant P. In the following description, the part of the webbing 22 that is stretched diagonally and restrains the chest Pc (upper body) of the occupant P to the seat back 14 is referred to as a shoulder belt 22A.

[0021] The retractor is also provided with a pretensioner mechanism that is activated when a collision is detected to forcibly wind up the webbing 22. Therefore, even if the webbing 22 is suddenly pulled forward during a frontal collision of the vehicle, an emergency locking mechanism of the retractor is activated to lock the pulling out of the webbing 22.

[0022] 1, the side airbag device 30 includes an inflator 32 embedded in the left side portion (hereinafter referred to as the "left side portion") of the seatback 14, a side airbag body 34, and a sock 40 serving as a tubular member provided inside the side airbag body 34. The inflator 32 is a cylindrical gas generating device formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and its axial direction is set to a direction (substantially vertical direction) along side frames (not shown) that form the framework of both the left and right sides of the seatback 14.

[0023] Further, the lower end 32A of the inflator 32 is connected to a connection portion 42 of the sock 40. The lower end 32A of the inflator 32 is provided with a gas ejection portion (not shown), and when a side collision of the vehicle is detected or predicted (hereinafter referred to as "at the time of a side collision"), gas is ejected from the gas ejection portion and instantly supplied to the inside of the sock 40, and the gas is supplied to the side airbag body 34 via the sock 40.

[0024] The side airbag main body 34 has a side chamber 36 that inflates and deploys between the side of the vehicle compartment (a side door not shown) and the side of the waist Pw and chest Pc of the occupant P, and a head chamber 38 that inflates and deploys between a part of the shoulder belt 22A above the shoulder Ps of the occupant P (hereinafter referred to as the "upper rear surface") and the side of the head Ph of the occupant P.

[0025] The side chamber 36 extends from the upper end to the lower end of the seat back 14 (up to the seat cushion 12) in a side view, and is formed in a generally elliptical shape with its generally vertical center bulging forward. The side chamber 36 has a lumbar restraining portion 36W that inflates and deploys when gas is ejected from the inflator 32 to restrain the lumbar region Pw of the occupant P, and a chest restraining portion 36C that is formed integrally with the lumbar restraining portion 36W and inflates and deploys when gas flows in from the lumbar restraining portion 36W to restrain the chest Pc of the occupant P.

[0026] On the other hand, the head chamber 38 is formed in a generally rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction being the front-to-rear direction in a side view, and is formed large enough to cover the entire side surface of the head Ph of the occupant P. The side airbag main body 34 is formed into a single bag shape by sewing together the outer peripheral edges of two pieces of base fabric, and the side chamber 36 (the waist restraining portion 36W and the chest restraining portion 36C) and the head chamber 38 are formed integrally.

[0027] A sock 40 extending in a generally vertical direction is provided inside the side airbag body 34 by being sewn together with the side airbag body 34. The sock 40 distributes the gas ejected from the inflator 32 to the side chamber 36 and the head chamber 38, and has an ejection port 44 formed at its upper end for ejecting the gas. And, an ejection port 46 for ejecting the gas is also formed at the lower end of the sock 40.

[0028] The outlet 44 formed at the upper end of the sock 40 is located in the head chamber 38, and the outlet 46 formed at the lower end of the sock 40 is located in the waist restraint portion 36W in the side chamber 36. The outlet 46 formed at the lower end of the sock 40 is integrally formed including the lower end of the connecting portion 42, and has a larger diameter than the outlet 44 formed at the upper end of the sock 40.

[0029] The connection part 42 is provided so as to protrude rearward and upward from the rear surface of the sock 40. That is, the connection part 42 provided on the rear surface of the sock 40 has an insertion hole (not shown) into which the lower end part 32A of the inflator 32 can be inserted. The lower end part 32A of the inflator 32 is inserted into the insertion hole, and the inflator 32 is configured so that gas does not leak between the insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the inflator 32.

[0030] 2 to 4, sock 40 is formed into a cylindrical shape by sewing together the outer peripheral edges of two base fabrics 40L, 40R, and has a slit portion 48 at its lower end that extends upward from open end 46A of outlet 46. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, this slit portion 48 is formed, for example, by not sewing the rear lower end portion (the lower end portion on the rear side of the seat) of sock 40, and its length L (see Fig. 3) is equal to or slightly shorter than half the thickness along the seat width direction of lumbar restraining portion 36W after inflation and deployment.

[0031] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, when gas is ejected from the inflator 32, the lower end of the sock 40, i.e., the peripheral edge 47 of the ejection port 46 below the upper end 48U of the slit portion 48 (see also Figure 3), rolls up upward like a parachute, restricting the flow of gas from the waist restraint portion 36W to the chest restraint portion 36C.

[0032] That is, peripheral portion 47 of outlet 46 below upper end 48U of slit 48 rolls up upward like a parachute, so that the only gas passage is the gap between the end face (opening end 46A) of peripheral portion 47 and the inner surface of waist restraint 36W, narrowing the gas passage from waist restraint 36W to chest restraint 36C. In other words, peripheral portion 47 of outlet 46 rolled up upward like a parachute functions as if it were a check valve.

[0033] This temporarily restricts the flow of gas from the lumbar restraint portion 36W to the chest restraint portion 36C, and causes the high-pressure gas temporarily to remain in the lumbar restraint portion 36W immediately after being ejected from the inflator 32. In other words, when gas is ejected from the inflator 32, a temporary internal pressure difference (higher internal pressure in the lumbar restraint portion 36W and lower internal pressure in the chest restraint portion 36C) is created between the lumbar restraint portion 36W and the chest restraint portion 36C.

[0034] The side airbag body 34 is stored in a folded state in a storage space (not shown) formed inside the seat back 14 and extending from the lower end to the upper end on the left side. An upper frame (not shown) that integrally connects the upper ends of the left and right side frames is provided at the upper end inside the seat back 14, and the side airbag body 34 is configured to be stored along the left side frame and the left end of the upper frame.

[0035] Although not shown, the head chamber 38 is folded, for example, from top to bottom and bottom to top in a substantially "Z" shape when viewed from the front, then wound into a roll with the vertical axis as the axial direction, and stored along the left end of the upper frame. Therefore, when inflated and deployed, the head chamber 38 is configured to first unfold the rolled portion and deploy forward, and then deploy in the vertical direction.

[0036] Also, the skin extending from the lower end to the upper end at least on the left side of the seat back 14 is configured to be rupturable by the inflating and deploying side airbag body 34. That is, the side airbag body 34 stored in a storage space within the seat back 14 is inflated and deployed by gas supplied from the inflator 32 in the event of a side collision from the left side of the vehicle, and the skin extending from the lower end to the upper end on the left side of the seat back 14 is configured to be easily ruptured by the inflation pressure of the gas.

[0037] The side airbag body 34, which is inflated and deployed by breaking the skin of the seat back 14, is arranged to be located outside in the seat width direction of the occupant P. Specifically, the side chamber 36, which is inflated and deployed toward the side of the vehicle compartment (side door), is arranged between the side of the vehicle compartment (side door) and the side of the waist Pw and chest Pc of the occupant P, so as to cover the side of the occupant P from the shoulder Ps to the waist Pw.

[0038] The head chamber 38, which is inflated and deployed toward the space between the upper rear surface of the shoulder belt 22A and the left side surface of the headrest 16, is disposed between the upper rear surface of the shoulder belt 22A and the head Ph of the occupant P to cover the side surface of the head Ph of the occupant P. A vent hole (not shown) is formed at the front end of the side chamber 36 to prevent the internal pressure of the side airbag main body 34 from becoming excessive. The vent hole is formed, for example, by not sewing a part of the base fabric of the side airbag main body 34.

[0039] Next, the operation of the side airbag device 30 according to this embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0040] In the event of a side collision from the left side of the vehicle, gas is instantly supplied from the inflator 32 to the inside of the sock 40, and the gas is distributed and supplied to the side chamber 36 and the head chamber 38 of the side airbag body 34 through the sock 40. Then, the inner pressure (inflation pressure) of the side airbag body 34, which starts to inflate due to the supply of gas, breaks the skin from the lower end to the upper end on the left side of the seat back 14.

[0041] When gas is supplied into the sock 40, the gas is ejected from an ejection port 46 formed at the lower end thereof, and a slit portion 48 extending upward from an open end 46A of the ejection port 46 is formed at the rear of the lower end of the sock 40. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5(B) to Fig. 7(A), when gas is ejected from the inflator 32, a peripheral portion 47 of the ejection port 46 below an upper end 48U of the slit portion 48 rolls up upward like a parachute.

[0042] This narrows the gas passage from the lumbar restraint 36W to the thoracic restraint 36C, temporarily restricting the flow of gas from the lumbar restraint 36W to the thoracic restraint 36C, and creates a temporary internal pressure difference between the lumbar restraint 36W and the thoracic restraint 36C. In other words, the lumbar restraint 36W inflates and deploys toward the space between the side of the vehicle cabin (the side door) and the left side of the occupant P's waist Pw, and is positioned in that space, but the pressurized gas temporarily remains in the lumbar restraint 36W.

[0043] Therefore, in the event of a side collision from the left side of the vehicle, the lumbar restraining portion 36W of the side chamber 36 can ensure a stroke for absorbing the collision energy (can suppress a reduction in the stroke for absorbing the collision energy), and can efficiently restrain the lumbar region Pw of the occupant P. In this way, according to this embodiment, the restraint performance for the lumbar region Pw of the occupant P can be effectively ensured.

[0044] 7(B), the peripheral portion 47 of the outlet 46 that has been rolled up like a parachute is further rolled up as the internal pressure increases, widening the gas passage from the lumbar restraint portion 36W to the thoracic restraint portion 36C. This causes gas to flow from the lumbar restraint portion 36W to the thoracic restraint portion 36C, causing the thoracic restraint portion 36C to inflate and deploy toward the space between the side of the vehicle cabin (the side door) and the left side of the chest Pc of the occupant P, and to be positioned in that space.

[0045] Therefore, in the event of a side collision from the left side of the vehicle, the chest Pc of the occupant P can be restrained by the chest restraining portion 36C of the side chamber 36. In other words, the left side surface of the occupant P from the shoulder Ps to the waist Pw is covered from the left side by the side chamber 36, and the left side surface of the occupant P from the shoulder Ps to the waist Pw is effectively restrained by the side chamber 36.

[0046] Furthermore, in the side airbag device 30 according to this embodiment, a tether or the like that separates the waist restraining portion 36W and the chest restraining portion 36C is not required. This makes it possible to prevent the structure of the side airbag body 34 from becoming complicated, and to prevent an increase in the manufacturing cost of the side airbag body 34. In other words, according to this embodiment, it is possible to achieve both an improvement in the occupant restraint performance of the side airbag device 30 and a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the side airbag device 30.

[0047] On the other hand, when gas is supplied to the inside of the sock 40, the gas is ejected from the nozzle 44 formed at the upper end thereof, and, for example, the head chamber 38, which is folded as described above, unfolds and inflates toward the space between the upper rear surface of the shoulder belt 22A and the left side surface of the headrest 16.

[0048] As a result, head chamber 38 is disposed between the upper rear surface of shoulder belt 22A and the left side of head Ph of occupant P, and the left side of head Ph of occupant P is covered from the left side by head chamber 38. Therefore, in the event of a side collision from the left side of the vehicle, head Ph of occupant P can be restrained by head chamber 38.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 8, the length of the lower end of sock 40 in the approximately vertical direction may be made shorter than that shown in Fig. 5 to adjust the flow rate of gas flowing from waist restraint portion 36W to thoracic restraint portion 36C (internal pressure of thoracic restraint portion 36C). That is, the gap (gas passage) between the end face (opening end 46A) of peripheral portion 47 of nozzle 46 rolled up like a parachute and the inner surface of waist restraint portion 36W may be made wider than that shown in Fig. 5 to increase the flow rate of gas from waist restraint portion 36W to thoracic restraint portion 36C.

[0050] Also, as shown in Fig. 9, the sock 40 may have a structure in which the front ends of two pieces of base fabric are integrally connected. In other words, the sock 40 may be constructed by folding back at the fold line K shown by the dashed line in Fig. 9, and sewing the area shown by the dashed line. Sock 40 having such a configuration can reduce the manufacturing cost of sock 40.

[0051] Although the side airbag device 30 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the side airbag device 30 according to this embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and the design can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the slit portion 48 may be formed by making a separate cut rather than by not sewing the rear lower end of the sock 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 30 Side airbag device 32 Inflator 34 Side airbag body 36 Side Chamber 36C Chest restraint part 36W Waist restraint part 38 Head Chamber 40 Sock (Cylindrical member) 46 spout 46A Open end 47 Periphery 48 Slit section P Crew PC chest Ph head Pw waist

Claims

[Claim 1] a side airbag body having a side chamber that inflates and deploys to restrain the waist and chest of an occupant in the event of a side collision of a vehicle, and a head chamber that is formed integrally with the side chamber and inflates and deploys to restrain the head of the occupant; a cylindrical member provided inside the side airbag body so as to extend in a vehicle up-down direction and distributes gas ejected from an inflator to the side chamber and the head chamber; Equipped with The side chamber comprises: a waist restraining portion that is inflated and deployed by the gas being ejected from the ejection port and that restrains the waist of an occupant; a chest restraining portion that is formed integrally with the waist restraining portion and that inflates and deploys when the gas flows into the chest restraining portion to restrain the chest of the occupant; having The cylindrical member is a slit portion extending from an opening rear end portion of the ejection port toward an upper direction of the vehicle, When the gas is ejected from the inflator, the peripheral portion of the ejection port below the upper end of the slit portion rolls up like a parachute toward the upper side of the vehicle, thereby restricting the flow of gas from the waist restraint portion to the chest restraint portion.

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