Passenger-seat airbag device for a vehicle

Abstract

To provide a front passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle which can suppress a load than necessary from being applied to an occupant.SOLUTION: A front passenger seat airbag device 10 for a vehicle includes: an airbag body 20 which is stored in a vehicle rear side end of an instrument panel 12 on a front passenger seat side, and is expanded and developed to the vehicle rear side by a gas jetted from an inflator 16; a flow regulation bag 30 which is provided inside the airbag body 20, and distributes the gas jetted from the inflator 16 to both left / right sides inside the airbag body 20; and a tether 36 which is provided inside the flow regulation bag 30, and restricts a projection amount to the vehicle rear side in a right and left directional center part of the flow regulation bag 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A passenger seat airbag device has been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1) in which a front flap covering the expanding side of the airbag from above to below prevents the dummy's head from tilting forward when the airbag inflates and deploys, and a rear flap covering the expanding side of the airbag from below to above prevents the dummy's head from tilting backward suddenly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-148628 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in vehicles such as electric vehicles where the instrument panel is thin (the vertical length of the instrument panel is reduced), the airbag device is positioned closer to the occupant, which leaves no room for adjusting the deployment direction of the flaps as described above.

[0005] Furthermore, when an airbag deploys due to the impact of a rear-end collision while the vehicle is stopped, the airbag's internal pressure may be inflated to a high level during the initial stage of deployment, and the airbag may press hard against the occupant's chest. In other words, when the vehicle is stopped, the occupant may not be seated correctly in the seat, and if the airbag deploys when the occupant's chest is close to the instrument panel, the airbag may injure the occupant due to the inflated internal pressure during the initial stage of deployment.

[0006] In particular, in the case of a child (e.g., a 3-year-old child) who is not seated correctly in the seat, the amount of contact (amount of overlap in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle in a side view from the vehicle width direction) between the airbag and the high-pressure airflow regulating fabric increases. In this way, there is a risk that the airbag (airflow regulating fabric) will apply more load than necessary to an adult or child occupant who is not seated correctly.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle that can prevent an excessive load from being applied to an occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a passenger airbag device for a vehicle, which includes an airbag body that is stored in the vehicle rear end of the instrument panel on the passenger side and that inflates and deploys toward the vehicle rear side by gas ejected from an inflator, a rectifying bag that is provided inside the airbag body and distributes the gas ejected from the inflator to both left and right sides inside the airbag body, and a tether that is provided inside the rectifying bag and limits the amount of protrusion of the rectifying bag toward the vehicle rear side at a central portion in the left-right direction.

[0009] According to the first aspect of the invention, when a vehicle collides (or is hit from behind), the inflator is activated, and gas ejected from the inflator passes through the rectifying bag and is distributed to both left and right sides inside the airbag body, causing the airbag body to inflate and deploy. Here, if a child occupant, for example, a 3-year-old child, is not seated in the seat (passenger seat) in the correct posture, their chest may come to a position facing the rectifying bag.

[0010] However, a tether is provided inside the air rectifier bag to limit the amount of protrusion of the air rectifier bag toward the rear of the vehicle at the center in the left-right direction. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the air rectifier bag toward the rear of the vehicle at the center in the left-right direction is reduced, and the thickness of the air rectifier bag in the front-rear direction at the center in the left-right direction is reduced. This reduces the amount of contact (amount of interference) between the child occupant and the air rectifier bag, which is pressurized to a high level, via the airbag body. In other words, the application of more load than necessary to the occupant is suppressed.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention is a vehicle passenger seat airbag device according to the first aspect, wherein the tethers are surface tethers and are provided in a pair on the left and right or in a pair on the top and bottom.

[0012] According to the second aspect of the invention, the tethers are surface tethers and are provided in a pair on the left and right or a pair on the top and bottom. Therefore, compared to when a single tether is provided as, for example, a band tether, the left-right central portion of the airflow rectifying bag is recessed in a substantially flattened shape, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear of the vehicle at the left-right central portion (thickness in the vehicle's longitudinal direction) is more effectively reduced. Therefore, for example, in the case of a child occupant, the amount of contact (amount of interference) between the airbag body and the airflow rectifying bag, which is pressurized to a high internal pressure, is more effectively reduced, and the application of more than necessary load to the occupant is more effectively suppressed.

[0013] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention is a vehicle passenger airbag device according to the second aspect, wherein the tethers are arranged so that the distance between them increases toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0014] According to the third aspect of the invention, the pair of tethers are provided so that the distance between them increases toward the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, compared to when the pair of tethers are provided at a constant distance toward the rear of the vehicle, the substantially flat recessed region in the left-right central portion of the airflow rectifying bag is enlarged, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear of the vehicle (the thickness in the front-rear direction of the vehicle) in the left-right central portion of the airflow rectifying bag is more effectively reduced. Therefore, for example, in the case of a child occupant, the amount of contact (amount of interference) between the airbag body and the airflow rectifying bag, which is pressurized to a high level, is more effectively reduced, and the application of an excessive load to the occupant is more effectively suppressed.

[0015] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is a vehicle passenger airbag device according to the second or third aspect, wherein the tether is formed so as to become wider as it extends toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0016] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the pair of tethers are formed so that their widths increase toward the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, compared to when the pair of tethers are formed with a constant width toward the rear of the vehicle, the substantially flat recessed region in the left-right central portion of the airflow rectifying bag is enlarged, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear of the vehicle (the thickness in the front-rear direction of the vehicle) in the left-right central portion of the airflow rectifying bag is more effectively reduced. Therefore, for example, in the case of a child occupant, the amount of contact (amount of interference) between the airbag body and the airflow rectifying bag, which is set to a high internal pressure, is more effectively reduced, and the application of more than necessary load to the occupant is more effectively suppressed.

[0017] A vehicle passenger seat airbag device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle passenger seat airbag device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the tether has a vent hole that allows the gas to flow.

[0018] According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the pair of tethers have vent holes that allow gas to flow, which reduces the unstable deployment behavior of the flow rectifying bag when gas is supplied instantaneously to inflate and deploy it, compared to when the pair of tethers do not have vent holes that allow gas to flow.

[0019] Furthermore, a sixth aspect of the present invention is a vehicle passenger seat airbag device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the instrument panel is formed so that its length in the vertical direction of the vehicle in a side view is shorter than its length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0020] According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the length of the instrument panel in the vertical direction of the vehicle is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in a side view. Therefore, the airbag body and the air rectifying bag are positioned closer to the occupant, but the amount of protrusion of the air rectifying bag toward the rear of the vehicle at the center in the lateral direction (thickness in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) is reduced, so that the occupant is effectively restrained by the airbag body while preventing excessive load from being applied to the occupant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] As described above, according to the present invention, in a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle, it is possible to prevent a load greater than necessary from being applied to an occupant. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a child occupant. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing a state in which an airflow rectifying bag and an airbag body of a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment are inflated and deployed; [Figure 3] 1 is a development view showing an airbag body of a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4]2 is a schematic side view showing a tether in a rectifying bag of the passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the airflow rectifying bag and the airbag body of the passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment are in the middle of being deployed; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which an airflow rectifying bag and an airbag body of a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment are in the middle of deployment. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph showing the amount of contact of the airflow rectifying bag with the occupant via the airbag body with respect to the time elapsed after activation of the inflator of the passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment, together with a comparative example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a tether in an airflow rectifying bag of a passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle according to a modified example of the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a state in which an airflow rectifying bag and an airbag body of a passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to a comparative example are inflated and deployed. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are schematic side and cross-sectional views, respectively, illustrating a state in which the airflow rectifying bag and the airbag main body of a vehicle passenger seat airbag device according to a comparative example are in the middle of deployment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow UP shown in each drawing indicates the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, when the up / down, front / rear, and left / right directions are mentioned, they refer to the up / down, front / rear, left / right directions of the vehicle. Furthermore, the left / right direction is synonymous with the vehicle width direction.

[0024] 1, a vehicle passenger seat airbag device (hereinafter referred to as "airbag device") 10 according to this embodiment is provided in a right-hand drive vehicle (not shown), as an example. That is, the airbag device 10 is housed inside a resin instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as "instrument panel") 12 in the passenger seat, which is the front left seat of the vehicle.

[0025] The airbag device 10 according to this embodiment is mainly applied to electric vehicles (BEVs). In the case of electric vehicles, the engine compartment is reduced in size and the passenger compartment is enlarged. Therefore, the instrument panel 12 tends to be formed so that the vertical length (height) is shorter than the longitudinal length in a side view seen from the vehicle width direction.

[0026] That is, the instrument panel 12 tends to be thinner with a reduced vertical length (height) in a side view. Therefore, the airbag device 10 is housed in a rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12. Furthermore, in the case of a child occupant P (e.g., an occupant equivalent to a 3-year-old anthropomorphic child) who is not seated in the passenger seat (seat) in a normal posture, the rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12 may be located in front of the chest Pc of the child occupant.

[0027] The airbag device 10 includes a single inflator 16 supported by a support member 14 provided inside an instrument panel 12. The inflator 16 is configured to instantly eject (supply) gas into the interior of an airbag body 20 (described later) through the interior of a rectifying bag 30 (described later).

[0028] In addition, the inflator 16 is electrically connected to a detection device (not shown) such as an acceleration sensor installed in the vehicle, and is activated when the detection device detects a vehicle collision (or rear-end collision), causing gas to be instantly ejected into the inside of the rectifying bag 30 (inside the airbag main body 20).

[0029] An opening 12A (see FIG. 2) for inflating and deploying the airbag body 20 rearward is formed in the rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12, and the opening 12A is closed by a door portion (not shown) formed integrally with the instrument panel 12. This door portion is designed to be broken by the airbag body 20 and the airflow rectifying bag 30 that are inflated and deployed by the activation of the inflator 16.

[0030] 2, the airbag device 10 includes a fabric airbag body 20 that is inflated and deployed rearward from an opening 12A in the instrument panel 12 by gas ejected from the inflator 16. Note that in FIG. 2, an occupant P seated in the passenger seat is omitted in order to show the shapes of the inflated and deployed airbag body 20 and a rectifying bag 30 (described later).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag body 20 is configured to be bag-shaped and includes a main panel 22 that is formed in a generally cylindrical shape and is arranged along the front-to-rear direction, and a left side panel 24 and a right side panel 26 that are symmetrically shaped and close the left and right sides of the generally cylindrical main panel 22.

[0032] More specifically, the main panel 22 is formed into a generally cylindrical shape by fixing one end 22A and the other end 22B in the longitudinal direction to the support member 14. A peripheral edge 24A of the left side panel 24 and a peripheral edge 26A of the right side panel 26 are attached by sewing to the left peripheral edge 22L and the right peripheral edge 22R of the main panel 22, respectively. This allows the airbag body 20 to be formed into a bag shape.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the inflated and deployed airbag body 20 is configured so that a portion of the outer surface of its front wall 28 (the surface opposite the occupant restraint surface) comes into contact with the inner surface of the front windshield glass 18 at a predetermined pressure, and is pressed relatively rearward by the front windshield glass 18 (a reaction force is obtained from the front windshield glass 18).

[0034] The left side panel 24 and the right side panel 26 of the airbag body 20 are each formed with a vent hole (not shown) through which gas is discharged after restraining the occupant P. The width (length along the left-right direction) of the airbag body 20 is set to a width that extends outward in the left-right direction beyond both knees of an adult occupant (for example, an occupant equivalent to an anthropomorphic dummy AM50: not shown). The airbag body 20 is folded in a predetermined manner and stored inside the rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12.

[0035] 2, the airbag device 10 is provided with a cloth rectifying bag 30 (made of the same base fabric as that of the airbag body 20) on the instrument panel 12 side inside the airbag body 20. As shown in Fig. 6, the rectifying bag 30 is configured so that, as gas is ejected from the inflator 16 and inflated and deployed, the gas is ejected from openings 32 formed in the walls on both the left and right sides, i.e., the left side wall 30L and the right side wall 30R.

[0036] The flow rectifying bag 30 has an inlet 34 (see FIG. 5) at the center of the front end in the left-right direction, through which gas ejected from the inflator 16 is introduced. That is, the flow rectifying bag 30 has the inlet 34 connected to the ejection port (not shown) of the inflator 16, and the periphery of the inlet 34, together with one end 22A and the other end 22B of the main panel 22, is fixed to the support member 14.

[0037] As a result, the rectifying bag 30 distributes the gas introduced through the inlet 34 (sprayed into the inlet 34) to both the left and right sides inside the airbag body 20. The rectifying bag 30 is also stored inside the rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12 in a state where it is folded together with the airbag body 20 in a predetermined folding manner.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, when the flow rectifying bag 30 is inflated and deployed by the ejection of gas, the pair of left and right tethers 36 restrict the amount of rearward protrusion at the center in the left-right direction to be less than the amount of rearward protrusion at both left and right ends.

[0039] In other words, when this rectifying bag 30 is inflated and deployed by the ejection of gas, the thickness of its left-right central portion along the approximately front-to-rear direction is reduced by the pair of left and right tethers 36, and when viewed in a plane, the left-right central portion is formed in an approximately flattened concave shape, i.e., in the shape of an approximately "concave" character.

[0040] 2, 4, and 5, the pair of left and right tethers 36 are surface tethers made of fabric (made of the same base fabric as the airbag body 20) having a predetermined thickness, and are formed to have the same shape and size. That is, each tether 36 is formed in a generally fan-like shape that widens toward the rear in a side view, and extends generally in the front-to-rear direction. As a result, the airflow rectifying bag 30 is configured such that the area with reduced thickness in the center in the left-to-right direction expands in the up-down direction toward the rear.

[0041] 6, the front end 36A of each tether 36 is attached by sewing to a part of the front wall 30A of the airflow rectifying bag 30, and the rear end 36B of each tether 36 is attached by sewing to a part of the rear wall 30B of the airflow rectifying bag 30. Although not shown in the drawings, the front end 36A of each tether 36 may be attached by sewing to a part of the front wall 30A of the airflow rectifying bag 30 and to a part of the front end of the airbag body 20 (one end 22A and the other end 22B of the main panel 22).

[0042] Furthermore, a circular vent hole 37 having a predetermined inner diameter for allowing gas to flow is formed in the approximate center of each tether 36. Therefore, the gas introduced from the inlet 34 (sprayed into the inlet 34) passes through the vent hole 37 of each tether 36 and is supplied to both the left and right sides of the airbag body 20, passing through openings 32 formed in the left wall 30L and right wall 30R of the airbag body 30.

[0043] 6, the tethers 36 are arranged so that the distance between them increases toward the rear. As a result, the airflow rectifying bag 30 has a configuration in which the area with reduced thickness in the left-right central portion thereof expands in the left-right direction toward the rear.

[0044] The area of ​​reduced thickness in the left-right central portion of the airflow rectifying bag 30 is configured to face in the front-rear direction the chest Pc of the child occupant P. The left-right length of this area (the distance between the rear ends 36B of each tether 36) is equal to or greater than the left-right length of the chest Pc of the child occupant P (a 3-year-old dummy), and the up-down length (the length of the rear ends 36B of each tether 36) is equal to or greater than the up-down length of the chest Pc.

[0045] Next, the operation of the airbag device 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0046] When the detection device detects that the vehicle has collided (or been hit from behind), the inflator 16 is activated, and gas is instantly ejected (supplied) into the airbag body 20 through the inside of the rectifying bag 30. In other words, the airbag body 20 is inflated and deployed toward the rear (toward the occupant P). More specifically, the gas ejected from the inflator 16 is first ejected (supplied) into the rectifying bag 30.

[0047] The gas ejected (supplied) into the rectifying bag 30 passes through vent holes 37 of a pair of left and right tethers 36 provided inside the rectifying bag 30, and is supplied to both left and right sides of the rectifying bag 30. Furthermore, the gas supplied to both left and right sides of the rectifying bag 30 is ejected (distributed to both left and right sides) from openings 32 formed in the left wall 30L and right wall 30R of the rectifying bag 30, and is supplied inside the airbag main body 20.

[0048] In this way, when the rectifying bag 30 is provided inside the airbag body 20, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the airbag body 20 from becoming unstable due to the high pressure of the gas that is instantly ejected, compared to a configuration in which the rectifying bag 30 is not provided inside the airbag body 20.

[0049] Also, as shown in Figure 2, a portion of the outer surface of the front wall 28 of the airbag body 20 contacts the inner surface of the front windshield glass 18 with a predetermined pressure and is pressed relatively rearward by the front windshield glass 18 (obtaining a reaction force from the front windshield glass 18).

[0050] Therefore, even if the airbag body 20 is enlarged due to a thinner instrument panel 12, for example, it is possible to more effectively prevent the deployment behavior of the airbag body 20 from becoming unstable when gas is instantaneously supplied to the airbag body 20 to inflate and deploy (its deployment behavior can be more effectively stabilized). As a result, it is possible to appropriately restrain the occupant P seated in the passenger seat.

[0051] Further, a pair of left and right tethers 36 that limit the amount of rearward protrusion of the airflow rectifying bag 30 at the center in the left-right direction is provided inside the airflow rectifying bag 30. Therefore, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, even if the chest Pc of a child occupant P corresponding to a 3-year-old dummy is positioned facing the rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12 in the front-rear direction, the rear wall 30B of the inflated and deployed airflow rectifying bag 30 will not press against the chest Pc via the airbag main body 20.

[0052] Here, an airbag device 110 according to a comparative example will be described. As shown in Fig. 9, the airflow rectifying bag 130 in this airbag device 110 only has openings 132 for ejecting gas formed in each of a left side wall 130L and a right side wall 130R, and no pair of left and right tethers are provided inside.

[0053] Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, when a child occupant P, equivalent to a 3-year-old dummy, has his / her chest Pc positioned opposite the rear end portion 12B of the instrument panel 12 in the fore-and-aft direction, the rear wall 130B of the inflated and deployed airflow rectifying bag 130 presses against the chest Pc via the airbag body 120.

[0054] In contrast to this, in the airbag device 10 according to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, a pair of left and right tethers 36 are provided inside the airflow rectifying bag 30. Therefore, when the airflow rectifying bag 30 is inflated and deployed, the amount of rearward protrusion at the center in the left-right direction can be reduced, and the thickness of the center in the approximately front-rear direction at the center in the left-right direction can be reduced.

[0055] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the amount of contact (amount of interference overlapping in the front-to-rear direction in side view: shown by solid line) between the airbag body 20 and the rectifying bag 30, which has a high internal pressure after the inflator 16 is activated, for the child occupant P can be reduced compared to the case of the airbag device 110 according to the comparative example (shown by dashed line).

[0056] That is, the airbag device 10 according to this embodiment can prevent an excessively high load from being applied to the child occupant P. This can reduce the injury value to the chest Pc and further to the neck of the child occupant P.

[0057] Furthermore, the tethers 36 are provided as a pair of surface tethers on the left and right sides. Therefore, compared to when each tether 36 is provided as a single band tether, for example, the central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 in the left-right direction can be easily recessed into a substantially flat shape, and the amount of rearward protrusion (thickness in the approximately front-to-rear direction) of the central portion in the left-to-right direction can be more effectively reduced.

[0058] Furthermore, each tether 36 is formed to become wider toward the rear side. Therefore, compared to when each tether 36 is formed with a constant width toward the rear side, the substantially flat recessed region in the left-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be expanded in the up-down direction, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear side (thickness in the approximately front-to-rear direction) in the left-to-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be more effectively reduced.

[0059] Furthermore, the tethers 36 are provided so that the spacing between them increases toward the rear. Therefore, compared to when the tethers 36 are provided at constant spacing toward the rear, the substantially flat recessed region in the left-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be expanded in the left-right direction, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear (thickness in the approximately front-to-rear direction) in the left-to-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be more effectively reduced.

[0060] In other words, with the above-described configuration, the amount of contact (amount of interference) between the child occupant P and the high-internal-pressure straightening bag 30 via the airbag body 20 can be more effectively reduced, and the application of more load than necessary to the child occupant P can be more effectively prevented.

[0061] In addition, the left-right length of the area with reduced thickness in the left-right center of the rectifying bag 30 (the distance between the rear ends 36B of each tether 36) is greater than or equal to the left-right length of the chest Pc of the child occupant P (a 3-year-old dummy), and the up-down length (the length of the rear ends 36B of each tether 36) is greater than or equal to the up-down length of the chest Pc.

[0062] Therefore, compared to when the left-right length of the area is less than the left-right length of the chest Pc of the child occupant P and the up-down length is less than the up-down length of the chest Pc, the amount of contact (amount of interference) between the child occupant P and the high-internal-pressure rectifying bag 30 via the airbag body 20 can be more effectively reduced, and the application of more load than necessary to the child occupant P can be more effectively prevented.

[0063] Furthermore, each tether 36 has a vent hole 37 that allows gas to flow through. Therefore, compared to when each tether 36 does not have a vent hole 37 that allows gas to flow through, it is possible to prevent the deployment behavior of the flow rectifying bag 30 from becoming unstable when gas is instantaneously supplied and the bag is inflated and deployed.

[0064] Furthermore, the central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 in the left-right direction is recessed into a substantially flat shape in plan view due to the pair of left and right tethers 36 that limit the thickness in the substantially front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the substantially flat recessed shape can be easily formed compared to a configuration in which the central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 in the left-to-right direction is recessed into a substantially flat shape by a method other than the pair of left and right tethers 36 (and the pair of upper and lower tethers 38 described below).

[0065] Furthermore, the instrument panel 12 is formed so that the vertical length is shorter than the longitudinal length in a side view. Therefore, the airbag body 20 and the airflow rectifying bag 30 are disposed closer to the occupant P, but the amount of rearward protrusion (thickness in the approximately longitudinal direction) at the center of the left-right direction of the airflow rectifying bag 30 is reduced, so that the occupant P can be effectively restrained by the airbag body 20 while preventing an excessive load from being applied to the occupant P.

[0066] (Variation) The tethers provided inside the flow rectifying bag 30 are not limited to the pair of left and right tethers 36. As shown in Fig. 8, the tethers provided inside the flow rectifying bag 30 may be a pair of upper and lower tethers 38. In the case of a pair of upper and lower tethers 38, the lower tether 38D is formed in a substantially fan-like shape, being one size larger than the upper tether 38U, and similar to the pair of left and right tethers 36, they are provided so that the distance between them increases toward the rear.

[0067] Even in the case of such a pair of upper and lower tethers 38, the airflow rectifying bag 30 can reduce the amount of rearward protrusion at the left-right central portion when inflated and deployed, thereby reducing its thickness in the approximately front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the amount of contact (amount of overlap in the front-to-rear direction in side view) between the child occupant P and the airbag main body 20, which is pressurized to a high level, can be reduced.

[0068] Moreover, each tether 38 is formed to become wider toward the rear side. Therefore, compared to when each tether 38 is formed with a constant width toward the rear side, the substantially flat recessed region in the left-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be expanded in the left-right direction, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear side (thickness in the approximately front-to-rear direction) in the left-to-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be more effectively reduced.

[0069] Furthermore, the tethers 38 are provided so that the spacing between them increases toward the rear. Therefore, compared to when the tethers 36 are provided at constant spacing toward the rear, the substantially flat recessed region in the left-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be expanded in the up-down direction, and the amount of protrusion toward the rear (thickness in the approximately front-to-rear direction) in the left-to-right central portion of the flow rectifying bag 30 can be more effectively reduced.

[0070] In the case of a pair of upper and lower tethers 38, both the left and right sides are open. Therefore, the gas introduced from the inlet 34 (sprayed into the inlet 34) is quickly supplied to both the left and right sides of the flow rectifying bag 30, so it is not necessary to form vent holes in the approximate centers of the upper tether 38U and the lower tether 38D.

[0071] However, as shown in the figure, circular vent holes 39 with a predetermined inner diameter may be formed in the approximate centers of the upper tether 38U and the lower tether 38D, respectively. In this way, gas is ejected from the upper and lower directions of the pair of upper and lower tethers 38, and therefore gas can be supplied to the inside of the flow rectifying bag 30 more quickly than when the vent holes 39 are not formed in the approximate centers of the upper tether 38U and the lower tether 38D, respectively.

[0072] Furthermore, in the case of a pair of upper and lower tethers 38, it is necessary to change the size of the upper and lower tethers depending on the installation position of the airbag device 10 and the inclination angle as viewed from the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, in the case of the pair of left and right tethers 36 described above, the left and right tethers are exactly the same size. Therefore, the pair of left and right tethers 36 has the advantage that the manufacturing cost of the tethers themselves can be reduced and productivity can be improved compared to the case of a pair of upper and lower tethers 38.

[0073] Although the vehicle passenger seat airbag device 10 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the vehicle passenger seat airbag device 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and the design can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the inflator 16 may be configured to activate not only when a vehicle collision (or rear-end collision) is detected, but also when a vehicle collision (or rear-end collision) is predicted by a collision prediction sensor or the like.

[0074] Furthermore, the occupant is not limited to the child occupant P described above, but may also be an adult occupant described above. For example, when the vehicle is stopped, it is conceivable that an adult occupant is not seated in the passenger seat in the correct posture. Specifically, it is conceivable that the adult occupant may have unbuckled their seat belt and be sleeping with their chest close to the instrument panel 12. If the airbag body 20 is deployed in a rear-end collision or the like at this time, the occupant may be injured by the high internal pressure of the airflow rectifying bag 30 that inflates in the initial stage of deployment.

[0075] However, in this embodiment, as described above, the thickness of the central portion of the airflow rectifying bag 30 in the approximately front-rear direction is reduced by the pair of left and right tethers 36 or the pair of upper and lower tethers 38. Therefore, even for an adult occupant who is sleeping with their chest close to the instrument panel 12 (not seated in a normal posture), it is possible to prevent an excessive load from being applied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10 Airbag device (vehicle passenger seat airbag device) 12 Instrument panel 16 Inflator 20 Airbag body 30 Rectification Bag 36 Tether 37 Vent Hole 38 Tether 39 Vent Hole

Claims

1. an airbag body that is stored in the vehicle rear end of the instrument panel on the passenger side and that inflates and deploys toward the rear of the vehicle by gas ejected from an inflator; a rectifying bag provided inside the airbag body and distributing the gas ejected from the inflator to both left and right sides inside the airbag body; a tether provided inside the airflow rectifying bag and configured to restrict the amount of protrusion of the airflow rectifying bag toward the vehicle rear at a center portion in the left-right direction to be less than the amount of protrusion of the airflow rectifying bag toward the vehicle rear at both ends in the left-right direction; Equipped with The airflow rectifying bag distributes the gas to both left and right sides inside the airbag body through a pair of openings provided on both left and right sides when inflated and deployed.

2. 2. The passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tethers are surface tethers provided in a pair on the left and right or in a pair on the top and bottom.

3. 3. The passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the tethers are provided so that the intervals between the tethers increase toward the rear of the vehicle.

4. 4. The passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the tether is formed so as to become wider as it extends toward the rear of the vehicle.

5. 5. The passenger seat airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the tether has a vent hole for allowing the gas to flow.

6. 6. The passenger airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the instrument panel is formed so that the length in the vehicle vertical direction in a side view is shorter than the length in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

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