Crew protection devices

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device that enables an airbag to be stably arranged at an appropriate position even in a configuration in which the folded airbag is arranged movably with respect to a lap belt.SOLUTION: An airbag 25 arranged in a region of a lap belt 10 of a seat belt includes a bag body 26 and a conduit part 35 connected to an inflator 17 arranged near the lower end of a seat part 3 in a seat 1. The airbag is held in a folded state on the lap belt. The conduit part is arranged substantially along the lap belt in a state of being held by a conduit holding body 45. The conduit holding body is made of a material that has flexibility and higher rigidity than the conduit part, is arranged substantially along the conduit part and both ends thereof are fixed on the seat side and the bag body side by a seat side fixing part 48 or a bag body side fixing part 52, respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device disposed on a vehicle seat.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an occupant protection device attached to a seat, an airbag is disposed in the lap belt region of a seat belt. In operation, an occupant sitting on the seat while wearing the seat belt is protected by the inflated airbag (bag body). (See, for example, Patent Document 1). In this conventional occupant protection device, an inflater that supplies inflation gas to the airbag is disposed on the lower end side of the seat portion in the seat, and the airbag includes a bag body that is held by the lap belt and inflates to protect the occupant, and a conduit portion that is connected to the inflater and allows the inflation gas to flow into the bag body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this conventional occupant protection device, a folded bag body (completed folded body) is arranged on the tip side of a conduit portion that extends from the inflater and is arranged substantially along the lap belt so as to be held by the lap belt. However, in this conventional occupant protection device, the conduit portion disposed between the completed folded body and the inflater is formed of a seat body having flexibility, which is the same material as the bag body, and is long. Therefore, in a vehicle-mounted state (non-wearing state), etc., it may be twisted together with the lap belt, and there is room for improvement in suppressing the occurrence of such twisting and making it easy to wear.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an occupant protection device that can suppress the occurrence of twisting and is easy to install. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is installed on the seat of a vehicle, Seat belts and, In a seat belt, when fastened, an airbag is positioned in the area of ​​the lap belt that restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat, An inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, Equipped with, The inflator is positioned near the lower edge of the seat portion of the seat. The airbag is a bag-like structure made from a flexible sheet material. The bag body is held in place by the lap belt when folded and inflates to protect the occupant while wearing the seat belt, A conduit section connected to the inflator, which allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body, In an occupant protection device having the following configuration, The conduit section is held in place by the conduit holder and positioned so as to be roughly aligned with the wrap belt. The conduit holder is made of a flexible material that is more rigid than the conduit, is positioned to substantially follow the conduit, and is fixed at both ends to the seat side and the bag body side by a seat side fixing part or a bag body side fixing part, respectively.

[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, the conduit portion extending from the folded bag body and connected to the inflator is held by a conduit holder. This conduit holder is positioned substantially along the conduit portion and fixed at both ends to the seat side and the bag body side, and is made of a material with higher rigidity than the conduit portion. Therefore, in the non-installed state (when the occupant is not seated), such as when the device is installed in a vehicle, the conduit holder can effectively prevent the conduit portion from being twisted together with the lap belt. As a result, when installing the device, the wearer (occupant) does not need to correct the twisted state of the conduit portion by hand, etc., and the folded body can be easily positioned in the correct position relative to the occupant simply by fastening the seat belt.

[0008] Therefore, the occupant protection device of the present invention can suppress the occurrence of twisting and other issues, and can be easily installed.

[0009] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, since the conduit section is held by the conduit holder, when the inflator is activated, the flapping that occurs in the conduit section area due to the inflow of the expansion gas discharged from the inflator into the bag body through the conduit section can be suppressed, the position of the expanding bag body can be quickly stabilized, and the occupant can be quickly and stably protected by the inflated airbag (bag body). Moreover, since the conduit holder is flexible, it can be easily bent together with the wrap belt and conduit section to conform to the lower body of the wearer, and the feel when worn is also good.

[0010] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, it is preferable to have a configuration in which the folded body, formed by folding the bag body, is held by the lap belt so that it can slide relative to the lap belt.

[0011] With this configuration, the occupant protection device can be positioned appropriately relative to the occupant when installed. Furthermore, in the occupant protection device with the above configuration, when installed in the vehicle (without an occupant), the lap belt is positioned to be roughly aligned with the vertical direction. However, since the conduit section is held by the conduit holder, even if the folded body is configured to slide relative to the lap belt, the conduit holder can effectively prevent the conduit section from sagging relative to the lap belt. In addition, it can prevent the bag body from sliding down relative to the lap belt due to such sagging.

[0012] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, if the conduit holder is formed from a substantially cylindrical body capable of covering the outer circumference of the conduit portion, when the airbag inflates, the conduit portion will inflate inside the conduit holder, which is preferable because it can suppress the inflating conduit portion from directly and strongly pressing against the occupant's arm or the like.

[0013] Specifically, examples of a substantially cylindrical conduit holder used in the crew protection device described above include a bellows-shaped cylindrical body made of synthetic resin, and a cylindrical body with a rubber-like elastic material as the base material and a mesh-like reinforcing layer arranged around its entire circumference.

[0014] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device with the above configuration, the seat-side fixing part is attached to a position on the side of the seat via a position adjustment part. It is preferable that the position adjustment unit be configured such that the seat-side fixing unit can slide along the longitudinal direction of the conduit holder relative to the seat portion.

[0015] If the occupant protection device is configured in this way, the seat-side fixing portion in the conduit holder, that is, the attachment position of the conduit holder to the seat side (the side of the seat portion), can be slid by the position adjusting portion. Therefore, the substantial length dimension of the conduit holder when the seat belt is worn (the distance from the bag body side fixing portion in the conduit holder to the position corresponding to the upper surface of the seat portion) can be increased or decreased by the position adjusting portion, and the position of the folded complete body can be adjusted according to the physique of the occupant.

[0016] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, a belt loop portion through which a lap belt can be inserted is provided on the airbag, and it is preferable that the bag body side fixing portion is attached to the belt loop portion.

[0017] If the occupant protection device is configured in this way, the conduit holding portion does not have to be directly attached to the bag body, the conduit holding portion can be easily attached, and the airtightness of the bag body can also be ensured.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a side view of the seat of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] In the seat of FIG. 1, it is a partial enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the arrangement site of the inflator and the position adjusting portion. [Figure 4] In the seat of FIG. 1, it is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the arrangement site of the inflator. [Figure 5] It is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the airbag used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment is inflated alone. [Figure 6] It is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] It is a schematic perspective view showing one end side of the conduit holder used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. [Figure 8]This is a schematic, partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state of fixation between the bag body side fixing portion of the conduit holder and the airbag in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the conduit holder in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the portion of the conduit holder when the airbag has finished inflating in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a front view (viewed from the left when mounted on a vehicle) of the position adjustment unit used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 11 is a rear view of the position adjustment unit (viewed from the rear when mounted on a vehicle). [Figure 13] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the position adjustment section shown in Figure 11. [Figure 14] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the seat-side fixing portion of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the state in which the movable side part slides relative to the slide rail. [Figure 16] This is a front view of the seat in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, with the seat belt fastened. [Figure 17] This is a side view of the seat in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, with the seat belt fastened. [Figure 18] This is a front view of the seat in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, with the airbag fully inflated. [Figure 19] This is a side view of the seat in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, showing the airbag in a state where inflation has been completed. [Figure 20] This is a partially enlarged side view of the seat in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, showing the state in which the movable side portion is slid downward. [Figure 21] This is a schematic perspective view of a conduit holder of another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the occupant protection device S of the embodiment is mounted on the seat 1 of a vehicle and comprises a seat belt 7, an airbag 25, an inflator 17 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 25, a conduit holder 45 that holds the conduit portion 35 of the airbag 25 (described later), a position adjustment portion 60 that attaches the conduit holder 45 to the seat 1 side, and a cover portion 100 that covers the periphery of the airbag 25. The seat 1 comprises a backrest portion 2 and a seat portion 3. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions will be described in accordance with the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions relative to the occupant MP seated on the seat 1.

[0020] In this embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1 and, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 16, comprises a belt body 8 for restraining the occupant MP seated on the seat 1, a tongue plate 12 attached to the belt body 8, and a buckle 13 for connecting the tongue plate 12. In this embodiment, the buckle 13 is located on the rear right end side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 (to the right of the boundary between the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3) (see Figures 1 and 16). One end of the belt body 8 is secured to the winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) located inside the backrest portion 2, and the other end is secured to an anchor member 14 (see Figures 1 to 3) located on the rear left end 3a side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1, so that it can be extended from the retractor when worn. In detail, the belt body 8 is positioned so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper left edge side of the backrest 2. In this embodiment, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 10 for positioning the airbag 25 is exposed on the front of the backrest 2, as shown in Figure 1. In detail, when the occupant MP is not seated, the lap belt 10 is exposed on the front of the backrest 2, as shown in Figure 1, on the left edge side of the backrest 2, substantially following the vertical direction. The seat belt body 8 has a lap belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 stored inside the backrest 2. When the occupant is seated, with the tongue plate 12 fastened to the buckle 13, the lap belt 10, which is positioned to be roughly aligned in the left-right direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13, restrains the occupant MP's lower body MD (waist), and the shoulder belt 9, which extends from the upper left edge of the backrest 2 and is positioned diagonally towards the buckle 13, restrains the occupant MP's upper body MU (shoulders to chest) (see Figures 16 and 17). In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) located inside the backrest 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

[0021] The inflator 17 is positioned near the lower end of the seat portion 3 on the seat 1, and in this embodiment, it is attached to the seat 1. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the inflator 17 is positioned below the seat portion 3 on the rear side of the seat 1, and comprises a substantially cylindrical inflator body 18 positioned substantially along the left-right direction in terms of its axial direction, and a connecting pipe portion 19 extending from the inflator body 18 and connected to the conduit portion 35 of the airbag 25 (see Figure 4). In this embodiment, the inflator body 18 is attached to the seat frame 4 in the area on the lower rear side of the seat portion 3 on the seat 1 using a predetermined bracket (not shown in the figure). The connecting pipe portion 19 is positioned so as to extend from the inflator body 18 and bend, with its tip 19a positioned to the left of the seat frame 4. The connecting pipe section 19 is connected to the tip 37a (left end) of the conduit section 35 of the airbag 25 using the clamp 20 (see Figure 4). In this embodiment, the inflator body 18 is set to start operating later than the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7 in order to restrict the extension of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7 as the airbag 25 inflates.

[0022] The airbag 25 is a bag-shaped structure made of a flexible sheet material, and as shown in Figures 5 and 6, it comprises a bag body 26 that inflates to protect the occupant MP when the seat belt 7 is fastened, a conduit section 35 connected to the inflator 17 for introducing inflation gas into the bag body 26, and a belt loop section 40 through which the lap belt 10 can be inserted. In this embodiment, the airbag 25 (bag body 26, conduit section 35, and belt loop section 40) is formed from a flexible woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.

[0023] The bag body 26 is configured such that when fully inflated, its external shape is roughly a triangular prism shape with the axial direction roughly aligned with the left-right direction. When viewed from the left and right sides, the fully inflated shape is roughly a right triangle with a hypotenuse on the front side, and when viewed from the front-rear direction, the fully inflated shape is roughly a rectangle with a wide top and bottom (see Figures 18 and 19). As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the bag body 26 has a rear wall portion 28 that is positioned on the crew MP side (rear side) when fully inflated, a front wall portion 27 that is positioned opposite the rear wall portion 28 in the front-rear direction, a lower wall portion 29 that is positioned at the lower end when fully inflated, and a left wall portion 30 and a right wall portion 31 that are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction when fully inflated. The bag body 26 is configured to receive the upper body MU of the occupant MP with its rear wall portion 28 when inflation is complete, and to receive the occupant MP by bringing the lower wall portion 29 into contact with the thigh portion MT of the occupant MP and supporting it on the thigh portion MT when the upper body MU is received by the rear wall portion 28 (see Figure 19). The bag body 26 is configured to have a conduit portion 35 connected to the underside of the rear end 29a of the lower wall portion 29, and to allow the inflation gas from the inflator 17 to flow into the interior through this conduit portion 35. In the region of the lower wall portion 29 on the rear end 29a side, there are circular openings 33 that communicate with the conduit portion 35, and in this embodiment, two of them are arranged side by side on the left and right sides (see Figure 5). The bag body 26 is connected to the conduit portion 35 at the periphery of these communication holes 33.

[0024] The conduit section 35 is arranged to extend to the left from the lower side of the bag body 26 in this embodiment and is connected to the inflator 17 (specifically, the connecting pipe section 19 of the inflator 17). The base end (right end) on the bag body 26 side is closed, and the tip end (left end) is open to connect to the connecting pipe section 19. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the conduit section 35 comprises a wide body-side portion 36 located on the lower side of the bag body 26 and a connecting-side portion 37 that extends to the left from the bag body 26 when inflation is complete. The connecting-side portion 37 is formed to be narrower than the body-side portion 36. The conduit section 35 is configured to be positioned substantially along the left-right direction, substantially along the lap belt 10, when the airbag 25 has finished inflating (see Figures 18 and 19). The tip 37a side (left end) of the connecting portion 37 is connected to the connecting pipe portion 19 of the inflator 17 using the clamp 20, as described above (see Figure 4). In this embodiment, the connecting portion 37 of the conduit section 35 is held by the conduit holder 45. More specifically, as shown in Figures 4, 8 to 10 and 14, the connecting portion 37 is positioned so that its outer circumference is covered by the conduit holder 45 over substantially its entire length (so that it is inserted into the conduit holder 45), and is held by the conduit holder 45.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the belt loop portion 40 is positioned on the lower side of the main body portion 36 of the conduit portion 35 (i.e., the area below the bag body 26), and is a roughly cylindrical shape that is arranged roughly along the left-right direction so as to be roughly parallel to the wrap belt 10, and is configured so that the wrap belt 10 can be inserted through it. By inserting the wrap belt 10 through this belt loop portion 40, the bag body 26 is held in place by the wrap belt 10.

[0026] In this embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured to be held on the lap belt 10 so as to be slidable relative to the lap belt 10 when the folded bag body 26 is folded into an elongated shape. Specifically, although detailed illustrations are omitted, the airbag 25 is folded by overlapping the front wall portion 27 with the rear wall portion 28 and the bottom wall portion 29, with the bag body 26 in a substantially flat unfolded state, and then folding it in such a way that the width dimension in the front-rear direction is reduced, thereby forming an elongated folded body 105 that is substantially aligned in the left-right direction. The folded body 105 formed by folding the bag body 26 in this way is positioned so as to overlap with the upper side when the lap belt 10 is attached, together with the main body portion 36 of the conduit portion 35, by inserting the lap belt 10 through the belt loop portion 40. The folded body 105 is positioned in the area of ​​the lap belt 10, with its periphery covered by the main cover 101 of the cover portion 100 (described later), including the belt loop portion 40 and the lap belt 10 (see Figure 16). In this embodiment, when not attached as shown in Figure 1, the folded body 105 is positioned to the left of the twisted lap belt 10, causing the lap belt 10 to twist.

[0027] The conduit holder 45, which holds the conduit portion 35, is made of a flexible material that is more rigid than the conduit portion 35. In this embodiment, the conduit holder 45 is made of synthetic resin and is formed from a bellows-shaped tubular body that can cover the outer circumference of the conduit portion 35. Specifically, the conduit holder 45 has appropriate self-supporting properties (non-flexibility) when handled alone and is easily bendable due to its bellows-shaped tubular form. Specifically, examples of materials for forming the conduit holder 45 include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and various thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) such as olefin-based and urethane-based materials. Specifically, the conduit holder 45 is arranged to cover the outer circumference of the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35 over substantially its entire length (see Figures 3, 4, 8, and 9). The conduit holder 45 is made up of a bellows-shaped cylindrical body with a roughly rectangular cross-section, and in this embodiment, it is positioned so that its long side is roughly aligned in the front-to-back direction (see Figures 1 and 14). More specifically, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conduit holder 45 is set to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting portion 37 when it has completed inflation on its own. Specifically, the width dimension W1 of the long side of the conduit holder 45 is set to be smaller than the width dimension W2 of the connecting portion 37 when it is laid flat (see Figures 6 and 9). The connecting portion 37 is then inserted into the conduit holder 45 in a folded state that reduces its width, as shown in Figures 9 and 14. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 37 of the conduit 35 is inflated and positioned to fill the inside of the conduit holder 45 when the airbag 25 has completed inflation (see Figure 10). The conduit holder 45 is configured with a cross-sectional area that does not hinder the rapid inflation of the airbag 25 (bag body 26) when the inflator 17 is activated (a size that allows the inflation gas to flow smoothly through the connection side portion 37). The conduit holder 45 is fixed at both ends to the seat 1 side and the bag body 26 side by the seat side fixing portion 52 or the bag body side fixing portion 48, respectively (see Figure 3).

[0028] In this embodiment, the bag body side fixing portion 48 is connected to the belt loop portion 40 of the airbag 25. Specifically, the bag body side fixing portion 48 has an attachment piece 49 that protrudes to the right from the right end 45b of the conduit holder 45 (see Figure 7). As shown in Figure 8, this attachment piece 49 is overlapped with the area on the left edge 40a side of the belt loop portion 40 and connected using fixing means 50 such as rivets, thereby connecting it to the belt loop portion 40 and fixing it to the bag body 26.

[0029] In this embodiment, the seat-side fixing portion 52 of the conduit holder 45 is positioned towards the center of the other (left) end 45a of the conduit holder 45, as shown in Figure 3, and is fixed to the seat 1 via a position adjustment portion 60 provided on the seat 1 side. Specifically, the seat-side fixing portion 52 is configured to include a bracket portion 53 that wraps around the conduit holder 45 from the outer circumference of the conduit-side cover 102 (described later) of the cover portion 100, and is fixed to a position on the side of the seat portion 3 of the seat 1 by connecting this bracket portion 53 to a movable side portion 75 (described later) of the position adjustment portion 60 (see Figure 14). In addition, in this embodiment, the left end 45a of the conduit holder 45 is curved and connected to the connecting pipe portion 19 of the inflator 17 using a clamp 46 at a position behind the clamp 20 that connects the tip 37a of the connecting portion 37 (see Figure 4).

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the position adjustment unit 60 is located to the side (left side in this embodiment) of the seat portion 3 on the seat 1. More specifically, it is located slightly behind the center of the front-to-back of the seat portion 3, adjacent to the front side of the conduit portion 35 and the conduit holder 45. As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the position adjustment unit 60 comprises a slide rail portion 61 fixed to the seat 1 side and a movable side portion 75 slidably attached to the slide rail portion 61. As described above, the bracket portion 53 that constitutes the seat-side fixing portion 52 in the conduit holder 45 is connected to the movable side portion 75 (see Figure 14).

[0031] The slide rail section 61 is elongated and arranged substantially along the vertical direction. In this embodiment, it is positioned along the left side of the seat section 3, with its width side substantially aligned with the front-to-back direction, and is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction, with its upper end facing forward. The slide rail section 61 comprises an elongated main body section 62 and an upper mounting section 71 and a lower mounting section 72, which are positioned at the upper end 62a and lower end 62b of the main body section 62 and attached to the seat 1, respectively. The upper mounting section 71 is configured to be attached to a predetermined bracket or the like, which is arranged inside the seat section 3 (detailed illustration is omitted), and the lower mounting section 72 is configured to be attached to the seat frame 4.

[0032] The main body 62 comprises rail bodies 64 disposed in the region on the front edge 62c side and the region on the rear edge 62d side, a locking hole 66 formed in the movable side 75 through which a pin body 81 of a locking pin portion 80 (described later) can be inserted, and a locking recess 67 into which the pin body 81 can be inserted. The rail bodies 64 are made so that the movable side 75 can slide substantially along the longitudinal direction of the main body 62. In this embodiment, the front edge 62c side and the rear edge 62d side of the main body 62 are bent so as to be substantially parallel to the main body 62 while floating above the central region of the main body 62 (see Figure 14). Each rail body 64 is formed continuously over substantially the entire upper and lower area of ​​the main body 62. The locking hole 66 is formed on the upper end side of the central region of the main body 62 (the region between rail bodies 64, 64) so ​​as to penetrate the main body 62 (see Figure 11B and Figure 13). The locking hole portion 66 has an opening shape that is approximately oval, with the longitudinal side (vertical direction side) of the rail body 64 being slightly wider so that the tip 81a side of the pin body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 can be inserted through it (see Figure 11B). The locking recess 67 is located below the locking hole portion 66 in the central region of the main body portion 62, and as shown in Figure 13B, it is possible to insert and lock the pin body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 of the movable side portion 75 which slides relative to the slide rail portion 61 (main body portion 62). In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 13A and B, three locking recesses 67 are arranged side by side approximately along the longitudinal direction of the rail body 64. In this embodiment, each locking recess 67 is bottomed, and its external shape when viewed from the left is configured to be approximately oval in shape, allowing insertion of the tip 81a of the pin body 81, and with a larger vertical width than the locking hole 66 (see Figure 11B). In detail, the locking recess 67 is configured to lock the tip 81a of the pin body 81 in the lower region, and a guide wall portion 67a is formed at an angle on the bottom surface of the upper region of the locking recess 67, which can guide the tip 81a of the pin body 81 across to the lower region during sliding movement (see Figure 15).Furthermore, a stopper piece 69 that restricts the downward movement of the movable side portion 75 is formed near the lower end 62b of the main body portion 62, such that it is cut and bent outwards on the surface side (left side 75c side) (see Figure 13 A, B).

[0033] The movable side portion 75 is positioned to the left of the slide rail portion 61 and includes a sliding portion 76 that is slidable against the rail body 64 formed in the slide rail portion 61, a locking pin portion 80 that can be inserted into a locking hole portion 66 or a locking recess 67 for locking, an operating portion 85 that can retract the locking pin portion 80 when pressed, a holding portion 78 that holds the locking pin portion 80 and the operating portion 85, and an attachment portion 95 for attaching the bracket portion 53 that constitutes the seat-side fixing portion 52 of the conduit holder 45 (see Figures 11-13). The sliding portions 76, 76 are formed on the front edge 75a side and the rear edge 75b side of the movable side portion 75, respectively, so as to wrap around the outer circumference of the rail body 64 on approximately three sides (see Figure 14), and as shown in Figure 12, they are formed continuously over approximately the entire upper and lower portion of the movable side portion 75.

[0034] The holding portion 78 is formed between the sliding portions 76, 76, protruding in a roughly box shape from the left side surface 75c of the movable side portion 75. It is capable of housing and holding the locking pin portion 80, and is configured to hold the operating body 86 of the operating portion 85, which will be described later, so that it can slide vertically. In this embodiment, the holding portion 78 is located in an area of ​​approximately the upper half of the movable side portion.

[0035] The locking pin portion 80 has a pin body 81 with a roughly cylindrical outer shape, and the tip 81a of this pin body 81 is held by the holding portion 78 so as to protrude from the right side 75d of the movable side portion 75 toward the slide rail portion 61 (to the right) when the operating portion 85 is not in operation (see Figures 13 and 15). The locking pin portion 80 has a pressed portion 82 which is pressed by the pressing piece portion 88 of the operating portion 85, which will be described later, when the operating portion 85 is operated (see Figure 15). The pressed portion 82 is not shown in detail, but it is formed in the region of the base portion 81b side (left end side) of the pin body 81, protruding on both the front and rear sides so as to be roughly perpendicular to the pin body 81. The pressed portion 82 is configured to be pressed to the left by the pressing piece 88 of the operating body 86 when the operating body 86, which will be described later, is pressed in the operating section 85. The locking pin portion 80 receives the pressing force acting on the pressed portion 82 when the operating body 86 is pressed, and slides to the left within the holding portion 78 so as to pull in the tip 81a side of the pin body 81 (see Figure 15B).

[0036] The operating unit 85 comprises an operating body 86 for pressing and a compression coil spring 92 as a biasing means disposed within the holding unit 78. The operating body 86 comprises a pressing plate portion 87 disposed on its upper end and a pressing piece portion 88 extending downward from the pressing plate portion 87 for moving the pressed portion 82, and is held in the holding unit 78 so as to be slidable up and down. The pressing plate portion 87 is for operation when pressed, and in this embodiment, it is disposed above the holding unit 78 in the non-operating state, and its external shape is a substantially rectangular plate shape arranged substantially perpendicular to the pressing direction (see Figures 11-13). As shown in Figure 11, the pressing piece 88 is formed to extend downward from both the front and rear ends of the pressing plate 87. At its lower end, it is provided with a narrow tip piece 89 positioned adjacent to the right side of the pressed portion 82 in the locking pin portion 80 (the tip 81a side of the pin body 81), and a guide piece 90 formed at an angle to expand from the upper end of the tip piece 89 (the upper side of the pressed portion 82 when not in operation) (see Figures 13 and 15). The guide piece 90 is intended to guide the pressed portion 82 to move to the left against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 92 when the pressing plate 87 is pressed. As shown in Figure 13, the compression coil spring 92 is positioned within the holding portion 78 to the left of the locking pin portion 80, biasing the locking pin portion 80 toward the right (towards the slide rail portion 61).

[0037] The mounting portion 95 is located in the area below the holding portion 78, and in this embodiment, it is equipped with a mounting bolt 95a that protrudes to the left (see Figures 12 and 13). In this embodiment, the bracket portion 53 that constitutes the seat-side fixing portion 52 is attached to the movable side portion 75 using this mounting bolt 95a and nut 96, as shown in Figure 14.

[0038] The movable side portion 75 can be slid relative to the slide rail portion 61 as follows: When an occupant MP (wearer) seated in the seat 1 is fastened with the seat belt 7, and grasps the movable side portion 75 while pressing down the push plate portion 87 of the operating body 86 with their finger, the locking pin portion 80 can be moved to the left, and as a result of this movement, the pin body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 can be pulled into the holding portion 78. As the locking state of the pin body 81 with the locking hole portion 66 or the locking recess 67 is released, the movable side portion 75 can be slid up and down relative to the slide rail portion 61 while maintaining the pressed state of the push plate portion 87 (see Figure 15B). After sliding, if the finger or the like is released from the pressing plate portion 87, the compression coil spring 92 restores the operating body 86 to its position before operation, and the pin body 81 of the locking pin portion 80 is also positioned to protrude from the movable side portion 75, so that the tip 81a of the pin body 81 is inserted into the locking hole portion 66 or the locking recess 67 and locked to the periphery (see Figure 15C). In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, by sliding the movable side portion 75 relative to the slide rail portion 61, the position of the seat-side fixing portion 52 (bracket portion 53) of the conduit holder 45 can be moved up and down relative to the seat portion 3, that is, the effective length of the conduit holder 45 (the distance from the bag body-side fixing portion 48 of the conduit holder 45 to the position corresponding to the left edge side of the upper surface 3b of the seat portion 3) can be changed. In this embodiment, since there are a total of four locking holes 66 and locking recesses 67, the position of the movable side portion 75 can be changed in four stages. In other words, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the effective length of the conduit holder 45 can be changed in four stages.

[0039] In this embodiment, the cover portion 100 surrounding the airbag 25 includes, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a main cover 101 disposed to cover the folded body 105 and a conduit-side cover 102 disposed to cover the conduit portion 35. The cover portion 100 is made of a flexible sheet material, specifically made of a sheet material such as synthetic leather or fabric.

[0040] The main cover 101 is configured to cover the outer circumference of the folded body 105 and the main body side portion 36 of the conduit portion 35, including the belt loop portion 40 and a part of the wrap belt 10, over substantially the entire area. This main cover 101 is configured to rupture over substantially the entire area on both the left and right sides when the airbag 25 inflates, allowing the bag body 26 to protrude. The conduit side cover 102 is arranged to be continuous with the main cover 101 and is configured to cover the outer circumference of the conduit holder 45 (see Figures 8 and 14). In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the conduit side cover 102 is configured to cover up to the vicinity of the bracket portion 53 (seat side fixing portion 52) on the conduit holder 45.

[0041] In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, when an occupant MP is seated in a seat 1 mounted in a vehicle with a seat belt 7 fastened, and the inflator 17 is activated, the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 17 flows into the bag body 26 via the conduit section 35, causing the bag body 26 of the airbag 25 to rupture the main cover 101 and protrude forward and upward from the lap belt 10, completing the inflation as shown in Figures 18 and 19. Furthermore, when the inflation of the airbag 25 is complete, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit section 35 expands to fill the inside of the conduit holder 45 (see Figure 10).

[0042] In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the conduit portion 35 extending from the folded bag body 26 (folded body 105) and connected to the inflator 17 of the airbag 25 is held by a conduit holder 45. The conduit holder 45 is positioned to substantially follow the conduit portion 35 (more specifically, the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35), and both ends are fixed to the seat 1 side and the bag body 26 side, and is made of a material with higher rigidity than the conduit portion 35. Therefore, in the non-installed state (when the occupant is not seated), such as when the device is mounted in a vehicle, the conduit holder 45 can effectively prevent the conduit portion 35 from being twisted together with the lap belt 10. As a result, when attaching the seatbelt, the wearer (occupant MP) does not need to correct the twisted state of the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) with their hands or the like. Simply by attaching the seatbelt 7, the folded body 105 (bag body 26) can be easily positioned in the correct location relative to the occupant MP.

[0043] Therefore, the occupant protection device S of the embodiment can suppress the occurrence of twisting and can be easily installed.

[0044] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, since the conduit section 35 is held by the conduit holder 45, when the inflator 17 is activated, the flapping that occurs in the area of ​​the conduit section 35 (connection side portion 37) due to the inflow of the expansion gas when the expansion gas discharged from the inflator 17 flows into the bag body 26 through the conduit section 35 can be suppressed, the position of the expanding bag body 26 can be quickly stabilized, and the occupant MP can be quickly and stably protected by the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26). Moreover, since the conduit holder 45 is flexible, together with the lap belt 10 and the conduit section 35 it can be easily bent to conform to the lower body MD of the wearer (occupant MP), and the feel when worn is also good.

[0045] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the folded body 105, formed by folding the bag body 26, is held by the lap belt 10 so that it can slide relative to the lap belt 10. Therefore, when attached, the bag body 26 (folded body 105) can be positioned appropriately relative to the occupant MP. In addition, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, when mounted on the vehicle (without an occupant), the lap belt 10 is arranged to be substantially aligned in the vertical direction. However, since the conduit portion 35 is held by the conduit holder 45, even if the folded body 105 is configured to slide relative to the lap belt 10, the conduit holder 45 can effectively suppress sagging of the conduit portion 35 relative to the lap belt 10, and it can also prevent the bag body 26 from sliding down relative to the lap belt 10 due to such sagging. If these points are not taken into consideration, the bag body (the folded part) may be configured to be fixed to the wrap belt in a way that prevents it from shifting or moving.

[0046] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the conduit holder 45 is formed from a substantially cylindrical body capable of covering the outer circumference of the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37), and more specifically, it is formed from a bellows-shaped cylindrical body made of synthetic resin. Therefore, when the airbag 25 inflates, the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) inflates inside the conduit holder, and it is possible to suppress the inflating conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37) directly pressing strongly against the occupant's arm, etc. In particular, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conduit holder 45 is set to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connection side portion 37 of the conduit portion 35 when it has completed inflation on its own, and the connection side portion 37 is configured to be inserted into the conduit holder 45 in a folded state. Therefore, the area of ​​the conduit portion 35 (more specifically, the area of ​​the connection side portion 37) is not bulky and can be mounted in the vehicle in a compact state. Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the connection-side portion 37 of the conduit section 35 is configured to expand so as to fill the conduit holder 45 when the airbag 25 has finished inflating. That is, the area of ​​the connection-side portion 37 is covered on the outer circumference by the conduit holder 45, creating a double-tube shape, and the conduit holder 45 reinforces the connection-side portion 37. As a result, it becomes possible to relatively reduce the outer diameter dimension (cross-sectional area when expanded) of the conduit section (connection-side portion), which can contribute to cost reduction by reducing the amount of base material used.

[0047] Furthermore, when using a cylindrical body as a conduit holder, it does not have to be a bellows-shaped cylindrical body as in the embodiment. For example, the conduit holder may be constructed from a cylindrical body with a rubber-like elastic material as the base material and a mesh-like reinforcing layer arranged around its entire circumference. Specifically, as shown in Figure 21, an example of a conduit holder 110 is one in which a reinforcing layer 110c made of a mesh-like material of synthetic resin is interposed between base material layers 110a and 110b made of synthetic rubber or natural rubber.

[0048] If the above points are not taken into consideration, the conduit holder does not have to be a cylindrical body. The conduit holder can be made of any material that is flexible and has higher rigidity than the conduit, although detailed illustrations are omitted. For example, it may be made of a flexible synthetic resin plate, or a rod made of synthetic resin or metal that can be bent in only one direction (a rod made by connecting many links).

[0049] As in the embodiment, when the conduit holder 45 is formed from a substantially cylindrical body capable of covering the outer circumference of the conduit portion 35 (connection side portion 37), if at least one end of the conduit holder 45 is fixed to the sheet side or the bag body side, the position of the conduit holder 45 relative to the conduit portion 35 can be stabilized to some extent. Therefore, when a cylindrical conduit holder is used and the conduit holder is arranged to cover the outer circumference of the conduit portion, even if at least one end is fixed to the sheet side or the bag body side, the conduit holder can effectively suppress the twisting of the conduit portion area together with the wrap belt.

[0050] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the seat-side fixing portion 52 is attached to a position on the side of the seat portion 3 via the position adjustment portion 60, and this seat-side fixing portion 52 is slidable along the length direction of the conduit holder 45 relative to the seat portion 3 by the position adjustment portion 60. Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the seat-side fixing portion 52 of the conduit holder 45, that is, the attachment position of the conduit holder 45 to the seat 1 side (side of the seat portion 3), can be slidable by the position adjustment portion 60. As a result, the effective length dimension of the conduit holder 45 when the seat belt 7 is fastened (the distance from the bag body side fixing portion 48 of the conduit holder 45 to the position corresponding to the left edge side of the upper surface 3b of the seat portion 3) can be increased or decreased by the position adjustment portion 60, and the position of the folded body 105 can be adjusted according to the occupant's physique. More specifically, as shown in Figure 20, if the movable side portion 75 is positioned on the lower end side of the slide rail portion 61 and the position of the seat-side fixing portion 52 is shifted relatively downward, the effective length of the conduit holder 45 can be reduced compared to the case where the movable side portion 75 is positioned on the upper end side of the slide rail portion 61 (see Figures 2, 3, and 17). Reducing the effective length of the conduit holder 45 makes it possible to position the folded body so that the center in the length direction approximately coincides with the left-right center of the occupant, even when a small occupant such as a woman is wearing a seat belt. Furthermore, when the position of the seat-side fixing portion 52 is shifted downward in this way, the seat-side fixing portion 52 will be positioned closer to the vehicle floor, etc., by the distance of movement. However, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the conduit holder 45 is formed from a bellows-shaped cylindrical body. Therefore, the portion of the conduit holder 45 closer to the end 52a than the sheet-side fixing portion 52 (the region of the conduit holder 45 exposed from the conduit-side cover 102) can be easily curved, and even if the downward movement of the sheet-side fixing portion 52 results in excess material in the lower end region of the conduit holder 45, this excess material can be arranged relatively compactly without significantly protruding from the floor surface.If these points are not taken into consideration, the position adjustment part may be omitted, and the sheet-side fixing part of the conduit holder may be directly attached to the sheet side.

[0051] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the bag body side fixing portion 48 is attached to a belt loop portion 40 provided on the airbag 25 through which the lap belt 10 can be inserted. Therefore, the conduit holder 45 does not need to be directly attached to the bag body 26, the conduit holder 45 can be easily attached, and the airtightness of the bag body 26 can also be ensured. Of course, if these points are not considered, the bag body side fixing portion does not need to be attached to the belt loop portion.

[0052] In this embodiment of the occupant protection device S, the seat belt 7 and the inflator 17 are mounted on the seat 1. Therefore, even when the seat 1 is moved relative to the vehicle by sliding or rotating it significantly forward or backward, the occupant MP seated on the seat 1 can be accurately protected by the airbag 25. Of course, the occupant protection device of the present invention is not limited to seats with this configuration, and can also be mounted on seats of the type that restrain the occupant with a seat belt that has a retractor on the vehicle body side. Furthermore, the inflator may also be mounted on the vehicle body side. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...Seat, 3...Seat portion, 7...Seat belt, 10...Wrap belt, 17...Inflator, 25...Airbag, 26...Bag body, 35...Conduit section, 37...Connection side section, 40...Belt loop section, 45...Conduit holder, 45a, 45b...End section, 48...Bag body side fixing section, 52...Seat side fixing section, 60...Position adjustment section, 61...Slide rail section, 75...Movable side section, 100...Cover section, 105...Folded body, 110...Conduit holder, MP...Occupant, S...Occupant protection device.

Claims

1. It is installed in the vehicle's seats, Seat belts and, In the seat belt, an airbag is positioned in the area of ​​the lap belt that restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat when fastened, An inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, Equipped with, The inflator is positioned near the lower end of the seat portion of the seat, The airbag is a bag-like structure made of a flexible sheet material, A bag body that is held in place by the lap belt in a folded state and expands to protect the occupant while the seat belt is fastened, A conduit section connected to the inflator for introducing expansion gas into the bag body, In an occupant protection device having the following configuration, The conduit portion is held by the conduit holder and positioned so as to be substantially aligned with the wrap belt. An occupant protection device characterized in that the conduit holder is made of a flexible material that is more rigid than the conduit portion, is positioned substantially along the conduit portion, and is fixed at both ends to the seat side and the bag body side by a seat side fixing portion or a bag body side fixing portion, respectively.

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the airbag is held on the lap belt such that the folded body formed by folding the bag body is slidable relative to the lap belt.

3. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conduit holder is formed from a substantially cylindrical body capable of covering the outer circumference of the conduit portion.

4. The occupant protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that the conduit holder is formed from a bellows-shaped cylindrical body made of synthetic resin.

5. The occupant protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that the conduit holder is formed from a cylindrical body having a rubber-like elastic material as the base material and a mesh-like reinforcing layer arranged around its entire circumference.

6. The aforementioned seat-side fixing portion is attached via a position adjustment portion to a position that is on the side of the seat portion. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that the position adjustment part is configured to allow the seat-side fixing part to slide along the longitudinal direction of the conduit holder relative to the seat part.

7. The airbag has a belt loop portion through which the lap belt can be inserted, The occupant protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bag body side fixing portion is attached to the belt loop portion.

8. It is installed in the vehicle's seats, Seat belts and, In the seat belt, an airbag is positioned in the area of ​​the lap belt that restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat when fastened, An inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, Equipped with, The inflator is positioned near the lower end of the seat portion of the seat, The airbag is a bag-like structure made of a flexible sheet material, A bag body that is held in place by the lap belt in a folded state and expands to protect the occupant while the seat belt is fastened, A conduit section connected to the inflator for introducing expansion gas into the bag body, In an occupant protection device having the following configuration, The conduit portion is held by the conduit holder and positioned so as to be substantially aligned with the wrap belt. The occupant protection device is characterized in that the conduit holder is made of a material that is flexible and has higher rigidity than the conduit portion, is formed as a substantially cylindrical body capable of covering the outer circumference of the conduit portion, and has at least one end fixed to the seat side or the bag body side.

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