Airbags

Abstract

To provide an airbag in which a base part can be reinforced with a reinforcement body and which can be suppressed in manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: An airbag 3 comprises a base part 15 on which an inflator 2 is mounted, an inflation part 16 that is inflated by gas introduced thereinto by the inflator 2 mounted on the base part 15, a reinforcement body 20 reinforcing the base part 15, and a fastening part 21 fastening the reinforcement body 20 to the base part 15. At least a portion of the fastening part 21 is formed in a curve shape along inflation in a thickness direction of the inflation part 16, at a position at which gas pressure concentrates in the inflating part 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag that inflates and deploys laterally to an object to be protected. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a side impact airbag device, i.e., a side airbag device, which deploys a bag-shaped airbag to the side of an occupant seated in an automobile seat to protect the occupant in the event of a side collision. The airbag used in the side airbag device is stored in a folded state on the side of the seat, and is inflated by gas supplied thereto from an inflator to deploy between the occupant and the door, protecting the occupant's chest and waist from the side.

[0003] The airbag is provided with a reinforcing fabric to protect the base from the heat of gas emitted from an inflator attached to the base and from the tensile force during inflation. The reinforcing fabric is fixed to the base fabric constituting the airbag base by a fixing part formed by sewing or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-1213 A (pages 9-10, Figures 5-7) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the airbag inflates, stress tends to concentrate at the bonded portion, making it necessary to reinforce the bonded portion itself, which is one of the factors that increases manufacturing costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has an object to provide an airbag in which the base portion is reinforced by a reinforcing body while the manufacturing cost can be reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The airbag described in claim 1 is an airbag that inflates and deploys to the side of a protected object, and has an inflator attached thereto. Has an inflator mounting portion A base and the inflator mounting portion the inflatable portion is inflated by gas introduced into the interior from the inflator attached to the base; a reinforcing member for reinforcing the base; and a fixing member for fixing the reinforcing member to the base, wherein the fixing member comprises: When viewed from the side, the line intersects with an imaginary line connecting the maximum width position of the inflatable portion in the thickness direction and the inflator mounting portion closest to the gas ejection portion of the inflator. In position Tesho At least some The inflator has one convex inflection point on the side of the inflator. It is formed in a curved shape.

[0008] request request 2 The airbag described in claim 1 In the airbag described, the fixed portion has a curved portion formed at a position where it intersects with the imaginary line, and straight portions that connect to both ends of the curved portion.

[0009] Claim 3 The airbag described in claim 1 or 2 In any one of the airbags described above, the fixed portion is a sewn portion that sews the base portion and the reinforcing body together. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the airbag of claim 1, at the position where the gas pressure of the inflation section is concentrated, the fixing section can be made to be a line perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the inflation shape of the inflation section, thereby alleviating stress concentration and suppressing fracture of the fixing section due to stress.Therefore, while the base section can be reinforced with a reinforcing body, there is no need to reinforce the fixing section itself, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0011] request request 2 According to the airbag described in claim 1 In addition to the effects of the airbag described above, only the areas of the fastening portion where stress is most concentrated are curved to alleviate stress concentration, and the fastening portions in other positions are formed as short as possible, allowing the fastening portions to be manufactured inexpensively.

[0012] Claim 3 According to the airbag described above, claim 1 or 2 In addition to the advantages of the airbag described above, the partially curved fastening portion can be manufactured inexpensively and easily. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing an expanded state of an airbag according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the deployed state of an airbag according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] In Fig. 1, 1 denotes an airbag device. The airbag device 1 is attached to a seat (seat) in the passenger compartment of an automobile, which is the attachment part, and constitutes a so-called side airbag device that protects the occupant by inflating and deploying between the occupant seated in the seat, which is the protected object, and the door and window parts of the vehicle body, which are on the other side. Directions such as front, rear, both sides, and up and down are based on the direction in which the automobile is traveling straight ahead, and in the drawing, the forward direction is indicated by arrow FR, the rearward direction by arrow RR, the upward direction by arrow U, the downward direction by arrow D, and the vehicle width direction by arrow W (Fig. 2).

[0016] The airbag device 1 has an inflator 2 that generates and injects gas, and an airbag 3 that inflates and deploys with the gas supplied by the inflator 2. The inflator 2 is fixed to the airbag 3 by a fixing device also called a retainer, and the inflator 2 and airbag 3 are housed in a case body and attached to a mounting portion such as a seat.

[0017] The inflator 2 includes a main body 5. The main body 5 has an elongated shape and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape in this embodiment. One end of the main body 5 is formed with a gas ejection portion 6 that supplies gas to the airbag 3. The gas ejection portion 6 is also called a diffuser or a nozzle, and in the illustrated example, is a plurality of circular holes that serve as gas outlets formed on the circumferential surface of one end of the main body 5. In addition, the other end of the main body 5 is provided with a terminal portion 7 for operating the inflator 2. In this embodiment, the inflator 2 is, for example, a so-called hybrid type, and when an ignition signal is sent to the terminal portion 7, the propellant filled inside the main body 5 is reacted and the gas stored in a cylinder inside the main body 5 is released, causing a relatively low-temperature gas to be ejected from the gas ejection portion 6.

[0018] The fixture, which may also be called a retainer, is formed, for example, by bending a metal plate along the outer periphery of the main body 5 of the inflator 2. With the fixture holding the inflator 2, a bolt, which is an attachment means, is passed through the airbag 3, and then inserted into a member such as the frame that constitutes the seat, and a nut is screwed and tightened to fix the fixture, the inflator 2, and the rear end of the airbag 3 to the seat.

[0019] The airbag 3 is formed into a flat bag shape in the thickness direction, i.e., the vehicle width direction, by overlapping and joining one or more sheets of base fabric 8, also called panels. In this embodiment, the airbag 3 is formed by, for example, folding one sheet of base fabric 8 from a folding portion 10 in the center, and overlapping panel portions 11, 11 shown in FIG. 2, which are formed line-symmetrically or approximately line-symmetrically with respect to this folding portion 10, and joining the vicinity of the outer edges of the panel portions 11, 11 by a joining portion 12 to form a bag shape. In the illustrated example, the airbag 3 includes a pair of panel portions 11, 11 in the thickness direction, and in an inflated state, one panel portion 11 forms an occupant-facing surface that faces the side of the occupant, and the other panel portion 11 forms a vehicle-body-facing surface that faces the vehicle body.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 3 has a base 15 formed by a panel portion 11, which is adjacent to the folded portion 10 and where the joint portion 12 is not located, and an inflation portion 16 formed by the panel portion 11, which is connected to the base 15.

[0021] The base 15 is a gas introduction portion to which the inflator 2 is attached and which is fixed to the seat. In this embodiment, the base 15 is located at the rear end of the airbag 3 and extends in the vertical direction. That is, the base 15 is formed to include the bent portion 10.

[0022] A reinforcing body 20 is fixed to the base 15 by a fixing portion 21. The reinforcing body 20 is a sheet-like reinforcing fabric that reinforces the base 15 against the gas pressure from the inflator 2 that inflates the inflation portion 16. The reinforcing body 20 is overlapped and fixed to the panel portion 11 on the inside or outside of the airbag 3. In this embodiment, the reinforcing body 20 includes the folded portion 10 and is disposed across both panel portions 11. The reinforcing body 20 is formed longitudinally across the entire vertical direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the base 15.

[0023] The fixing portion 21 is formed near the outer edge of the reinforcement body 20. The fixing portion 21 has one fixing main body portion 23 located along one longitudinal end of the reinforcement body 20, another fixing main body portion 24 located along the other longitudinal end of the reinforcement body 20, and a connecting portion 25 connecting the one fixing main body portion 23 and the other fixing main body portion 24 along the side edge of the reinforcement body 20. In other words, the fixing portion 21 is in a frame shape formed along the outer edge of the reinforcement body 20. The fixing portion 21 is located in a position surrounding the inflator 2. In this embodiment, the one fixing main body portion 23 is set along the upper edge of the reinforcement body 20, and the other fixing main body portion 24 is set along the lower edge of the reinforcement body 20. The one fixing main body portion 23 and the other fixing main body portion 24 are set so as to intersect with the bent portion 10. Furthermore, the connecting portion 25 is set along the front edge of the reinforcement body 20. The fixing portion 21 may be of any configuration, such as adhesive, as long as it can fix the reinforcing body 20 to the panel portion 11 of the base portion 15, but in this embodiment it is a sewing portion that sews the reinforcing body 20 and the base portion 15 together.

[0024] The first fixing body portion 23 and the second fixing body portion 24 are formed in a straight line parallel or approximately parallel to each other.

[0025] The connecting portion 25 extends in a direction intersecting or perpendicular to the one fixing main body portion 23 and the other fixing main body portion 24. The connecting portion 25 is located forward and spaced apart from the inflator 2. The connecting portion 25 has a curved portion formed therein. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion 25 has a curved portion 25a and a straight portion 25b.

[0026] Curved portion 25a is formed in a curved shape along the expansion of expansion portion 16 in the thickness direction. In this embodiment, curved portion 25a is curved into a shape that has one convex inflection point on the rear side. Curved portion 25a is located in the center of connecting portion 25 in the up-down direction.

[0027] The straight portion 25b is formed so as to be continuous with both end portions of the curved portion 25a. In this embodiment, the straight portion 25b is linear along the vertical direction. The straight portion 25b connects one end of the curved portion 25a to one fixing main body portion 23 and the other end of the curved portion 25a to the other fixing main body portion 24.

[0028] The inflator 2 is fixed to the base 15 by one or more inflator mounting portions 27. The inflator mounting portion 27 is a portion through which the inflator 2 is fixed together with a fastener by passing a bolt therethrough. The inflator mounting portion 27 is formed in a circular hole shape and penetrates at least one of the panel portions 11 and the reinforcing body 20. In this embodiment, the inflator mounting portions 27 are formed, for example, in two positions, one above the other, along the bent portion 10 of the base 15, at positions spaced apart from each other. Therefore, the inflator 2 mounted to the base 15 is disposed with its longitudinal direction aligned vertically. In the illustrated example, the inflator mounting portions 27 are set at a position on the main body 5 of the inflator 2 that is closer to the longitudinal center than the gas ejection portion 6 and at a position near the terminal portion 7. In other words, one inflator mounting portion 27 is located relatively close to the gas ejection portion 6, and the other inflator mounting portion 27 is located relatively far from the gas ejection portion 6. In this embodiment, the inflator 2 attached to the inflator attachment portion 27 is disposed toward the upper side of the base 15, with the gas ejection portion 6 located on the lower side and the terminal portion 7 located on the upper side. The lower inflator attachment portion 27 is close to the gas ejection portion 6, and the upper inflator attachment portion 27 is far from the gas ejection portion 6. Also, in this embodiment, one fixing main body portion 23 of the fixing portion 21 is located above and close to the terminal portion 7 of the inflator 2, and the other fixing main body portion 24 of the fixing portion 21 is located below and away from the gas ejection portion 6 of the inflator 2.

[0029] The inflation section 16 is inflated by gas introduced therein from the inflator 2 attached to the base 15. The inflation section 16 is formed to extend further upward and downward relative to the base 15. In other words, the inflation section 16 is elongated in the up-down direction and expands in the up-down direction toward the front relative to the base 15. In this embodiment, the up-down length of the inflation section 16 is set so that, when inflated, it deploys laterally in a range from the shoulders to the waist of a seated occupant.

[0030] The upper part of the inflatable portion 16 is curved in an upwardly convex arc shape when viewed from the side. Similarly, the lower part of the inflatable portion 16 is curved in a downwardly convex arc shape when viewed from the side. The vertical middle part of the inflatable portion 16 is gradually enlarged in the front-to-rear direction from the top to the bottom when viewed from the side.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2 , the inflatable portion 16 is configured to gradually expand in the vehicle width direction from its top to its bottom, and gradually decrease in the vehicle width direction from a position lower than the center in the vertical direction toward the bottom. Therefore, the maximum expansion point X of the inflatable portion 16 in the thickness direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction), i.e., the maximum width position, is set at a position lower than the center in the vertical direction at any position in the front-rear direction. In other words, the maximum expansion point X is the intersection of the maximum width position in a cross section in a predetermined first direction perpendicular to the thickness direction (e.g., the maximum width position in the vertical cross section) and the maximum width position in a cross section in a predetermined second direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and the first direction (e.g., the front-rear direction). For example, the maximum expansion point X is located approximately near the center in the front-rear direction. This maximum expansion point X is the theoretical point at which the inflatable portion 16 expands most in the thickness direction when filled with gas. 1, in a side view, the curved portion 25a of the fixing portion 21 is located at a position intersecting with an imaginary line L connecting the maximum inflation point X and the inflator attachment portion 27 closest to the gas ejection portion 6 of the inflator 2. In other words, the curved portion 25a is located at a position where the gas pressure of the inflation portion 16 is concentrated. The curved portion 25a is formed along the inflation shape of the inflation portion 16, and is curved along the outer shape of the inflation portion 16 in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the inflation shape of the inflation portion 16.

[0032] In addition, the interior of the expansion section 16 may be provided with one or more partitions that divide the expansion section 16 into multiple chambers, and / or one or more regulating members such as tethers that regulate the expansion shape of the expansion section 16.

[0033] The airbag device 1 is assembled by overlapping the reinforcing body 20 on the base fabric 8 and fastening it at the fastening portion 21, combining the inflator 2 with the fixing device, inserting the bolt of the fixing device into the inflator mounting portion 27, joining the base fabric 8 at the joining portion 12 to form the bag-shaped airbag 3, and folding the airbag 3 into an appropriate state.

[0034] In this state, as described above, the gas ejection portion 6 of the inflator 2 is located toward the lower part of the base 15. The airbag device 1 is then stored in a case as necessary, which is then stored on the side of the seat, and attached to the automobile seat by fastening the bolts of the fasteners to a member such as the frame of the seat using nuts or the like. Furthermore, the terminal portion 7 of the inflator 2 of the airbag device 1 is connected, for example, via a harness to a control device serving as control means provided on the vehicle side. This control device has a CPU and is connected to one or more sensors, and sends an ignition signal to activate the inflator 2 depending on the occupant and the state of the collision.

[0035] Therefore, when the vehicle receives an impact such as a side collision, the control means sends a signal to the terminal portion 7 of the inflator 2 based on the sensing signals of each sensor to activate the inflator 2 in a state appropriate for protecting the occupant, and in response to this signal, the inflator 2 injects gas from the gas ejection portion 6. Then, due to the pressure of the gas, the airbag 3 is introduced from the base portion 15 to the inflation portion 16, and as the inflation portion 16 inflates, it pushes open the cover, protrudes from the seat, and deploys into the gap between the occupant and the door trim and window portion of the door.

[0036] At this time, at least a portion of fastening portion 21 that fastens reinforcing body 20 to base 15 is curved along the expansion in the thickness direction at a position where the gas pressure of inflation section 16 concentrates, in this embodiment, at a position where it intersects with imaginary line L that connects maximum inflation point X in the thickness direction and inflator attachment portion 27 on the lower side, i.e., closer to gas ejection portion 6, as viewed from the side. Therefore, at the position where it intersects with imaginary line L, fastening portion 21 can be made to be a line that is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the expanded shape of inflation section 16. This alleviates the concentration of stress (tensile force) at the intersection with imaginary line L, where the gas pressure is high, and prevents breakage of fastening portion 21 due to stress, i.e., detachment of reinforcing body 20 from base 15. Thus, by eliminating the need to reinforce fastening portion 21 itself while reliably reinforcing base 15 with reinforcing body 20, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0037] That is, the inflator mounting portion 27 is a fixed portion, and pulling force tends to concentrate in the vicinity thereof, with the pulling force tending to act more strongly on the lower inflator mounting portion 27 closest to the gas ejection portion 6 of the inflator 2. Therefore, when viewed from the side, the fixed portion 21 is formed in a curved shape at a position where it intersects with an imaginary line L connecting the maximum expansion point X in the thickness direction of the inflation portion 16 and the lower inflator mounting portion 27 closest to the gas ejection portion 6 of the inflator 2. By making the fixed portion 21 curved at the position where the stress (pulling force) is most concentrated, the stress concentration is alleviated and breakage of the fixed portion 21 due to stress can be suppressed.

[0038] Specifically, the fixing portion 21 is formed by connecting straight portions 25b to both ends of a curved portion 25a formed at the position where it intersects with the virtual line L, so that only the portion of the fixing portion 21 where stress is most concentrated is made curved to alleviate the concentration of stress, and the fixing portion 21 is formed in the shortest possible manner at other positions, allowing the fixing portion 21 to be manufactured inexpensively.

[0039] Since the fixing portion 21 is a sewn portion that sews the base portion 15 and the reinforcing body 20 together, the fixing portion 21 that is partially curved can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

[0040] 3, the inflator 2 may be attached to the base 15 of the airbag 3 so that the gas ejection portion 6 of the inflator 2 is at the upper part and the terminal portion 7 is at the lower part. In this case, the inflator attachment portion 27 is closer to the lower part of the base 15, and the upper inflator attachment portion 27 is closest to the gas ejection portion 6. Therefore, by setting the curved portion 25a of the fixing portion 21 at a position that intersects with the imaginary line L that connects the upper inflator attachment portion 27 and the maximum inflation point X, the base 15 can be reinforced by the reinforcing member 20 while achieving the same effects as the first embodiment, such as reducing manufacturing costs.

[0041] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, for example, if the airbag device 1 is arranged in front of the occupant and the airbag 3 is deployed from the front to the side of the occupant, the same can be achieved by reversing the front-to-rear direction arrangement. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention is used, for example, as a so-called side airbag that is stored in the side of an automobile seat and deploys to the side of an occupant to protect the occupant. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 2 Inflator 3 Airbags 6 Gas outlet 15 base 16 Expansion section 20 Reinforcement 21 Fixing part 25a Curved section 25b Straight section 27 Inflator mounting part L Virtual Line X Maximum expansion point

Claims

1. An airbag that inflates and deploys to the side of a protected object, a base having an inflator mounting portion to which an inflator is attached; an inflation section that is inflated by gas introduced into it from the inflator attached to the inflator attachment section; a reinforcing body that reinforces the base; a fixing portion that fixes the reinforcing body to the base, When viewed from the side, the fixing portion is formed in a curved shape having one inflection point that is convex toward the inflator at least in part at a position that intersects with an imaginary line connecting a maximum width position in the thickness direction of the inflation portion and the inflator attachment portion that is closest to the gas ejection portion of the inflator. An airbag characterized by:

2. The fixed part is a curved portion formed at a position intersecting the virtual line; and straight line portions connected to both ends of the curved line portion.

2. The airbag according to claim 1.

3. The fixing portion is a sewing portion that sews the base portion and the reinforcing body together.

3. The airbag according to claim 1 or 2.

Images