Occupant protection devices

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device which can expand an air bag smoothly even when impact force from a side acts.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device protects an occupant sitting on a seat, and includes an air bag 45 held by a hold belt part wound around the waist part of the occupant, and an inflator 20. The inflator includes an inflator main body 21 which is mounted in an area of a rear surface lower part side of a seat part of the seat, and a connection pipe part 25 which is arranged in an area of a side of the seat part so that the same is extended from the inflator main body and bent to connect the inflator main body and the air bag. The inflator main body is mounted on a seat frame side so that the inflator main body can slide and move together with the connection pipe part with respect to the seat frame 4 after receiving pressing force acting on the connection pipe part when external force is acted from right and left sides to a seat part side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device configured to protect an occupant seated in a seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been an occupant protection device in which an inflator that supplies inflation gas to an airbag that is folded and stored around the occupant's waist is arranged in an area on the lower rear surface of the seat portion of the seat on which the occupant sits (see, for example, Patent Document 1). More specifically, in conventional occupant protection devices, the inflator is configured to include a generally cylindrical inflator main body that is arranged on the lower rear surface of the seat portion with its axial direction generally aligned with the left-right direction, and a connecting pipe portion that is arranged to extend and bend from the inflator main body and connect to the airbag on the side of the seat portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-66425 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this conventional passenger protection device, the connecting pipe extending from the inflator body is bent and connected to the airbag at a position on the side of the seat. Therefore, when a large impact force acts from either the left or right side, such as when a vehicle enters from the side, the connecting pipe may deform, preventing the smooth supply of inflation gas to the airbag and preventing the airbag from inflating smoothly.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide an occupant protection device that is capable of smoothly inflating an airbag even when a side impact force acts thereon. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is configured to protect an occupant seated in a seat, an airbag configured to be inflatable in a bag shape so as to cover the front of the occupant and to be held in a folded state by a holding belt part that is wrapped around the waist of the occupant; an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag; An occupant protection device having a configuration comprising: The inflator is an inflator body having a generally cylindrical shape and attached to a lower rear surface of the seat portion of the seat with its axial direction generally aligned with the left-right direction; a connecting pipe portion that extends from the inflator body while being bent and is disposed in a side area of ​​the seat portion, and that connects the inflator body and the airbag; The device is configured to include: The inflator body is attached to the seat frame side so that it can slide together with the connecting pipe portion relative to the seat frame when an external force acts on the seat side from the left or right side and receives a pressing force acting on the connecting pipe portion.

[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, the inflator has a connecting pipe portion connecting the inflator body to the airbag that is bent while extending from the inflator body and positioned in a region to the side of the seat, but the inflator body is slidable together with the connecting pipe portion relative to the seat frame, so that even if an external force acts on the seat from the left or right side, such as when a vehicle enters from the side, and this external force acts to press against the connecting pipe portion, the connecting pipe portion can be slid along with the inflator body relative to the seat frame, thereby preventing the connecting pipe portion from being instantly deformed by the external force. Furthermore, by sliding the inflator body relative to the seat frame, the pressing force acting on the connecting pipe portion can be absorbed to some extent. In other words, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, the sliding movement of the inflator relative to the seat frame and the energy absorption that accompanies this sliding movement can delay the start of deformation of the connecting pipe section when an external force acts from the side, and before the connecting pipe section deforms, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator body can flow into the airbag via the connecting pipe section, allowing the airbag to inflate smoothly.

[0008] Therefore, in the passenger protection device of the present invention, the airbag can be smoothly inflated even when an impact force is applied from the side.

[0009] Specifically, examples of mounting the inflator body to the seat frame include a configuration in which the inflator body is mounted to a slide member that is held so as to be able to slide relative to the seat frame, and a configuration in which a mounting hole formed in the seat frame through which the mounting means extending from the inflator body is inserted is formed as a long hole extending approximately in the left-right direction so that the mounting means can slide inside. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a partially enlarged side view of the seat of FIG. 1 in the vicinity of the location of the inflator. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat of FIG. 1, showing the state in which the seat belt is fastened. [Figure 5] 2 is a partially enlarged rear view showing the lower end region of the seat cushion of the seat in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a partially enlarged rear view of the seat in FIG. 1 in the vicinity of the location of the inflator. [Figure 7] 3 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a bracket arrangement portion of the inflator in the occupant protection device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 3A and 3B are enlarged partial cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of an inflator arrangement position in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, showing a state before sliding (when mounted on the vehicle) and a state after sliding. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an airbag used in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment in a state where the airbag is inflated by itself; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 1 is a front view of a seat in a state where an airbag has completed inflation in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 12] 1 is a side view of a seat in a state where an airbag has completed inflation in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged schematic front view showing how an inflator is attached to a seat frame in an occupant protection device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 14 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a bracket-mounted portion of the inflator in the occupant protection device of FIG. 13. FIG. [Figure 15]14A and 14B are enlarged partial cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of the location of the inflator in the occupant protection device of FIG. 13, showing a state before sliding (when mounted on the vehicle) and a state after sliding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An occupant protection device S according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle seat 1, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, and includes a seat belt 7 that forms a retaining belt portion that retains an airbag 45, the airbag 45, an inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 45, and a slide mechanism 35 that slides the inflator 20 (inflator main body 21 and connecting pipe portion 25) relative to a seat frame 4, which will be described later.

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

[0013] In this embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1 and includes a belt body 8 for protecting an occupant MP seated in 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 fastened to a winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest 2, and the other end is fastened to an anchor member 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) disposed to the left of the rear end 3a of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1. More specifically, the belt body 8 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper left edge side of the backrest 2. In this embodiment, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 10 serving as a retaining belt for retaining the airbag 45 is exposed to the front surface of the backrest 2, as shown in FIGS. 1, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 10 is exposed at the front of the backrest 2 at the left edge 2a of the backrest 2, extending substantially along the vertical direction. The belt main body 8 has the lap belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 stored in the backrest 2, and when the occupant MP is seated, with the tongue plate 12 connected to the buckle 13, the lap belt 10, which is disposed substantially along the horizontal direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13, restrains the lower body MD (lumbar region MW) of the occupant MP, and the shoulder belt 9, which extends from the upper left edge of the backrest 2 and is disposed diagonally to the buckle 13, restrains the upper body MU (from the shoulders MS to the chest MB) of the occupant MP (see FIG. 4). In this embodiment, when an occupant MP is seated, the lap belt 10, which is placed in front of the waist MW of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1, constitutes a retaining belt portion that stores and retains the folded airbag 45, and the airbag 45 is retained by the lap belt 10 with its folded periphery covered by the cover 60. In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) that is placed in the backrest 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

[0014] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the inflator 20 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 45 comprises an inflator body 21 and a connecting pipe portion 25 that is arranged to extend from the inflator body 21 and connects the inflator body 21 to the airbag 45.

[0015] The inflator body 21 has a generally cylindrical outer shape and is disposed in a region on the lower rear surface of the seat bottom 3 of the seat 1, with its axial direction generally aligned with the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 5. The inflator body 21 is configured so that a gas discharge portion 22 capable of discharging inflation gas is disposed at one axial end thereof. In this embodiment, the inflator body 21 is configured to be attached to a slide mechanism 35 disposed on the rear surface of the seat frame 4, which is the lower side of the seat bottom 3, using a bracket 30 disposed on the outer periphery, with the end of the gas discharge portion 22 facing left (outside in the vehicle width direction). More specifically, the inflator body 21 is disposed in a region in approximately the left half of the rear surface of the seat frame 4, with the gas discharge portion 22 disposed on the left end 21a thereof generally aligned with the left end of the seat frame 4 (see FIG. 5). A connector 23, to which a lead wire 23a is connected, is connected to the other axial end (right end 21b) of the inflator body 21. Specifically, the inflator body 21 is configured to be attached to a sliding plate portion 36 serving as a sliding member that constitutes the slide mechanism 35. The bracket 30 for attaching the inflator body 21 to the sliding plate portion 36 serving as a sliding member includes a retaining ring portion 30a having a generally annular outer shape capable of holding the inflator body 21, and a bolt 30b protruding from the retaining ring portion 30a. The retaining ring portion 30a is configured to hold the inflator body 21 by being crimped to reduce its diameter (see FIG. 7). The brackets 30 are disposed at two locations spaced apart along the axial direction of the inflator body 21, and each bracket 30 holds the inflator body 21 with the retaining ring portion 30a. The bolt 30b protruding from the retaining ring portion 30a is inserted into an attachment hole 36a formed in the sliding plate portion 36 and secured with a nut 31, thereby attaching the inflator body 21 to the sliding plate portion 36 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). In this embodiment, the inflator body 21 is set to start operating later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7 in order to regulate the pulling out of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7 due to the inflation of the airbag 45.In addition, in this embodiment, the inflator body 21 is configured to activate when an impact force acts from the front and side (left side) when the seat 1 is positioned so that it faces the front of the vehicle.

[0016] The connecting pipe 25 that connects the inflator body 21 and the airbag 45 is formed from a metal pipe made of steel or the like, and is bent while extending from the inflator body 21, and is disposed in a region on the side (left, i.e., outward in the vehicle width direction) of the seat 3 (specifically, in a region to the left (outward in the vehicle width direction) of the seat frame 4 disposed below the seat 3). In the case of the embodiment, the connecting pipe 25 is bent while extending from the left end 21a (gas discharge portion 22) side of the inflator body 21, and is disposed on the left side of the seat frame 4 (an outer region of the seat frame 4 in the vehicle width direction), and has a base side portion 26 on the inflator body 21 side and a tip side portion 27 disposed so as to intersect with the base side portion 26, and has a substantially L-shaped external shape. More specifically, the tip end portion 27 of the connecting pipe portion 25 is disposed in a lateral (left) region of the seat frame 4 below the seat cushion 3 (see FIGS. 3 and 8). Although detailed description will be omitted, the base end 26a of the base end portion 26 of the connecting pipe portion 25 is connected to the gas discharge portion 22 of the inflator body 21 by crimping. The connecting pipe portion 25 is also configured so that the tip end 27a of the tip end portion 27 is connected to the tip end 55a of a conduit portion 55 of the airbag 45, which will be described later, by using a clamp 33.

[0017] The slide mechanism 35 that attaches the inflator body 21 to the seat frame 4 includes a slide plate 36 to which the inflator body 21 is attached, and slide rails 38U, 38D that are disposed on the seat frame 4 and that slidably support the slide plate 36. The slide plate 36 is generally rectangular and wider in the left-right direction than the inflator body 21. The slide plate 36 constitutes a slide member that is slidably supported relative to the seat frame 4. The slide plate 36 has two mounting holes 36a on the left and right sides through which bolts 30b of the bracket 30 that hold the inflator body 21 are inserted. In this embodiment, the inflator body 21 is attached to the slide plate 36 by inserting the bolts 30b into the mounting holes 36a and fastening them with nuts 31 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The slide rail portions 38U, 38D are fixed to the rear surface side of the seat frame 4, and are elongated shapes having a substantially U-shaped cross section (or an inverted U-shaped cross section) that extend substantially along the left-right direction so that the upper and lower ends of the slide plate portion 36 can be inserted therein and held slidably in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 7 and 8). In the embodiment, the upper and lower edges of the right end of the slide plate portion 36, which is the leading end in the movement direction, are temporarily fixed to the slide rail portions 38U, 38D by shear pins 40 (see FIG. 6). As shown by the two-dot chain lines in A of Figures 7 and 8, the shear pin 40 is disposed to penetrate the slide rail portions 38U, 38D and the slide plate portion 36, and is set in strength so that when a pressing force of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied from the left to the connecting pipe portion 25 (tip end portion 27), it will shear and release the temporarily fixed state, and after the shear pin 40 is sheared, the slide plate portion 36 will slide to the right relative to the slide rail portions 38U, 38D (see B of Figure 8), in other words, the inflator 20 (inflator main body 21) will slide to the right together with the connecting pipe portion 25 relative to the seat frame 4. The shear strength of the shear pin 40 is set so that it can be sheared when it comes into contact with the connecting pipe portion 25 of an oncoming vehicle during a side collision of the vehicle.In this embodiment, an opening 4a is formed in the seat frame 4 in the area where the inflator body 21 moves so that the inflator body 21 does not come into contact with the bolt 30b and nut 31 that attach the inflator body 21 to the slide plate portion 36 (see Figures 6 to 8).

[0018] In this embodiment, the inflator 20 is attached to the seat frame 4 via the slide mechanism 35 so that there is a gap between the connecting pipe portion 25 and the seat frame 4 (specifically, between the tip end portion 27 and the left side surface of the seat frame 4) when the inflator 20 is mounted on the vehicle. The gap H (see FIG. 6; the movement stroke of the inflator body 21 after the shear pin 40 is sheared) between the connecting pipe portion 25 (the tip end portion 27) and the seat frame 4 when mounted on the vehicle is set to about 30 mm in this embodiment.

[0019] The airbag 45 is held by the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 as a retaining belt portion, folded into a long shape, and surrounded by the cover 60. Specifically, the airbag 45 is placed in the area of ​​the lap belt 10, with the lap belt 10 covered by the cover 60 and overlapping the upper surface of the lap belt 10 when the seat belt 7 is fastened (see FIG. 4). In other words, the airbag 45 is folded and stored in the gap between the lap belt 10 and the cover 60. In addition, in the unfastened state as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 45 is placed on the back side (the backrest 2 side) of the lap belt 10 exposed at the front of the backrest 2. The cover 60 is made of a flexible sheet member and is configured to be torn at a predetermined location when the airbag 45 is deployed and inflated, allowing a bag main body 46 (described later) of the airbag 45 to protrude.

[0020] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, 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 to allow inflation gas to flow into the bag body 46, and an attachment portion 57 that holds the bag body 46 to the lap belt 10.

[0021] The bag body 46 has an outer shape when fully inflated that is a substantially triangular prism with its axial direction aligned substantially along the left-right direction, and is configured so that when viewed from the left or right sides, the fully inflated shape is a substantially right-angled triangle with its hypotenuse at the front, and when viewed from the front-rear direction, the fully inflated shape is a substantially rectangular shape that is wider in the vertical direction (see FIGS. 11 and 12). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the bag body 46 has a rear wall 48 that is positioned on the occupant MP side (rear side) when fully inflated, a front wall 47 that is positioned opposite the rear wall 48 in the front-rear direction, a bottom wall 49 that is positioned at the lower end when fully inflated, and left wall 50 and right wall 51 that are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction when fully inflated. When fully inflated, the bag body 46 receives the upper body MU of the occupant MP with the rear wall 48, and when the upper body MU is received by the rear wall 48, the lower wall 49 abuts against and is supported by the thighs MT of the occupant MP, thereby protecting the occupant MP (see FIG. 12 ). The bag body 46 is configured such that a conduit 55 is disposed on the underside of the rear end 49a of the lower wall 49, and inflation gas from the inflator 20 (inflator body 21) flows into the bag body 46 through the conduit 55. In the region of the rear end 49a of the lower wall 49, two circular communication holes 53 communicating with the conduits 55 are provided side by side on the left and right sides in this embodiment. The bag body 46 is connected to the conduit 55 at the periphery of the communication hole 53.

[0022] The conduit 55 extends leftward from the bag body 46, has a generally cylindrical shape with an open tip 55a, and is connected to the connecting pipe 25. The conduit 55 is disposed generally along the left-right direction so as to generally follow the lap belt 10 when the airbag 45 is fully inflated (see FIGS. 11 and 12). The tip 55a of the conduit 55 is connected to the tip 27a of the connecting pipe 25 using the clamp 33, as described above. As shown in FIG. 9, the attachment portion 57 that attaches the bag body 46 to the lap belt 10 is sewn to the underside of the conduit 55. The attachment portion 57 is generally cylindrical with open ends 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 is held by the lap belt 10.

[0023] In the embodiment of the occupant protection device S, when an occupant MP is seated in a seat 1 mounted in a vehicle while fastening a seat belt 7, when the inflator 20 is activated, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator main body 21 flows into the bag main body 46 via the connecting pipe portion 25 and the conduit portion 55, and the bag main body 46 of the airbag 45 breaks the cover 60 and protrudes forward and upward from the lap belt 10 serving as the retaining belt portion, completing inflation as shown in Figures 11 and 12.

[0024] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the inflator 20 has a connecting pipe portion 25 that connects the inflator main body 21 and the airbag 45, which is bent while extending from the inflator main body 21 and is arranged in a lateral (left) area of ​​the seat 3 (specifically, in a left area of ​​the seat frame 4). However, the inflator main body 21 is slidable together with the connecting pipe portion 25 relative to the seat frame 4. Therefore, when an external force F acts on the seat 3 from the left or right side (the left in the case of the embodiment), such as when entering the vehicle from the side, even if this external force F acts to press the connecting pipe portion 25 (specifically, the tip end portion 27), by sliding the connecting pipe portion 25 together with the inflator main body 21 relative to the seat frame 4 (see A and B in Figure 8), it is possible to prevent the connecting pipe portion 25 from being instantly deformed by the external force F. At this time, by sliding the inflator body 21 relative to the seat frame 4, it is also possible to absorb some of the energy of the pressing force acting on the connecting pipe portion 25. That is, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the sliding movement of the inflator 20 relative to the seat frame 4 and the energy absorption that accompanies this sliding movement can delay the start of deformation of the connecting pipe portion 25 when an external force acts from the side, and can allow the inflation gas discharged from the inflator body 21 to flow into the airbag 45 via the connecting pipe portion 25 before the connecting pipe portion 25 deforms, thereby enabling the airbag 45 to inflate smoothly.

[0025] Therefore, in the passenger protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 45 can be smoothly inflated even when an impact force is applied from the side.

[0026] Specifically, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the inflator body 21 is attached to a slide plate 36, which serves as a slide member that is slidably supported relative to the seat frame 4. More specifically, the slide plate 36 is mounted on the vehicle in a state in which it is temporarily fixed to slide rails 38U, 38D disposed on the seat frame 4 side by a shear pin 40. When an external force F is applied, the shear pin 40 is sheared by the external force F, causing the slide plate 36 to slide relative to the slide rails 38U, 38D. Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, when mounted on the vehicle before the external force F is applied, rightward movement of the inflator 20 (the inflator body 21 and the connecting pipe 25) can be appropriately suppressed, thereby ensuring a sufficient movement stroke of the inflator 20 toward the seat frame 4. Furthermore, when the external force F is applied, the shear pin 40 is sheared, thereby absorbing energy from the pressing force acting on the connecting pipe 25.

[0027] 13 to 15 may be used as a mounting configuration (slide mechanism 65) of the inflator 20 on the seat frame 4A. In the mounting configurations shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the inflator 20 is mounted directly to the seat frame 4A. The seat frame 4A is formed with mounting holes 4b through which the bolts 30b of the inflator 20 can be inserted for mounting, and these mounting holes 4b are elongated holes extending substantially along the left-right direction so that the bolts 30b can move left-right inside the mounting holes 4b (see FIG. 13). When the inflator 20 is mounted in the vehicle, the bolts 30b are positioned on the left edge of the mounting holes 4b and the inflator body 21 itself slides rightward relative to the seat frame 4A when an external force F is applied, causing the bolts 30b to move within the mounting holes 4b (see FIGS. 15A and 15B). That is, the mounting holes 4b formed in the seat frame 4A themselves constitute a slide mechanism 65 that allows the inflator 20 (inflator body 21 and connecting pipe portion 25) to slide relative to the seat frame 4A. The length L (see FIG. 13) of each mounting hole 4b is set to be equal to or larger than the gap (the movement stroke of the inflator body 21) between the connecting pipe portion 25 and the seat frame 4A when mounted in the vehicle, and is set to approximately 30 mm in this embodiment. Note that, because the bolts 30b inserted into the mounting holes 4b are secured with nuts 31, the inflator 20 will not move with a light force (for example, a force exerted by a hand or foot) when mounted in the vehicle, but will move when an external force F is applied, such as when a vehicle enters the vehicle, similar to the slide mechanism 35 described above. With this configuration, even when the inflator 20 is attached to the seat frame 4A, when an external force F acts on the seat portion 3 from the left or right side (from the left in this embodiment), such as when someone enters the vehicle from the side, this external force F causes the connecting pipe portion 25, together with the inflator main body 21, to slide relative to the seat frame 4A, thereby preventing the connecting pipe portion 25 from being instantly deformed by the external force F.At this time, the bolts 30b attaching the inflator body 21 to the seat frame 4A slide within the mounting holes 4b, and this sliding movement can also absorb the energy of the pressing force acting on the connecting pipe portion 25. Therefore, even with the above configuration, the sliding movement of the inflator 20 relative to the seat frame 4A and the energy absorption that accompanies this sliding movement can delay the start of deformation of the connecting pipe portion 25 when an external force is applied from the side, and can allow the inflation gas discharged from the inflator body 21 to flow into the airbag 45 via the connecting pipe portion 25 before the connecting pipe portion 25 deforms, allowing the airbag 45 to inflate smoothly.

[0028] In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7 is used as the retaining belt portion that retains the airbag 45, but the retaining belt portion that retains the airbag is not limited to a lap belt. For example, a belt separate from the seat belt may be placed in front of the hips of the occupant seated in the seat, and the airbag may be retained by this belt. Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, although the airbag 45 is retained by the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7, the inflator 20 operates with a delay from the operation of the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7. Therefore, the airbag 45 can be inflated while the occupant MP is stably maintained seated in the seat 1 by the seat belt 7, and the airbag 45 and the seat belt 7 can stably protect the occupant MP.

[0029] Furthermore, 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 used in a state where it is moved relative to the vehicle by being slid forward and backward significantly or rotated, the occupant MP seated in the seat 1 can be adequately protected by the airbag 45. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1...seat, 3...seat portion, 4, 4A...seat frame, 4b...mounting hole, 20...inflator, 21...inflator body, 25...connecting pipe portion, 30...bracket, 30b...bolt, 31...nut, 35...slide mechanism, 36...slide plate portion (slide member), 38U, 38D...slide rail portion, 45...airbag, 65...slide mechanism, MP...occupant, S...occupant protection device

Claims

1. It is configured to protect the occupant seated in the seat, an airbag configured to be inflatable in a bag shape so as to cover the front of the occupant and to be held in a folded state by a holding belt portion that is wrapped around the waist of the occupant; an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag; An occupant protection device having a configuration comprising: The inflator is an inflator body having a generally cylindrical shape and attached to a region of the lower rear surface of the seat portion of the seat with its axial direction generally aligned with the left-right direction; a connecting pipe portion that extends from the inflator body, is bent, and is disposed in a region on the side of the seat portion, and connects the inflator body and the airbag; The device is configured to include: the inflator body is attached to a slide mechanism provided on a seat frame, and is attached to the seat frame side so as to be slidable together with the connecting pipe portion relative to the seat frame when a pressing force acts on the connecting pipe portion when an external force acts on the seat portion from the left or right side, The slide mechanism is a slide plate portion for mounting the inflator body; a slide rail portion disposed on the seat frame side, into which an upper end side and a lower end side of the slide plate portion are inserted, for holding the slide plate portion so as to be slidable in the left-right direction; Equipped with An occupant protection device, wherein an opening is formed in the seat frame in a region where the inflator body moves.

2. The slide plate portion is temporarily fixed to the slide rail portion by a shear pin, 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the shear pin is configured to release the temporary fixed state when subjected to the pressing force.

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