Occupant protection devices

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device that is configured so that a lap belt part joined with a bag assembly can be appropriately fastened to the waist part of an occupant, when a pretensioner mechanism is actuated.SOLUTION: In an occupant protection device 10, a folded-back airbag 29 is assembled to a lap belt part 13 of a seat belt 11 fed out from a retractor with a pretensioner mechanism. The airbag comprises a bag main body part 30 that inflates to receive an occupant, and a conducting pipe part 45, whose tip part is connected to a gas supply device, through which gas for inflation can be supplied to the bag main body part. The folded-back bag main body part and a root part 46 side of the conducting pipe part as a bag assembly 60 are jointed to a bag arrangement site 22 of the lap belt part. A length dimension L1 of a jointed site 53 jointed to the bag arrangement site of the bag assembly is set to be smaller than a length dimension L0 of the bag assembly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A conventional occupant protection device is known in which an airbag is folded and disposed in the lap belt portion of a seatbelt, and when activated, it inflates with an inflating gas flowing in to receive and protect the upper body of an occupant moving forward (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The seatbelt is reeled out from a retractor with a pretensioner mechanism disposed on one of the upper left and right ends of the backrest of the seat, and its leading end serves as a fixed end that is fixed to the side of the seat cushion where the retractor is provided. The left and right ends of the seat belt are connected to the left and right sides of the seat cushion by fastening an assembled tongue to a buckle disposed on the opposite side of the left and right fixed end of the seat cushion, and the lap belt portion is disposed in front of the waist of the occupant seated in the seat. The airbag was configured to include a bag body that inflates to accommodate an occupant, and a conduit that has a distal end connected to a gas supply device for inflation gas disposed at the fixed end of the seatbelt so that inflation gas can be supplied to the bag body and that communicates with the bag body at its base. The folded bag body and the base of the conduit were joined to a bag placement portion of a lap belt as a bag assembly. This bag assembly had a tubular belt insertion portion through which the lap belt was inserted sewn to the base of the conduit, and was joined to the bag placement portion of the lap belt using the belt insertion portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0004] However, in conventional occupant protection devices, the bag assembly is formed by folding the bag body and folding the peripheral wall of the bag body, resulting in a shape-retaining, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape. Therefore, when the lap belt is fastened to the occupant, the shape-retaining properties of the bag assembly can cause the left and right edges of the bag-positioned portion of the lap belt protruding from both ends of the belt insertion portion to become lifted up and away from the occupant's waist. If the lap belt is lifted up in this way, creating a gap around the occupant's waist, even if the retractor's pretensioner mechanism is activated in the event of a vehicle collision or other event, the lap belt cannot tightly tighten around the occupant's waist, resulting in a problem with the tightening force.

[0005] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an occupant protection device that can suitably tighten the lap belt portion around the occupant's waist when the pretensioner mechanism is activated, even if a bag assembly is joined to the bag placement portion of the lap belt portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, a seat belt is unwound from a retractor with a pretensioner mechanism disposed on one upper end side of the backrest of the seat in the left-right direction, and has a fixed end at its tip that is fixed to the side of the seat bottom where the retractor is disposed in the left-right direction. A tongue is fastened to a buckle disposed on the opposite side of the seat bottom from the fixed end side in the left-right direction, thereby connecting both left and right ends to the left and right sides of the seat bottom, and a lap belt portion is disposed in front of the waist of an occupant seated in the seat. an airbag that is folded and disposed in the lap belt portion, and that, when activated, is inflated by the inflow of inflation gas and is capable of receiving and protecting the upper body of an occupant moving forward; The airbag, a bag body that inflates to accommodate an occupant; a conduit portion having a tip end connected to a gas supply device for inflation gas disposed on the fixed end side of the seat belt, and having a base end communicating with the bag main body so as to be able to supply inflation gas to the bag main body; The present invention is configured to include: An occupant protection device configured such that the folded bag main body and the base portion side of the conduit are joined to a bag arrangement portion of the lap belt as a bag assembly, The length dimension along the lap belt portion of the joining portion joined to the bag placement portion in the bag assembly is set to be smaller than the length dimension along the lap belt portion of the bag assembly.

[0007] In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, when a seated occupant fastens the tongue to the buckle and wears the lap belt with the attached bag assembly around his or her waist, as when wearing a seat belt, the left and right edges of the bag assembly are separated from the occupant at the front of the left and right edges of the occupant's waist, but the lap belt itself is worn in a state where it is close to and in close contact with the occupant's waist. That is, at the bag-positioning portion of the lap belt, the length of the joining portion where the bag assembly is joined is shorter than the length of the bag assembly, so the lap belt can be in close contact with the occupant's waist by the shorter length. Therefore, when the pretensioner mechanism is activated, the lap belt, which has been in close contact with the occupant's waist without any gaps, can accurately tighten the occupant's waist.

[0008] Therefore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, even if the bag assembly is joined to the bag placement portion of the lap belt portion, the lap belt portion can suitably tighten around the occupant's waist when the pretensioner mechanism is activated.

[0009] In the passenger protection device of the embodiment, it is desirable that the length of the joint portion along the lap belt portion is set within a range of 50 to 120 mm.

[0010] If the length of the joint portion is less than 50 mm, it is difficult to ensure the sufficient connection strength (attachment strength) of the bag assembly attached to the lap belt. If it exceeds 120 mm, the effect and advantages of the present invention are impaired. That is, if the length of the joint portion exceeds 120 mm, the position of the joint portion may be shifted to the left or right from the center of the occupant's left and right when wearing the lap belt, and the position may be located in a part of the lap belt that has a large curvature around the occupant's waist. This may cause the edge of the joint portion to easily lift up from the edge of the occupant's waist when the lap belt is attached, creating a gap, resulting in a decrease in the tightening force, which is undesirable. Therefore, the length of the joint portion should be within the range of 50 to 120 mm, preferably 70 to 100 mm.

[0011] In addition, in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, it is desirable that the bag assembly be covered with a bag cover so that the portion of the lap belt portion extending to the left and right from the joint portion protrudes and can be opened when the bag main body portion is inflated.

[0012] In this configuration, the bag assembly is covered with the bag cover, which prevents foreign matter from entering the folded body of the bag body and also prevents the bag body from collapsing.

[0013] In this case, the bag cover includes a main body cover portion that covers the bag assembly together with the joint portion, and a cylindrical belt cover portion that protrudes from the main body cover portion and covers portions of the lap belt portion that extend to the left and right from the joint portion. It is preferable that the sensor be configured to include the following:

[0014] In this configuration, the bag cover covers the bag assembly with the main body cover portion, and the left and right belt cover portions protrude from the main body cover portion to cover the lap belt portions extending from the joint portion of the bag assembly. Therefore, not only the bag assembly but also the lap belt portions themselves near the joint portion are covered by the bag cover, which effectively prevents foreign objects from entering the folded body when the bag body portion is folded. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [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] 1 is a left side view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing the state in which the seat belt is fastened to the occupant, and also showing the airbag when inflated by a two-dot chain line, and further showing a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the location of the airbag. [Figure 4] 1 is a left side view of a seat with a seat belt fastened in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the waist of an occupant when wearing a seat belt in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an inflated state of an airbag of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment, as viewed from the rear side; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing constituent materials of the airbag according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 3 is a front view showing the state where the airbag has completed inflation when the occupant protection device of the embodiment is activated; FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a left side view of an airbag when the passenger protection device according to the embodiment is activated and inflation is completed; FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the area around the waist of a small-sized occupant when wearing a seat belt in a modified example in which the length dimension of the joint portion is increased. FIG. [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a modified example of the airbag cover of the embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the area around the waist of an occupant when a seat belt is fastened in the case where the airbag cover shown in FIG. 11 is used. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a bag assembly according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 14] 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the area around the waist of an occupant when wearing a seat belt in the case where the bag assembly shown in FIG. 13 is used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, an occupant protection device 10 of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle seat 1, and is configured to include a seat belt 11, an airbag 29, and an inflator 24 as a gas supply device that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 29. The seat 1 includes a backrest 2 and a seat portion 5. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the device is configured to include a bag cover 65 that covers the folded airbag 29.

[0017] The seat belt 11 is arranged on one side of the seat 1 in the left-right direction (the left side in this embodiment) so that the upper end 11a can be retracted from a retractor 15 arranged inside the left edge 3a of the upper end 3 of the backrest portion 2, and the lower end 11b of the tip is arranged as a fixed end that is fixed to an anchor member 16 arranged on the left side 6 of the seat portion 5.

[0018] A tongue 18 is disposed in the middle of the seat belt 11, and the tongue 18 is fastened to a buckle 17 disposed on the right side 7 of the seat cushion 5 on the other side in the left-right direction of the seat 1 (the right side in this embodiment). When the tongue 18 is fastened to the buckle 17, the seat belt 11 has a portion extending from the tongue 18 toward the retractor 15 as a shoulder belt portion 12 disposed in front of the upper body MU of the occupant MP, and a portion extending from the tongue 18 toward the fixed end 11b as a lap belt portion 13 disposed in front of the waist MW of the occupant MP. The buckle 17 is provided with a release button (not shown), and when the fastened tongue 18 is to be released, the tongue 18 can be removed from the buckle 17 by pressing the release button.

[0019] The retractor 15 is equipped with a pretensioner mechanism 15a that stops the seat belt 11 from being pulled out if the seat belt 11 is suddenly pulled out, and can retract the pulled-out seat belt 11 if a vehicle collision occurs, etc. When the pretensioner mechanism 15a is activated, the lap belt portion 13 is retracted by approximately 30 mm.

[0020] The inflator 24 serving as a gas supply device includes a generally cylindrical inflator body 25 that discharges inflation gas, and a pipe portion 26 that projects from the inflator body 25 and is bent in a generally L-shape, and is attached and fixed to the rear side of the left side 6 of the seat 5 where the retractor 15 is disposed (see FIGS. 1 and 2). A tip end 48 of a conduit portion 45 of an airbag 29 (described later) is fitted onto the pipe portion 26, and the pipe portion 26 is further fastened and connected by a clamp 27.

[0021] In this embodiment, the tip 48 of the conduit portion 45 is covered by the tip 72a of the extended tubular portion 72 of the bag cover 65 described later, and is fastened to the pipe portion 26 together with the tip 72a by the clamp 27.

[0022] 6, 8, and 9, the airbag 29 is configured to include a bag body 30 that is greatly inflated by the flow of inflation gas, and a conduit 45 that is connected to the lower end 30a of the bag body 30 and supplies inflation gas from an inflator 24, which serves as a gas supply device, to the bag body 30. The bag body 30 and the conduit 45 are made of flexible woven fabric such as polyester.

[0023] The bag main body 30 is configured so that, when fully inflated, the peripheral wall 31 inflates into a generally triangular prism shape when viewed from the side, and includes a bottom wall 32 on the bottom side, a rear wall 33 on the rear side, a front wall 34 on the front side, and left and right side walls 35 (L, R). When fully inflated, the bag main body 30 has a lower surface 32a of the bottom wall 32 as a support surface 37 that supports the thighs MF of the occupant MP, and a rear surface 33a of the rear wall 33 as an occupant restraint surface 38 that receives the upper body MU of the occupant MP as they move forward.

[0024] An inlet portion 40 having a plurality of inlets 40a (two inlets arranged side by side in this embodiment) for allowing inflation gas to flow in from the conduit portion 45 is disposed near the rear edge 32b of the bottom wall portion 32. In addition, vent holes 43 are formed in the front portions of the left and right side walls 35L, 35R to exhaust excess inflation gas flowing into the bag main body 30. A tuck portion 33b is formed in the rear wall portion 33 to narrow the vertical dimension, and an upper end 33c of the rear wall portion 33 is configured to approach the head MH of the occupant MP when the bag main body 30 is fully inflated (see FIG. 9).

[0025] 6 and 7, the peripheral wall 31 of the bag body 30 is formed by sewing together two sheets of material, a front region 31a and a rear region 31b. The front region 31a includes a front wall 34 and the front sides of the left and right side walls 35 (L, R), while the rear region 31b includes a rear wall 33, a bottom wall 32, and the rear sides of the side walls 35 (L, R).

[0026] Conduit 45 has a base 46 connected to inlet 40 of bag body 30 of airbag 29, through which inflation gas flows, and a tip 48 connected to pipe 26 of inflator 24. Base 46 is wide, and a tubular intermediate portion 49 having the same width as tip 48 is formed between base 46. Conduit 45 is formed by sewing together the outer peripheral edges of an outer material 50 and a bag side material 51, which have the same external shape (see Figures 6 and 7). A communication port 47 that communicates with the inlet 40a of the inlet portion 40 of the bag main body 30 is provided in the base portion 46 of the conduit portion 45, and the periphery of the communication port 47 is sewn to the periphery of the inlet 40a, so that the conduit portion 45 is connected to the rear edge 32b of the bottom wall portion 32 that forms the lower end 30a of the bag main body 30. As described above, the tip portion 48 of the conduit portion 45 is connected to the pipe portion 26 of the inflator 24, so that the conduit portion 45 supplies inflation gas from the inflator body 25 to the bag main body 30. The conduit portion 45 is joined to the bag placement region 22 of the lap belt portion 13 at a joining region 53 of the outer material 50 at the base portion 46 that is remote from the bag main body 30 by sewing with a sewing thread 54.

[0027] The length dimension L1 of the joint portion 53 along the lap belt portion 13 is shorter than the length dimension L0 of the bag assembly 60 described later along the lap belt portion 13. In this embodiment, the length dimension L1 is approximately 100 mm, and the length dimension L0 is approximately 260 mm (see Figure 5).

[0028] As already mentioned, the conduit portion 45 is formed by sewing together the outer peripheral edges of the outer material 50 on the lower surface side and the bag side material 51 on the bag main body portion 30 side, which have the same external dimensions. Before sewing together the outer peripheral edges of the outer material 50 and the bag side material 51, the periphery of the communication port 47 of the bag side material 51 is sewn to the periphery of the inlet 40a of the bag main body portion 30, and the joining portion 53 of the outer material 50 is sewn to the bag positioning portion 22 of the lap belt portion 13.

[0029] Then, the bag main body 30 is folded into a folded body 56, which is joined to the bag placement area 22 together with the base portion 46 of the conduit 45 as a bag assembly 60. The folded body 56 is formed by laying out the entire front wall 34 of the peripheral wall 31 of the bag main body 30 flat, overlapping the front wall 34 with the flattened rear wall 33 and bottom wall 32 in a state in which the area near the inlet 40 is laid out flat, folding both left and right edges of the overlapped state toward the inlet 40 on the front wall 34 side, and further folding both ends perpendicular to the left-right direction so as to approach and overlie the inlet 40 on the front wall 34 side.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, bag assembly 60 is covered with bag cover 65 and assembled to lap belt 13. Bag cover 65 is formed from cover material 75 made of a decorative sheet material such as synthetic leather (see FIG. 6), and in this embodiment, is configured to include: a main body cover portion 66 that covers bag assembly 60 together with joint portion 53; belt cover portions 70 (L, R) that are tubular and protrude from main body cover portion 66 and cover portions 13a, 13b of lap belt 13 that extend to the left and right from joint portion 53 (portions near joint portion 53); and a tubular extension portion 72 that extends from main body cover portion 66 and covers intermediate portion 49 of conduit 45. The main body cover 66 is configured to include a front side portion 67 that is away from the occupant MP when the lap belt 13 is worn, and a back side portion 68 on the occupant MP side, and the back side portion 68 has communication openings 68a, 68a that allow nearby regions 13a, 13b of the lap belt 13 to protrude. The front side portion 67 and the back side portion 68 are sewn together at their outer peripheries, but the upper edge when the lap belt 13 is worn is a protruding edge 66a that can be opened to allow the bag main body 30 to protrude when inflated.

[0031] The belt cover portions 70L, 70R are tubular (substantially rectangular cylindrical) portions protruding from the peripheries of the communication openings 68a, 68b, and each has an outlet hole 70a at its tip, through which the lap belt portion 13 is inserted.

[0032] The cover material 75 is configured to include a front material 76 that connects from the front side portion 67 of the main body cover portion 66 to the front side portion of the extended tubular portion 72, a back material 77 that connects from the back side portion 68 of the main body cover portion 66 to the back side portion of the extended tubular portion 72, and four belt cover materials 81 that form the belt cover portions 70 (L, R) (see FIG. 7). The back material 77 is formed from three end side portions 78, a middle portion 79, and an extended side portion 80. The portion between the end side portion 78 and the middle portion 79 is the portion where the communication opening 68b is formed, and its periphery is the portion where the belt cover portion 70R is connected, and the portion between the middle portion 79 and the extended side portion 80 is the portion where the communication opening 68a is formed, and its periphery is the portion where the belt cover portion 70L is connected.

[0033] The bag cover 65 is formed by sewing belt cover materials 81 to the regions between the end portions 78 and the middle portion 79 of the back side material 77 of the cover material 75 and to the regions between the middle portion 79 and the extended side portions 80, respectively, and by sewing the outer edges of the corresponding belt cover materials 81 together. At this time, the three end portions 78, middle portions 79, and extended side portions 80 are connected to each other to form the back side material 77. Then, the bag cover 65 can be formed by sewing the front side material 76 to the back side material 77.

[0034] However, in this embodiment, the bag cover 65 is formed by forming the main body cover portion 66 and the belt cover portions 70 (L, R) while leaving an assembly opening 66b at the tip side of the main body cover portion 66. This assembly opening 66b is used when joining the bag assembly 60 to the bag placement portion 22 of the lap belt portion 13.

[0035] To assemble the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the bag body 30 is folded to form a folded body 56, with the peripheral edge of the communication opening 47 of the base portion 46 of the conduit 45 in the bag side material 51 sewn to the peripheral edge of the inlet 40a of the inlet portion 40 in the bottom wall portion 32 of the bag body 30. Meanwhile, the fixed end 11b of the seat belt 11, which has been unwound from the retractor 15 and is not yet secured to the seat 1, is inserted into the bag cover 65 through the outlet hole 70a in the belt cover portion 70R of the bag cover 65 and removed through the assembly opening 66b. The joining portion 53 of the outer material 50 of the conduit 45 is sewn to the bag positioning portion 22 of the lap belt 13 at the removed portion using sewing thread 54. Next, the outer peripheral edges of the outer material 50 and the bag side material 51 are sewn together to form the conduit 45. Then, fixed end 11b of seat belt 11 is placed inside main body cover portion 66 of bag cover 65, and further passes through belt cover portion 70R and protrudes from outlet hole 70a of belt cover portion 70L. Furthermore, tip portion 48 of conduit portion 45 is placed inside main body cover portion 66, and further passes through extended tubular portion 72 of bag cover 65 and protrudes from tip portion 72a, and bag assembly 60 consisting of folded body 56 and base portion 46 of conduit portion 45 is stored inside main body cover portion 66 of bag cover 65, and assembly opening 66b of bag cover 65 is sewn closed. Next, the fixed end 11b of the seat belt 11 is connected and fixed to the anchor member 16 on the left side 6 of the seat portion 5 of the seat 1, and the tip 48 of the conduit portion 45, together with the tip 72a of the extended tubular portion 72 of the bag cover 65, is connected using a clamp 27 to the pipe portion 26 of the inflator 24 that has already been assembled to the seat 1, thereby allowing the occupant protection device 10 to be mounted on the seat 1.

[0036] In the occupant protection device 10 of the embodiment, when a seated occupant MP fastens the seat belt 11, the occupant MP unwinds the seat belt 11 while grasping the tongue 18 from the state shown in Figures 1 and 2, fastens the tongue 18 to the buckle 17, and wears the lap belt portion 13 to which the bag assembly 60 is attached (joined) around the waist MW as shown in Figures 3 and 4. At this time, as shown in Figure 5, the left and right edges 60a, 60b of the bag assembly 60 are separated from the occupant MP by a gap h on the front side of the left and right edges MWL, MWR of the waist MW of the occupant MP, but the lap belt portion 13 itself is worn in a state of close contact with the waist MW of the occupant MP. That is, in the bag arrangement portion 22 of the lap belt portion 13, the length dimension L1 of the joint portion 53 where the bag assembly 60 is attached is shorter than the length dimension L0 of the bag assembly 60, and therefore the lap belt portion 13 can fit closely to the waist region MW of the occupant MP by the shorter dimension. Therefore, when the pretensioner mechanism 15a is activated, the lap belt portion 13, which has been in close contact with the waist region MW of the occupant MP without leaving any gaps, is retracted and can accurately tighten the waist region MW of the occupant MP.

[0037] In this embodiment, as described above, the length L0 of the bag assembly 60 is approximately 260 mm, and the length L1 of the joint portion 53 is approximately 100 mm.

[0038] Therefore, in the embodiment of the occupant protection device 10, even if the bag assembly 60 is joined to the bag placement portion 22 of the lap belt portion 13, when the pretensioner mechanism 15a is activated, the lap belt portion 13 can suitably tighten the waist MW of the occupant MP.

[0039] Thereafter, when the occupant protection device 10 is activated, the inflator 24 discharges inflation gas, causing the inflation gas to flow into the conduit 45. The inflation gas flows from the inflator 24 through the tip 48 of the conduit 45, passes through the middle 49 of the conduit 45, flows into the base 46, passes through the communication port 47, and flows into the inlet 40a, and then flows into the bag main body 30. The bag main body 30 breaks the bag cover 65, inflates and protrudes from the bag placement portion 22 of the lap belt 13, and completes inflation in front of the upper body MU of the occupant MP (see FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The bag main body 30, with the support surface 37 supported by the thighs MF, can receive and protect the upper body MU of the occupant MP moving forward, via the occupant restraint surface 38.

[0040] In the occupant protection device 10 of this embodiment, the length L1 of the joining portion 53 along the lap belt portion 13 is set to 100 mm within a range of 50 to 120 mm.

[0041] In other words, if the length dimension L1 of the joint portion 53 is less than 50 mm, it is difficult to ensure the joint strength of the bag assembly 60 attached to the lap belt portion 13, and if it exceeds 120 mm, it is difficult to ensure that the lap belt portion 13 fits snugly against the waist MW of the occupant MP. That is, if the length L1 of the joint region 53 exceeds 120 mm, and the occupant MP wearing the lap belt 13 is a large or small occupant, for example, a small occupant MPS, the position of the joint region 53A when the lap belt 13 is worn may be shifted to the left or right from the center MC in the left-right direction of the occupant MPS and may be positioned in a region of large curvature around the waist MW, as shown in Fig. 10. In this case, if the length L1 of the joint region 53A exceeds 120 mm, the edges 53a, 53a of the joint region 53A, when the lap belt 13 is attached, tend to lift up from the edges MWR, MWL of the waist MW of the occupant MPS, creating a gap h1. This undesirably reduces the tightening force. Therefore, the length of the joint region 53 should be within a range of 50 to 120 mm, preferably within a range of 70 to 100 mm.

[0042] In addition, in the embodiment of the occupant protection device 10, the bag assembly 60 is arranged so that the portions 13a and 13b of the lap belt portion 13 extending to the left and right from the joint portion 53 protrude and are covered with a bag cover 65 so that they can be opened when the bag main body portion 30 is inflated.

[0043] Therefore, in the embodiment, the bag assembly 60 is covered with the bag cover 65, which prevents foreign objects from entering the folded body 56 formed by folding the bag main body 30, and also prevents the bag main body 30 from collapsing.

[0044] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the bag cover 65 is configured to include a main body cover portion 66 that covers the bag assembly 60 together with the joint portion 53, and belt cover portions 70 (L, R) that are tubular in shape and protrude from the main body cover portion 66, and that cover portions 13a, 13b of the lap belt portion 13 that extend left and right from the joint portion 53, respectively.

[0045] Therefore, in the embodiment, the bag cover 65 covers the bag assembly 60 with the main body cover portion 66, and the left and right belt cover portions 70 (L, R) protrude from the main body cover portion 66 to cover the portions 13a, 13b of the lap belt portion 13 extending from the joint portion 53 of the bag assembly 60. Therefore, not only the bag assembly 60 but also the lap belt portion 13 itself near the joint portion 53 is covered by the bag cover 65, and intrusion of foreign matter into the folded body 56 of the bag main body 30 can be suitably prevented.

[0046] If the above points are not taken into consideration, as in the bag cover 65A shown in Figures 11 and 12, the belt cover portion 70 (L, R) is not provided, and the main body cover portion 66A that covers the bag assembly 60 including the joint portion 53 is provided. The area of ​​the back side Alternatively, the construction may be such that openings 68a and 68b are simply provided to allow the areas 13a and 13b of the lap belt portion 13 near the joining area 53 to protrude.

[0047] In addition, in the embodiment, the bag assembly 60 is joined to the bag placement area 22 of the lap belt 13 by sewing, but as long as the bag assembly 60 is joined to the bag placement area 22 while preventing it from slipping, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the bag assembly 60 may be joined to the bag placement area 22 using a joining member 85 that wraps around the bag placement area 22 of the lap belt 13. The joining member 85 is a strip-shaped material through which the lap belt 13 is inserted in the left-right direction, and both upper and lower edges 85a are sewn to the outer material 50 at the base portion 46 of the conduit 45, and the length L1 is set to approximately 100 mm, which is shorter than the length L0 (approximately 260 mm) of the bag assembly 60. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...seat, 2...backrest portion, 3...upper end, 10...occupant protection device, 11...seat belt, 11b...(fixed end) tip, 13...lap belt portion, 15...retractor, 15a...pretensioner mechanism, 17...buckle, 18...tongue, 22...bag placement portion, 24...(gas supply device) inflator, 29...airbag, 30...bag main body portion, 45...conduit portion, 46...base portion, 48...tip portion, 49...middle portion, 53...joint portion, 60...bag assembly, 65, 65A...bag cover, 66, 66A...main body cover portion, 70(L, R)...belt cover portion, L0...length dimension (of bag assembly), L1...length dimension (of joint), MP...occupant, MW...waist, MU...upper body.

Claims

1. The seat belt is unwound from a retractor with a pretensioner mechanism disposed on one upper end side of the backrest of the seat in the left-right direction, and has a fixed end at its tip that is fixed to the side of the seat bottom where the retractor is disposed in the left-right direction. By fastening a tongue attached to a buckle disposed on the opposite side of the seat bottom from the fixed end side in the left-right direction, the left and right ends of the seat belt are connected to the left and right sides of the seat bottom, and a lap belt portion is disposed in front of the waist of an occupant seated in the seat. an airbag that is folded and disposed in the lap belt portion, and that, when activated, is inflated by the inflow of inflation gas and is capable of receiving and protecting the upper body of an occupant moving forward; The airbag, a bag body that inflates to accommodate an occupant; a conduit portion having a tip end connected to a gas supply device for inflation gas disposed on the fixed end side of the seat belt, and having a base end communicating with the bag main body so as to be able to supply inflation gas to the bag main body; The present invention is configured to include: An occupant protection device configured such that the folded bag main body and the base portion side of the conduit are joined to a bag arrangement portion of the lap belt as a bag assembly, a length dimension along the lap belt portion of a joining portion of the bag assembly that is joined to the bag placement portion is set to be smaller than a length dimension along the lap belt portion of the bag assembly, the bag assembly is disposed so that portions of the lap belt portion extending laterally from the joint portion protrude and are covered by a bag cover that can be opened when the bag main body portion is inflated, The bag cover includes a main body cover portion that covers the bag assembly together with the joint portion, The main body cover portion has a back side portion that faces the occupant when the lap belt portion is worn, and an opening is arranged in the back side portion so that the area near the joint portion of the lap belt portion protrudes.

2. The seat belt is unwound from a retractor with a pretensioner mechanism disposed on one upper end side of the backrest of the seat in the left-right direction, and has a fixed end at its tip that is fixed to the side of the seat bottom where the retractor is disposed in the left-right direction. By fastening a tongue attached to a buckle disposed on the opposite side of the seat bottom from the fixed end side in the left-right direction, the left and right ends of the seat belt are connected to the left and right sides of the seat bottom, and a lap belt portion is disposed in front of the waist of an occupant seated in the seat. an airbag that is folded and disposed in the lap belt portion, and that, when activated, is inflated by the inflow of inflation gas and is capable of receiving and protecting the upper body of an occupant moving forward; The airbag, a bag body that inflates to accommodate an occupant; a conduit portion having a tip end connected to a gas supply device for inflation gas disposed on the fixed end side of the seat belt, and having a base end communicating with the bag main body so as to be able to supply inflation gas to the bag main body; The present invention is configured to include: An occupant protection device configured such that the folded bag main body and the base portion side of the conduit are joined to a bag arrangement portion of the lap belt as a bag assembly, a length dimension along the lap belt portion of a joining portion of the bag assembly that is joined to the bag placement portion is set to be smaller than a length dimension along the lap belt portion of the bag assembly, the bag assembly is disposed so that portions of the lap belt portion extending laterally from the joint portion protrude and are covered by a bag cover that can be opened when the bag main body portion is inflated, The bag cover is a main body cover portion that covers the bag assembly together with the joint portion; a cylindrical belt cover portion protruding from the main body cover portion and covering portions of the lap belt portion extending to the left and right from the joint portion; An occupant protection device comprising:

3. 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the joint portion along the lap belt portion is set within a range of 50 to 120 mm.

Images