Side airbag system

Abstract

To provide a side airbag device which is configured so that speed of expanding an airbag can be enhanced.SOLUTION: A side airbag device 1 is provided with an airbag 3 connected to an inflation fluid generating source 5 and stored in a case 2 in a folded-back state. The airbag 3 has a bellows-shape folded part 30 folded back in a bellows-shape at the inflation fluid generating source 5 side, and a roll-folded part 35 connected to the bellows-shape folded part 30 and folded in a roll shape. The roll-folded part 35 is arranged at a position except for an expansion region 30R of the bellows-shape folded part 30, in a normal state where the airbag is not expanded.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a side airbag device mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a side airbag device that supplies an inflation fluid such as gas generated by an inflation fluid generation source such as an inflator at the time of a collision to an airbag connected to the inflation fluid generation source, and inflates the airbag between the vehicle side door and an occupant to protect the occupant.

[0003] In a side airbag device mounted on a vehicle, an airbag is connected to the above-described inflation fluid generation source and folded in a normal state, that is, a state where the airbag is not deployed.

[0004] The direction in which the folded airbag is deployed, its speed, deployment mode, etc. vary depending on the folding method of the airbag. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of folding an airbag by combining a bellows fold and a roll fold.

[0005] Specifically, Patent Document 1 states that a bellows-folded portion (which may be referred to as a bellows fold portion as necessary) of an airbag is easily unfolded and easily deployed, and a roll-folded portion (which may be referred to as a roll fold portion as necessary) of the airbag is more difficult to unfold than the bellows fold portion, but easily enters a narrow portion.

[0006] In this specification, a bellows fold is a type of method for continuously folding an object such as an airbag, and means a folding method in which the object is alternately folded back in a forward direction and a reverse direction. The bellows fold is also referred to as a zigzag fold. In this specification, a roll fold means a folding method in which the above-described object is repeatedly folded in one direction or repeatedly wound in one direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5983193 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The location and structure of side airbag systems within a vehicle cabin vary considerably depending on the design of the vehicle equipped with the side airbag system and the location of other vehicle components installed in that vehicle.

[0009] For example, in a side airbag system, the airbag may be housed directly within the seat back, as described in Patent Document 1, or it may be housed in a case and mounted in various positions.

[0010] In a side airbag system having an airbag housed in a case, the force generated when the airbag inflates or deploys is necessary to open the door of the case.

[0011] In the side airbag device described in Patent Document 1 above, there is a bellows-fold section on the side of the airbag where the expansion fluid is generated, and a roll-fold section on the opposite side of the airbag where the expansion fluid is generated. Therefore, the expansion fluid generated by the expansion fluid source first flows into the bellows-fold section, and then into the roll-fold section. As a result, the bellows-fold section of the airbag deploys and inflates first, followed by the roll-fold section.

[0012] As previously mentioned, the bellows section is the part of the airbag that is easiest to unfold and deploy. Therefore, to increase the airbag deployment speed, it is reasonable to deploy the bellows section first. Also, as previously mentioned, the roll section is more difficult to unfold than the bellows section, but it is easier to get into narrow spaces. Therefore, to ensure reliable deployment of the airbag between the vehicle's side door and the occupant, it is reasonable to include a roll section.

[0013] However, when the airbag is housed in a case, that is, when the force of the airbag's deployment is required to open the case door, the load and impact of opening the door also act on the airbag. For example, when the airbag described in Patent Document 1 is housed in a case, the roll fold portion of the airbag on the opposite side of the inflatable fluid source is particularly likely to come into direct contact with the case door. As a result, this roll fold portion is susceptible to the aforementioned loads and impacts, and is prone to loosening or bending of the roll.

[0014] If the aforementioned loosening or bending occurs in the roll folding section, and the roll folding section is positioned in a location deviating from the deployment direction, it may take extra time for the position and deployment direction to be corrected, potentially hindering improvements in deployment speed.

[0015] Therefore, there is a need for technology to improve the deployment speed of side airbags in side airbag systems that are positioned in various locations and have various structures.

[0016] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to solve the problem of providing a technology that can further improve the deployment speed of airbags in a side airbag system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] The first side airbag device of the present invention, which solves the above problems, is It is equipped with an airbag that is connected to an inflatable fluid source and is housed in a case in a folded state, The airbag has a bellows-folded portion located on the side of the inflatable fluid source and a roll-folded portion connected to the bellows-folded portion, The aforementioned roll-fold portion is a side airbag device positioned in a location that avoids the deployment area of ​​the bellows-fold portion in the normal state before deployment.

[0018] The second side airbag device of the present invention, which solves the above problems, is A case having a case body portion and a door portion integrated with the case body portion and capable of changing its state in an opening direction with respect to the case body portion. An airbag having a bellows folded portion that is connected to an inflation fluid generation source, housed in the case in a folded state, located on the inflation fluid generation source side, and bellows folded, and a roll folded portion that is connected to the bellows folded portion and roll folded. In the normal state before deployment, the roll folded portion is disposed at a position avoiding the deployment region of the bellows folded portion. A side airbag device in which when the bellows folded portion is deployed, the door portion changes its state in an opening direction with respect to the case body portion.

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to further improve the deployment speed of the airbag in the side airbag device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram schematically explaining the position of the side airbag device of Example 1 with respect to the seat. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram schematically explaining each member included in the side airbag device of Example 1. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram schematically showing the upper case in the side airbag device of Example 1. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram schematically showing the upper case in the side airbag device of Example 1. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram schematically explaining the appearance of the side airbag device of Example 1 as viewed from the side of the seat. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram schematically explaining the side airbag device of Example 1 at the A-A position in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram explaining the operation of the side airbag device of Example 1. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram explaining the operation of the side airbag device of Example 1. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the side airbag device in Example 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Hereinafter, when describing matters common to the first side airbag device and the second side airbag device of the present invention, they may simply be referred to as the side airbag device of the present invention, the side airbag device of the embodiment, etc. Furthermore, a side airbag system having an airbag housed in a case may be referred to as a case-housed side airbag system, as needed.

[0022] The side airbag device of the present invention comprises an airbag connected to an inflation fluid source and housed in a case in a folded state. The airbag has a bellows-folded portion located on the inflation fluid source side and a roll-folded portion connected to the bellows-folded portion.

[0023] The inventors of this invention have diligently conducted research to improve the deployment speed of airbags in case-type side airbag devices. They realized that if a roll fold is located on the leading side of the bellows fold in the deployment direction, the orientation of the roll fold may be altered by external forces acting on it, potentially hindering its deployment.

[0024] In other words, in a case-type side airbag system, the force required to deploy the airbag needs to open the case door, and the load and impact when opening the door also act on the airbag. When a roll fold is located on the leading side of the bellows fold in the direction of deployment, if the bellows fold comes into contact with the door of the case or the side door of the vehicle during airbag deployment, the roll fold will also come into contact with the same door or side door. In such cases, the deployment of the roll fold is hindered, which can cause extra time to be required for the roll fold to deploy normally, potentially impeding an improvement in the airbag deployment speed.

[0025] In the side airbag device of the present invention, the rolled portion is positioned in a location that avoids the deployment area of ​​the bellows portion in the normal state before deployment.

[0026] According to the side airbag device of the present invention, by positioning the roll fold portion at the above location, the adverse effects on the roll fold portion when the bellows fold portion comes into contact with the door portion or side door during airbag deployment can be reduced. This makes it possible to suppress obstruction of the deployment of the roll fold portion.

[0027] In other words, in the side airbag device of the present invention, in order to open the door portion of the case, a load is first applied to the door portion by unfolding the bellows section. This load also acts on the bellows section at this time, but the roll section, which is connected to the bellows section and unfolds after it, is positioned to avoid the unfolding area of ​​the bellows section. Therefore, the roll section is less affected by the load applied to the bellows section and can be unfolded towards the desired position. As a result, the side airbag device of the present invention makes it possible to quickly deploy the airbag to the desired position.

[0028] Therefore, the side airbag device of the present invention can further improve the airbag deployment speed even when it is a case-housed type side airbag device.

[0029] In this specification, the unfolded area of ​​the bellows fold described above refers to the area obtained by projecting the bellows fold in its normal state toward the forward side in the unfolding direction. In this specification, the unfolding direction of the bellows section may be referred to as the first direction, and the unfolding direction of the roll section may be referred to as the second direction, as needed. The bellows section unfolds toward the front of the first direction, and the roll section unfolds toward the front of the second direction.

[0030] Furthermore, the first side airbag device of the present invention is not limited to a case-type side airbag device, and may also be, for example, one in which the airbag is directly housed within the seat back, as described in Patent Document 1.

[0031] The side airbag device of the present invention will be described below, component by component. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical range "x~y" described herein includes the lower limit x and the upper limit y. Furthermore, new numerical ranges can be constructed by arbitrarily combining these upper and lower limits, as well as the numerical values ​​listed in the examples. Additionally, any numerical values ​​selected from any of the above numerical ranges can be used as the upper and lower limits of a new numerical range.

[0032] The second side airbag device of the present invention includes a case as a component in addition to the first side airbag device of the present invention.

[0033] The airbag in the first side airbag device may or may not be housed in a case. For example, the airbag may be housed directly within the seat back, as is the case in the side airbag device described in Patent Document 1. If the airbag in the first side airbag device is housed in a case, the case may be the same as the case in the second side airbag device of the present invention described below.

[0034] The second side airbag device of the present invention comprises a case and an airbag. The case comprises a case body for housing the airbag and a door integrated with the case body. The door may be openable and closable relative to the case body, but to prevent malfunction during sudden braking of the vehicle, it is preferable that it be fixed in a closed position relative to the case body when the airbag is not deployed, under normal conditions.

[0035] Specifically, the door portion is preferably molded integrally with the case body and constitutes a part of the wall surface of the case. Furthermore, the door portion is preferably integrated with the case body at the boundary with the case body, and a rupture guide portion is preferably provided in part or all of the boundary portion. The rupture guide portion refers to a part of the case that has lower strength compared to other parts and ruptures when the airbag deploys. The rupture guide portion may be, for example, a part that is thinner than other parts, or a part in which multiple through holes are arranged at intervals.

[0036] When the airbag housed inside the case deploys, the door section changes position outward due to the pressure exerted by the airbag. In other words, at this time, the door section changes its state to open relative to the case body. In this specification, the state of the door section at this time is sometimes referred to as the open state, and the state of the door section when the airbag is in its normal state, i.e., not deployed, is sometimes referred to as the closed state.

[0037] If the aforementioned rupture guide portion is provided only on a part of the boundary between the door portion and the case body portion, when the door portion changes state in the direction of opening relative to the case body portion due to the pressing force of the airbag, the part of the boundary portion will rupture, but the other part will remain integrated. In this case, the door portion will change state to the open state using the integrated portion as a hinge, and will remain integrated with the case body portion even in the open state.

[0038] On the other hand, if the rupture guide is provided along the entire boundary between the door and the case body, the entire boundary may rupture when the door changes state in the direction of opening relative to the case body due to the pressure of the airbag. In this case, the door will detach from the case body when it is in the open position.

[0039] Considering the management of the door section after the airbag has deployed, it is preferable that the door section remains integrated with the case body even when open, and that the rupture guide section is provided only in a part of the boundary between the door section and the case body.

[0040] The airbag in the side airbag device of the present invention may be a hollow bag made of a foldable and deployable material. As the material for the airbag, it is preferable to select a material that is flexible and high-strength, and for example, a woven fabric using polyester or polyamide yarn can be particularly suitable.

[0041] The airbag is connected to an inflation fluid source. The inflation fluid source will be explained in more detail later.

[0042] The airbag is housed in the aforementioned case in a folded state. The airbag has a bellows-fold section and a roll-fold section.

[0043] Of these, the bellows-folded section is the part of the airbag located on the side where the inflation fluid is generated, and it is the part that is folded in a bellows-like manner. The bellows-folding is as previously described.

[0044] The bellows section has multiple folds. Ideally, these folds should be parallel to each other, but some variation is acceptable. For example, the angle θ1 between adjacent folds in the bellows section is preferably within the range of 0 ≤ θ1 ≤ 10°, more preferably within the range of 0 ≤ θ1 ≤ 5°, and particularly preferably within the range of 0 ≤ θ1 ≤ 3°.

[0045] The roll-fold section is the part of the airbag that is connected to the bellows-fold section mentioned above, and is the part that is roll-folded. The roll-folding process is as previously described.

[0046] If the roll fold section has multiple folds, it is preferable that the folds of the roll fold section are also parallel to each other, but some variation is acceptable, similar to the bellows fold section.

[0047] For example, the angle θ2 between adjacent folds in the rolled section is preferably within the range of 0 ≤ θ2 ≤ 10°, more preferably within the range of 0 ≤ θ2 ≤ 5°, and particularly preferably within the range of 0 ≤ θ2 ≤ 3°.

[0048] In the side airbag device of the present invention, the spacing and number of bellows folds in the airbag are not particularly limited. The spacing and number of roll folds are also not particularly limited.

[0049] In the airbag in the side airbag device of the present invention, the bellows folds unfold toward the front in the first direction, and as the bellows folds unfold toward the front in the first direction, the door portion of the case changes its state to open toward the case body portion of the case. In this specification, the first direction, which is the unfolding direction of the bellows folds, means the overlapping direction of the portions between adjacent folds in the bellows folds (which may be referred to as bellows strips as needed). The front in the first direction means the side of the overlapping direction of the bellows strips that is furthest from the source of the expansion fluid. As described above, even if the folds of the multiple bellows folds are not parallel to each other, the overlapping direction of the bellows strips is the first direction.

[0050] In the side airbag device of the present invention, the roll fold portion of the airbag deploys to the forward side in the second direction. Hereinafter, as necessary, the end of the roll fold portion furthest from the expansion fluid source may be referred to as the end of the roll fold portion, and the end of the roll fold portion closer to the expansion fluid source may be referred to as the start end of the roll fold portion. The end of the roll fold portion may also be referred to as the end of the roll fold portion furthest from the bellows fold portion. The start end of the roll fold portion may also be referred to as the end of the roll fold portion closer to the bellows fold portion.

[0051] In this specification, the second direction, which is the unfolding direction of the roll fold, may be the same as the first direction described above, but in order to reduce as much as possible the effect of the load acting on the bellows on the roll fold, it is more preferable that it be a direction intersecting the first direction. The second direction refers to the direction in which the rate of increase in the length of the roll fold is maximized when, starting from the normal state, i.e., the state in which the airbag is not deployed, the bellows fold is held in a folded state while only the roll fold is released and allowed to unfold naturally.

[0052] The second direction in which the rolled section unfolds, and the first direction in which the aforementioned bellows section unfolds, can be calculated by actually deploying and inflating the airbag in question and analyzing the images taken during this process. Any known method can be appropriately selected for the image analysis. Furthermore, for airbags of the same shape, the first and second directions can also be considered the same. Therefore, the image analysis described above only needs to be performed on at least one airbag, and it is not necessary to perform it on all airbags.

[0053] In the airbag of the side airbag device of the present invention, it is preferable that the first direction in which the bellows fold portion unfolds and the second direction in which the roll fold portion unfolds intersect each other. In other words, it is preferable that the bellows fold portion and the roll fold portion unfold in different directions. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the intersection angle θ between the first direction and the second direction is within the range of 40° ≤ θ ≤ 140°.

[0054] In the conventional side airbag device described in Patent Document 1, the direction in which the bellows fold portion unfolds and the direction in which the roll fold portion unfolds are the same.

[0055] The inventors of this invention have diligently conducted research to improve the deployment speed of airbags in case-type side airbag devices. As a result, they have found that the deployment speed of airbags in case-type side airbag devices can be further improved by making the deployment direction of the bellows section and the roll section different.

[0056] In other words, in a case-type side airbag system, the force required to deploy the airbag needs to open the case door, and the load and impact when opening the door also act on the airbag.

[0057] In the airbag of the side airbag device of the present invention, when the bellows fold and the roll fold deploy in different directions from each other, the roll fold is initially oriented in a direction different from the deployment direction of the bellows fold, and it can be said that the roll fold deploys in a direction that dissipates the impact caused by the deployment of the bellows fold. This makes it possible to further improve the deployment speed of the airbag.

[0058] As previously described, in the side airbag device of the present invention, the roll folding portion is positioned to avoid the deployment area of ​​the bellows folding portion. In addition, it is even more preferable that the roll folding portion be located on the second side relative to the bellows folding portion. This is to minimize the influence of the load acting on the bellows portion on the roll folding portion.

[0059] Furthermore, considering the relationship between the deployment direction of the roll-fold portion and the deployment direction of the bellows-fold portion described above, the side airbag device of the present invention can be understood as follows: [1] and [2].

[0060] [1] A case having a case body and a door integrated with the case body and capable of changing its state in an opening direction relative to the case body, The airbag comprises an airbag connected to an inflatable fluid source, housed in the case in a folded state, having a bellows-folded section located on the side of the inflatable fluid source, and a roll-folded section connected to the bellows-folded section, The aforementioned bellows-fold portion unfolds towards the front in the first direction, The roll folding portion extends toward the front in the second direction intersecting the first direction, A side airbag device wherein the bellows-fold portion unfolds toward the front in the first direction, causing the door portion to change its state to open relative to the case body.

[0061] [2] It comprises an airbag connected to an inflatable fluid source and housed in the case in a folded state, The airbag has a bellows-folded portion located on the side of the inflatable fluid source and a roll-folded portion connected to the bellows-folded portion, The aforementioned bellows-fold portion unfolds towards the front in the first direction, The roll folding portion extends toward the front in a second direction intersecting the first direction, in a side airbag device.

[0062] In the airbag of the side airbag device of the present invention, the bellows fold and the roll fold may be continuous or not. For example, the airbag may have an unfolded straight section between the bellows fold and the roll fold, or it may have a second bellows fold that unfolds in a different direction from the bellows fold.

[0063] Furthermore, the airbag in the side airbag device of the present invention may have a second straight section, a second rolled section, a third bellows section, etc., on the leading side of the rolled section, or in other words, on the leading side in a second direction relative to the rolled section.

[0064] As previously mentioned, the source of the expanding fluid is preferably an inflator that generates gas as the expanding fluid. However, in some cases, a source that generates an expanding fluid other than gas, such as a liquid or gel, may also be used.

[0065] The inflation fluid source is a device for supplying inflation fluid to the airbag, and may be, for example, a so-called pyrotype having a gas generating agent that generates gas as inflation fluid, or a so-called hybrid type that ruptures the bulkhead of a high-pressure vessel and supplies the gas contained in the high-pressure vessel. The inflation fluid source may be located entirely outside the airbag, or partly or entirely inside the airbag.

[0066] Furthermore, the side airbag device of the present invention may or may not include an inflation fluid source.

[0067] The side airbag device of the present invention may comprise other components. Examples of such other components include, for example, a retainer that accommodates at least the location of the inflation fluid source, a cover that surrounds at least a part of the airbag, and a wire harness for electrically connecting the inflation fluid source and the airbag control device. However, the side airbag device of the present invention is not limited to these and may comprise other components.

[0068] The side airbag device of the present invention will be described below with specific examples.

[0069] (Example 1) The side airbag device of Example 1 is the second side airbag device of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the position of the side airbag device of Embodiment 1 relative to the seat. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating each component included in the side airbag device of Embodiment 1. Figures 3 and 4 show schematic diagrams of the upper case in the side airbag device of Embodiment 1. Figure 3 shows the upper case viewed from below, and Figure 4 shows the upper case viewed from the side of the side door. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the side airbag device of Embodiment 1 viewed from the side of the seat. Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the side airbag device of Embodiment 1 at position AA in Figure 5. Figures 7 to 9 show schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the side airbag device of Embodiment 1.

[0070] Hereinafter, "side door side," "interior side of the vehicle," "upper side," "lower side," "front side," and "rear side" refer to the side door side, interior side of the vehicle, upper side, lower side, front side, and rear side as shown in each diagram. The front side is the leading side in the direction of vehicle travel, and the rear side is the rear side in the direction of vehicle travel.

[0071] As shown in Figure 1, the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 is integrated with the side of the seat 90 mounted in the vehicle and is exposed on the side of the seat 90. More specifically, the side airbag device 1 is integrated with the side of the seat 90 on the side door 91 side and is positioned between the backrest 90b of the seat 90 and the side door 91 (see Figure 7) in the vehicle width direction.

[0072] As shown in Figure 2, the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 comprises a case 2, an airbag 3, a cover 4, an inflation fluid source 5, a retainer 6, and a wire harness 7.

[0073] Case 2 is divided into an upper case 20 and a lower case 25. The upper case 20 has a plurality of fitting claw portions 21, and the lower case 25 has a plurality of fitting frame portions 26 corresponding to each of the fitting claw portions 21. The upper case 20 and the lower case 25 are integrated by fitting the fitting claw portions 21 and the fitting frame portions 26 together.

[0074] As shown in Figure 2, the upper case 20 and the lower case 25 can be described as divided parts obtained by dividing the box-shaped case 2 in the thickness direction.

[0075] The lower case 25 has a bottom wall portion 27 and a lower peripheral wall portion 28 that is integrally molded with the bottom wall portion 27 and rises from the bottom wall portion 27. The lower peripheral wall portion 28 is continuously provided around the entire periphery of the bottom wall portion 27. The fitting frame portion 26 is provided at the tip of the lower peripheral wall portion 28.

[0076] The upper case 20 has a top wall portion 22 and an upper peripheral wall portion 23 that is integrally molded with the top wall portion 22 and rises from the top wall portion 22. The upper peripheral wall portion 23 is continuously provided around the entire circumference of the peripheral edge of the top wall portion 22. The fitting claw portion 21 is located approximately in the center of the rising direction of the upper peripheral wall portion 23 and is provided at a position corresponding to each fitting frame portion 26.

[0077] In the case 2 of the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1, the top wall portion 22 of the upper case 20 constitutes the door portion 24. The upper peripheral wall portion 23 of the upper case 20 and the lower case 25 constitute the case body portion 29.

[0078] As shown in Figure 3, a fracture guide portion 20g is provided in the front portion of the boundary between the upper peripheral wall portion 23 and the top wall portion 22 of the upper case 20 (the portion enclosed by the dashed line B in Figure 3). Hereinafter, as necessary, the portion of the boundary between the upper peripheral wall portion 23 and the top wall portion 22 of the upper case 20 other than the fracture guide portion 20g may be referred to as the general portion 20c.

[0079] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, in the fracture guide portion 20g, multiple through holes 20o are provided at the end of the upper peripheral wall portion 23 on the top wall portion 22 side. These through holes 20o open in the thickness direction of the upper peripheral wall portion 23 and are arranged along the circumferential direction of the upper peripheral wall portion 23 at intervals. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, in the fracture guide portion 20g, the thickness of the portion of the upper peripheral wall portion 23 between the through holes 20o (the portion enclosed by the dashed line C in Figure 6) is thinner than the thickness of the other portions of the upper peripheral wall portion 23. For this reason, the top wall portion 22 and the upper peripheral wall portion 23 are more prone to fracture in the fracture guide portion 20g than the general portion 20c.

[0080] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the spacing between adjacent through holes 20o is wider in the front portion of the upper case 20 than in the lower and upper portions of the upper case 20. Therefore, the front portion of the fracture guide portion 20g in the upper case 20 is more prone to fracture than the lower and upper portions of the upper case 20.

[0081] The upper case 20 and the lower case 25 are combined to form case 2. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the case 2 has an internal space 2h, which houses the airbag 3, cover 4, inflation fluid source 5, retainer 6, and part of the wire harness 7. The retainer 6 is a material with high strength and rigidity, and in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1, it is made of metal.

[0082] The inflation fluid source 5 in the side airbag device 1 of Example 1 is a pyro-type inflator as described above. The inflation fluid source 5 contains a gas generating agent that generates the gas that constitutes the inflation fluid. The majority of the inflation fluid source 5 is housed in a retainer 6 that is roughly cylindrical. The wire harness 7 electrically connects the inflation fluid source 5 to an airbag control device (not shown), and a portion of the harness is housed inside the retainer 6 together with the inflation fluid source 5.

[0083] For reference, the airbag control device is connected to collision sensors (not shown in the diagram), including side impact sensors and acceleration sensors, and detects when a collision occurs by receiving signals from these collision sensors. Then, at the time of the collision, it controls the inflation fluid source 5 to generate inflation fluid, which in turn deploys and inflates the airbag 3. The retainer 6, the expansion fluid source 5, and the wire harness 7 may be referred to as the inflator assembly, as needed.

[0084] As shown in Figure 5, the retainer 6, the inflation fluid source 5 housed within the retainer 6, and a portion of the wire harness 7 are located inside the airbag 3. The inflation fluid generated by the inflation fluid source 5 is supplied to the inside of the airbag 3 through the retainer 6.

[0085] As shown in Figure 6, the airbag 3 is housed in a box-shaped cover 4. The cover 4 is made of a relatively weak material and easily breaks when the airbag 3 deploys. Therefore, the cover 4 does not easily hinder the deployment of the airbag 3.

[0086] The retainer 6 is provided with a mounting hole 69 into which a bolt 19 is inserted. The bolt 19 is further inserted into a mounting hole 25h provided in the lower case 25 of the case 2, and then fastened to the frame of the seat 90 (not shown). In other words, the cover 4, airbag 3, and inflation fluid source 5 are fixed to the case 2 and seat 90 via the retainer 6.

[0087] The portion of the airbag 3 that does not house the inflator assembly described above has a bellows-fold section 30 and a roll-fold section 35. The bellows-fold section 30 is located closer to the inflation fluid source 5 than the roll-fold section 35, and the roll-fold section 35 is continuous with the bellows-fold section 30.

[0088] The bellows-fold portion 30 is a section that is folded back alternately in the forward and backward directions, and the folds 31 of the bellows-fold portion 30 extend in the upward-downward direction. The portion of the bellows-fold portion 30 between adjacent folds 31, i.e., the bellows-strip portion 32, is overlapped in the direction of the vehicle interior side - side door 91 side. Furthermore, the portion of the bellows-strip portion 32 on the side door 91 side is located on the side furthest from the expansion fluid source 5 in the direction of overlapping.

[0089] Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, the first direction F in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 is the direction from the vehicle interior to the side door 91, and the leading end of the first direction F, which is the opening direction of the bellows fold portion 30, is the side door 91 side. In other words, the bellows fold portion 30 of the airbag 3 in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 deploys toward the side door 91 side.

[0090] As shown in Figure 6, the end portion 30e of the bellows fold 30 is on the front side. The roll fold 35 is the portion that is further folded back towards the vehicle interior from the end portion 30e of the bellows fold 30 and then rolled in a clockwise direction. In this case, the starting end portion 35s of the roll fold 35 can be said to be the portion of the roll fold 35 that is located at the boundary with the bellows fold 30. When folding the airbag 3, it is preferable to first form the rolled fold portion 35, and then the bellows fold portion 30.

[0091] As previously described, the bellows fold portion 30 unfolds toward the side door 91. In the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1, the direction in which the roll fold portion 35 is to be unfolded is forward in the gap between the seat 90 and the side door 91. The unfolding direction of the roll fold portion 35, i.e., the second direction S, obtained by prior measurement, is the front-rear direction, and the leading end of the second direction S is the front side. Furthermore, in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1, the roll fold portion 35 is positioned in front of the bellows fold portion 30.

[0092] In the side airbag device 1 of Example 1, the intersection angle θ between the first direction F and the second direction S is approximately 90°.

[0093] Furthermore, the roll folding portion 35 is located in a position that avoids the unfolding region 30R of the bellows folding portion 30, and is located ahead of the bellows folding portion 30 in the second direction S.

[0094] The deployment area 30R of the bellows fold portion 30 in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 is the area enclosed by the dashed line D in Figure 7, and is the area obtained by projecting the bellows fold portion 30 in its normal state toward the front side in the first direction F.

[0095] As shown in Figure 2, in normal, permanent installation, the bellows section 30 and the roll section 35 are folded and temporarily secured by fixing bands 98.

[0096] The operation of the side airbag device 1 in Example 1 will be described below.

[0097] During a collision, the airbag control device (not shown) controls the inflation fluid source 5 to generate inflation fluid. The inflation fluid generated by the inflation fluid source 5 flows into the airbag 3. Since the bellows section 30 is the part of the airbag 3 on the inflation fluid source 5 side, the inflation fluid first flows into the bellows section 30. As a result, the bellows section 30 unfolds towards the front in the first direction F (see Figure 8).

[0098] As previously mentioned, the bellows-fold section 30 is a part that is easy to unfold and unfold, so the bellows-fold section 30 unfolds at a relatively high speed.

[0099] The bellows-fold portion 30, which is unfolded in the first direction F, comes into contact with the door portion 24 of the case 2 and presses the door portion 24 toward the front side in the first direction F.

[0100] A fracture guide portion 20g is provided at the boundary between the door portion 24 and the case body portion 29 of case 2. Therefore, at this time, the door portion 24 and the case body portion 29 fracture along the fracture guide portion 20g, and the door portion 24 swings in the direction of opening around the general portion 20c, in other words, toward the side door 91. As a result, the door portion 24 changes state from the closed state shown in Figure 7 to the open state shown in Figure 8.

[0101] At this time, the roll folding portion 35 also changes position in the unfolding direction of the bellows folding portion 30. However, the second direction S, which is the unfolding direction of the roll folding portion 35, intersects with the first direction F, which is the unfolding direction of the bellows folding portion 30. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, in the normal state, the roll folding portion 35 is positioned to avoid the unfolding region 30R of the bellows folding portion 30, and is positioned ahead of the bellows folding portion 30 in the second direction S.

[0102] Therefore, the external force exerted when the bellows fold 30 contacts the door portion 24 does not significantly act on the roll fold 35, and the orientation of the roll fold 35 is not easily altered. Furthermore, the roll fold 35 itself also unfolds in a direction that dissipates the impact caused by the unfolding of the bellows fold 30 (see Figure 9). As a result, the unfolding of the roll fold 35 is not easily hindered, and the airbag 3 in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 deploys at a sufficient speed despite being housed in the case 2 having the door portion 24.

[0103] As previously mentioned, the rolled fold portion 35 is less likely to unfold than the bellows fold portion 30, but it is a portion that can easily fit into narrow spaces. For this reason, the airbag 3 in the side airbag device 1 of Embodiment 1 fits into the relatively narrow gap between the vehicle side door 91 and the seat 90 and deploys to the front in the second direction S at a sufficient speed.

[0104] Therefore, the side airbag device 1 of Example 1 can be said to have improved deployment speed of the airbag 3 in the side airbag device 1.

[0105] Although the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it is possible to implement the invention by appropriately extracting and combining the elements described in the embodiments, and to make various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the specification of this invention discloses not only the reference relationships of each claim as initially filed, but also a technical concept that appropriately combines the matters described in each claim. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1: Side airbag system 2: Case 24: Door section 29: Case body 3: Airbags 30: Bellows-fold section 30R: Expansion area of ​​the bellows fold 35: Roll folding section 5: Source of expanding fluid F: 1st direction S:Second direction θ: Angle of intersection between the first and second directions

Claims

1. A case having a case body and a door integrated with the case body and capable of changing its state in an opening direction relative to the case body, The airbag comprises an airbag connected to an inflatable fluid source, housed in the case in a folded state, having a bellows-folded section located on the side of the inflatable fluid source, and a roll-folded section connected to the bellows-folded section, The aforementioned bellows-fold portion unfolds towards the front in the first direction, The roll folding portion extends toward the front in the second direction intersecting the first direction, The roll folding portion is located in a position that avoids the unfolded area of ​​the bellows folding portion in the normal state before unfolding, and is positioned on the forward side in the second direction relative to the bellows folding portion. A side airbag device in which the bellows-fold portion unfolds, causing the door portion to change its state to open relative to the case body portion.

2. It is equipped with an airbag that is connected to an inflatable fluid source and is housed in a case in a folded state, The airbag has a bellows-folded portion located on the side of the inflatable fluid source and a roll-folded portion connected to the bellows-folded portion, The aforementioned bellows-fold portion unfolds towards the front in the first direction, The roll folding portion extends toward the front in the second direction intersecting the first direction, The roll folding portion is located in a position that avoids the deployment area of ​​the bellows folding portion in the normal state before deployment, and is positioned on the forward side in the second direction relative to the bellows folding portion, in the side airbag device.

3. The intersection angle θ between the first direction and the second direction is within the range of 40° ≤ θ ≤ 140°. The side airbag device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The side airbag device according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is positioned on the rear side in the first direction relative to the vehicle side door.

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