Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device which can smoothly inflate an air bag even if a secondary collision occurs after action of impact force from a lateral side.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat comprises an air bag 45 configured to be held by a holding belt part wound around the lumbar part of the occupant and an inflator 20. The inflator comprises: an inflator body 21 which is arranged in a region on a rear surface lower part side of a seat part; and a connection pipe part 25 which is arranged in a region on a lateral side of the seat part so as to extend from the inflator body and be bent. The connection pipe part comprises: a root part side portion 26 which becomes the inflator body side; and a tip side portion 27 which is arranged so as to cross the root part side portion. The tip side portion is supported by a support member 30 so as to regulate approaching of the tip side portion to the seat part side in the time of action of external force to the seat part side from the left and right lateral sides.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device configured to protect an occupant sitting on a seat.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an occupant protection device, there has been a configuration in which an inflator that supplies inflation gas to an airbag folded and stored around the waist of an occupant is arranged in a region on the lower rear side of the seat portion of the seat on which the occupant is sitting (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in a conventional occupant protection device, the inflator has a substantially cylindrical shape, and includes an inflator main body arranged on the lower rear side of the seat portion so that the axial direction substantially follows the left-right direction, and a connection pipe portion that extends from the inflator main body and is arranged to be bent and connected to the airbag on the side of the seat portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this conventional occupant protection device, the connection pipe portion extending from the inflator main body is bent and connected to the airbag at a position on the side of the seat portion. Therefore, when a large impact force acts from the left and right sides, for example, when a vehicle enters from the side, the connection pipe portion may be deformed. If the connection pipe portion is greatly deformed, when a secondary collision occurs after the action of the impact force from the side, the inflation gas may not be smoothly supplied to the airbag, and the airbag may not be smoothly inflated. Therefore, there is room for improvement in suppressing the occurrence of such deformation.

[0005] The present invention solves the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an occupant protection device capable of smoothly inflating an airbag even if a secondary collision occurs after the action of an impact force from the side.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat, an airbag that is shaped like a bag that can be inflated to cover the front of the occupant and is held by a holding belt portion that is wound around the circumference of the occupant's waist in a folded state, an inflater that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, and is an occupant protection device having a configuration including: the inflater includes an inflater body that is substantially cylindrical and is disposed in a region on the lower rear side of the seat portion in the seat so that the axial direction substantially follows the left-right direction, a connection pipe portion that extends from the inflater body and is bent so as to be disposed in a region on the side of the seat portion and connects the inflater body and the airbag, and has a configuration including: the connection pipe portion includes a base portion side portion on the inflater body side and a tip portion side portion on the airbag side that is disposed so as to intersect the base portion side portion, and the tip portion side portion is supported by a support member so as to restrict the approach of the tip portion side portion to the seat portion side when an external force acts on the seat portion side from the left and right sides.

[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, in the inflator, although the connection pipe portion connecting the inflator main body and the airbag is arranged so as to extend from the inflator main body and be bent, the tip side portion on the airbag side is configured to be supported by a support member. Therefore, even when a large impact force acts from the left and right sides, such as when a vehicle enters from the side, it is possible to suppress the connection pipe portion from deforming so that the tip side portion approaches the seat portion starting from the bent portion. As a result, after the action of the impact force from the side, when a secondary collision occurs during the operation of the inflator main body, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator main body can smoothly flow into the airbag through the connection pipe portion, and the airbag can be smoothly inflated.

[0008] Therefore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, even if a secondary collision occurs after the action of the impact force from the side, the airbag can be smoothly inflated.

[0009] Specifically, as an example of the support member, in the connection pipe portion, a configuration can be cited in which it is arranged so as to connect the original portion side portion and the tip side portion across the bent portion. Also, the support member may be arranged so as to protrude from the side surface side of the seat frame.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on the seat 1 of the vehicle as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and includes a seat belt 7 that constitutes a holding belt portion for holding the airbag 45, an airbag 45, and an inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 45.

[0012] The seat 1 includes a backrest portion 2 and a seat portion 3 and is supported by a seat frame 4. In the case of the embodiment, the vehicle on which the seat 1 is mounted is a right-hand drive vehicle, and although detailed illustration is omitted, the seat 1 is a passenger seat. That is, the seat 1 is mounted on the vehicle with the right side being the center side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and the left side being the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

[0013] In the case of the embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1 and includes a belt body 8 for protecting the occupant MP seated on the seat 1, a tongue plate 12 attached to the belt body 8, and a buckle 13 for connecting the tongue plate 12. One end of the belt body 8 is locked to the winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest portion 2, and the other end is locked to an anchor member 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) disposed to the left of the rear end 3a of the seat portion 3 in the seat 1. Specifically, the belt body 8 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper left edge side of the backrest portion 2. In the case of the embodiment, in the non-seated state of the occupant MP, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lap belt 10 as a holding belt portion for holding the airbag 45 is configured to be exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2. Specifically, in the non-seated state of the occupant MP, as shown in FIG. 1, the lap belt 10 is exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2 along the vertical direction on the left edge 2a side of the backrest portion 2. The belt body 8 has a lap belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 housed in the backrest portion 2. When the occupant is seated and the tongue plate 12 is connected to the buckle 13, the lower body MD (waist MW) of the occupant MP is restrained by the lap belt 10 disposed substantially along the left-right direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13, and the upper body MU of the occupant MP (from the shoulder MS to the chest MB) is restrained by the shoulder belt 9 extending from the upper left edge side of the backrest portion 2 and obliquely disposed toward the buckle 13 (see FIG. 3). In the case of the embodiment, when the occupant is seated, the lap belt 10 disposed in front of the waist MW of the occupant MP seated on the seat 1 and a cover 70 described later constitute a holding belt portion for housing and holding the folded airbag 45. In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest portion 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

[0014] The inflater 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 45 includes, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an inflater main body 21 and a connection pipe portion 25 that is arranged to extend from the inflater main body 21 and connects the inflater main body 21 and the airbag 45.

[0015] The inflator main body 21 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape and is disposed in a region on the lower rear side of the seat portion 3 in the seat 1 such that the axial direction substantially follows the left - right direction as shown in FIG. 4. The inflator main body 21 is configured such that a gas discharge portion 22 capable of discharging inflation gas is disposed on one end side in the axial direction. In the case of the embodiment, the end portion on the gas discharge portion 22 side is directed to the left and is attached to the rear surface side (the rear side portion 5 of the seat frame 4) of the seat frame 4 disposed on the lower side of the seat portion 3 using a bracket 35 disposed on the outer peripheral side. More specifically, the inflator main body 21 has the gas discharge portion 22 disposed on the left end 21a side substantially coinciding with the position of the left end of the seat frame 4 and is disposed in a region approximately in the left half of the rear surface side (the rear side portion 5) of the seat frame 4 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). A connector 23 to which a lead wire 23a extending from an operation circuit (not shown) is connected will be connected to the other end side (the right end 21b side) in the axial direction of the inflator main body 21. The bracket 35 for attaching the inflator main body 21 to the rear side portion 5 of the seat frame 4 includes a holding ring portion 35a having a substantially annular outer shape capable of holding the inflator main body 21 and a bolt 35b protruding from the holding ring portion 35a. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the holding ring portion 35a is configured to hold the inflator main body 21 by being caulked so as to reduce its diameter. The bracket 35 is disposed at two locations spaced apart along the axial direction of the inflator main body 21. Each of them holds the inflator main body 21 by the holding ring portion 35a, inserts the bolt 35b protruding from the holding ring portion 35a into a mounting hole 5a formed in the rear side portion 5 of the seat frame 4, and fastens it with a nut 5b, thereby attaching the inflator main body 21 to the seat frame 4 (the rear side portion 5) (see FIG. 5). In the case of the embodiment, the inflator main body 21 is set such that its operation start is delayed compared to the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7 in order to restrict the pulling out of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7 accompanying the inflation of the airbag 45.Also, in the case of the embodiment, the inflator main body 21 is configured to operate when impact forces act from the front side and the side (left side) with the seat 1 arranged so as to face the front side of the vehicle.

[0016] The connection pipe portion 25 that connects the inflator main body 21 and the airbag 45 is formed of a metal pipe made of steel or the like, and is arranged in a region on the side of the seat portion 3 while being bent as it extends from the inflator main body 21. In the case of the embodiment, the connection pipe portion 25 extends from the left end 21a (gas discharge portion 22) side of the inflator main body 21 while being bent, and is arranged in a region on the left side of the seat portion 3 (the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle in the seat portion 3). The connection pipe portion 25 has an outer shape that is substantially L-shaped, and includes a base portion side portion 26 on the inflator main body 21 side, a tip side portion 27 that is arranged so as to intersect the base portion side portion 26 and is on the airbag 45 side, and a bent portion 28 between the base portion side portion 26 and the tip side portion 27. The base portion side portion 26 is arranged substantially along the left-right direction substantially along the inflator main body 21 when mounted on the vehicle, and the tip side portion 27 is arranged so as to extend obliquely upward from the bent portion 28 substantially orthogonally to the base portion side portion 26 when mounted on the vehicle. The connection pipe portion 25 connects the base end 26a of the base portion side portion 26 to the gas discharge portion 22 of the inflator main body 21 by caulking joint, although detailed description is omitted. Also, the connection pipe portion 25 is configured such that the tip 27a of the tip side portion 27 is connected to the tip 55a of a conduit portion 55, which will be described later, in the airbag 45 using a clamp 38.

[0017] In the connection pipe portion 25, a connecting member 30 is disposed to connect the base portion side portion 26 and the tip side portion 27 with the bending portion 28 interposed therebetween. The connecting member 30 is composed of a sheet metal material made of steel or the like, similar to the connection pipe portion 25. In the case of the embodiment, it is disposed to connect the vicinity of the tip 27a of the tip side portion 27 and the vicinity of the base end 26a of the base portion side portion 26 (see FIG. 4). More specifically, the connecting member 30 is disposed to connect the opposing surfaces (the right side surface 27b and the front side surface 26b) that face each other between the tip side portion 27 and the base portion side portion 26. When an external force F acts on the seat portion 3 side from the left and right sides (the left side in the case of the embodiment and the outside in the vehicle width direction) (see FIG. 5), this connecting member 30 restricts the approach (movement to the right) of the tip side portion 27 to the seat portion 3 side, and constitutes a support member for supporting the tip side portion 27.

[0018] The airbag 45 uses the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 as a holding belt portion, is held by the lap belt 10, is folded in a long shape, and is covered by the cover 70 around it. Specifically, it is arranged to be overlapped on the upper surface side of the lap belt 10 when the seat belt 7 is worn, is covered by the cover 70 around it, and is arranged in the region of the lap belt 10 (see FIG. 3). In other words, the airbag 45 is configured to be folded and stored in the gap between the lap belt 10 and the cover 70. Also, in the non-worn state as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 45 is arranged on the back side (the backrest portion 2 side) of the lap belt 10 exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2. The cover 70 is composed of a flexible seat body, and is configured to be broken at a predetermined location when the airbag 45 expands and inflates, so that the bag body 46 described later in the airbag 45 can protrude.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the airbag 45 includes a bag body 46 that inflates to protect the occupant MP, a conduit portion 55 that is connected to the inflator 20 and allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body 46, and a mounting portion 57 for holding the bag body 46 on the lap belt 10.

[0020] The airbag body 46 is configured to have an outer shape at the completion of inflation that is a substantially triangular prism shape with the axial direction substantially along the left-right direction. The inflated shape as viewed from the left and right sides is a substantially right-angled triangle shape with a hypotenuse on the front side, and the inflated shape as viewed from the front-rear direction side is a substantially rectangular shape that is wider at the top and bottom (see FIGS. 8 and 9). As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the airbag body 46 includes a rear wall portion 48 that is disposed on the occupant MP side (rear side) at the completion of inflation, a front wall portion 47 that is disposed opposite the rear wall portion 48 in the front-rear direction, a bottom wall portion 49 that is disposed at the lower end side at the completion of inflation, and left and right wall portions 50 and 51 that are disposed opposite each other in the left-right direction at the completion of inflation. This airbag body 46 is configured to protect the occupant MP by receiving the upper body MU of the occupant MP with the rear wall portion 48 at the completion of inflation, and when receiving the upper body MU with this rear wall portion 48, bringing the bottom wall portion 49 into contact with the thigh portion MT of the occupant MP and supporting it on the thigh portion MT (see FIG. 9). This airbag body 46 has a conduit portion 55 disposed on the lower surface side of the rear end 49a side of the bottom wall portion 49, and is configured such that inflation gas from the inflator 20 (inflator main body 21) flows into the interior through this conduit portion 55. In the region of the rear end 49a side of the bottom wall portion 49, communication holes 53 that communicate with the conduit portion 55 are circularly opened, and in the case of the embodiment, two are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. And the airbag body 46 is connected to the conduit portion 55 at the peripheral portion of this communication hole 53.

[0021] The conduit portion 55 is configured to extend leftward from the bag body 46. It has a substantially cylindrical shape with an open tip 55a side and is connected to the connection pipe portion 25. The conduit portion 55 is arranged in the left-right direction substantially along the lap belt 10 when the inflation of the airbag 45 is completed (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The conduit portion 55 is configured such that the tip 55a side is connected to the tip 27a of the tip-side portion 27 in the connection pipe portion 25 using the clamp 38 as described above. The attachment portion 57 for attaching the bag body 46 to the lap belt 10 is sewn to the lower surface side of the conduit portion 55 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The attachment portion 57 has a substantially cylindrical shape with both ends open so that the lap belt 10 can be inserted therethrough. By inserting the lap belt 10 through the attachment portion 57, the airbag 45 is connected to the lap belt 10 and held by the lap belt 10.

[0022] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, when the inflator 20 operates with the occupant MP seated while wearing the seat belt 7 on the seat 1 mounted in the vehicle, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator body 21 flows into the bag body 46 through the connection pipe portion 25 and the conduit portion 55. The bag body 46 of the airbag 45 breaks the cover 70 and protrudes forward and upward from the lap belt 10 as a holding belt portion, and as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the inflation is completed.

[0023] And in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, in the inflator 20, although the connection pipe portion 25 connecting the inflator main body 21 and the airbag 45 is arranged so as to extend from the inflator main body 21 and be bent, the tip side portion 27 on the airbag 45 side is configured to be supported by the connecting member 30 as a support member. Therefore, even when a large impact force (external force) F acts from the left and right sides (in the case of the embodiment, the left side) such as when the vehicle enters from the side, the connection pipe portion 25 can be suppressed from deforming the tip side portion 27 toward the seat portion 3 side (specifically, approaching the seat frame 4) starting from the bent portion 28. As a result, after the impact force acts from the side (left side), when a secondary collision occurs during the operation of the inflator main body 21, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator main body 21 can smoothly flow into the airbag 45 (bag main body 46) through the connection pipe portion 25, and the airbag 45 (bag main body 46) can be smoothly inflated. In particular, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, since the connection pipe portion 25 is arranged at a position on the outer side in the vehicle width direction in the seat portion 3, a large impact force may directly act due to the entry of the vehicle or the like. However, as described above, since it is supported by the connecting member 30 as a support member, even when a large impact force due to the entry of the vehicle or the like directly acts, deformation can be suppressed and the inflation gas can be smoothly introduced into the airbag 45.

[0024] Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, even if a secondary collision occurs after the impact force acts from the side, the airbag 45 can be smoothly inflated.

[0025] Specifically, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, in the connection pipe portion 25, a connecting member 30 that connects the base portion side portion 26 and the tip side portion 27 constitutes a support member that supports the tip side portion 27. Therefore, the support member can be handled integrally with the connection pipe portion, and the handling property is good, which is preferable. In the embodiment, the connecting member 30 is arranged so as to connect the right side surface 27b and the front side surface 26b that face each other at the tip side portion 27 and the base portion side portion 26. However, the arrangement position of the connecting member is not limited to the embodiment. For example, if the connecting member can suppress deformation such that the tip side portion approaches the seat portion side, the connecting member may be arranged so as to connect the upper surfaces of the tip side portion and the base portion side portion and the lower surfaces of the tip side portion and the base portion side portion, respectively, on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the connection pipe portion.

[0026] Further, as the support member 75, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a support member having a configuration that is not provided on the connection pipe portion 25A but protrudes from the seat frame 4A side may be arranged. Specifically, the support member 75 is formed to protrude from near the rear end of the left side surface (the left side portion 6A in the seat frame 4A) of the seat frame 4A toward the left side, which is the tip side portion 27A side in the connection pipe portion 25A. With the inflator 20A (the inflator main body 21 in a state where the connection pipe portion 25A is attached) attached to the seat frame 4A, a slight gap is provided between the support member 75 and the tip side portion 27A on the right side of the tip side portion 27A. The gap between the tip surface 75a of the support member 75 and the tip side portion 27A can maintain a non-contact state between the support member 75 and the tip side portion 27A in a vehicle-mounted state, and when an external force F acts on the seat portion 3 from the left and right sides (left side), the tip surface 75a of the support member 75 is brought into contact with the surface (right side surface 27b) on the support member 75 side of the tip side portion 27A so that the tip side portion 27A can be supported. The connection pipe portion 25A has the same configuration as the connection pipe portion 25 in the above-described inflator 20 except that no connecting member is arranged. Therefore, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals with "A" added at the end, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0027] Even when the support member 75 is configured in this way, when a large impact force (external force) F acts from the left and right sides (the left side in the case of the embodiment) such as when the vehicle enters from the side, even if the connection pipe portion 25A tries to move toward the seat portion 3 side (the right side), the right side surface 27b is instantaneously brought into contact with the support member 75 and supported by the support member 75 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 11). Therefore, starting from the bent portion 28A, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the distal end side portion 27A toward the seat portion 3 side (specifically, approaching the seat frame 4).

[0028] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 is used as the holding belt portion for holding the airbag 45. However, the holding belt portion for holding the airbag is not limited to the lap belt. For example, a belt separate from the seat belt may be disposed in front of the waist of the occupant seated on the seat, and the airbag may be held by this belt. Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, although the airbag 45 is held by the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7, since the inflator 20 operates later than the operation of the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7, the airbag 45 can be inflated while the seating state of the occupant MP on the seat 1 is stably maintained by the seat belt 7, and the occupant MP can be stably protected by the airbag 45 and the seat belt 7.

[0029] Further, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the seat belt 7 and the inflator 20 are configured to be mounted on the seat 1. Therefore, even when the seat 1 is slid or rotated significantly back and forth and used in a state of being moved relative to the vehicle, the occupant MP seated on the seat 1 can be accurately protected by the airbag 45.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] 1... sheet, 3... seat part, 4, 4A... seat frame, 20, 20A... inflater, 21... inflater body, 25, 25A... connecting pipe part, 26, 26A... base part side part, 27, 27A... tip side part, 28, 28A... bending part, 30... connecting member (support member), 45... airbag, 75... support member, MP... occupant, S... occupant protection device.

Claims

【Claim 1】 configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat, an airbag configured to be in a bag shape that can be inflated so as to cover the front of the occupant, and in a folded state, held by a holding belt portion wound around the circumference of the occupant's waist, an inflater that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, an occupant protection device comprising: wherein the inflater is configured as a substantially cylindrical shape, disposed in a region on the lower rear side of the seat portion of the seat so that the axial direction is substantially along the left-right direction, an inflater body; a connection pipe portion that extends from the inflater body and is bent so as to be disposed in a region on the side of the seat portion, and connects the inflater body and the airbag; is configured to include; the connection pipe portion is configured to include a base portion side portion on the inflater body side and a tip side portion on the airbag side that is disposed so as to intersect the base portion side portion, and the tip side portion is configured to be supported by a support member so as to restrict the approach of the tip side portion to the seat portion side when an external force acts on the seat portion side from the left and right sides; the support member is disposed so as to connect the base portion side portion and the tip side portion across a bent portion, and an occupant protection device characterized by this.

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