Occupant protection devices

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device configured so that a seat belt having an airbag assembled thereto can be smoothly inserted into and pulled out from a feed-out port part.SOLUTION: In an occupant protection device MS, a feed-out port part 40 having a feed-out port 45 opened so as to enable a seat belt 25 extending from a take-up device arranged in a backrest part 2 to be fed forward is arranged at an upper end 3tL of the backrest part of a seat 1, and an airbag inflated to be able to receive an upper body of an occupant by gas for inflation flown thereinto is assembled to a lap belt part of the seat belt attached to the occupant. The feed-out port part is mounted on a mounting base part 8 of the backrest part so that at least an opening direction OD of the feed-out port can be turned toward a direction in an angular range from a forward direction FD in which the seat belt can be fed forward to an oblique direction CD in which a tongue of the seat belt can be fed out to be fastened to a buckle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a known occupant protection device protects an occupant seated in a seat by assembling an airbag that inflates by injecting inflation gas into the lap belt portion of a seat belt (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The seat has a seat portion and a backrest portion, and a payout outlet portion is disposed at one of the left and right upper ends of the backrest portion, the payout outlet portion having an opening that allows the seat belt extending from a retractor to be paid out forward. The payout outlet portion opens forward in a generally rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the seat belt. The seat belt is configured so that the tongue of the seat belt paid out from the payout outlet of the payout outlet is fastened to a buckle disposed on the other side of the seat cushion in the left-right direction opposite the payout outlet, and the portion from the payout outlet to the buckle serves as a shoulder belt portion of the seat belt capable of restraining the front side of the occupant's upper body, and the portion from the buckle to the fixed end provided on one side of the seat cushion in the left-right direction near the payout outlet serves as a lap belt portion of the seat belt capable of restraining the front side of the occupant's waist, and is worn by the occupant seated in the seat. As described above, the airbag is folded and assembled to the lap belt portion so that, when activated, inflation gas flows in and the airbag inflates to support the upper body of the occupant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-56345 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional occupant protection devices, the payout opening of the seatbelt payout opening portion simply opens forward, and in the initial state before the seatbelt is paid out, it extends forward from the payout opening portion and hangs downward so as to contact the front side of the seatback. When the tongue is fastened to the buckle to fasten the seatbelt, the seatbelt is paid out from the payout opening diagonally forward and downward toward the buckle. However, because the payout opening only opens forward, the seatbelt interferes with the periphery of the payout opening during payout, making it difficult to pay out quickly. Of course, conversely, when the seatbelt is unfastened after being fastened, the tension of the retractor attempts to return the seatbelt to its initial state before it is paid out. However, because a folded airbag is attached to the lap belt portion in an inflatable manner, the weight of the folded airbag, etc., easily causes interference with the area around the payout opening, preventing a smooth return to the initial state.

[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 allows a seat belt with an airbag attached to be smoothly retracted and retracted through a retraction opening. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, a seat has a seat portion and a backrest portion, and a retraction outlet portion is disposed at one upper end of the backrest portion in the left-right direction, the retraction outlet portion having an opening for allowing a seat belt extending from a retractor disposed within the backrest portion to be retracted forward, The seat belt is configured such that a tongue of the seat belt paid out from the payout outlet is fastened to a buckle disposed on the other side of the seat cushion in the left-right direction opposite the payout outlet, and the portion from the payout outlet to the buckle serves as a shoulder belt portion of the seat belt capable of restraining the front side of the occupant's upper body, and the portion from the buckle to a fixed end provided on one side of the seat cushion in the left-right direction on the payout outlet side serves as a lap belt portion of the seat belt capable of restraining the front side of the occupant's waist, and is worn by an occupant seated in the seat; An occupant protection device in which an airbag is folded and assembled to a portion of the lap belt portion, the airbag inflating when activated by allowing inflation gas to flow therein so as to be able to support the upper body of an occupant, The payout outlet portion is attached to the mounting base of the backrest portion so that the opening direction of the payout outlet can be rotated in a direction within an angular range from a forward direction in which the seat belt can be paid out forward to an oblique direction in which the seat belt can be paid out obliquely forward so as to fasten the tongue to the buckle.

[0007] In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, when the seat belt is fastened, the seat belt is unwound diagonally downward and forward toward the buckle. This causes the periphery of the payout opening, which is open forward, to be pushed by the seat belt, causing the payout opening to rotate and point diagonally forward toward the buckle. This reduces resistance due to friction or catching on the seat belt with the payout opening periphery, allowing the seat belt to be unwound smoothly, and the tongue to be easily and quickly fastened to the buckle. When the tongue is subsequently released from the buckle, the retractor operates to retract the seat belt toward the payout opening, returning it to its initial forward-facing state. At this time, even if the seat belt is pointing diagonally forward from the payout opening toward the buckle when the tongue is initially released, the seat belt pushes the periphery of the payout opening to rotate the payout opening, i.e., the seat belt is smoothly and quickly retracted and returned to its initial forward-facing state while rotating the payout opening while reducing interference with the payout opening periphery.

[0008] Therefore, in the passenger protection device according to the present invention, the seat belt to which the airbag is attached can be smoothly and quickly withdrawn and retracted from the retraction opening.

[0009] In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, the outlet portion is a vertical insertion portion through which a portion of the seat belt extending upward from the retractor is inserted; a horizontal insertion portion extending forward from the vertical insertion portion so that the seat belt is inserted forward from an upper end of the vertical insertion portion, and the withdrawal opening is disposed at a front end thereof; In addition to providing a belt support portion disposed on an edge of the payout outlet side on an inner peripheral surface side of an intersection portion between the vertical insertion portion and the horizontal insertion portion, and slidably supporting an inner peripheral surface side of a bent portion of the seat belt extending upward from the retractor that bends toward the payout outlet side; Equipped with The vertical insertion portion is attached to the attachment base so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending substantially along the vertical direction, The configuration may be such that the

[0010] In this configuration, the seat belt extending upward from the retractor rises within the vertical insertion portion of the retraction outlet portion in an initial state, then bends forward while contacting the inner peripheral surface of the belt support portion, and extends forward from the retraction outlet at the tip of the horizontal insertion portion. When the seat belt is worn, and the seat belt is retracted diagonally forward to fasten the tongue of the seat belt to the buckle, the belt support portion and the periphery of the retraction outlet, which slide with the seat belt, are pushed by the seat belt. Therefore, the retraction outlet portion rotates relative to the mounting base while suppressing the sliding resistance of the seat belt, in response to the seat belt retraction direction changing from forward to diagonally forward. When the tongue is subsequently released, the belt support portion and the periphery of the retraction outlet are pushed in the opposite direction, sliding the retracted seat belt, causing the retracted seat belt to rotate and return the seat belt to its initial state. Furthermore, since the belt support portion supports the inner peripheral surface side of the bent portion of the seat belt, i.e., the front side, even if a load that moves the occupant forward is applied to the seat belt during a vehicle collision, the seat belt can be stably supported and the occupant restraint performance of the seat belt is not impaired. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing a seat belt indicated by a two-dot chain line; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic left side view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic plan view showing the vicinity of the extension opening portion of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the payout opening portion of the occupant protection device of the embodiment, and corresponds to the VV portion of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the payout opening portion of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment, and corresponds to the portion VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7]4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the payout outlet portion in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, illustrating a state in which the seat belt is shifted from an initial state to a fastened state. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic front view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing a state in which an occupant is fastened with a seat belt. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic left side view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing a state in which a seat belt is fastened to an occupant, and more specifically, showing a state in which a pretensioner mechanism of a retractor is activated. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an inflated state of an airbag in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic left side view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment when activated; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 1 to 3, 8, 9, and 11, an occupant protection device MS of the embodiment is configured to include a seat 1 having a seat portion 18 on which a vehicle occupant MP sits and a backrest portion 2, a seat belt device 20 assembled to the seat 1, and an airbag device 60. The backrest portion 2 of the seat 1 is configured to include a substantially rectangular plate-shaped main body portion 3 and a headrest portion 4 assembled to an upper end 3t of the main body portion 3.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1, 3, 8, 9, and 11, the airbag device 60 is configured to include a bag assembly 66 that is assembled to the assembly portion 37 of the lap belt portion 30 of the seat belt 25 of the seat belt device 20, and an inflator 62 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 70 of the bag assembly 66.

[0014] The inflator 62 includes a generally cylindrical inflator body 63 that discharges inflation gas, and a pipe portion 64 that projects from the inflator body 63 and is bent into a generally L-shape, and is attached and fixed to the rear side of the bottom portion 18 of the seat 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). A tip end 87a of a gas supply passage portion 85 (described later) of the airbag 70 is fitted to the pipe portion 64, and is further fastened and connected to the pipe portion 64 by a clamp 65.

[0015] The bag assembly 66 includes an airbag 70, a bag connecting portion 89, and a bag cover 91, and in this embodiment, also includes a gas supply path portion 85 that connects the airbag 70 and the inflator 62 and supplies inflation gas from the inflator 62 to the airbag 70 (see Figures 8 to 10).

[0016] 10 and 11, the airbag 70 is configured so that when fully inflated, the peripheral wall 71 inflates into a generally triangular prism shape when viewed from the side, and includes a bottom wall portion 72 on the bottom side, a rear wall portion 73 on the rear side, a front wall portion 74 on the front side, and left and right side wall portions 75 (L, R). When fully inflated, the airbag 70 has a lower surface 72a of the bottom wall portion 72 that serves as a support surface 77 for supporting the thighs MF of the occupant MP, and a rear surface 73a of the rear wall portion 73 that serves as an occupant restraint surface 78 that receives the upper body MU of the occupant MP as it moves forward.

[0017] An inlet portion 80 having a plurality of inlets 80a for allowing inflation gas to flow in from the gas supply passage portion 85 is disposed near the rear edge 72b of the bottom wall portion 72. In addition, vent holes 82 for discharging excess inflation gas flowing into the airbag 70 are formed on the front sides of the left and right side walls 75L, 75R.

[0018] The airbag 70, together with the gas supply passage portion 85 and the bag connecting portion 89, is made of woven fabric such as polyester.

[0019] The gas supply passage portion 85 is configured to include a bag side portion 86 connected to the airbag 70, and a cylindrical gas passage portion 87 extending from the bag side portion 86 toward the inflator 62 (see FIG. 9). As described above, the gas passage portion 87 has a tip 87a connected to the pipe portion 64 of the inflator 62. The bag side portion 86 is provided with a communication port 86a that communicates with the inlet 80a of the inlet portion 80 of the airbag 70, and the periphery of the communication port 86a is sewn to the periphery of the inlet 80a, so that the bag side portion 86 is connected to the rear edge 72b of the bottom wall portion 72 that forms the lower end 70a of the airbag 70.

[0020] The bag connection portion 89 connects the folded airbag 70 to the lap belt portion 30 so that the folded airbag 70 can slide along the lap belt portion 30, and in this embodiment, is cylindrical in shape and is connected to the underside 72a of the airbag 70 via the bag side portion 86 of the gas supply path portion 85.

[0021] The bag cover 91 is arranged in a cylindrical shape so as to cover the folded airbag 70 and the assembly portion 37 of the lap belt portion 30 to which the airbag 70 is attached, allowing the airbag 70 to protrude when inflated (see FIG. 8). In this embodiment, the bag cover 91 also covers a bag side portion 86 of a gas supply path portion 85 connected to the airbag 70, and a bag connecting portion 89. Unlike the material of the airbag 70, etc., the bag cover 91 is formed from a fabric similar to that used for the seat material of the seat 1 so as not to impair the design.

[0022] When assembling the bag assembly 66 to the lap belt portion 30, first, the gas supply path portion 85, to which the bag connecting portion 89 before being formed into a cylindrical shape is connected, is connected to the airbag 70, and the airbag 70 is folded. Next, the assembly portion 37 of the lap belt portion 30 is wrapped with the bag connecting portion 89 before being formed into a cylindrical shape, and the bag connecting portion 89 is formed into a cylindrical shape. Then, the folded airbag 70 and the lap belt portion 30 at the assembly portion 37 are wrapped together to form a cylindrical bag cover 91, and the bag assembly 66 can be assembled to the assembly portion 37 of the lap belt portion 30 and covered with the bag cover 91.

[0023] Furthermore, when the bag assembly 66 is assembled to the lap belt portion 30, with the seatbelt 25 worn by the occupant MP, the occupant side 30a of the lap belt portion 30 is positioned on the abdomen MB side of the occupant MP, with the bag connecting portion 89 and the bag cover 91 interposed therebetween, and the assembly main body 66a of the bag assembly 66, which includes the bag side portion 86 of the gas supply path portion 85 covered by the bag cover 91 and the airbag 70, is disposed on the anti-occupant side 30b of the lap belt portion 30. When the seatbelt 25 is not worn and is wound by the winding device 22, which will be described later, the anti-occupant side 30b of the lap belt portion 30 faces the front surface 3f of the backrest 2, and the assembly main body 66a of the bag assembly 66 is in contact with the front surface 3f.

[0024] The seat belt device 20 is configured to include a belt-shaped seat belt 25 made of woven polyester fiber or the like with good sliding properties, a retractor 22 that retracts the seat belt 25, a buckle 33 that fastens a tongue 34 attached to the seat belt 25, and a retraction outlet portion 40 that retracts the seat belt 25 upward from the retractor 22 in a forward direction (see Figures 1 to 6).

[0025] The retractor 22 is disposed within the main body 3 of the backrest 2 of the seat 1 and is held by the seat frame 6, and is equipped with a pretensioner mechanism 23 that stops the seat belt 25 from being pulled out if it is suddenly pulled out, and can retract the pulled-out seat belt 25 in the event of a vehicle collision, etc. The pretensioner mechanism 23 is a general-purpose mechanism that activates a built-in gas generator to rotate the shaft around which the seat belt 25 is wound, thereby instantly retracting the seat belt 25. Note that the retractor 22 activates the pretensioner mechanism 23 in the event of a vehicle collision, but the inflator 62 that supplies inflation gas to inflate the airbag 70 is activated approximately 5 ms after the activation of the pretensioner mechanism 23. This delay is required so that the pretensioner mechanism 23 is activated to retract the seatbelt 25 and stabilize the seating position of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1, and then the airbag 70 is inflated, and the occupant MP is then appropriately protected by the inflated airbag 70. That is, in the occupant protection device MS of this embodiment, the pretensioner mechanism 23 is activated just before the airbag 70 is inflated so that the occupant MP is positioned in the center position in the left-right direction of the inflating airbag 70, thereby locating the occupant MP in an appropriate seating position in advance.

[0026] The seat belt 25 protrudes from the payout outlet 45 of the payout outlet portion 40 with the upper end 25a being the portion on the side of the retractor 22. The seat belt 25 is disposed with the lower end 25b being the fixed end that is fixed to an anchor member 31 disposed on the left side portion 18a of the seat portion 18 of the seat 1. The anchor member 31 is disposed on the left side portion 18a of the backrest portion 2 of the seat portion 18, on the left side where the payout outlet portion 40 is provided.

[0027] The seat belt 25 is provided with a tongue 34, which is fastened to a buckle 33 disposed on the right side 18b of the seat cushion 18 of the seat 1, opposite the side of the payout outlet 40. When the tongue 34 is fastened to the buckle 33, the seat belt 25 has a portion extending from the tongue 34 toward the payout outlet 40 as a shoulder belt portion 29 disposed in front of the upper body MU of the occupant MP, and a portion extending from the tongue 34 toward the fixed end 29b as a lap belt portion 30 disposed in front of the waist MW of the occupant MP. The buckle 33 is provided with a release button (not shown), and when the fastened tongue 34 is to be released, the tongue 34 can be removed from the buckle 33 by pressing the release button.

[0028] The tongue 34 is configured to include an insertion ring portion 34a through which the seat belt 25 is inserted, and a locking portion 34b that protrudes forward from the insertion ring portion 34a and can be fastened to the buckle 33.

[0029] The seat belt 25 is provided with a tongue stopper 35 to prevent the tongue 34 from falling off.

[0030] 1 to 4, the retraction outlet 40 is disposed above the retractor 22, i.e., on the upper left end 3tL side of the upper end 3t of the main body 3 of the backrest 2, and the retraction outlet 45 is a rectangular opening that is slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the seat belt 25 and extends in the left-right direction, and is opened forward so that the seat belt 25 can be withdrawn forward. The retraction outlet 40 is attached to the attachment base 8 of the backrest 2 so that the opening direction OD of the retraction outlet 45 can rotate in a direction within an angular range from a forward direction FD, in which the seat belt 25 can be withdrawn forward, to a diagonal direction CD, in which the seat belt 25 can be withdrawn diagonally forward so as to fasten the tongue 34 to the buckle 33.

[0031] 4 to 6, the reel-out port portion 40 is configured to include a vertical insertion portion 42 and a horizontal insertion portion 44. The vertical insertion portion 42 is cylindrical and has a vertical hole 42a extending in the up-down direction, through which a portion 26 of the seat belt 25 extending upward from the retractor 22 near the retractor 22 passes. The horizontal insertion portion 44 is generally cylindrical and has a horizontal hole 44a extending forward in a direction generally perpendicular to the vertical insertion portion 42 so that the seat belt 25 is inserted forward from the upper end of the vertical insertion portion 42, and has a reel-out port 45 disposed at its front end.

[0032] A belt support portion 48 is disposed on the edge of the inner peripheral surface of an intersection portion (intersection portion) 47 between the vertical insertion portion 42 and the horizontal insertion portion 44, on the side of the reel-out port 45. The belt support portion 48 slidably supports an inner peripheral surface 27a of a bending portion 27 of the seat belt 25 extending upward from the retractor 22, which bends toward the reel-out port 45. A sliding surface 48a of the belt support portion 48 that slides against the seat belt 25 is disposed along the width direction of the seat belt 25 so as to be perpendicular to the seat belt 25, and is disposed so as to slide against the entire width direction of the bending portion 27 of the seat belt 25. The vertical insertion portion 42 is attached to the attachment base 8 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis C that is substantially along the up-down direction.

[0033] This vertical insertion portion 42 has a flange portion 42c protruding from the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 40b, and is assembled to the pivot support portion 10 of the mounting base 8 so that the outer peripheral surface 40b and the lower end surface 42d slide on the pivot support portion 10 and are rotatable.

[0034] The mounting base 8, which is disposed on the backrest 2 of the seat 1, is fixed to the seat frame 6 above the retractor 22 and has an insertion hole 9 that penetrates substantially in the vertical direction, with a pivotal support portion 10 disposed on the upper peripheral edge of the insertion hole 9. The pivotal support portion 10 is configured to include a slide hole 10a that rotatably supports the outer peripheral surface 42b of the vertical insertion portion 42, and a support seat 10b that rotatably supports the lower end surface 42d of the vertical insertion portion 42. A retaining portion 10c that prevents the flange portion 42c of the vertical insertion portion 42 from coming off upward is disposed near the outer peripheral edge of the support seat 10b.

[0035] The mounting base 8 is made of metal and is configured by joining together two divided bodies 8a, 8b, one large and one small, around the insertion hole 9. The divided bodies 8a, 8b have flange portions 8c, 8c that protrude in the radial direction of the insertion hole 9, and the mounting base 8 is formed by overlapping the flange portions 8c, 8c, inserting bolts 12 into mounting holes 8d provided in the flange portions 8c, and tightening nuts 13 onto the inserted bolts 12.

[0036] In addition, lubricating materials 57, 58 made of a fluororesin material or the like that can ensure good sliding are arranged on the outer surface 42b and the lower end surface 42d of the vertical insertion portion 42 of the payout outlet portion 40, which are the sliding parts between the sliding hole 10a and the support seat 10b.

[0037] In this embodiment, the payout port 40 is made up of a main body 50 made of a rigid metal material such as steel, and a cover material 55 made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene.

[0038] The main body 50 includes a plate-like portion 51 having a substantially rectangular plate shape, an annular portion 52 that, together with the plate-like portion 51, forms the opening periphery of the payout port 45, and a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 53 that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the plate-like portion 51. The tubular portion 53 forms the vertical insertion portion 42. A slit-shaped insertion opening 51a and a semicircular arc-shaped opening 51c are disposed in the area of ​​the plate-like portion 51 surrounded by the tubular portion 53. The insertion opening 51a is for inserting the portion 26 of the seat belt 25 adjacent to the retractor 22, and has a rectangular shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the seat belt 25. An edge 51b of the insertion opening 51a on the payout port 45 side forms the belt support portion 48 that supports the bent portion 27 of the seat belt 25. The outer peripheral surface of the belt support portion 48 serves as a sliding surface 48 a that slides against the inner peripheral surface 27 a of the bent portion 27 of the seat belt 25 .

[0039] The cover material 55 is formed in a generally box-like shape that covers the plate-shaped portion 51 of the main body 50, and is disposed with an engaging edge 55a on its outer periphery engaged with a locking edge 51d on the outer periphery of the plate-shaped portion 51. A plurality of stoppers 55b are disposed on the inner periphery of the cover material 55, which come into contact with the upper surface of the plate-shaped portion 51 when the engaging edge 55a is engaged with the locking edge 51d. The cover material 55 also has an opening 55c for the payout port 45 when engaged with the plate-shaped portion 51.

[0040] In the occupant protection device MS of the embodiment, when assembling the seat 1, before or after fixing the retractor 22 and the mounting base 8 to the seat frame 6, the seat belt 25 extending from the retractor 22 is inserted through the insertion hole 9 of the mounting base 8 and through the insertion opening 51a and the opening 55c before the cover material 55 is locked to the main body 50, and the tongue 34 and the tongue stopper 35 are assembled and fastened to the anchor member 31. Then, while assembling the mounting base 8 using the bolts 12 and nuts 13, the tubular portion 53 of the retraction outlet portion 40 is pivotally supported on the pivot support portion 10 of the mounting base 8 and the cover material 55 is engaged with the main body 50, whereby the retraction outlet portion 40 can be attached to the upper left end 3tL of the backrest portion 2 of the seat 1. The cushion portion 15 and the covering material 16 of the seat 1 are disposed before or after the attachment of the payout opening portion 40, using the seat frame 6 or the like as appropriate.

[0041] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the occupant protection device MS, after the seat 1 is mounted in the vehicle and the seat belt 25 is arranged on the seat 1, the bag assembly 66 is assembled to the assembly portion 37 of the lap belt portion 30 of the seat belt 25 as described above, and then the tip 87a of the gas supply path portion 85 is connected to the pipe portion 64 of the inflator 62 already attached to the seat 1 using the clamp 65, thereby enabling the occupant protection device MS to be mounted in the vehicle.

[0042] In the occupant protection device MS of the embodiment, when the seat belt 25 is fastened, if the seat belt 25 is unwound diagonally downward and forward (diagonally downward and forward to the right) toward the buckle 33, so as to fasten the tongue 34 to the buckle 33, the seat belt 25 pushes the right edge 46a of the periphery 46 of the unwinding outlet 45, which is open facing forward, causing the unwinding outlet portion 40 to rotate to the right, and the unwinding outlet 45 is directed diagonally forward toward the buckle 33. This reduces resistance due to catching or friction with the periphery 46 of the unwinding outlet 45 of the seat belt 25, allowing the seat belt 25 to be unwound smoothly, and the tongue 34 can be fastened to the buckle 33 easily and quickly.

[0043] Thereafter, when the tongue 34 is released from the buckle 33, the seat belt 25 is retracted toward the reel-outlet portion 40 by the operation of the retractor 22, and attempts to return to its initial forward-facing state as shown in C, B, and A of Fig. 7. At this time, even if the seat belt 25 is facing diagonally forward from the reel-outlet portion 40 toward the buckle 33 as shown in C of Fig. 7 when the tongue 34 is initially released, the seat belt 25 presses the left edge 46b, etc. of the periphery 46 of the reel-outlet 45, causing the reel-outlet portion 40 to rotate leftward, that is, interference with the periphery 46 of the reel-outlet 45 is suppressed, and the seat belt 25 is smoothly and quickly retracted while rotating the reel-outlet portion 40 left, thereby returning from the state shown in B of Fig. 7 to the initial forward-facing state shown in A of Fig. 7.

[0044] Therefore, in the occupant protection device MS of the embodiment, the seat belt to which the airbag is attached can be smoothly and quickly taken in and out of the payout opening portion.

[0045] Of course, it is also possible to configure the seat belt without rotating the payout outlet, i.e., by widening the opening width of the payout outlet in the left-right direction, so that the seat belt does not interfere with the periphery of the payout outlet when paying out the seat belt from the initial state to the fastened state. However, in such a case, the payout outlet opens too wide, which is undesirable because it could allow foreign objects to enter the retractor of the seat back through the payout outlet and cause malfunction of the retractor. Furthermore, in such a case, the planar shape of the payout outlet itself becomes large, which detracts from the appearance design of the seat back, which is undesirable from the standpoint of design. In contrast, the payout outlet 40 of the embodiment can be made compact, which is preferable from the standpoint of design.

[0046] In the embodiment, the reeling outlet portion 40 includes a vertical insertion portion 42 through which the vicinity portion 26 of the seat belt 25 extending upward from the retractor 22 is inserted, and a horizontal insertion portion extending forward from the vertical insertion portion 42 so as to insert the seat belt 25 forward from the upper end of the vertical insertion portion 42, and having a reeling outlet 45 at its front end. Furthermore, the reeling outlet portion 40 includes a belt support portion 48 which is disposed on the edge of the inner peripheral surface of an intersection 47 between the vertical insertion portion 42 and the horizontal insertion portion 44 on the reeling outlet 45 side, and which slidably supports the inner peripheral surface 27a side of the bending portion 27 of the seat belt 25 extending upward from the retractor 22 and bending toward the reeling outlet 45 side. The reeling outlet portion 40 is attached to the mounting base 8 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis C extending substantially in the vertical direction.

[0047] Therefore, in the embodiment, the seat belt 25 extending upward from the retractor 22 rises in the vertical insertion portion 42 of the retraction outlet portion 40 in an initial state, then bends forward while contacting the inner peripheral surface 27a side with the belt support portion 48, and extends forward from the retraction outlet 45 at the tip of the horizontal insertion portion 44 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). When the seat belt 25 is worn and the seat belt 25 is retracted obliquely forward to fasten the tongue 34 of the seat belt 25 to the buckle 33 side, the belt support portion 48, which slides against the seat belt 25, and the right edge 46a of the periphery 46 of the retraction outlet 45 are pressed by the seat belt 25 (see FIGS. 7A to 7C). As a result, the retraction outlet portion 40 rotates rightward while suppressing the sliding resistance of the seat belt 25 while responding to the retraction direction of the seat belt 25 changing from forward to obliquely forward relative to the mounting base 8. Thereafter, when the tongue 34 is released, the belt support portion 48 and the left edge 46b of the periphery 46 of the retraction opening 45 are pushed while sliding the retracted seat belt 25, causing the retraction opening 40 to rotate leftward and returning the seat belt 25 to its initial state. Furthermore, since the belt support portion 48 supports the inner circumferential surface 27a side of the bent portion 27 of the seat belt 25, i.e., the front side, the seat belt 25 can be stably supported even if a load that moves the occupant MP forward is applied to the seat belt 25 in the event of a vehicle collision, and the occupant restraint performance of the seat belt 25 is not impaired.

[0048] In the occupant protection device MS of the embodiment, if the airbag device 60 is activated while an occupant MP seated in the seat 1 is wearing the seatbelt 25, the folded airbag 70 will allow inflation gas to flow in, inflating while opening the bag cover 91, and the support surface 77 will be supported by the thighs MF of the occupant MP, and the occupant restraint surface 78 will be smoothly deployed to cover the front side of the upper body MU of the occupant MP, completing the inflation (see FIG. 11). Incidentally, before the airbag device 60 is activated, the pretensioner mechanism 23 of the retractor 22 of the seatbelt device 20 is activated, so that the seatbelt 25 is retracted a predetermined distance and the lap belt portion 30 is pushed toward the abdomen MB of the occupant MP (see the transition from the two-dot chain line to the solid line in FIG. 9).

[0049] In addition, in the embodiment, the retraction device 22, the retraction outlet portion 40, the fixed end 25b of the seat belt 25, the inflator 62 of the airbag device 60, etc. are arranged on the left side of the backrest portion 2 of the seat 1, but the left and right arrangement may be reversed.

[0050] Furthermore, in the embodiment, a configuration has been exemplified in which the opening direction OD of the payout outlet portion 40 is rotated by approximately 40° from the forward direction FD in the initial state to the diagonal direction CD in the fastened state of the seat belt 25, but the rotation angle θ of the opening direction OD of the payout outlet portion 40 may be made rotatable by an angle greater than the angle from the initial state of the seat belt 25 to the fastened state, thereby improving the degree of freedom of movement of the tongue 34 held when attaching the tongue 34 to the buckle 33. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1...seat, 2...backrest portion, 3t...upper end, 3tL...upper left end, 8...mounting base, 18...seat portion, 20...seat belt device, 22...retractor, 25...seat belt, 26...nearby portion (of retractor), 27...bent portion, 27a...inner peripheral surface, 29...shoulder belt portion, 30...lap belt portion, 33...buckle, 34...tang, 40...retraction outlet portion, 42...vertical insertion portion, 44...horizontal insertion portion, 45...retraction outlet, 46...periphery, 47...intersection portion, 48...belt support portion, 60...airbag device, 66...bag assembly, 70...airbag, OD...opening direction, C...rotation axis, MS...occupant protection device, MP...occupant, MW...waist, MU...upper body.

Claims

[Claim 1] The seat has a seat portion and a backrest portion, and a retraction outlet portion is disposed at one upper end of the backrest portion in the left-right direction, the retraction outlet portion having an opening for retracting the seat belt extending from a retractor disposed in the backrest portion so that the seat belt can be retracted forward, The seat belt is configured such that a tongue of the seat belt paid out from the payout outlet is fastened to a buckle disposed on the other side of the seat cushion in the left-right direction opposite the payout outlet, and the portion from the payout outlet to the buckle serves as a shoulder belt portion of the seat belt capable of restraining the front side of the occupant's upper body, and the portion from the buckle to a fixed end provided on one side of the seat cushion in the left-right direction on the payout outlet side serves as a lap belt portion of the seat belt capable of restraining the front side of the occupant's waist, and is worn by an occupant seated in the seat; An occupant protection device in which an airbag is folded and assembled to a portion of the lap belt portion, the airbag inflating when activated by allowing inflation gas to flow therein so as to be able to support the upper body of an occupant, the payout outlet portion is attached to the mounting base portion of the backrest portion so that the opening direction of the payout outlet can be rotated in a direction within an angular range from a forward direction in which the seat belt can be paid out forward to an oblique direction in which the seat belt can be paid out obliquely forward so as to fasten the tongue to the buckle, The feed outlet portion is a vertical insertion portion through which a portion of the seat belt extending upward from the retractor is inserted; a horizontal insertion portion extending forward from the vertical insertion portion so that the seat belt is inserted forward from an upper end of the vertical insertion portion, and the withdrawal opening is disposed at a front end thereof; In addition to providing a belt support portion disposed on an edge of the payout outlet side on an inner peripheral surface side of an intersection portion between the vertical insertion portion and the horizontal insertion portion, and slidably supporting an inner peripheral surface side of a bent portion of the seat belt extending upward from the retractor that bends toward the payout outlet side; Equipped with The mounting base has an insertion hole penetrating substantially in the vertical direction, and a pivot support portion is disposed on an upper peripheral edge of the insertion hole, The pivot support portion is configured to include a slide hole that rotatably supports an outer peripheral surface of the vertical insertion portion, and a support seat that rotatably supports a lower end surface of the vertical insertion portion, The occupant protection device, wherein the mounting base mounts the vertical insertion portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending substantially along a vertical direction.

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