Wearable airbag device

Abstract

To provide a wearable air bag device which can suppress occurrence of a positional deviation of a gas generator with respect to a wear part and can be comfortably worn.SOLUTION: A wearable air bag device comprises: a wear part 50 which is wound around the pelvis periphery of a wearer; an air bag 10 which is folded and stored in the wear part; and a gas generator 20 which supplies an inflation gas to the air bag. The air bag includes: two protection body parts 12L, 12R; and a gas supply path part 13 which makes the protection body parts communicate with each other. The gas generator is connected to the gas supply path part. The wear part includes: a center side storage part 53 which stores the gas generator and the gas supply path part; and edge side storage parts 58L, 58R which store the folded protection body parts. The center side storage part is configured such that a peripheral length on a cross section on an axially orthogonal direction side in a state where the gas generator is stored becomes greater than a peripheral length on a cross section on the axially orthogonal direction side in the edge side storage parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable airbag device configured to be able to protect the waist region of a wearer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a wearable airbag device that is worn by wrapping the wearer's pelvis around the wearer's body, and the inflated airbag covers the outside of the protection target areas consisting of the wearer's left and right femoral trochanters (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in a wearable airbag device of this type, the airbag has two protection main body parts arranged to cover the outside of each protection target area when fully inflated, and a gas supply path part that communicates the protection main body parts with each other at the upper end sides of the protection main body parts when fully inflated, and a gas generator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag is connected to the gas supply path part. The airbag with the protection main body part folded and the gas generator are stored inside a wearing part that has an approximately cylindrical outer shape, and the wearing part is worn by the wearer by wrapping it around the pelvis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-57420 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this conventional wearable airbag device, the wearing part that houses the folded airbag and the gas generator is tubular with a substantially constant width dimension (inner diameter dimension), so that the gas generator located at the gas supply path portion between the protection main body parts, i.e., at a position substantially at the center of the wearing part, may shift in position so as to move within the wearing part when wrapping the wearing part around the pelvis or when moving while wearing the part, resulting in an unfavorable feel when worn (comfort when worn). Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of suppressing the occurrence of positional deviation of the gas generator with respect to the wearing part and improving the feel when worn.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a wearable airbag device that is comfortable to wear by suppressing the occurrence of misalignment of a gas generator with respect to a wearing part. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wearable airbag device according to the present invention is configured to be capable of protecting the waist region of a wearer, A wearing part having a generally cylindrical outer shape and wrapped around a wearer's pelvis; an airbag that is folded and stored in the wearing part and can be inflated by introducing inflation gas into the airbag so as to cover the outside of the parts to be protected, which are the left and right femoral trochanters of the wearer; a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the airbag; With The airbag is configured to include two protection body parts that are arranged to cover the outside of each of the protected parts when the airbag is fully inflated, and a gas supply path part that connects the protection body parts to each other at the upper end sides of the protection body parts when the airbag is fully inflated, A wearable airbag device having a configuration in which a gas generator is connected to a gas supply passage portion, the wearing part includes a central storage part disposed at the central side for storing the gas generator and the gas supply path part, and edge storage parts disposed on both sides of the central storage part for storing the folded protection main body part, The central storage section is characterized in that the perimeter of the cross section on the axis-orthogonal side when the gas generator is stored therein is configured to be larger than the perimeter of the cross section on the axis-orthogonal side of the edge-side storage section.

[0007] In the wearable airbag device of the present invention, the wearing part for storing the folded airbag and the gas generator is substantially cylindrical, but the wearing part includes a central storage part arranged at the center for storing the gas generator and the gas supply path part of the airbag, and edge storage parts arranged on both the left and right sides of the central storage part for folding and storing a part of the protection main body part of the airbag, and is configured so that the perimeter of the central storage part in a cross section perpendicular to the axis direction is larger than the perimeter of the edge storage part in a cross section perpendicular to the axis direction. That is, the edge storage part is configured so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the expanded peripheral wall is set smaller than that of the central storage part. Therefore, even if the gas generator in the central storage part tries to shift left and right along the axial direction of the wearing part during wrapping work of the wearable airbag device (wearing part) around the pelvis or during movement while being worn, the gas generator is prevented from entering the adjacent edge storage part, and further movement is suppressed, so that the feeling of the gas generator being shifted to the wearer can be suppressed.

[0008] Therefore, in the wearable airbag device of the present invention, displacement of the gas generator relative to the wearing part is suppressed, and the wearer can wear the airbag device comfortably.

[0009] In the wearable airbag device of the present invention, the wearable part may be configured to include an inner panel disposed on the wearer's side and an outer panel disposed on the outside, It is preferable to set the vertical width dimension of the portion of the outer panel that constitutes the central storage section when laid out flat larger than the vertical width dimension of the portion of the inner panel that constitutes the central storage section when laid out flat.

[0010] In the wearable airbag device configured as described above, the central storage section is configured so that the vertical width dimension of the outer panel positioned on the outside, away from the wearer, is set to be larger than the vertical width dimension of the inner panel. Therefore, when worn, the outer panel away from the wearer curves in the area of ​​the central storage section, and the inner panel on the wearer side is positioned so as to roughly conform to the wearer over almost the entire vertical area, making it easier to fit the wearer and improving the feel when worn.

[0011] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device configured as described above, if the central storage section is configured to be made from a material having a higher elasticity than the material constituting the edge storage section, it becomes possible for the central storage section to cover the periphery of the gas generator with almost no gaps, without any loosening, which looks good and is also preferable because the central storage section itself can further suppress movement of the gas generator when worn. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of a wearable airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention when worn by a wearer; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic rear view of a wearable airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention when worn by a wearer. [Diagram 3] 1 is a plan view of a wearable airbag device according to an embodiment in a state where the wearable airbag device is deployed flat. [Figure 4] 2 is a plan view of the wearable airbag device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which a lid portion of an outer cover portion is open. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the wearable airbag device according to the embodiment, corresponding to a portion VV in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the wearable airbag device according to the embodiment, corresponding to the portion VI-VI in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the wearable airbag device according to the embodiment, illustrating a gas generator portion. [Figure 8]1 is a schematic plan view of a gas generator used in a wearable airbag device according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the gas generator of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas generator of FIG. 8. [Figure 11] 9 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the cleavage pin when the gas generator of FIG. 8 is activated. FIG. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are a plan view and a diagram showing an airbag used in a wearable airbag device according to an embodiment in a flat deployed state and a completely folded state, respectively. [Figure 13] 2 is a plan view showing an arrangement of panels constituting an outer cover portion used in the wearable airbag device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a wearable airbag device according to an embodiment is worn by a wearer. [Figure 15] 1 is a schematic side view of the wearable airbag device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the airbag has completed inflation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The wearable airbag device S of the embodiment is used by having it worn (worn) by a wearer M who is a person to be protected (for example, an elderly person), and specifically, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 14, and 15, it is worn by wrapping it around the waist MW of the wearer M (specifically, around the pelvis MP) so as to protect the waist MW of the wearer M. In the embodiment, the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions correspond to the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions of the wearer M when wearing the device, unless otherwise specified.

[0014] As shown in Figures 3 to 12, the wearable airbag device S comprises an airbag 10, a gas generator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 10, an operation control device 1 that has a sensor unit 2 that detects a fall of the wearer M and activates the gas generator 20, and an outer cover unit 50 that houses the airbag 10, the gas generator 20, and the operation control device 1 and serves as a wearable part that is wrapped around the pelvis MP (around the waist MW) of the wearer M.

[0015] The actuation control device 1 includes a sensor unit 2 having an angular velocity sensor capable of detecting angular velocity around three axes, namely up, down, front, back, left, and right, and an acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration in three axial directions, and is configured to activate the gas generator 20 when a falling motion different from the normal motion of the wearer M is detected by a signal from the sensor unit 2. Specifically, when the wearer M starts a falling motion different from the normal motion, the actuation control device 1 includes a determination means capable of making a determination from various threshold values, and therefore detects the fall of the wearer M based on the determination of the determination means, and activates the gas generator 20. The actuation control device 1 includes a built-in power source consisting of a battery or the like (not shown) for operating the sensor unit 2 and outputting an actuation signal for the gas generator 20. In the case of the embodiment, the actuation control device 1 is disposed away from the gas generator 20 in a region of a right-side wrapping portion 63R (described later) in the outer cover portion 50 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0016] The airbag 10 is formed from a flexible sheet body, and in the embodiment, is formed from a woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like. In the embodiment, as shown in A of Fig. 12, the airbag 10 has an inner wall portion 10a arranged on the wearer M side (inner side) when worn, and an outer wall portion 10b arranged on the outer side, and the peripheral edges of the inner wall portion 10a and the outer wall portion 10b are sewn (joined) to each other, so that the airbag 10 has a bag shape with a substantially plate-like shape when fully inflated. The airbag 10 includes two protection main body portions 12 (12L, 12R) arranged to cover the left and right sides of the waist MW of the wearer M when fully inflated, and a gas supply passage portion 13 that communicates the protection main body portions 12L, 12R with each other at the upper end sides of the protection main body portions 12L, 12R.

[0017] Each of the protection main bodies 12 (12L, 12R) covers the outside of the femoral trochanter TP as the part to be protected when fully inflated (see the two-dot chain lines in Figs. 1 and 2 and Fig. 15), and has an outer shape when flatly deployed that is a substantially rectangular plate with the vertical side being slightly wider than the horizontal side so as to be able to widely cover the periphery of the femoral trochanter TP. These protection main bodies 12L, 12R are folded (see B in Fig. 12) from the flatly deployed state in which the outer wall portion 10b and the inner wall portion 10a are overlapped, so that the vertical width dimension is reduced (in the embodiment, by roll folding so as to be wound around the inner wall portion 10a), to a width dimension that can be stored in the edge side storage portion 58 (58L, 58R) of the outer cover portion 50 (described later), and in the folded state, are stored in the edge side storage portion 58L, 58R (see Fig. 5). When the inflation gas discharged from the gas generator 20 flows into and expands each of the protective main body parts 12L, 12R, the protective main body parts 12L, 12R expand by protruding downward from protrusion openings 59L, 59R (described later) provided in the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R of the outer cover part 50, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 5.

[0018] The gas supply passage portion 13 has a vertical width dimension set to a dimension that allows the gas supply passage portion 13 to be stored in the central storage portion 53 and to be inflated in the central storage portion 53 in the outer cover portion 50 when the airbag 10 is fully inflated. An inlet 15 for allowing the inflation gas from the gas generator 20 to flow in is provided in a portion of the outer wall portion 10b of the gas supply passage portion 13 (see Figs. 6 and 8). Four mounting holes 16 for passing mounting bolts 44 through are provided around the inlet 15 in the outer wall portion 10b. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 10 is attached at a predetermined location on the upper edge side to the upper edge side of a cover body 51 (described later) in the outer cover portion 50, although detailed illustration is omitted.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 8 to 11, the gas generator 20 includes a gas cylinder 21, a rupture pin 25, a moving means 30 for moving the rupture pin 25, and a holder 33. The gas cylinder 21, the rupture pin 25, and the moving means 30 are held by the holder 33 and attached to the inlet 15 of the airbag 10. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the gas generator 20 is disposed at a position that is approximately the left-right center of the wearable airbag device S, and when worn by a wearer M, as shown in Fig. 2, the moving means 30 is positioned on the left side and the gas cylinder 21 is positioned on the right side on the back of the wearer M, with the axial direction of the gas cylinder 21 being approximately aligned along the left-right direction (horizontal direction, longitudinal direction of the outer cover part 50).

[0020] The gas cylinder 21 is configured by sealing an inflation gas G consisting of carbon dioxide or the like in a bottle made of metal such as aluminum, and includes a cylindrical main body 22 and a small-diameter, approximately cylindrical tip portion 23 provided on the tip side of the main body 22. The gas cylinder 21 is configured to discharge the inflation gas G sealed in the main body 22 from the tip surface 23a by splitting a partition wall 23b provided on a tip surface 23a of the tip portion 23 with a splitting pin 25 (see FIG. 11). The tip portion 23 is attached to a holder main body 34 of the holder 33, which will be described later, and has a male thread 23c on its outer circumferential surface side that can be screwed into a female thread 35b provided on one end side (the right end 34b side in the case of the embodiment) of the holder main body 34 (see FIG. 10).

[0021] The moving means 30 for moving the cleavage pin 25 is arranged in series with the gas cylinder 21 on the tip 23 side of the gas cylinder 21, and as shown in FIG. 11, the moving gas R for moving the cleavage pin 25 is discharged from the tip 30a when ignited. In the embodiment, a squib of an inflator used in a general-purpose airbag device is used as the moving means 30. The moving means 30 is of an electric ignition type equipped with a fuse and a gunpowder ignited by the fuse. The moving means 30 is attached to the holder body 34, and a male screw 30b that can be screwed into a female screw 35a provided on the other end side (the left end 34a side in the embodiment) of the holder body 34 is arranged on the outer circumferential surface side (see FIG. 10).

[0022] The split pin 25 is made of metal and disposed within a moving path 36 of the holder 33, which will be described later, and as shown in Fig. 11, has a substantially cylindrical base portion 25a that can slide within the moving path 36, and a tip portion 25c that protrudes from the base portion 25a in a tapered, substantially conical shape. In the initial position before the movement means 30 is actuated, the split pin 25 abuts an end surface 25b of the base portion 25a against the tip surface of the movement means 30 (see A in Fig. 11).

[0023] The holder 33 is molded as a single unit from a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and is configured to include a substantially cylindrical holder main body 34 arranged so that its axial direction is generally aligned in the left-right direction, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, and flange portions 40, 40 protruding like flanges on both sides (top and bottom) of the holder main body 34.

[0024] The holder body 34 is substantially cylindrical, in other words, has a through hole 35, and the central portion of the through hole 35 of the holder body 34 constitutes a moving path 36 for slidably accommodating the split pin 25, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Female threads 35a and 35b for attaching the tip 23 of the gas cylinder 21 and the moving means 30 are formed on the inner peripheral surface side (i.e., both ends of the through hole 35) of the both ends (left end 34a and right end 34b) of the holder body 34 (see Fig. 10). In addition, a supply opening 37 is formed in the region of the moving path 36 in the holder body 34, which branches off and supplies the inflation gas G from the gas cylinder 21 to the airbag 10. The supply opening 37 has an opening diameter smaller than that of the moving path 36 and is disposed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the moving path 36 (see Figs. 8 to 10). This supply opening 37 is closed by the splitting pin 25 until the splitting pin 25 begins to split the tip surface 23a of the gas cylinder 21 during movement, and is not closed by the splitting pin 25 after the tip surface 23a is split, so as to allow the inflation gas to flow in from the gas cylinder 21 (see Figure 11).

[0025] In the holder 33, each flange 40 formed to extend from the holder body 34 has two mounting holes 40a formed therein for passing mounting bolts 44 for mounting the holder 33 to the airbag 10 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). The holder 33 is configured to be mounted to the airbag 10 in cooperation with an inner plate 42 disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the airbag 10.

[0026] The inner plate 42 is made of sheet metal such as steel and has a generally rectangular outer shape, with a circulation port 42a for passing the inflation gas in the center and mounting holes 42b for passing mounting bolts 44 in the vicinity of the four corners. As shown in Figs. 6 and 10, the inner plate 42 is configured to be disposed on the periphery of the inlet 15 on the inner circumferential surface side of the airbag 10. Then, by passing the mounting bolts 44 through the mounting holes 42b, 17, 40a provided in the inner plate 42, the airbag 10, and the flange portion 40 and fastening the nuts 45, the holder 33 can be attached to the airbag 10, and the gas generator 20 can be attached to the airbag 10.

[0027] The outer cover part 50 as the wearing part comprises a cover main body 51 for storing the folded airbag 10, the gas generator 20 and the operation control device 1, a lid part 70 arranged to cover the outside of the central area of ​​the cover main body 51 when worn, and wearing means 74, 77 for wrapping the outer cover part 50 around the waist MW of the wearer M.

[0028] The cover body 51 has a generally cylindrical outer shape and is wrapped around the pelvis MP (around the waist MW) of the wearer M. Both ends (left and right ends) are closed, and the folded airbag 10, the gas generator 20, and the operation control device 1 are stored inside. As shown in Figs. 4 to 7, the cover body 51 includes a central storage section 53 arranged at the center and storing the gas generator 20 and the gas supply path section 13, edge storage sections 58 (58L, 58R) arranged on both the left and right sides of the central storage section 53 and storing the folded protection main body section 12 (12L, 12R), and wrapping sections 63 (63L, 63R) extending from the edge storage sections 58 (58L, 58R). The outer shape of this cover body 51 when unfolded flat is generally symmetrical. In detail, in this embodiment, the left side winding portion 63L is configured to have a length dimension slightly smaller than that of the right side winding portion 63R (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0029] 4, 6 and 7, the central storage section 53 stores therein the gas generator 20 and the gas supply path section 13 of the airbag 10, and has an inner wall section 53a disposed on the wearer M side (inner side) when worn, and an outer wall section 53b disposed on the outer side. An attachment opening 54 for attaching the gas generator 20 to the airbag 10 in a state where it is stored in the cover body 51 is formed in the outer wall section 53b of the central storage section 53. In the case of the embodiment, the attachment opening 54 is in the form of a slit that is substantially aligned in the left-right direction and is configured to be openable and closable by a fastener 55 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). Specifically, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the gas generator 20 is attached to the airbag 10 by connecting the moving means 30 and the gas cylinder 21 to the holder 33, which is attached in advance to the airbag 10 in the state of a fully folded body 97 stored in the cover body 51, through this attachment opening 54, and the attachment opening 54 is formed at a position that is approximately the center in the vertical and horizontal directions of the outer wall 53b of the central storage section 53, with a length dimension that is approximately the same as the length dimension of the axial side of the gas generator 20 (see FIG. 4). Also, the width dimension of the central storage section 53 on the left and right sides in a flat deployed state is set to a dimension slightly larger than the length dimension of the gas generator 20.

[0030] Moreover, the outer shape of the central storage section 53 when it is flattened out is such that the width is the widest at the center between the left and right sides, and the width is slightly narrower toward the left and right edges. In the embodiment, in the central storage section 53, the width dimension in the vertical direction of the outer wall section 53b (outer central panel 87 described later) when it is flattened out is set to be larger than the width dimension in the vertical direction of the inner wall section 53a (inner central panel 85 described later) when it is flattened out (see Figs. 6 and 13).

[0031] Each edge-side storage section 58 (58L, 58R) is disposed so as to extend from the center-side storage section 53 to the left and right, and is configured to store each folded protection main body section 12 (12L, 12R) (roll-folded portions 98L, 98R) therein, and has an inner wall section 58a disposed on the wearer M side (inner side) when worn, and an outer wall section 58b disposed on the outer side (see Figs. 4 and 5). The edge-side storage sections 58L, 58R have protrusion openings 59L, 59R on the lower edge 58c side, through which the protection main body sections 12L, 12R, which inflate by flowing inflation gas into the inside when the airbag 10 inflates, can protrude downward. Each protrusion opening 59L, 59R is formed so as to separate the lower edges of the inner wall section 58a and the outer wall section 58b from each other. In the embodiment, a pair of snap buttons 60 are arranged in parallel at four positions on the left and right sides at the protrusion opening forming portions that form the protrusion openings 59L, 59R (see Figs. 3 and 4), and as shown in Fig. 5, the pair of snap buttons 60 temporarily join the lower edges of the inner wall portion 58a and the outer wall portion 58b to close the protrusion openings 59L, 59R. In the embodiment, the temporary joining state by the snap buttons 60 is released by the inflating protection main body portions 12L, 12R themselves, and the protection main body portions 12L, 12R inflate while protruding downward from the protrusion openings 59L, 59R that are formed by releasing the temporary joining state by the snap buttons 60 (see the two-dot chain lines in Figs. 3 and 5).

[0032] Each of the wrapping parts 63 (63L, 63R) is formed integrally with each of the edge-side storage parts 58 (58L, 58R) and is formed to extend outward to the left and right from the edge-side storage part 58 (58L, 58R) (see Figs. 3 and 4). The wrapping parts 63 (63L, 63R) have an inner wall part 63a arranged on the wearer M side (inside) when worn, and an outer wall part 63b arranged on the outside. In the embodiment, the wrapping parts 63L, 63R are provided with attachment means 74, 77 for wrapping the outer cover part around the waist part MW of the wearer M. In the embodiment, the operation control device 1 is stored in the wrapping part 63R arranged on the right end side. A storage opening 65 for storing the folded airbag 10 (completely folded body 97) in the cover main body 51 is formed on the lower edge 63c side of the wrapping part 63R arranged on the right side in a state that can be opened and closed by a fastener 66 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 13). The storage opening 65 is formed over substantially the entire area of ​​the lower edge 63c side of the right-side wrapping portion 63R.

[0033] The edge storage section 58 (58L, 58R) and the wrapping section 63 (63L, 63R) have a substantially constant width dimension when laid flat, except that the center edge 58d side of the edge storage section 58 (58L, 58R) that faces the center storage section 53 is slightly wider, and the width dimension (the width dimension in the vertical direction) when laid flat is set smaller than the width dimension in the vertical direction of the center storage section 53. In the case of the embodiment, the edge storage section 58 and the wrapping section 63 are configured to be slightly inclined in the left-right direction so that the tip edge 63d side of the wrapping section 63 away from the center storage section 53 is positioned on the upper side when the cover body 51 is laid flat (see Figs. 3 and 4).

[0034] The lid 70 is arranged to cover the outside of the central region of the cover body 51 when it is attached, and in the case of the embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, it is configured to cover the outside of the central storage section 53 and about half of the region of each edge storage section 58L, 58R on the central storage section 53 side. The lid 70 has an outer shape that is approximately semi-elliptical with a wide width on both sides, and the upper edge 70a side is connected to the upper edge 51a of the cover body 51 so that it can be opened and closed from the top to the bottom, and the lower edge 70b side, which is the tip side of the opening, is configured to be detachably attached to the lower edge 51b side of the cover body 51 using a pair of snap buttons 72 as a fastening means. The snap buttons 72 are arranged at four locations in total, two on each side of the left and right regions (regions of the edge storage sections 58L, 58R in the cover body 51) on the lower edge 70b side of the lid 70 excluding the center (see Fig. 4). This lid portion 70 is configured with its edges slanted so that it is wider at the upper edge 70a and narrower toward the lower edge 70b. Therefore, when the lower edge 70b is attached to the cover body 51 with the snap button 72, the lifting up from the cover body 51 can be made less noticeable.

[0035] As the fastening means for wrapping the outer cover part 50 around the wearer M, in the embodiment, a pair of buckle parts 74 and a pair of flat fasteners 77 are used as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The flat fastener 77 has a hook-shaped part 77a arranged on the outer wall part 63b side of the left winding part 63L and a loop part 77b arranged on the inner wall part 63a side of the right winding part 63R, and the left winding part 63L is positioned on the wearer M side and the right winding part 63R is overlapped from the outside to connect the winding parts 63L, 63R to each other. The buckle part 74 is attached to the cover main body 51 by a retaining belt 75 and has a male member 74a and a female member 74b. Specifically, on the outer wall 63b side of the left winding portion 63L, a male member 74a is attached via a retaining belt 75 to the base side (edge ​​storage portion 58L side) of the hook-shaped side portion 77a of the surface fastener 77, and a female member 74b is attached via a retaining belt 75 to the tip edge 63d side of the right winding portion 63R (i.e., the tip side of the loop side portion 77b of the surface fastener 77). In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, by using a pair of buckle portions 74 and a pair of surface fasteners 77 as the wearing means, it is possible to appropriately fit the device around the waist of the wearer even when the device is worn by wearers of different physiques, and it is possible to prevent the device from coming off and to stabilize the wearing state.

[0036] The cover body 51 and the lid portion 70 are formed from a flexible sheet body. In the case of the embodiment, the cover body 51 is formed by partially using different forming materials. As shown in FIG. 13, the cover body 51 is composed of an inner upper left panel 80L, an inner lower left panel 81L, an inner upper right panel 80R, an inner lower right panel 81R, an outer left panel 83L, an outer right panel 83R, an inner central panel 85, and an outer central panel 87. In the case of the embodiment, the inner lower left panel 81L and the inner lower right panel 81R are formed from a low-stretch material LM, and the remaining inner upper left panel 80L, inner upper right panel 80R, inner central panel 85, outer left panel 83L, outer right panel 83R, and outer central panel 87 are formed from a high-stretch material HM.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 13, the inner upper left panel 80L has an outer shape that is substantially band-like along the left-right direction and constitutes an upper region of the portion from the inner wall 58a of the left edge storage section 58L to the inner wall 63a of the winding section 63L in the cover body 51 (see Fig. 5). The inner lower left panel 81L has an outer shape that is substantially band-like along the left-right direction and constitutes a lower region of the portion from the inner wall 58a of the left edge storage section 58L to the inner wall 63a of the winding section 63L in the cover body 51 (see Fig. 5). In detail, the width dimension W2 of the inner upper left panel 80L is set to about 1 / 4 of the width dimension W3 of the inner lower left panel 81L (see Fig. 13). As shown in FIG. 13, the inner upper right panel 80R and the inner lower right panel 81R are approximately bilaterally symmetrical to the inner upper left panel 80L and the inner lower left panel 81L, respectively, except for slight differences in length, and form the area extending from the inner wall 58a of the right edge storage section 58R in the cover body 51 to the inner wall 63a of the wrapping section 63R.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 13, the outer left panel 83L has an outer shape that is substantially band-like with a part slightly expanded at the right edge side, which is the center side when attached, and constitutes the outer wall 58b of the left edge storage section 58L and the outer wall 63b of the wrapping section 63L of the cover body 51. In detail, the outer left panel 83L is configured such that a part that constitutes about the right half of the outer wall 58b of the edge storage section 58L is slightly expanded toward the right edge side. In the outer left panel 83L, the width dimension W1 of the area having a constant width dimension is substantially the same as the sum of the width dimension W2 of the inner upper left panel 80L and the width dimension W3 of the inner lower left panel 81L (see Fig. 13). That is, in an area approximately in the left half of the edge storage section 58L (the area on the side of the wrapping section 63L away from the central storage section 53), the outer wall section 58b and the inner wall section 58a have approximately the same width dimension in the vertical direction. The outer right panel 83R is approximately symmetrical to the outer left panel 83L except for a slight difference in length, and constitutes the outer wall section 58b of the edge storage section 58R on the right side of the cover body 51 and the outer wall section 63b of the wrapping section 63R.

[0039] The inner central panel 85 constitutes the inner wall 53a of the central storage section 53, and the outer central panel 87 constitutes the outer wall 53b of the central storage section 53 (see Figs. 6 and 13). The inner central panel 85 and the outer central panel 87 are both substantially trapezoidal in outer shape with a narrow width toward the lower edge side, and are substantially symmetrical (see Fig. 13). The inner central panel 85 and the outer central panel 87 are configured to have different width dimensions on the vertical side, and the width dimension W4 on the vertical side of the outer central panel 87 is set larger than the width dimension W5 on the vertical side of the inner central panel 85. In the case of the embodiment, the width dimension W4 of the outer central panel 87 is set to about 4 / 3 of the width dimension W5 of the inner central panel 85. The widths W6 and W7 of the upper and lower edges of the outer central panel 87 are set to be approximately equal to the widths W8 and W9 of the upper and lower edges of the inner central panel 85. The width W4 of the outer central panel 87 is set to be larger than the width W1 of the area having a certain width in the outer left panel 83L (outer right panel 83R), and more specifically, the width W4 is set to be approximately 3 / 2 of the width W1. The width W5 of the inner central panel 85 is also set to be larger than the sum (approximately equal to the width W1) of the width W2 of the inner upper left panel 80L (inner upper right panel 80R) and the width W3 of the inner lower left panel 81L (inner lower right panel 81R). More specifically, the width W5 is set to be approximately 9 / 7 of the width W1.

[0040] That is, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the width dimensions of the inner wall 53a and the outer wall 53b in the vertical direction are both set larger than the width dimensions of the inner wall 58a and the outer wall 58b of the edge side storage section 58 (58L, 58R) in the vertical direction, and the perimeter in the cross section (cross section in the vertical direction) on the axis orthogonal direction side is configured to be larger than the perimeter in the cross section on the axis orthogonal direction side of the edge side storage section 58 (58L, 58R) (see Figs. 5 and 6). Also, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the lower region of the inner wall 58a of the edge side storage section 58 (58L, 58R) (the inner left lower panel 81L, the inner right lower panel 81R) is formed from the low-stretch material LM, in other words, the center side storage section 53 is formed from a material having a higher stretchability than the material constituting the edge side storage section 58 (58L, 58R).

[0041] As shown in Fig. 13, the lid 70 is composed of a central panel 90 constituting an area covering the central storage section 53 in the cover body 51, a left panel 91L and a right panel 91R constituting areas covering the left and right edge storage sections 58L and 58R in the cover body 51, and a reinforcing central panel 93, a reinforcing left panel 94L, and a reinforcing right panel 94R reinforcing an area on the tip side (lower edge 70b side) on the back side of the lid 70. The central panel 90 and the reinforcing central panel 93 are each substantially symmetrical, the left panel 91L and the right panel 91R are also symmetrical, and the reinforcing left panel 94L and the reinforcing right panel 94R are also symmetrical. Each panel constituting the lid 70 is also formed from a highly elastic material HM.

[0042] In this embodiment, a synthetic fiber woven fabric made of polyurethane fiber, rayon fiber, and polyester fiber is used as the high elasticity material HM forming the cover body 51 and the lid portion 70, and a mesh material made of polyester fiber is used as the low elasticity material LM. The cover body 51 and the lid portion 70 are formed by sewing the corresponding edges of each panel.

[0043] Next, the assembly of the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment will be described. The operation control device 1 is stored in advance in the cover body 51 of the outer cover part 50. The holder 33 is attached in advance to the outer wall part 10b of the airbag 10 together with the inner plate 42 by using the mounting bolts 44 and nuts 45. Then, the outer peripheral edges of the inner wall part 10a and the outer wall part 10b are joined to each other to form the airbag 10 in a bag shape, and then the airbag 10 is folded so as to be stored in the cover body 51 from the state in which the inner wall part 10a and the outer wall part 10b are overlapped and deployed flat (see A and B of FIG. 12). Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the airbag 10 is folded so that the parts of the protection main body parts 12L and 12R are roll-folded so as to be rolled from the lower end side toward the inner wall part 10a side, respectively, to form roll-folded parts 98L and 98R (see FIG. 5). Next, the folded airbag 10 (completely folded body 97) is stored inside the cover body 51 through the storage opening 65 formed on the lower edge 63c side of the right-side wrapping portion 63R, and a predetermined portion on the upper edge side is connected to the cover body 51. Thereafter, the moving means 30 and the gas cylinder 21 are attached to the holder 33 attached to the airbag 10 through the attachment opening 54 formed in the outer wall portion 53b of the central storage portion 53 of the cover body 51, so that the gas generator 20 can be attached to the airbag 10. Thereafter, a lead wire (reference number omitted) for inputting an activation signal from the activation control device 1 is connected to the gas generator 20, and then the gas generator 20 is stored in the cover body 51, the attachment opening 54 is closed with the fastener 55, the lid portion 70 is arranged so as to cover the cover body 51, and the lower edge 70b side is connected to the lower edge 51b side of the cover body 51 by the snap button 72, so that the wearable airbag device S can be manufactured.

[0044] The wearable airbag device S of the embodiment is worn by the wearer M by wrapping it around the waist MW (pelvis MP) of the wearer M using a surface fastener 77 and a buckle portion 74 as wearing means. In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, if the sensor portion 2 detects a fall of the wearer M while the wearer M is wearing the wearable airbag device S, an operation signal is output from the operation control device 1 to the gas generator 20, and the inflation gas G from the gas generator 20 flows into the airbag 10 through the inlet 15, and the airbag 10 unfolds to unfold and inflates to project the protection main body portions 12L, 12R from the cover main body 51, completing the inflation as shown by the two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in FIG. 15.

[0045] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the outer cover part 50 as a wearable part for storing the folded airbag 10 and the gas generator 20 is substantially cylindrical, but the outer cover part 50 includes a central storage part 53 arranged on the central side for storing the gas generator 20 and the gas supply path part 13 of the airbag 10, and edge side storage parts 58L, 58R arranged on both the left and right sides of the central storage part 53 for folding and storing the parts of the protection main body parts 12L, 12R of the airbag 10, and is configured so that the circumferential length of the central storage part 53 in a cross section on the axis-orthogonal direction side is larger than the circumferential length of the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R in a cross section on the axis-orthogonal direction side. That is, the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R are configured so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the expanded peripheral wall is set smaller than that of the central storage part 53 (see Figs. 5 to 7). Therefore, even if the gas generator 20 in the central storage section 53 attempts to shift left and right within the outer cover section 50 (cover main body 51) along the axial direction of the outer cover section 50 during wrapping of the wearable airbag device S (outer cover part 50) around the pelvis MP or during movement while being worn, as shown in Figures 7 and 14, it is restricted from entering the adjacent edge storage sections 58L, 58R and further movement is suppressed, thereby reducing the sensation of the gas generator 20 being misaligned felt by the wearer.

[0046] Therefore, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the positional deviation of the gas generator 20 with respect to the outer cover part 50 as the wearing part is suppressed, and the wearable airbag device S can be worn comfortably.

[0047] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the central storage section 53 is configured such that the width dimension W4 on the vertical side of the outer central panel 87 constituting the outer wall section 53b disposed on the outside away from the wearer M is set to be larger than the width dimension W5 on the vertical side of the inner central panel 85 constituting the inner wall section 53a. Therefore, when worn, in the region of the central storage section 53, the outer wall section 53b (outer central panel 87) separated from the wearer M is curved, and the inner wall section 53a (inner central panel 85) on the wearer M side is disposed so as to substantially follow the wearer over substantially the entire vertical area (see FIG. 6), which makes it easier to fit the wearer M and improves the feeling when worn. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the central storage section may be configured such that the width dimension on the vertical side of the inner panel (inner central panel in the embodiment) constituting the inner wall section is set to be larger than the width dimension on the vertical side of the outer panel (outer central panel in the embodiment) constituting the outer wall section.

[0048] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device of the embodiment, the cover body 51 of the outer cover part 50 is formed with different forming materials in parts, specifically, a part of the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R (specifically, the inner left lower panel 81L and the inner right lower panel 81R, which are the regions below the inner wall part 59a) is formed with the low elasticity material LM, and the remaining parts are formed with the high elasticity material HM. In other words, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the central storage part 53 is formed with a material having a higher elasticity than the material constituting the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R. Therefore, it is possible to cover the periphery of the gas generator 20 with the central storage part 53 without any looseness, and the movement of the gas generator when worn can be further suppressed by the central storage part 53 itself with a good appearance. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the central storage part does not have to be formed with the high elasticity material.

[0049] In particular, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, a mesh material is used as the low-stretch material LM. That is, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the lower region of the inner wall portions 58a, 63a from the edge side storage portions 58L, 58R to the wrapping portions 63L, 63R, which will come into contact with the wearer M over a wide area when worn, is formed of a mesh material, which can suppress stuffiness when worn and makes the device more comfortable to wear.

[0050] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the inner upper left panel 80L, the inner upper right panel 80R, the outer left panel 83L, the outer right panel 83R, which constitute the outer wall portions 58b, 63b from the edge side storage portions 58L, 58R to the wrapping portions 63L, 63R and the upper edge side portions of the inner wall portions 58a, 63a, and the lid portion 70 are also formed from the highly elastic material HM. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stiffness when worn due to wrapping around the waist region MW, and it is possible to further improve comfort when worn.

[0051] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the outer cover part 50 is set such that the width dimension of the vertical side of the central storage part 53 is larger than the width dimension of the vertical side of the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R in a flat deployed state before the airbag 10 and the gas generator 20 are stored therein. That is, even before the gas supply path part 13 and the gas generator 20 are stored therein, the perimeter of the central storage part 53 in a cross section on the axis orthogonal direction is set to be larger than the perimeter of the edge side storage parts 58L, 58R in a cross section on the axis orthogonal direction before the folded protection main body parts 12L, 12R are stored therein. The wearable airbag device of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, by making the material forming the central storage section and the material forming the edge storage section have significantly different rates of expansion and contraction, and forming the material forming the central storage section from a material such as mesh that is more expandable than the material forming the edge storage section, the central storage section and the edge storage section can have approximately the same width dimensions in the vertical direction when laid out flat, and when an airbag and gas generator are stored inside, the central storage section can stretch to make its circumference greater than that of the edge storage section.

[0052] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the two protective main body parts of the airbag can stably protect the area near the base of the femur TB of the wearer M (femoral trochanter part TP), thereby preventing the wearer M from falling and breaking the femur TB, which would require prolonged treatment, and making it suitable for use by elderly people. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10...airbag, 12 (12L, 12R)...protective main body portion, 13...gas supply path portion, 20...gas generator, 50...outer cover portion (wearing portion), 51...cover main body, 53...central storage portion, 53a...inner wall portion, 53b...outer wall portion, 58 (58L, 58R)...edge storage portion, 58a...inner wall portion, 58b...outer wall portion, 85...inner central panel, 87...outer central panel, LM...low stretch material, HM...high stretch material, M...wearer, MW...lower back, TP...femoral trochanter portion (part to be protected), S...wearing airbag device.

Claims

1. The device is configured to be capable of protecting the wearer's lower back, A wearing part having a generally cylindrical outer shape and wrapped around the wearer's pelvis; an airbag that is folded and stored in the wearing part and can be inflated by introducing inflation gas into the airbag so as to cover the outside of the parts to be protected, which are the left and right femoral trochanters of the wearer; a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the airbag; With The airbag is configured to include two protective main body parts arranged to cover the outside of each of the protected parts when the airbag is fully inflated, and a gas supply path part that connects the protective main body parts to each other at upper end sides of the protective main body parts when the airbag is fully inflated, The gas generator is connected to the gas supply path portion, the wearing part includes a central storage part that is disposed in a central side and that stores the gas generator and the gas supply path part, and edge storage parts that are disposed on both the left and right sides of the central storage part and that store the folded protection main body part, the central storage section is configured so that a circumferential length in a cross section on the axis-orthogonal direction side in a state in which the gas generator is stored therein is larger than a circumferential length in a cross section on the axis-orthogonal direction side of the edge-side storage section.

2. The wearing part is configured to include an inner panel arranged on the wearer side and an outer panel arranged on the outside, 2. The wearable airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that the width dimension of the vertical side of the portion of the outer panel that constitutes the central storage section when laid out flat is set to be larger than the width dimension of the vertical side of the portion of the inner panel that constitutes the central storage section when laid out flat.

3. 3. The wearable airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the central storage section is formed from a material having a higher elasticity than a material constituting the edge storage section.

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