Vehicle airbag device

Abstract

To enhance protectivity for a crew member.SOLUTION: An airbag device 10 for vehicle is provided with a flow-regulation cloth 30 inside an airbag 20. The airbag 20 is inflated and expanded by gases discharged by a rear side main vent hole 31 and a rear side lower vent hole 32 formed in a rear flow-regulation cloth part 30R of the flow-regulation cloth 30 and gases discharged by a front vent hole 33 formed in a front flow-regulation cloth part 30F. An aperture area of the rear side main vent hole 31 is set larger than an aperture area of the rear side lower vent hole 32; an aperture area of the rear side lower vent hole 32 is set larger than an aperture area of the front vent hole 33. Thus, when the airbag 20 is inflated and expanded, it is possible to inflate and expand a rear end part of the airbag 20 receiving a head and an upper part of a crew member P in a front passenger seat earlier than the front part of the airbag 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In a vehicle (automobile), when a frontal collision occurs with a collision object, an airbag is inflated and deployed in front of the occupant, restraining the upper body of the occupant as the occupant moves forward. This improves the occupant's protection. For example, the airbag device described in Patent Document 1 below detects the occupant's physique from the seat position, the seatback tilt angle, the amount of seatbelt payout, etc., and changes the timing of airbag deployment depending on the occupant's physique. This improves the occupant's protection provided by the airbag. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-159838 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, frontal collisions of vehicles include various collision types, such as full-flap frontal collisions and offset frontal collisions. From the perspective of improving occupant protection performance in these various collision types, it is desirable to increase the size of the airbag to restrain the occupant in the event of a frontal collision.

[0005] However, increasing the size of the airbag may lengthen the time it takes for the airbag to inflate and deploy, which may prevent the airbag from inflating and deploying quickly enough, making it difficult to adequately restrain the occupant and reducing the occupant protection performance.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle airbag device that can improve the protection performance for an occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One or more embodiments of the present invention comprise: an inflator provided on the rear side of an instrument panel; an airbag that receives a supply of gas ejected by the inflator to inflate and deploy from the instrument panel toward the rear of the vehicle and is positioned in front of an occupant; and a flow regulating fabric that is provided inside the airbag and into which the gas ejected by the inflator flows to inflate and deploy, and that discharges the gas that has flowed into the airbag, wherein a rear end of the flow regulating fabric is positioned spaced apart from a rear wall of the airbag toward the front of the vehicle, and a rear outlet portion that opens toward the rear of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the rear end of the airbag is formed at the rear end of the flow regulating fabric, and a front outlet portion that discharges the gas into a front portion of the airbag is formed at a front portion of the flow regulating fabric, and the opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion is larger than the opening area of ​​the front outlet portion, A lower outlet portion that opens toward the underside of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the airbag is formed at the rear end of the flow regulating fabric, and the lower outlet portion is located further forward of the vehicle than the rear outlet portion and further rearward of the vehicle than the front outlet portion, and the opening area of ​​the lower outlet portion is larger than the opening area of ​​the front outlet portion and smaller than the opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion.

[0009] One or more embodiments of the present invention comprise: an inflator provided on the rear side of an instrument panel; an airbag that receives a supply of gas ejected by the inflator to inflate and deploy from the instrument panel toward the rear of the vehicle and is positioned in front of an occupant; and a flow regulating fabric that is provided inside the airbag and into which the gas ejected by the inflator flows to inflate and deploy, and that discharges the gas that has flowed into the airbag, wherein a rear end of the flow regulating fabric is positioned spaced apart from a rear wall of the airbag toward the front of the vehicle, and a rear outlet portion that opens toward the rear of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the rear end of the airbag is formed at the rear end of the flow regulating fabric, and a front outlet portion that discharges the gas into a front portion of the airbag is formed at a front portion of the flow regulating fabric, and the opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion is larger than the opening area of ​​the front outlet portion, The rear end of the flow-controlling fabric has a recess formed therein that is open toward the upper side of the vehicle when viewed from the rear side of the vehicle, and the rear end of the airbag and the front part of the airbag are connected by the recess.

[0010] One or more embodiments of the present invention comprise: an inflator provided on the rear side of an instrument panel; an airbag that receives a supply of gas ejected by the inflator to inflate and deploy from the instrument panel toward the rear of the vehicle and is positioned in front of an occupant; and a flow regulating fabric that is provided inside the airbag and into which the gas ejected by the inflator flows to inflate and deploy, and that discharges the gas that has flowed into the airbag, wherein a rear end of the flow regulating fabric is positioned spaced apart from a rear wall of the airbag toward the front of the vehicle, and a rear outlet portion that opens toward the rear of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the rear end of the airbag is formed at the rear end of the flow regulating fabric, and a front outlet portion that discharges the gas into a front portion of the airbag is formed at a front portion of the flow regulating fabric, and the opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion is larger than the opening area of ​​the front outlet portion, The airbag is a vehicle airbag device that includes: a recessed portion formed on the rear surface of the airbag, open to the rear of the vehicle, with its front end connected to the rear end of the flow straightening fabric and positioned on the front side of the vehicle of the occupant's head; an upper bulge portion that bulges toward the rear of the vehicle above the recessed portion and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle; a pair of left and right side bulges that bulge toward the rear of the vehicle on both sides of the width of the airbag relative to the recessed portion; and a lower bulge portion that bulges toward the rear of the vehicle below the recessed portion and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle and is positioned on the front side of the occupant's chest. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, improved protection for occupants can be achieved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view, seen from the right side, of the left side portion at the front of a cabin of a vehicle to which an airbag device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, showing the airbag in an inflated and deployed state. [Figure 2] 2A is a plan view of the vehicle airbag device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above, and FIG. 2B is a rear view of the vehicle airbag device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from behind. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inflated and deployed state of the airbag shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2(A)) showing the inside of the airbag shown in FIG. 2(A) as seen from the right side. [Figure 5] 5(A) is a plan view of the current regulating cloth shown in FIG. 4 as seen from above, and FIG. 5(B) is a rear view of the current regulating cloth of FIG. 4 as seen from the rear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The vehicle airbag device 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrow FR shown as appropriate in the drawings indicates the front side of the vehicle (automobile) V to which the vehicle airbag device 10 is applied, the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the left side of the vehicle (one side in the vehicle width direction). In the following description, when the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions are used, they refer to the up-down direction of the vehicle, the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction of the vehicle unless otherwise specified.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle airbag device 10 is configured as a passenger seat airbag device that protects a passenger seat occupant P seated in a passenger seat 50 disposed in the front part of the cabin of a vehicle V. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates an airbag 20 of the vehicle airbag device 10 in an inflated and deployed state.

[0015] The vehicle airbag device 10 includes a modular case 12 in the shape of a substantially rectangular box that is open upward, an airbag 20 stored in a folded state within the modular case 12, an inflator 14 (gas generator) that ejects gas to supply gas to the airbag 20, and a flow regulating fabric 30 (see Figures 4 and 5) that is provided within the airbag 20 and forms a flow path for the gas ejected from the inflator 14.

[0016] The vehicle airbag device 10 is disposed inside (behind) an instrument panel 52 in front of a passenger seat 50, and is supported by an instrument panel reinforcement (not shown) that is a framework member of the instrument panel 52. An airbag door is formed in the instrument panel 52 in a portion that covers the module case 12. The configuration of the vehicle airbag device 10 will be described below.

[0017] (About Airbag 20) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the airbag 20 is formed into a bag shape by sewing together the outer peripheries of a plurality of base fabrics, for example. When the airbag 20 receives gas from the inflator 14, it inflates and deploys rearward from the instrument panel 52 and is positioned in front of the passenger seat occupant P. Specifically, the center portion of the airbag 20 in the width direction (left and right direction) is positioned in front of the passenger seat occupant P, and the airbag 20 restrains the head and upper body of the passenger seat occupant P who moves forward in the event of a frontal collision. In addition, the front portion of the airbag 20 is positioned along the instrument panel 52 and the windshield glass 54 of the vehicle V in a side view, and abuts against the instrument panel 52 and the windshield glass 54. As a result, the airbag 20 is supported from the front by the instrument panel 52 and the windshield glass 54.

[0018] A recess 21 that is open to the front is formed in the center and upper end portion of the rear surface of the airbag 20 in the width direction. The recess 21 is connected to a flow regulating cloth 30, which will be described later, and is pulled to the front by the flow regulating cloth 30. That is, the recess 21 is formed in a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape with the front end 21A of the recess 21 as the apex, and the inner circumferential surface of the recess 21 is curved.

[0019] An upper bulge 22 is formed on the rear surface of the airbag 20 above the recess 21. The upper bulge 22 bulges out in a generally arcuate shape that convexly extends rearward when viewed from the left-right direction. The lower surface of the upper bulge 22 forms the upper inner circumferential surface of the recess 21. The upper bulge 22 extends in the left-right direction across the entire width of the airbag 20 and is generally elliptical in shape with its longer sides extending in the left-right direction when viewed from the rear. Specifically, a boundary 25 (see FIG. 2(B)) between the upper bulge 22 and a side bulge 23 (described later) extends in an upwardly inclined manner from a front end 21A of the recess 21 toward the outside in the width direction of the airbag 20 when viewed from the rear.

[0020] A pair of left and right side bulges 23 are formed on the rear surface of the airbag 20 on both left and right sides of the recess 21. When viewed from above, the side bulges 23 bulge in a generally arc-like shape that convex rearward. The left and right inner surfaces of the side bulges 23 form the inner circumferential surfaces of both left and right sides of the recess 21. The side bulges 23 are disposed adjacent to the lower side of the upper bulge 22, with a boundary 25 interposed therebetween.

[0021] A lower bulge 24 is formed on the rear surface of the airbag 20 below the recess 21, and the lower bulge 24 bulges out in a generally arcuate shape that convexly extends rearward when viewed from the left-right direction. The upper surface of the lower bulge 24 forms the lower inner circumferential surface of the recess 21. Similar to the upper bulge 22, the lower bulge 24 extends in the left-right direction across the entire width of the airbag 20 and is generally pentagonal when viewed from the rear. Specifically, a boundary 26 (see FIG. 2(B)) between the side bulge 23 and the lower bulge 24 extends in a downwardly inclined manner from the front end 21A of the recess 21 outward in the width direction when viewed from the rear.

[0022] Here, the recessed portion 21 is configured as a recess into which the head of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward enters. Specifically, the front end 21A of the recessed portion 21 is located in front of the head (forehead) of the passenger seat occupant P. More specifically, the front head of the passenger seat occupant P, which leans forward during a frontal collision, is set to be located in front of the front end 21A of the recessed portion 21 (see the passenger seat occupant P indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). As a result, when viewed from the rear, the left and right side surfaces of the recessed portion 21 are located outside the head of the passenger seat occupant P in the left-right direction. In addition, the lower end of the lower side surface of the recessed portion 21 is located in front of the chin of the passenger seat occupant P and is configured as a chin restraint portion that receives the chin of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward (see the passenger seat occupant P indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). As a result, the airbag 20 restrains the chin of the passenger seat occupant P who moves forward with the lower surface of the recessed portion 21, and chest The lower bulge 24 receives the passenger P. In this embodiment, the passenger P is an AM50 (50th percentile of American adult males) dummy.

[0023] Furthermore, a pair of left and right side head restraint portions 27 are provided on both widthwise sides of the rear end portion of the airbag 20. The side head restraint portions 27 are arranged on the left and right outer sides of the head of the passenger seat occupant P when viewed from the rear. Specifically, the side head restraint portions 27 are arranged on the left and right outer sides of the side bulge portions 23 when viewed from the rear, and protrude outward in the left and right directions from the airbag 20. As will be described in detail later, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, the side head restraint portions 27 are configured to hold the vicinity of the ears (sides of the head) of the passenger seat occupant P from the left and right outer sides, thereby restraining the head.

[0024] A pair of left and right shoulder restraint portions 28 are provided on both widthwise sides of the rear end of the airbag 20. The shoulder restraint portions 28 are arranged laterally outward of the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P when viewed from the rear. Specifically, the shoulder restraint portions 28 are arranged laterally outward of the lower bulging portion 24 when viewed from the rear, and bulge outward from the airbag 20 in the laterally direction. More specifically, the shoulder restraint portions 28 are arranged so as to straddle the boundary portion 26 when viewed from the rear. The shoulder restraint portions 28 are arranged rearward of the side restraint portions 27, and the rear ends of the shoulder restraint portions 28 are arranged rearward of the front end portion 21A of the recessed portion 21. As will be described in detail later, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, the shoulder restraint portions 28 restrain the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P that move forward. A recess 28A that is open to the rear is formed in the rear end of the shoulder restraint portion 28 at a laterally intermediate portion, and the recess 28A extends in the up-down direction. As a result, a pair of left and right pad portions 28B that bulge rearward are formed at the rear end of the shoulder restraint portion 28. When the shoulder restraint portion 28 restrains the shoulders of the passenger P in the front passenger seat, the pair of pad portions 28B sandwich the shoulders.

[0025] (Regarding flow control cloth 30) 4 and 5, the flow regulating cloth 30 is formed into a bag shape by sewing the outer peripheries of a plurality of base fabrics together, similar to the airbag 20. The flow regulating cloth 30 extends in the front-rear direction inside the airbag 20. The inflator 14 is provided at the front end of the flow regulating cloth 30, and the inside of the flow regulating cloth 30 is formed as a flow path 30A for causing gas ejected by the inflator 14 to flow into the airbag 20.

[0026] The flow regulating cloth 30 is formed in a generally hollow horn shape (hollow trumpet shape) extending in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the front portion of the flow regulating cloth 30 is configured as a front flow regulating cloth portion 30F, which is formed in a generally hollow column shape extending in the front-rear direction. The rear end portion of the flow regulating cloth 30 is configured as a rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R. The rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R extends upward from the rear end portion of the front flow regulating cloth portion 30F of the flow regulating cloth 30 when viewed from the right side, extends to both left and right sides from the rear end portion of the front flow regulating cloth portion 30F of the flow regulating cloth 30 when viewed from above, and is formed in a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the rear. A recess 30B is formed at the upper end portion of the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30, and the recess 30B is curved in a generally arc shape with a convex downward side when viewed from the rear.

[0027] The lower wall of the flow regulating cloth 30 is disposed so as to follow the lower wall of the front portion of the airbag 20. The outer periphery of the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30 is joined by sewing or the like to the outer periphery of the airbag 20. Specifically, four outer periphery corners of the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30 are joined by sewing or the like to the outer periphery of the airbag 20 (see the x marks shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B)).

[0028] Furthermore, the rear flow regulating fabric portion 30R of the flow regulating fabric 30 is disposed forward of the rear end portion of the airbag 20 (the portion where the upper bulge portion 22, the side bulge portion 23, and the lower bulge portion 44 are formed), and the front end portion 21A of the recessed portion 21 of the airbag 20 is joined by sewing or the like to the center portion in the left-right direction of the rear surface of the rear flow regulating fabric portion 30R of the flow regulating fabric 30 (see the x mark shown in FIG. 4). As a result, the airbag 20 is provided with a rear space 20A rearward of the rear flow regulating fabric portion 30R of the flow regulating fabric 30, a lower space 20B below the rear flow regulating fabric portion 30R of the flow regulating fabric 30, and a front space 20C above the front flow regulating fabric portion 30F of the flow regulating fabric 30. The rear space 20A and the lower space 20B communicate with each other below the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30, and the rear space 20A and the front space 20C communicate with each other by the hollowed-out portion 30B of the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30.

[0029] A rear main vent hole 31 serving as a circular rear outlet is formed through the rear wall of the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30 at approximately the center. The rear main vent hole 31 is open to the rear, and the flow path 30A of the flow regulating cloth 30 communicates with the rear space 20A through the rear main vent hole 31. A rear lower vent hole 32 serving as a circular lower outlet is formed through the lower end of the rear flow regulating cloth portion 30R of the flow regulating cloth 30 at the center in the left-right direction. The rear lower vent hole 32 is open to the bottom, and the flow path 30A of the flow regulating cloth 30 communicates with the lower space 20B through the rear lower vent hole 32. A front vent hole 33 serving as a circular front outlet is formed through the upper wall of the front flow regulating cloth portion 30F of the flow regulating cloth 30 at the middle in the front-rear direction. The front vent hole 33 is open upward, and communicates with the front space 20C via the front vent hole 33. The opening area of ​​the rear main vent hole 31 is set larger than the opening area of ​​the rear lower vent hole 32, and the opening area of ​​the rear lower vent hole 32 is set larger than the opening area of ​​the front vent hole 33. The rear lower vent hole 32 is disposed in front of the rear main vent hole 31, and the opening area of ​​the rear lower vent hole 32 is set larger than the opening area of ​​the front vent hole 33. in front A front vent hole 33 is provided.

[0030] (About Inflator 14) As shown in FIG. 4, the inflator 14 is built into the front end portions of the airbag 20 and the flow regulating cloth 30. The inflator 14 is formed in a hollow, generally cylindrical shape with its axis extending vertically, and is fixed to the bottom wall of the module case 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the inflator 14 is electrically connected to an airbag ECU 40 (controller). When the airbag ECU 40 activates the inflator 14, gas ejected from an upper portion of the inflator 14 is supplied into a flow path 30A of the flow regulating cloth 30 and discharged into the airbag 20 through a rear-side main vent hole 31, a rear-side lower vent hole 32, and a front vent hole 33 of the flow regulating cloth 30, thereby inflating and deploying the airbag 20. As the airbag 20 inflates and deploys, the airbag 20 tears open an airbag door (instrument panel 52), and the airbag 20 inflates and deploys on the outer side (front side) of the instrument panel 52.

[0031] A collision sensor 42 is electrically connected to the airbag ECU 40. The airbag ECU 40 detects or predicts a frontal collision with the vehicle V based on information from the collision sensor 42, and activates the inflator 14 when a frontal collision is detected or predicted.

[0032] (Action and effect) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0033] In the vehicle airbag device 10 configured as described above, when the airbag ECU 40 detects or predicts a frontal collision with the vehicle V based on a signal from the collision sensor 42, it activates the inflator 14. As a result, gas ejected from the inflator 14 is supplied into the airbag 20 through the flow path 30A of the flow rectifying cloth 30, and the airbag 20, having received the gas, tears open an airbag door provided in the instrument panel 52 and is inflated and deployed rearward from the instrument panel 52. Specifically, the gas in the flow path 30A of the flow rectifying cloth 30 is discharged from the rear-side main vent hole 31 into the rear space 20A of the airbag 20 (see arrow G1 in FIG. 4), from the rear-side lower vent hole 32 into the lower space 20B of the airbag 20 (see arrow G2 in FIG. 4), and from the front vent hole 33 into the front space 20C of the airbag 20 (see arrow G3 in FIG. 4), thereby inflating and deploying the airbag 20. As a result, the airbag 20 is inflated and deployed in front of the passenger P in the front passenger seat.

[0034] Furthermore, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, the passenger seat occupant P moves forward (toward the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2(A)) due to inertial force. Specifically, because the passenger seat occupant P is wearing a seat belt (not shown), the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P leans forward around the passenger seat occupant P's waist. When the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P leans forward, the head of the passenger seat occupant P enters the recess 21 while being guided by the upper surface and left and right side surfaces (i.e., the upper bulge 22 and the pair of side bulges 23) of the recess 21. At this time, the chin of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward hits the lower surface of the recess 21 and is restrained by the lower surface.

[0035] When the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P leans further forward, the chest of the passenger seat occupant P hits the left-right central portion of the lower bulging portion 24 of the airbag 20, and presses the left-right central portion of the lower bulging portion 24 forward. This causes the rear end portion of the airbag 20 to deform so as to bend starting from the upper half of the passenger seat occupant P. Specifically, the airbag 20 deforms so that both widthwise sides of the rear end portion of the airbag 20 are displaced inward in the widthwise direction (towards the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2(A)).

[0036] Then, as both widthwise sides of the rear end of the airbag 20 are displaced inward in the width direction, the left and right shoulder restraint portions 28 of the airbag 20 come into contact with the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P, and the shoulder restraint portions 28 support the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P from the front. As a result, the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward is restrained by the lower bulge portion 24 and the shoulder restraint portions 28. Also, at this time, the passenger seat occupant P's head penetrates the airbag 20 more than the passenger seat occupant P's thorax penetrates the airbag 20, so the left and right side restraint portions 27 of the airbag 20 are displaced to sandwich the passenger seat occupant's side head from both widthwise sides. As a result, the head of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward is restrained by the pair of side restraint portions 27. As described above, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle V, the head and upper body of the passenger seat occupant P moving forward can be restrained by the airbag 20.

[0037] Incidentally, frontal collisions of the vehicle V include collision types such as a full-flap frontal collision and an offset frontal collision. Therefore, in order to improve the protective performance for the passenger seat occupant P in accordance with various collision types, it is desirable to restrain the passenger seat occupant P by, for example, increasing the size of the airbag 20. In this case, as the airbag 20 becomes larger, there is a risk that, when the airbag 20 is inflated and deployed, the airbag 20 may swing, causing a misalignment between the position of the passenger seat occupant P who moves forward and the position of the airbag 20.

[0038] Here, a recess 21 that is open to the rear is formed on the rear surface of the airbag 20. The airbag 20 is configured to include an upper bulge 22 that bulges rearward above the recess 21, a pair of left and right side bulges 23 that bulge rearward on both widthwise sides of the recess 21, and a lower bulge 24 that bulges rearward below the recess 21. The recess 21 is disposed in front of the head (forehead) of the passenger seat occupant P. Therefore, even if the position of the inflating and deploying airbag 20 is misaligned with respect to the passenger seat occupant P, the head of the passenger seat occupant P that tilts forward during a frontal collision can be guided into the recess 21 by the upper surface and left and right side surfaces of the recess 21 (i.e., the upper bulge 22 and the pair of side bulges 23). As a result, the head of the passenger seat occupant P can be restrained while the recessed portion 21 (the upper bulging portion 22 and the pair of left and right side bulging portions 23) absorbs any positional deviation of the airbag 20 relative to the passenger seat occupant P.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, in the event of an offset frontal collision of the vehicle V, even if the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P tilts forward toward the collision side due to inertial force, causing a misalignment between the airbag 20 and the passenger seat occupant P, the head of the passenger seat occupant P can be guided by the pair of left and right side bulges 23 and made to enter the recess 21. As a result, the protection performance for the passenger seat occupant P can be improved.

[0040] Moreover, as described above, the head of the passenger seat occupant P, which tilts forward during a frontal collision, enters the recessed portion 21 while being guided by the upper bulge 22 and the pair of left and right side bulges 23. This prevents the face and forehead of the passenger seat occupant P, which tilts forward during a frontal collision, from directly striking the rear surface of the airbag 20 from behind, while gently restraining the head of the passenger seat occupant P from above and both the left and right. This makes it possible to prevent the head injury score of the passenger seat occupant P from worsening. Furthermore, the chin of the passenger seat occupant P, which enters the recessed portion 21, is restrained by the lower side surface of the recessed portion 21, while the chest of the passenger seat occupant P is received by the lower bulge 24. This makes it possible to prevent the chest injury score of the passenger seat occupant P from worsening.

[0041] Further, a pair of left and right shoulder restraint portions 28 protruding outward in the left-right direction are provided on both widthwise sides of the airbag 20. The shoulder restraint portions 28 are disposed on both widthwise sides of the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P when viewed from the rear, and the rear ends of the shoulder restraint portions 28 are disposed rearward of the front end portion 21A of the recessed portion 21. More specifically, the front-to-rear positions of the rear ends of the shoulder restraint portions 28 substantially coincide with the front-to-rear positions of the rear ends of the side bulges 23. As a result, as described above, when the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P presses the rear end portion of the airbag 20 forward and the rear end portion of the airbag 20 deforms so as to bend around the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P, the left and right shoulder restraint portions 28 of the airbag 20 come into contact with the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P, and the shoulder restraint portions 28 can support the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P from the front. This further reduces the injury level to the chest of the passenger seat occupant P during a collision.

[0042] Furthermore, a recess 28A is formed in the rear end of the shoulder restraint portion 28 at a central portion in the left-right direction, and the recess 28A is formed in a concave shape that opens rearward and extends in the up-down direction. Therefore, a pair of left and right pad portions 28B that bulge rearward are formed at the rear end of the shoulder restraint portion 28. As a result, when the shoulder restraint portion 28 restrains the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P, the pair of left and right pad portions 28B can sandwich the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P from both the left and right sides. This improves the restraint performance for the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P, and ultimately improves the restraint performance for the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P.

[0043] Furthermore, a pair of left and right side head restraint portions 27 that protrude outward in the width direction are provided on both sides of the width of the airbag 20, and the side head restraint portions 27 are arranged on both sides of the width of the head of the passenger seat occupant P when viewed from the rear. As a result, as described above, when the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P presses the rear end portion of the airbag 20 forward and the rear end portion of the airbag 20 deforms in a manner that bends from the upper body of the passenger seat occupant P as a starting point, the pair of side head restraint portions 27 can restrain the passenger seat occupant P by clamping the sides of the head from both the left and right. This can further improve the protection performance for the passenger seat occupant P's head.

[0044] Furthermore, the side restraint portion 27 is disposed forward of the shoulder restraint portion 28. In other words, the shoulder restraint portion 28 is disposed closer to the passenger seat occupant P than the side restraint portion 27. As a result, when the passenger seat occupant P moving forward collides with the rear end portion of the airbag 20, the shoulder restraint portion 28 is brought into contact with the shoulders of the passenger seat occupant P early on, and the passenger seat occupant P's chin and shoulders are supported from the front by the airbag 20, while the side of the passenger seat occupant P's head is wrapped around from the outside in the left and right directions to be restrained. Therefore, the protection performance for the passenger seat occupant P can be effectively improved.

[0045] A flow rectifying cloth 30 is provided inside the airbag 20, and the inside of the flow rectifying cloth 30 is configured as a flow path 30A that allows gas ejected from the inflator 14 to flow into the inside of the airbag 20. A rear main vent hole 31 formed in a rear flow rectifying cloth portion 30R of the flow rectifying cloth 30 connects a rear space 20A of the airbag 20 to the flow path 30A of the flow rectifying cloth 30, a rear lower vent hole 32 formed in the rear flow rectifying cloth portion 30R connects a lower space 20B of the airbag 20 to the flow path 30A of the flow rectifying cloth 30, and a front vent hole 33 formed in a front flow rectifying cloth portion 30F of the flow rectifying cloth 30 connects a front space 20C of the airbag 20 to the flow path 30A of the flow rectifying cloth 30. As a result, the airbag 20 is inflated and deployed by the gas discharged from the rear main vent hole 31 and the rear lower vent hole 32 and the gas discharged from the front vent hole 33 .

[0046] Here, the opening area of ​​the rear-side main vent hole 31 is set larger than the opening area of ​​the rear-side lower vent hole 32, which in turn is set larger than the opening area of ​​the front vent hole 33. Therefore, the amount of gas supplied from the flow regulating cloth 30 to the rear space 20A is greater than the amount of gas supplied from the flow regulating cloth 30 to the lower space 20B, and the amount of gas supplied from the flow regulating cloth 30 to the lower space 20B is greater than the amount of gas supplied from the flow regulating cloth 30 to the front space 20C. In other words, when the airbag 20 is inflated and deployed, the rear end of the airbag 20, which is mainly for receiving the head and upper body of the front passenger seat occupant P, can be inflated and deployed earlier than the front portion of the airbag 20. Therefore, even if the size of the airbag 20 is increased to improve the protective performance for the passenger seat occupant P in accordance with various collision types during a frontal collision, the rear end of the airbag 20 can be inflated and deployed early to restrain the head and upper body of the passenger seat occupant P by the airbag 20. In other words, the airbag 20 can be increased in size while maintaining the restraining performance of the airbag 20 for the passenger seat occupant P. As a result, the protective performance for the passenger seat occupant P during a frontal collision can be improved.

[0047] In particular, the rear end of the airbag 20 is configured to include an upper bulge 22 for restraining the head of the passenger seat occupant P from above, side bulges 23 for restraining the head of the passenger seat occupant P from both left and right sides, and a lower bulge 24 for receiving the chin of the passenger seat occupant P and restraining the chest of the passenger seat occupant P. As described above, the opening area of ​​the rear main vent hole 31 is set larger than the opening area of ​​the rear lower vent hole 32. This allows the upper bulge 22, the side bulge 23, and the lower bulge 24 to inflate and deploy toward the passenger seat occupant P early, and then the lower part of the lower bulge 24 to inflate and deploy. This effectively improves the restraint performance for the passenger seat occupant P.

[0048] Furthermore, a cutout portion 30B is formed at the upper end of the rear flow regulating fabric portion 30R of the flow regulating fabric 30. When viewed from the rear, the cutout portion 30B is curved in a generally arcuate shape with the lower side convex, and the rear space 20A and the front space 20C of the airbag 20 are connected by the cutout portion 30B. As a result, after the rear space 20A is filled with gas through the rear main vent hole 31, the gas supplied from the rear main vent hole 31 to the rear space 20A can flow toward the front space 20C by the cutout portion 30B. This allows the overall inflation and deployment of the airbag 20 to be stabilized.

[0049] In this embodiment, three vent holes are formed in the current regulating cloth 30, but the rear lower vent hole 32 may be omitted from the current regulating cloth 30, for example, depending on the size of the airbag 20. Even in this case, the rear end of the airbag 20 can be inflated and deployed early, allowing the airbag 20 to restrain the head and upper body of the front passenger seat occupant P. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10. Airbag device for vehicle 14 Inflator 20 Airbag 21 Recess 21A Front end of recess 22 Upper bulge 23 Side bulge 24 Lower bulge 30 Rectifier cloth 30B Gouge part 30F Front straightening cloth part (front part of straightening cloth) 30R Rear straightening cloth part (rear end of straightening cloth) 31 Rear main vent hole (rear exit) 32 Rear lower vent hole (lower exit) 33 Front vent hole (front exit) 52 Instrument panel P Passenger seat occupant (passenger)

Claims

1. an inflator provided behind the instrument panel; an airbag that is inflated and deployed from the instrument panel toward the rear of the vehicle by receiving a supply of gas ejected by the inflator and is positioned in front of the vehicle occupant; a flow regulating fabric that is provided inside the airbag, receives the gas ejected by the inflator, and is inflated and deployed, and discharges the gas that has flowed into the airbag; Equipped with a rear end portion of the flow regulating cloth is disposed on the vehicle front side and spaced apart from the rear wall of the airbag, a rear end of the flow regulating fabric is formed with a rear outlet portion that opens toward the rear side of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the rear end of the airbag, and a front end of the flow regulating fabric is formed with a front outlet portion that discharges the gas into the front part of the airbag, an opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion is larger than an opening area of ​​the front outlet portion; a lower outlet portion that opens toward the lower side of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the airbag is formed at a rear end portion of the flow regulating fabric; the lower outlet portion is disposed further forward of the vehicle than the rear outlet portion and further rearward of the vehicle than the front outlet portion, The vehicle airbag device has an opening area of ​​the lower outlet portion that is larger than the opening area of ​​the front outlet portion and smaller than the opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion.

2. An inflator provided on the back side of an instrument panel; an airbag that is inflated and deployed from the instrument panel toward the rear of the vehicle by receiving a supply of gas ejected by the inflator and is positioned in front of the vehicle occupant; a flow regulating fabric that is provided inside the airbag, receives the gas ejected by the inflator, and is inflated and deployed, and discharges the gas that has flowed into the airbag; Equipped with a rear end portion of the flow regulating cloth is disposed on the vehicle front side and spaced apart from the rear wall of the airbag, a rear end of the flow regulating fabric is formed with a rear outlet portion that opens toward the rear side of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the rear end of the airbag, and a front end of the flow regulating fabric is formed with a front outlet portion that discharges the gas into the front part of the airbag, an opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion is larger than an opening area of ​​the front outlet portion; a recessed portion that is open toward the upper side of the vehicle when viewed from the rear side of the vehicle is formed at the rear end of the flow regulating cloth, The recessed portion provides communication between the rear end portion of the airbag and the front portion of the airbag.

3. An inflator provided on the back side of an instrument panel; an airbag that is inflated and deployed from the instrument panel toward the rear of the vehicle by receiving a supply of gas ejected by the inflator and is positioned in front of the vehicle occupant; a flow regulating fabric that is provided inside the airbag, receives the gas ejected by the inflator, and is inflated and deployed, and discharges the gas that has flowed into the airbag; Equipped with a rear end portion of the flow regulating cloth is disposed on the vehicle front side and spaced apart from the rear wall of the airbag, a rear end of the flow regulating fabric is formed with a rear outlet portion that opens toward the rear side of the vehicle and discharges the gas into the rear end of the airbag, and a front end of the flow regulating fabric is formed with a front outlet portion that discharges the gas into the front part of the airbag, an opening area of ​​the rear outlet portion is larger than an opening area of ​​the front outlet portion; The airbag is a recess formed on a rear surface of the airbag, the recess being open toward the rear of the vehicle, the front end of the recess being connected to the rear end of the flow regulating fabric, and the recess being positioned on the vehicle front side of the occupant's head; an upper bulge portion that bulges toward the rear of the vehicle at an upper side of the recessed portion and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle; a pair of left and right side bulging portions bulging toward the vehicle rear side on both sides in the width direction of the airbag relative to the recessed portion; a lower bulge portion that bulges out toward the rear of the vehicle below the recessed portion, extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and is positioned on the front side of the occupant's chest; An airbag device for a vehicle comprising:

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