Airbags

Abstract

To provide an airbag that protects an occupant properly.SOLUTION: An airbag, which is expanded by being supplied with expansion gas, comprises an upper expansion part arranged at an upper part side in the airbag and a lower expansion part arranged at a lower part side in the airbag, where a non-expansion part is formed in at least a portion in the lower expansion part, which is expanded together with the upper expansion part by being supplied with expansion gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to airbags. [Background technology]

[0002] Airbags that deploy to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle collision have been in practical use for some time now, and there is a demand for airbags that can stably protect vehicle occupants.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses such an airbag in which a support inflatable portion supports a protection inflatable portion from the vehicle body side when inflation is complete, thereby stably receiving an occupant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-019350 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the airbag of Patent Document 1 has a simple shape that deploys into a cylindrical shape, and therefore further improvement is required to better protect the occupant.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide an airbag that provides adequate protection for an occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The airbag according to the present disclosure is an airbag that is deployed by supplying inflation gas, and includes an upper inflation portion disposed on an upper side of the airbag, and a lower inflation portion disposed on a lower side of the airbag, and the lower inflation portion is at least partially formed Non-expandable section Surrounding the The upper inflation section is expanded by supplying inflation gas. The lower inflation section has a pair of curved sections extending from the upper inflation section, and tip ends of the pair of curved sections are at least partially connected in a state where the front surfaces or back surfaces overlap each other before deployment.It is something. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately protect occupants. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle equipped with an airbag according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the airbag. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of an airbag. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a process for manufacturing an airbag. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the tip ends of a pair of curved portions are connected to each other. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how an airbag deploys. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] 1 shows the configuration of a vehicle equipped with an airbag according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle has a steering wheel 1, a detection unit 2, a control unit 3, and an airbag 4.

[0012] The steering wheel 1 is used by an occupant P seated in the driver's seat to operate the vehicle, and is formed, for example, in a circular ring shape. The detection unit 2 detects a vehicle collision and is configured by, for example, a collision sensor, etc. The detection unit 2 is connected to the control unit 3 and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 3 when a collision is detected.

[0013] The control unit 3 controls the deployment of the airbag 4, and is connected to an inflator (not shown). The control unit 3 activates the inflator based on a detection signal output from the detection unit 2. The inflator inflates the airbag 4 by ejecting inflation gas, and is composed of, for example, a gas generator.

[0014] The airbag 4 is disposed on the steering wheel 1 and is configured to deploy between the steering wheel 1 and the occupant P when inflation gas is supplied. As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag 4 is configured to have a circular outer shape corresponding to the steering wheel 1 when viewed from the front. The airbag 4 has an upper inflatable portion 4a disposed on the upper side and a lower inflatable portion 4b disposed on the lower side. The upper inflatable portion 4a is disposed to correspond to the position of the head of the occupant P, and the lower inflatable portion 4b is disposed to correspond to the positions of the chest and abdomen of the occupant P. The upper inflatable portion 4a and the lower inflatable portion 4b are configured so that the internal spaces to which inflation gas is supplied are integrally connected. In other words, when inflation gas is supplied to the upper inflatable portion 4a and the lower inflatable portion 4b, the lower inflatable portion 4b deploys together with the upper inflatable portion 4a.

[0015] Here, the lower inflation portion 4b is formed with a non-inflatable portion 5. This non-inflatable portion 5 is a portion to which inflation gas is not supplied, i.e., a portion that is not inflated by inflation gas, and can be formed, for example, from a hole that penetrates the lower inflation portion 4b. Furthermore, the non-inflatable portion 5 is, for example, disposed below and near the center of the airbag 4, i.e., disposed in correspondence with the central portion of the occupant P's chest. As a result, the lower inflation portion 4b is formed to surround the non-inflatable portion 5. The airbag 4 is formed so as to deploy in an annular shape when viewed from the front by the upper inflation portion 4a and lower inflation portion 4b that are connected to each other.

[0016] Specifically, the lower inflation portion 4b has a pair of curved portions 6a and 6b extending downward from the upper inflation portion 4a on either side of the non-inflatable portion 5 in the vehicle width direction D1, and the tip ends 7a and 7b are connected to each other. The tip ends 7a and 7b of the curved portions 6a and 6b are closed and connected to each other so as to block the flow path of the inflation gas. At this time, the tip ends 7a and 7b are connected to each other at a position corresponding to the abdomen of the occupant P, for example, at a position near the lowest part of the airbag 4. In other words, the tip ends 7a and 7b are positioned so as to block the flow path of the inflation gas that is formed to surround the non-inflatable portion 5 near the lowest part.

[0017] With this configuration, as shown in Fig. 3, the deployment (deployment length) of the lower inflating section 4b in the thickness direction D2 is limited by the non-inflating section 5, and the lower inflating section 4b deploys with a thinner thickness than the upper inflating section 4a, which deploys entirely across the vehicle width direction D1. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower inflating section 4b deploys to maintain a predetermined distance from the chest of the occupant P1, similar to the upper inflating section 4a.

[0018] Next, a method for manufacturing the airbag 4 will be described.

[0019] First, as shown in Fig. 4, the base fabric 11 corresponding to the upper inflatable portion 4a and the curved portion 6b of the airbag 4 and the base fabric 12 corresponding to the curved portion 6a are formed, respectively. Then, the edge portion 11a of the base fabric 11 and the edge portion 12a of the base fabric 12 are connected. At this time, the edge portion 11a and the edge portion 12a may be connected by, for example, sewing or bonding with an adhesive. In this way, the base fabrics 11 and 12 constituting the front side of the airbag 4 are connected to each other.

[0020] In this way, the separately formed base fabrics 11 and 12 are connected to each other, thereby connecting the curved portion 6a to the upper inflatable portion 4a. Furthermore, by forming the base fabric 11 corresponding to the curved portion 6b and the upper inflatable portion 4a, the curved portion 6b is formed integrally with the upper inflatable portion 4a. Here, the curved portions 6a and 6b are formed to have lengths such that the tip ends 7a and 7b overlap each other in the thickness direction D2. Since the curved portion 6a is connected to the upper inflatable portion 4a and the curved portion 6b is formed integrally with the upper inflatable portion 4a, the curved portions 6a and 6b can be easily formed to have lengths that overlap each other in the thickness direction D2.

[0021] The base fabric constituting the rear side of the airbag 4 is also prepared in the same manner. Then, the front side base fabrics 11 and 12 and the rear side base fabric are connected to each other. The front side and rear side base fabrics may be connected by, for example, sewing or bonding with an adhesive.

[0022] Next, as shown in Fig. 5, the curved portions 6a and 6b are formed by connecting the surfaces of the distal end portions 7a and 7b that face each other when the distal end portions 7a and 7b are pulled up toward the front before deployment with the connecting portion 13. At this time, the distal end portions 7a and 7b may be connected at least partially to each other on their facing surfaces. For example, only a portion of the edges of the distal end portions 7a and 7b may be connected by the connecting portion 13.

[0023] The connecting portion 13 may be made of, for example, an adhesive. The distal end 7a of the curved portion 6a and the distal end 7b of the curved portion 6b may be formed by connecting the opposing back surfaces of the distal end 7a and the distal end 7b to each other by the connecting portion 13 when the distal end 7a and the distal end 7b are pulled up toward the back side before unfolding. In this case, the distal end 7a and the distal end 7b can connect at least a part of the opposing back surfaces of the distal end 7a and the distal end 7b.

[0024] In this manner, the airbag 4 is manufactured. At this time, the airbag 4 can be easily formed into a predetermined shape by simply providing the curved portions 6a and 6b without using other parts such as a tether belt. Furthermore, since the airbag 4 has a circular shape when viewed from the front, it can be easily manufactured using an existing folding machine or the like.

[0025] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0026] First, the detection unit 2 shown in FIG. 1 detects a vehicle collision. At this time, it is assumed that the airbag 4 is housed in a housing provided in, for example, the steering wheel 1. When the detection unit 2 detects a collision, it outputs a detection signal to the control unit 3. When the control unit 3 receives the detection signal from the detection unit 2, it activates an inflator (not shown). This causes the inflator to supply inflation gas into the airbag 4.

[0027] 6, in response to the supply of inflation gas, the airbag 4 begins to deploy, exposed to the outside of the steering wheel 1. At this time, the tip ends 7a and 7b of the curved portions 6a and 6b are connected at their surfaces, and therefore, the airbag 4 deploys while pressing against each other in the vehicle width direction D1.

[0028] Here, the tip end portions 7a and 7b are connected at a part of their surfaces facing the vehicle width direction D1, and not all of the surfaces are connected, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, the curved portions 6a and 6b can be smoothly deployed while changing the posture of the tip end portions 7a and 7b. In this way, the airbag 4 is fully deployed, as shown in FIG.

[0029] Here, the lower inflation portion 4b is formed with a non-inflatable portion 5. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the airbag 4 has the upper inflation portion 4a inflated largely toward the head of the occupant P, while the lower inflation portion 4b inflated slightly toward the chest of the occupant P. At this time, the lower inflation portion 4b is not in contact with the chest of the occupant P immediately after deployment, and is deployed so as to maintain a predetermined distance from the chest of the occupant P.

[0030] Conventionally, if the lower inflation portion is deployed with the same thickness as the upper inflation portion, it may come into contact with the chest of the occupant P immediately after deployment, significantly pushing back against the chest of the occupant P. Therefore, in the present disclosure, the lower inflation portion 4b of the airbag 4 is deployed so as to maintain a predetermined distance from the chest of the occupant P immediately after deployment. At this time, the lower inflation portion 4b is deployed so as to spread out in a planar shape against the chest of the occupant. This allows the airbag 4 to restrain the head and chest of the occupant P almost simultaneously, suppressing the pushing back of the chest of the occupant P, and appropriately protecting the occupant P.

[0031] Furthermore, the non-inflatable portion 5 is made up of holes, which makes it easy to reduce the thickness of the lower inflatable portion 4b.

[0032] Additionally, the lower inflating portion 4b is formed to surround the periphery of the non-inflating portion 5. This ensures that the portion of the lower inflating portion 4b that corresponds to the chest of the occupant P is deployed small, thereby more appropriately protecting the occupant.

[0033] The lower inflating portion 4b is formed by connecting tip ends 7a and 7b of curved portions 6a and 6b extending from the upper inflating portion 4a. As a result, the tip ends 7a and 7b are deployed while pressing against each other in the vehicle width direction D1, allowing the lower portion of the airbag 4, i.e., the position corresponding to the abdomen of the occupant P, to be deployed widely in the thickness direction D2. That is, the lower inflating portion 4b deploys a portion corresponding to the chest of the occupant P in a small amount in the thickness direction D2, while deploying a portion corresponding to the abdomen of the occupant P in a large amount in the thickness direction D2. In this way, by deploying the tip ends 7a and 7b widely, it is possible to prevent the abdomen of the occupant P from coming into contact with the steering wheel 1, etc.

[0034] Furthermore, the curved portions 6a and 6b are connected to each other at their front surfaces or their back surfaces before deployment, as shown in Fig. 4. This allows the tip portions 7a and 7b to deploy while pressing against each other with a greater pressing force, thereby allowing the lower portion of the airbag 4 to deploy more widely.

[0035] According to this embodiment, the lower inflating portion 4b, which is disposed on the lower side of the airbag 4, is formed with the non-inflating portion 5. As a result, the upper inflating portion 4a inflates largely toward the head of the occupant P, while the lower inflating portion 4b inflates small toward the chest of the occupant P, allowing the airbag 4 to adequately protect the occupant P.

[0036] In this embodiment, the lower inflation portion 4b has the tip ends 7a and 7b of the curved portions 6a and 6b extending from the upper inflation portion 4a connected to each other, but this is not limited to this as long as a non-inflatable portion 5 is formed. For example, the lower inflation portion 4b may be formed so that the tip ends 7a and 7b of the curved portions 6a and 6b are in communication with each other, i.e., so that the flow path of the inflation gas is not blocked by the tip ends 7a and 7b and surrounds the non-inflatable portion 5.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, the non-inflatable portion 5 is formed as a hole, but it is not limited to this as long as it is formed so as not to be inflated by inflation gas. For example, the non-inflatable portion 5 may be formed as an area surrounded by walls that prevent the inflow of inflation gas. For example, a non-inflatable chamber surrounded by walls that prevent the inflow of inflation gas may be formed in the lower inflatable portion 4b, and this non-inflatable chamber may be used as the non-inflatable portion 5.

[0038] In addition, in the present embodiment, one non-inflatable portion 5 is formed in the lower inflatable portion 4b, but this is not limiting as long as a non-inflatable portion 5 is formed in at least a portion. For example, the lower inflatable portion 4b may have multiple non-inflatable portions 5 formed therein.

[0039] Next, the results of measuring the amount of displacement of the chest of a dummy occupant P when the dummy occupant P was actually restrained by the airbag 4 will be shown.

[0040] (Example) When a crash test (SLED test) was conducted with a dummy occupant P fastened to a seat belt, the displacement of the chest of the occupant P (the distance moved rearward of the vehicle) due to the deployment of the airbag 4 was measured.

[0041] (Comparative Example) When a collision test was conducted with a dummy occupant P fastened with a seat belt, the amount of chest displacement of the occupant P due to the deployment of a conventional airbag was measured. The conventional airbag used here was a circular airbag in which the upper and lower inflatable portions 4a and 4b had the same thickness and deployed into a cylindrical shape.

[0042] (Evaluation of displacement) When a collision test was conducted with a dummy occupant P fastened to a seat belt, the reference displacement of the occupant P's chest was measured without an airbag, and the displacements of the example and the comparative example relative to this reference displacement were calculated. As a result, it was found that, when the displacement of the comparative example relative to the reference displacement was set to 100%, the displacement of the example relative to the reference displacement was reduced by approximately 30%. In other words, it was found that the airbag 4 reduced the displacement of the occupant P's chest by approximately 30% compared to a conventional circular airbag.

[0043] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof. For example, the disclosure of the shapes and numbers of each part described in the above-described embodiments is merely illustrative and can be modified as appropriate. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] The airbag according to the present disclosure can be used as an airbag that deploys by supplying inflation gas. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 steering wheel 2. Detection unit 3. Control Unit 4 Airbags 5 Non-expandable section 6a, 6b curved section 7a,7b Tip 11,12 Base fabric 11a,12a Edge 13 Connecting part D1 Vehicle width direction D2 thickness direction H1 upper half H2 lower half P crew

Claims

1. An airbag that deploys by supplying inflation gas, an upper inflation portion disposed on an upper side of the airbag; a lower inflation portion disposed on a lower side of the airbag; Equipped with the lower inflation section is formed to surround a periphery of the non-inflatable section formed at least in part thereof, and is deployed together with the upper inflation section by the supply of inflation gas; the lower inflation portion has a pair of curved portions extending from the upper inflation portion, The airbag has tip ends of the pair of curved portions that are at least partially connected together with their front surfaces or their back surfaces overlapping each other before deployment.

2. 2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the non-inflatable portion is a hole.

3. 2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the non-inflatable portion is an area surrounded by a wall that prevents the inflow of the inflation gas.

4. 2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein one curved portion is formed so as to be connected to said upper inflatable portion, and the other curved portion is formed integrally with said upper inflatable portion.

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