Wearing airbag device

Abstract

To provide a wearable air bag device which does not inhibit wearing comfort, can precisely absorb energy and can protect a wearer.SOLUTION: A wearable air bag device S configured to protect a protection object part P of a wearer M when wearing includes: a wearing part 20 which can be worn on an upper body MU of the wearer; an air bag 30 which is stored inside the wearing part, allows inflation gas to flow inside, and can be inflated to cover the protection object part; and an energy absorption member 40 which is arranged in an area of the protection object part overlapped with a wearer side or a side detached from the wearer in an air bag inside the wearing part. The energy absorption member is configured to absorb energy by plastic deformation when impact force of an interfering object which relatively enters the wearer side is applied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable airbag device configured to protect a protected part of a wearer when worn.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a wearable airbag device, inside a clothing part that can be worn on the upper body of a wearer, there is an airbag that can be inflated by allowing inflation gas to flow in, and a front-side protection plate and a back-side protection plate that are arranged so as to sandwich the front and back of the airbag. There is a configuration in which they are laminated and arranged (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conventional wearable airbag device, by inflating the airbag between the front-side protection plate and the back-side protection plate, the impact force acting on the wearer is reduced to protect the wearer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional wearable airbag device, since the protection plate laminated on the airbag is a urethane plate-like body that is soft and concave so as to elastically deform, even if it is configured to deform and absorb energy when an impact force acts, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient amount of energy absorption. Further, in the conventional wearable airbag device, since protection plates are laminated on the front side and the back side of the airbag respectively, it is bulky when worn and the wearing comfort is not good.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide a wearable airbag device that does not inhibit the wearing comfort during wearing and can accurately absorb energy to protect the wearer.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The wearable airbag device according to the present invention is a wearable airbag device configured to be able to protect a protected part of a wearer when worn, a clothing part that can be worn on the upper body of the wearer, an airbag that is housed inside the clothing part and can be inflated to cover the protected part by allowing inflation gas to flow into it, and an energy absorption member that is disposed in a region of the protected part that overlaps with the surface of the airbag on the wearer side or the side away from the wearer within the clothing part, characterized in that the energy absorption member is configured to be able to absorb energy by plastic deformation when an impact force of an interfering object relatively approaching from the wearer side acts.

[0007] In the wearable airbag device of the present invention, the airbag and the energy absorption member are configured to be housed in the clothing part so as to cover the protected part of the wearer while overlapping each other. The energy absorption member is configured to be able to absorb energy by plastic deformation when an impact force by an interfering object acts. Therefore, when the airbag inflates, the impact force of the interfering object relatively approaching from the wearer side can be reduced by the inflated airbag and the energy absorption by the plastic deformation of the energy absorption member, and the wearer can be accurately protected from the interfering object. Also, in the wearable airbag device of the present invention, although the airbag and the energy absorption member are configured to be housed in the clothing part so as to overlap, since the energy absorption member is arranged so as to overlap with the surface of the airbag on the wearer side or the side away from the wearer, it does not become overly bulky and is unlikely to impede the comfort during wearing.

[0008] Therefore, in the wearable airbag device of the present invention, it does not impede the comfort during wearing and can accurately absorb energy to protect the wearer.

[0009] Further, in the wearable airbag device of the present invention, if the airbag is configured to include a main body expansion part that expands to cover the protected part within the clothing part, and a protruding expansion part that expands to protrude from the clothing part, it is possible to accurately protect not only the upper body covered by the clothing part but also, for example, the waist and head of the wearer by the airbag, which is preferable.

[0010] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device having the above configuration, it is preferable that the energy absorption member is constituted by a hollow body that can be plastically deformed so as to reduce its diameter and can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the axis. By using such a hollow body, since an energy absorption member formed by bending a long hollow body into an arbitrary predetermined shape can be arranged at an arbitrary predetermined position, the degree of freedom in arranging the energy absorption member is high. Also, by appropriately changing the arrangement density of the hollow bodies, the inner diameter dimension, thickness, material, etc. of the hollow bodies themselves, it is easy to change the amount of energy absorbed by the energy absorption member.

[0011] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device having the above configuration, if the energy absorption member is arranged at least in a region covering the front side of the wearer's chest as the protected part, the wearer's chest can be protected by the inflated airbag and the energy absorption member. Therefore, for example, even when worn by a passenger driving a vehicle such as a motorcycle, an electric scooter, or a bicycle, the wearer's chest can be protected from the vehicle itself by the inflated airbag and the energy absorption member in the event of a fall or the like. Also, in the wearable airbag device having the above configuration, in the airbag, it is possible to relatively thin the inflated complete shape of the part covering the wearer's chest region, so that the bulkiness of the region covering the chest during wearing can be suppressed, and the comfort during wearing can be further improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The wearable airbag device S is for protecting the protected part P of the wearer M by being worn on the upper body MU of the wearer M when worn. In the case of the embodiment, an example will be described of being worn by a passenger who drives an electric scooter V (so-called electric kick scooter) as a vehicle as shown in FIG. 1. In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, as the protected part P, when the airbag 30 is fully inflated, it protects substantially the entire upper body MU of the wearer M (particularly from the chest CF to the abdomen A and, although detailed illustration is omitted, from the backbone to the vicinity of the lumbar spine in the back B), the head H, and the waist W.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the electric scooter V is one that is driven in a standing state, and includes a step 1 in which wheels 2F and 2B are arranged on the front end side and the rear end side, and a stand 3 formed to extend upward from the front wheel 2F on the front end side of the step 1. And an operation handle 4 provided on the upper end side of the stand 3 and operated by the wearer M (passenger). The operation handle 4 is formed to extend left and right from the upper end side of the stand 3, although detailed illustration is omitted.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the wearable airbag device S includes a clothing part 20 that can be worn on the upper body MU of the wearer M, an airbag 30 housed in the clothing part 20, an inflater 15 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 30, an operation control device 10 that controls the operation of the inflater 15, and an energy absorption member 40 arranged so as to overlap the airbag 30 in the clothing part 20.

[0016] The operation control device 10 is configured to include a sensor unit 12 having an angular velocity sensor capable of detecting angular velocities around three axes of up and down, front and back, left and right, and an acceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations in three axial directions. When a sudden body posture change of the wearer M (that is, a collision or overturning of the electric scooter V being ridden by the wearer M, etc.) is detected based on a signal from this sensor unit 12, the inflator 15 is actuated. A power source composed of a battery (not shown) or the like is built into the operation control device 10 for the operation of the sensor unit 12 and the output of signals for the operation of the inflator 15. In the case of the embodiment, the operation control device 10 is arranged in the vicinity of the inflator 15 (see B in FIG. 2).

[0017] In the case of the embodiment, the clothing part 20 is configured as a vest that can be worn on the upper body MU of the wearer M. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, it includes a left front part 21 and a right front part 22 that cover the front of the upper body MU of the wearer M, a back part 23 that covers the back of the upper body MU of the wearer M, and a collar part 25 that is arranged around the neck of the wearer M. The left front part 21 and the right front part 22 are configured such that their opposing inner edges can be joined by a fastening member 26 such as a fastener. In other words, the clothing part 20 is arranged such that the left front part 21 is continuous on the front side of the left part of the back part 23, and the right front part 22 is continuous on the front side of the right part of the back part 23. The collar part 25 is arranged to be continuous around the neck of the wearer M at the upper end sides of the back part 23, the left front part 21, and the right front part 22. This clothing part 20 is composed of a flexible sheet body (woven fabric) and has an inner wall part 20a arranged on the side of the wearer M and an outer wall part 20b arranged on the outside, covering the outer peripheral sides of the folded airbag 30 and the energy absorption member 40 (see FIG. 3). In the case of the embodiment, the clothing part 20 is formed from a stretchable material that can allow the expansion of the main body expansion part 31 of the airbag 30 and suppress the plastic deformation of the energy absorption member 40 before the impact force of the interfering object acts when the airbag 30 (main body expansion part 31) expands. In the clothing part 20, the area of the collar part 25 is configured such that a predetermined location can be opened when the airbag 30 expands, allowing the head protection part 34 (described later) in the airbag 30 to protrude upward. Also, in the clothing part 20, the lower end sides of the left front part 21, the right front part 22, and the back part 23 are configured such that a predetermined location can be opened when the airbag 30 expands, allowing the waist protection part 33 (described later) to protrude downward.

[0018] The airbag 30 is formed from a flexible sheet body. In the case of the embodiment, it is formed from a woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like. The airbag 30 has an inner wall portion 30a disposed on the inner side (the wearer M side) when inflation is complete, and an outer wall portion 30b disposed on the outer side when inflation is complete, and is configured to inflate by allowing inflation gas to flow into the interior so as to separate the inner wall portion 30a and the outer wall portion 30b (see FIGS. 3, 8, and 9). As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag 30 includes a main body inflation portion 31 that inflates within the clothing portion 20, and a head protection portion 34 and a waist protection portion 33 as protruding inflation portions that inflate so as to protrude from the clothing portion 20. Although not shown in detail, the airbag 30 is held by the clothing portion 20 by attaching a connection tab (not shown) provided at a predetermined location in the main body inflation portion 31 to the inner peripheral surface side of the clothing portion 20 by sewing or the like.

[0019] The main body inflation portion 31 is housed within the clothing portion 20 in a flatly unfolded state with the inner wall portion 30a and the outer wall portion 30b overlapping, and when inflated by allowing inflation gas to flow into the interior, it is configured to cover substantially the entire interior region of the clothing portion 20, excluding the vicinity of the arrangement region of the fastener 26. Specifically, the main body inflation portion 31 is configured to inflate so as to continuously cover substantially the entire upper body MU of the wearer M, excluding the front central side (around the fastener 26). In the case of the embodiment, the main body inflation portion 31 has a large number of connecting portions 32 in the interior region that connect the inner wall portion 30a and the outer wall portion 30b (see FIG. 4). And the main body inflation portion 31 is configured such that the separation distance between the inner wall portion 30a and the outer wall portion 30b at the completion of inflation is regulated by this connecting portion 32, and the outer peripheral side is regulated by the clothing portion 20, so that the thickness at the completion of inflation is substantially constant over the entire area and is configured in a substantially plate shape (see FIG. 8). Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the main body inflation portion 31 is configured to cover substantially the entire area from the chest CF to the abdomen A of the wearer M and the back B (including the sides).

[0020] The waist protection part 33 as a protruding inflation part is housed inside the clothing part 20. In the case of the embodiment, it is folded and stored on the lower end 20c side of the clothing part 20, specifically, on the lower end side from the left front part 21 through the back part 23 to the right front part 22 (see A and B in FIG. 2). When the airbag 30 inflates, the waist protection part 33 inflates so as to protrude downward from the lower end 20c side of the clothing part 20, and protects the waist W as the part to be protected P (specifically, the region of the greater trochanter of the femur, although detailed illustration is omitted). The waist protection part 33 is formed such that the width dimension in the left - right direction is substantially equal to the width dimension in the left - right direction of the main body inflation part 31 and is continuous from the lower end 31b of the main body inflation part 31. When the inflation is completed, it is arranged to widely cover the wearer M's waist around, from the left side through the back side to the right side, excluding the front side. Specifically, the waist protection part 33 is configured to be divided into a plurality of pieces (five pieces in the case of the embodiment) by making a cut from the lower end side, and when the inflation is completed, it is arranged substantially along the curvature of the wearer M's waist around (see FIGS. 4, 8, and 9). This waist protection part 33 is configured to inflate thicker than the main body inflation part 31.

[0021] The head protection part 34 as a protruding inflation part is folded and stored in the collar part 25 of the clothing part 20 as shown in A and B of FIG. 2. When the airbag 30 inflates, it inflates so as to protrude upward from the collar part 25 and is configured to be able to protect the head H as the part to be protected P. Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the head protection part 34 is formed to be continuous from the upper end 31a side of the main body inflation part 31, and the inflated - completed shape is a bag shape (hood shape) with an opening on the front side, and is configured to be able to cover the head H excluding the face over substantially the entire surface (see FIGS. 4, 6, and 7). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head protection part 34 has a plurality of elongated inflation parts 34a arranged in parallel so as to be substantially along the front - rear direction when the inflation is completed, and has an outer shape surrounding the wearer M's head H. Similar to the waist protection part 33, it is configured to inflate thicker than the main body inflation part 31.

[0022] The inflater 15 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 30 is disposed inside the main body inflation part 31 in the case of the embodiment, although detailed illustration is omitted. Specifically, as the inflater 15, a hybrid type having a substantially cylindrical outer shape is used, and it is arranged so that the axial direction substantially follows the vertical direction, and is arranged at substantially the center on the left and right sides on the lower end 31b side of the main body inflation part 31 (a part near the coccyx of the wearer M when worn, and in the case of the embodiment, it overlaps with a position near the intersection of the vertical rod part 40d and the horizontal rod part 40c in the rear energy absorption member 40B described later) (see B and 7 in FIG. 2).

[0023] The energy absorption member 40 is arranged so as to overlap with the airbag 30 in the clothing part 20. In the case of the embodiment, it is disposed at three locations within the regions of the left front part 21, the right front part 22, and the back part 23 in the clothing part 20. In the case of the embodiment, the energy absorption members 40 (left energy absorption member 40L, right energy absorption member 40R, rear energy absorption member 40B) are arranged between the airbag 30 and the wearer M (that is, in the region that overlaps with the surface on the wearer M side (the surface of the inner wall part 30a) of the main body inflation part 31 within the clothing part 20 and between the airbag 30 and the inner wall part 20a) (see FIG. 3). Specifically, each of the left energy absorption member 40L, the right energy absorption member 40R, and the rear energy absorption member 40B is configured by shaping a bellows-shaped long tube body 45 as shown in FIG. 5 into a predetermined shape while bending it.

[0024] In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 4, the left energy absorption member 40L is disposed so as to overlap the main body expansion portion 31 over substantially the entire area of the region of the left front portion 21. Specifically, a vertical rod portion 40a disposed substantially along the vertical direction on the left edge side (the back surface portion 23 side) of the left front portion 21, and a curved portion 40b formed by being curved in a substantially wave shape so as to widely cover the inner region of the left front portion 21 from the right side of the vertical rod portion 40a to the right edge side. The tube body 45 is configured to be disposed in one stroke so as to have the vertical rod portion 40a and the curved portion 40b. The right energy absorption member 40R is disposed in the region of the right front portion 22 in a substantially left-right symmetric shape with respect to the left energy absorption member 40L, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 4. In the left energy absorption member 40L and the right energy absorption member 40R, the pitch of each curved portion 40b is made slightly narrower in comparison with the lower side portion 40bb, which is a region covering the abdomen A, in the upper side portion 40ba, which is a region covering the chest CF (ribs). That is, in the curved portion 40b of the left energy absorption member 40L and the right energy absorption member 40R, the upper side portion 40ba constitutes a rib protection portion that protects the ribs (chest CF) of the wearer M, and the lower side portion 40bb constitutes an abdomen protection portion that protects the abdomen A of the wearer M. The upper side portion 40ba that constitutes the rib protection portion is set to have a slightly larger energy absorption amount during plastic deformation by making the arrangement density of the tube body 45 slightly larger than that of the lower side portion 40bb that constitutes the abdomen protection portion. Thus, when protecting a plurality of protected target sites as in the embodiment, the energy absorption amount during plastic deformation of the energy absorption member can be appropriately set corresponding to each protected target site.

[0025] The rear energy absorption member 40B is arranged so as to overlap with the main body expansion part 31 within the region of the back surface part 23. The tube body 45 is arranged in one stroke so as to have a horizontal bar part 40c extending left and right at the lower end side of the back surface part 23 and a vertical bar part 40d extending vertically so as to protrude upward from the center of the horizontal bar part 40c, and has an outer shape that is substantially an inverted T shape (see B in FIG. 2). The horizontal bar part 40c is a part arranged over substantially the entire left and right of the back surface part 23. Although detailed illustration is omitted, it will cover the upper rear surface side of the wearer M's lumbar vertebrae when worn. The vertical bar part 40d is a part arranged over substantially the entire upper and lower at substantially the center of the left and right of the back surface part 23. Although detailed illustration is omitted, it will cover the wearer M's spine when worn. That is, in the rear energy absorption member 40B, the horizontal bar part 40c constitutes a lumbar protection part that protects the upper region of the wearer M's waist W, and the vertical bar part 40d constitutes a spine protection part that protects the wearer M's spine.

[0026] Each of these left energy absorption members 40L, right energy absorption members 40R, and rear energy absorption members 40B is formed by a tube body 45 which, as shown in FIG. 5, has a bellows shape with continuously provided concavities and convexities along the axial direction. When an impact force F acts due to an interfering object (such as the electric scooter itself or the ground) that relatively enters toward the wearer M side when the airbag 30 is fully inflated, it can absorb energy through plastic deformation. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, after the bottom of the inflated main body expansion part 31, when the impact force F acts due to the pressing of the interfering object through the main body expansion part 31, it plastically deforms so as to stretch the bellows 45a (the continuously provided concavities and convexities on the peripheral wall) without breaking and to reduce the diameter and collapse, thereby absorbing energy. In the case of the embodiment, the tube body 45 is made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Such a tube body 45 can change the amount of energy absorbed during plastic deformation by appropriately changing the forming material, outer shape (inner diameter dimension, thickness, height and width dimensions of the concavities and convexities), etc. Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, as the tube body 45, a polypropylene-made one with an inner diameter dimension d of about 28.0 to 28.5 mm, a thickness t of about 0.25 to 0.35 mm, a width dimension T of the concavities and convexities (specifically, the convex part 45b) of about 2.5 mm, and a height h of the concavities and convexities (convex part 45b) of about 2.5 mm (see FIG. 5) is used. Each of the left energy absorption members 40L, right energy absorption members 40R, and rear energy absorption members 40B, although detailed illustration is omitted, is held by the clothing part 20 by connecting predetermined positions to the surface on the wearer M side (the inner wall part 20a of the clothing part 20) at the left front part 21, right front part 22, and back part 23 using connecting means such as sewing threads or adhesives.

[0027] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, when driving the electric scooter V while wearing the wearable airbag device S, if the operation control device 10 detects a sudden body posture change of the wearer M (that is, a collision or overturning of the electric scooter V being driven by the wearer M, etc.), an operation signal is output from the operation control device 10 to the inflater 15, and the airbag 30 allows the inflation gas discharged from the inflater 15 to flow into it, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inflation is completed.

[0028] And in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the airbag 30 and the energy absorption member 40 are configured to be stored in the clothing part 20 so as to overlap each other and cover the protection target part P of the wearer M. The energy absorption member 40 is configured to be able to absorb energy by plastic deformation when an impact force F acts due to an interference object such as an operation handle or the ground in the electric scooter V. Therefore, when the airbag 30 expands, the impact force F acting by the interference object that relatively enters the wearer M side can be reduced by the expanded airbag 30 and the energy absorption by the plastic deformation of the energy absorption member 40, and the wearer M can be accurately protected from the interference object. Also, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, although the airbag 30 and the energy absorption member 40 are configured to be stored in the clothing part 20 so as to overlap, since the energy absorption member 40 is arranged so as to overlap the surface (inner wall part 30a side) on the wearer M side of the airbag 30, it does not become overly bulky and is unlikely to hinder the wearing comfort during wearing.

[0029] Therefore, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, it is possible to protect the wearer M by accurately absorbing energy without hindering the wearing comfort during wearing.

[0030] Specifically, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, when coming into contact with an interfering object that relatively approaches the wearer M side, as shown in FIG. 10, after the main body expansion part 31 of the inflated airbag 30 bottoms out due to the contact with the interfering object (the action of the impact force F caused by the pressing of the interfering object), the approaching interfering object indirectly presses the energy absorption member 40 with the main body expansion part 31 interposed therebetween, and the energy absorption member 40 plastically deforms to absorb this pressing force (the impact force F caused by the pressing).

[0031] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the energy absorption member 40 is configured to be disposed so as to overlap with the surface (inner wall part 30a) on the wearer M side in the airbag 30 (that is, between the airbag 30 and the wearer M). However, the arrangement position of the energy absorption member 40 is not limited to the embodiment. Conversely, it may be configured to be disposed so as to overlap with the surface (outer wall part) on the side of the airbag away from the wearer. From the viewpoint of not inhibiting the smooth expansion of the airbag, it is preferable to dispose the energy absorption member so as to overlap with the surface on the wearer side of the airbag as in the embodiment. When the energy absorption member is disposed so as to overlap with the surface (outer wall part) on the side of the airbag away from the wearer, the energy absorption member starts to plastically deform before the airbag bottoms out.

[0032] Further, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the airbag 30 is configured to include a main body expansion part 31 that expands so as to cover the protected part P in the clothing part 20, and a head protection part 34 and a waist protection part 33 as protruding expansion parts that expand so as to protrude from the clothing part 20. Therefore, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, not only the upper body MU covered by the clothing part 20 but also the waist W and head H of the wearer M can be accurately protected by the airbag 30.

[0033] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device of the embodiment, the energy absorption member 40 (40L, 40R, 40B) is composed of a hollow body that can be plastically deformed so as to reduce its diameter and can be bent in a direction orthogonal to the axis. Specifically, it is composed of a bellows-shaped tube body 45 made of synthetic resin. Therefore, since the energy absorption member 40 formed by shaping the long tube body 45 into an arbitrary predetermined shape can be arranged at an arbitrary predetermined position, the degree of freedom in arranging the energy absorption member 40 is high. Also, the density of the arrangement of the tube body 45, the inner diameter dimension d and the thickness t of the tube body 45 (hollow body) itself (in the case of the embodiment, in addition to this, unevenness (specifically, the width dimension T and the height dimension h of the convex portion 45b), the material, etc. can be appropriately changed, and it is also easy to change the energy absorption amount. In particular, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, since the tube body 45 has a bellows 45a provided with continuous unevenness along the axial direction, when the impact force F acts, in addition to the deformation of reducing the diameter (crushing) (see FIG. 10), a deformation of stretching the bellows 45a (eliminating the unevenness continuously provided on the peripheral wall) also occurs (see FIG. 11), and the energy absorption amount can be increased as compared with the case where it is not bellows-shaped. Note that the shape of the energy absorption member is not limited to the embodiment, and it can be formed from a tube body without a bellows, a tube body having a partial opening provided in the peripheral wall, or the like. Alternatively, the energy absorption member may be configured such that a large number of deformation protrusions that can be plastically deformed when an impact force acts are provided in a hollow shape on a plate-like body instead of a tube body (hollow body) and protrude along the direction of action of the impact force.

[0034] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, since the left energy absorption member 40L and the right energy absorption member 40R are disposed in a region covering the front side of the chest CF of the wearer M as the protected part P, the chest CF of the wearer M can be protected by the inflated airbag 30 (main body inflating part 31), the left energy absorption member 40L, and the right energy absorption member 40R. In the embodiment, the case where the wearable airbag device S is worn by a passenger riding on an electric scooter V is taken as an example for description. However, since the wearer M (passenger) drives the electric scooter V while operating the front operation handle 4 in a state of standing on the step 1, when the electric scooter V in motion collides with a vehicle or the like from the front or falls forward, the electric scooter V itself (specifically, the operation handle 4) relatively enters the chest CF side of the wearer M and may come into contact with the chest CF. In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, since the chest CF of the wearer M (passenger) can be protected by the main body inflating part 31 in the inflated airbag 30 and the energy absorption members 40 (left energy absorption member 40L and right energy absorption member 40R) that plastically deform by contact with the interfering object, even if the electric scooter V itself (operation handle 4) enters the chest CF side of the wearer M as an interfering object, it is possible to suppress the interfering object such as the operation handle 4 from strongly pressing the chest CF of the wearer M.

[0035] Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the rear energy absorption member 40B is also arranged in the region of the back surface part 23 in the clothing part 20, and the rear energy absorption member 40B is configured to cover the rear upper surfaces of the backbone and the lumbar vertebra of the wearer M. Therefore, even when the wearer M falls backward, the backbone and the lumbar vertebra can be accurately protected by the main body inflating part 31 in the airbag 30 and the rear energy absorption member 40B. Also, in the case of the embodiment, since the rear energy absorption member 40B is interposed between the inflator 15 that supplies the inflating gas to the airbag 30 and the wearer M, the wearer M can also be protected from the inflator 15 itself by the rear energy absorption member 40B.

[0036] In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, in the clothing part 20, the airbag 30 and the energy absorption member 40 are provided side by side. That is, in the upper body MU covered by the clothing part 20, in the regions that need to be protected particularly (from the chest CF to the abdomen A and around the spine and lumbar vertebrae), by arranging the energy absorption member 40, the main body expansion part 31 that expands in the clothing part 20 in the airbag 30 can be made relatively thin. Note that the energy absorption member is not limited to a member that undergoes plastic deformation, and may be composed of a rubber-like elastic body that can undergo elastic deformation and absorb energy. In the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, in the region of the main body expansion part 31, by arranging a large number of connecting parts 32 that connect the inner wall part 30a and the outer wall part 30b at multiple points, since the main body expansion part 31 has a thin-walled expansion completed shape, it is possible to suppress the entire clothing part 20 from becoming thick and bulky, and improve the wearing comfort during wearing. Also, in the wearable airbag device S of the embodiment, the head protection part 34 and the waist protection part 33, which are protruding expansion parts that expand so as to protrude from the clothing part 20, are configured to expand thicker than the main body expansion part 31. Therefore, the head H and the waist W can be accurately protected by the thickly expanded head protection part 34 and waist protection part 33.

[0037] Note that in the embodiment, the wearable airbag device S worn by the occupant driving the electric scooter V is taken as an example for explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to being for the occupant driving a vehicle (such as an electric scooter, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), and may be configured to be worn by a pedestrian. When assuming a pedestrian as the wearer, etc., depending on the application, the expansion completed shape of the airbag (the presence or absence of the protruding expansion part), and the arrangement position and arrangement shape of the energy absorption member can be arbitrarily changed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0038] 15…Inflator, 20…Clothing part, 30…Airbag, 31…Main body inflation part, 33…Waist protection part (projecting inflation part), 34…Head protection part (projecting inflation part), 40(40L, 40R, 40B)…Energy absorption member, 45…Tube body, M…Wearer, P…Protected target site, MU…Upper body, V…Electric scooter, S…Wearing airbag device.

Claims

1. A wearable airbag device configured to be able to protect a protected part of a wearer when worn, including a clothing part wearable on the upper body of the wearer, an airbag housed in the clothing part and inflatable by allowing inflation gas to flow into the interior thereof to cover the protected part, and an energy absorption member disposed in a region of the protected part overlapping a surface of the airbag on the wearer side or on the side away from the wearer within the clothing part. The energy absorption member is composed of a hollow body that can be plastically deformed so as to reduce its diameter and can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and is configured to be able to absorb energy by plastic deformation when an impact force of an interfering object relatively approaching the wearer side acts. The wearable airbag device is characterized by this.

2. The wearable airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag includes a main body inflation part that inflates to cover the protected part within the clothing part, and a protruding inflation part that inflates so as to protrude from the clothing part.

3. The wearable airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the energy absorption member is disposed at least in a region covering the front side of the wearer's chest as the protected part.

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