Crew protection devices

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device which may inhibit an airbag which has completed inflation from pressing an occupant more than necessary.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device is mounted on a seat of a vehicle and includes an airbag 25 which is attached to a belt body 8 at a seat belt in a folded state and may cause an expansion gas discharged from an inflator when the inflator operates to flow thereinto to expand so as to protect an occupant seated on the seat while protruding forward. The airbag is attached to the belt body side through a connection member 47.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an occupant protection device mounted on a vehicle seat, there has been a configuration in which a folded airbag is attached to a belt body of a seat belt, and when an inflator operates, inflation gas discharged from the inflator flows into the inside, and an airbag that inflates so as to protrude forward protects an occupant sitting on the seat (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in a conventional occupant protection device, the airbag was disposed on a lap belt that restrains the waist of an occupant when worn in the seat belt. More specifically, in a conventional occupant protection device, the airbag was configured to be attached to the belt body by inserting a belt loop portion disposed on the lower surface side of the rear end at the time of inflation completion through the belt 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 system, the airbag was configured to complete its inflation by allowing inflation gas discharged from an inflator to flow into its interior and protruding forward and upward. However, in this conventional occupant protection system, when the airbag completes its inflation, a portion of the airbag that is inflating by the influx of inflation gas (specifically, the area at the rear lower end) is positioned adjacent to the belt body that is restraining the occupant. Therefore, when the occupant is caught by the fully inflated airbag, this portion positioned adjacent to the belt body may press down on the occupant more than necessary, and there was room for improvement in suppressing such unnecessary pressure.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an occupant protection device that can prevent the airbag from pressing on the occupant more than necessary when inflation is complete. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention is mounted on the seat of a vehicle, Seat belts and, Inflator and An airbag that, in a folded state, is attached to the belt body of the seat belt, and when the inflator is activated, allows the inflation gas discharged from the inflator to flow into the airbag, causing it to protrude forward and inflate to protect the occupant seated in the seat. In an occupant protection device having the following configuration: The airbag is characterized by being attached to the belt body via a connecting member.

[0007] In the occupant protection device of the present invention, when the airbag has finished inflating, a connecting member is interposed between the airbag and the belt body. In other words, a gap equal to the length of the connecting member is created between the belt body that is restraining the occupant and the inflated airbag. That is, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, when the airbag has finished inflating, a gap equal to the length of the connecting member is created between the occupant and the inflated airbag, so that the airbag does not press on the occupant more than necessary when it receives the occupant with the inflated airbag.

[0008] Therefore, the occupant protection device of the present invention can prevent the airbag from pressing on the occupant more than necessary when it is fully inflated.

[0009] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of the present invention, if the airbag is positioned in the lap belt of the seat belt, which restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat when fastened, it is preferable that the airbag, upon completion of inflation, does not press excessively against the abdominal area of ​​the occupant wearing the lap belt.

[0010] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device with the above configuration, the airbag is configured to include a bag body that inflates by introducing inflation gas into it, and a belt loop portion through which a belt body can be inserted. It is preferable to configure the connecting member to connect the bag body and the belt loop portion.

[0011] With this configuration for the occupant protection device, the airbag can be attached to the belt body by inserting the belt loop portion, to which the bag body is connected via a connecting member, into the belt body. This makes attachment to the belt body easier compared to directly connecting the airbag to the belt body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]This is a perspective view of a seat equipped with an occupant protection device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side view of the sheet. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a front view of the seat, showing it with the seat belt fastened. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view showing an airbag used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment in an inflated state. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is a plan view showing the base materials that make up the conduit section, belt loop section, and tether section of the airbag. [Figure 7] This is a front view of the seat in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, with the airbag fully inflated. [Figure 8] 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 9] This is a side view of a seat in an occupant protection device according to an embodiment, showing the state in which the occupant is restrained by an airbag that has completed inflation. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the area near the lap belt (near the occupant's abdomen) in the occupant protection device of the embodiment, showing the state when the occupant is caught by the airbag after inflation is complete. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, 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, and a cover portion 50 that covers the periphery of the folded body 55 formed by folding the airbag 25. In the occupant protection device S of the embodiment, the airbag 25 is positioned on the lap belt 10 of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7, which will be described later. 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.

[0014] In the case of the embodiment, the seat belt 7 is mounted on the seat 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it includes 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 the case of the embodiment, the buckle 13 is disposed on the rear right end side of the seat portion 3 in the seat 1 (on the right side near the boundary portion between the backrest portion 2 and the seat portion 3) (see FIG. 1). One end of the belt body 8 is locked to the winding shaft of a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest portion 2, and the other end is locked to the rear left end 3a side of the seat portion 3 in the seat 1 by an anchor member 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and is configured to be able to be drawn out from the retractor when worn. Specifically, the belt body 8 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside from the upper end left edge side of the backrest portion 2. In the case of the embodiment, in the non-seated state of the occupant MP, as shown in FIG. 1, the lap belt 10 for disposing the airbag 25 is configured to be exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2. Specifically, the lap belt 10 is exposed on the front surface of the backrest portion 2 along the vertical direction on the left edge side of the backrest portion 2 as shown in FIG. 1 in the non-seated state of the occupant MP. The belt body 8 has a lap belt 10 and a shoulder belt 9 housed in the backrest portion 2. When the tongue plate 12 is fastened to the buckle 13 when the occupant is seated, the lower body MD (waist MW) of the occupant MP is restrained by the lap belt 10 disposed substantially along the left-right direction between the anchor member 14 and the buckle 13, and the upper body MU of the occupant MP (from the shoulder to the chest) is restrained by the shoulder belt 9 extending from the upper end left edge side of the backrest portion 2 and obliquely disposed over the buckle 13 (see FIG. 3). That is, in the seat belt 7, the shoulder belt 9 is configured to restrain the upper body MU of the occupant MP, and the lap belt 10 is configured to restrain the lower body MD (waist MW) of the occupant MP. In the seat belt 7, a retractor (not shown) disposed in the backrest portion 2 has a pretensioner mechanism.

[0015] In the case of the embodiment, the inflator 17 is attached to the seat 1. Specifically, it is disposed at a position near the lower end of the seat portion 3 on the back side of the seat 1. The inflator 17 includes a substantially cylindrical inflator body 18 (detailed illustration is omitted) arranged with its axial direction substantially along the left - right direction, and a pipe portion 19 extending from the inflator body 18 to supply inflation gas to the airbag 25 (see FIG. 2). Although detailed illustration of the inflator body 18 is omitted, it is attached to the seat frame 4 using a predetermined bracket. The pipe portion 19 extends from the inflator body 18 and is arranged such that its tip is positioned near the boundary portion between the seat portion 3 and the backrest portion 2 on the left side of the seat 1. This tip is configured to be connected to a conduit portion 37 (described later) in the airbag 25 using a clamp 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In the case of the 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 pulling - out of the belt body 8 of the seat belt 7 accompanying the inflation of the airbag 25.

[0016] As described above, the airbag 25 is arranged in the region of the lap belt 10 that restrains the lower body MD (waist MW) of the occupant MP sitting on the seat 1, and is formed from a flexible seat body. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the airbag 25 includes a bag body 26 that inflates by allowing inflation gas to flow therein, a belt loop portion 45 through which the lap belt 10 (belt body 8) can be inserted, and a tether portion 47 as a connecting member that connects the bag body 26 and the belt loop portion 45. The airbag 25 (bag body 26, belt loop portion 45, and tether portion 47) is formed from a flexible woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.

[0017] In the case of the embodiment, the bag body 26 includes a protection main body portion 28 that inflates to protect the occupant MP wearing the seat belt 7, and a conduit portion 37 that is connected to the inflator 17 and allows inflation gas to flow into the protection main body portion 28.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, the protective body 28 is configured such that when inflation is complete, 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 inflationed shape is roughly a right triangle with a hypotenuse on the front side, and when viewed from the front-rear direction, the inflationed shape is roughly a rectangle with a wide vertical dimension (see Figures 7 and 8). As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the protective body 28 includes a rear wall portion 30 positioned on the occupant MP side (rear side) when inflation is complete, a front wall portion 29 positioned opposite the rear wall portion 30 in the front-rear direction, a lower wall portion 31 positioned at the lower end when inflation is complete, and a left wall portion 32 and a right wall portion 33 positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction when inflation is complete. The protective body 28 is configured to receive the upper body MU of the occupant MP with its rear wall 30 when inflation is complete, and to receive the occupant MP by bringing the lower wall 31 into contact with the thigh MT of the occupant MP and supporting it on the thigh MT when the upper body MU is received by the rear wall 30 (see Figure 9). The protective body 28 is configured to have a conduit 37 connected to the underside of the rear end 31a of the lower wall 31, and to allow the expansion gas from the inflator 17 to flow into the interior through this conduit 37. In the region of the lower wall 31 on the rear end 31a side, there are circular openings 35 that communicate with the conduit 37, and in this embodiment, two of these are arranged side by side on the left and right sides (see Figure 4). The protective body 28 is connected to the conduit 37 at the periphery of these conduit 35.

[0019] The conduit section 37 is arranged to extend to the left from the lower side of the protective body section 28 in this embodiment and is connected to the inflator 17 (specifically, the pipe section 19 of the inflator 17). The base end (right end) on the protective body section 28 side is closed, and the tip 39a side (left end) is open to connect to the pipe section 19. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the conduit section 37 comprises a wide body-side portion 38 located on the lower side of the protective body section 28, and a connecting portion 39 that extends to the left from the protective body section 28 when inflation is complete. In this embodiment, the length of the body-side portion 38 is set to be slightly smaller than the width dimension in the left-right direction of the rear lower end region of the protective body section 28 when inflation is complete (see Figure 4). The connecting portion 39 is formed to be narrower than the body-side portion 38. The conduit section 37 is configured to be positioned substantially along the left-right direction, substantially along the lap belt 10, when the airbag 25 has finished inflating. The tip 39a side (left end) of the connecting portion 39 is connected to the pipe portion 19 of the inflator 17 using the clamp 20, as described above (see Figure 2). In this embodiment, the conduit section 37 is configured to have an upper wall portion 41 and a lower wall portion 42 that are substantially the same in external shape. The outer edges of the upper wall portion 41 and the lower wall portion 42 are sewn (joined) together along substantially the entire length, except for the portion that becomes the tip 39a side of the connecting portion 39, thereby forming a cylindrical shape (see Figures 4-6).

[0020] The belt loop portion 45 is positioned on the lower side of the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 (the lower side of the bag body 26). In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, it is connected to the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 via a tether portion 47. The belt loop portion 45 is a roughly cylindrical shape, positioned roughly along the left-right direction to substantially follow the wrap belt 10, and is configured to allow the wrap belt 10 to be inserted through it (see Figures 4 and 5). By inserting the wrap belt 10 through this belt loop portion 45, the bag body 26 is held by the wrap belt 10 (belt body 8). In this embodiment, the length of the belt loop portion 45 is set to be slightly smaller than the length of the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37, and it is positioned over substantially the entire area of ​​the main body portion 38, excluding the left and right edges (see Figures 4 and 6). In the airbag 25 of this embodiment, a tether portion 47 is interposed between the belt loop portion 45 and the main body portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 as a connecting member. In other words, the bag body 26 of the airbag 25 is attached to the belt body 8 side (belt loop portion 45) via the tether portion 47.

[0021] The tether portion 47, acting as a connecting member, is positioned to connect the bag body 26 (in this embodiment, the body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37) and the belt loop portion 45 through which the belt body 8 is inserted. In this embodiment, the outer shape is elongated with the left-right direction (the axial direction of the belt loop portion 45) as the longitudinal direction (see Figures 4 and 6). In other words, the tether portion 47, which serves as a connecting member, is elongated and follows the shape of the wrap belt 10 (belt body 8).Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the tether portion 47 is roughly strip-shaped with a length that roughly matches the length of the belt loop portion 45, and is arranged over approximately the entire length of the belt loop portion 45 (i.e., approximately the entire area excluding the left and right edges of the main body portion 38). The width of the tether portion 47 is set to about half the width of the belt loop portion 45 when it is laid flat. Specifically, in this embodiment, the width of the tether portion 47 is set to about 40 to 80 mm. The width of the tether portion 47 is set to prevent the bag body 26 (specifically, the area at the rear lower end of the protective body portion 28 and the body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37) from excessively pressing against the area around the abdomen MA of the occupant MP wearing the lap belt 10 when the airbag 25 receives the upper body MU of the occupant MP when inflation is complete, and to enable the protective body portion 28 to quickly and accurately protect the upper body MU of the occupant MP. In this embodiment, the tether portion 47 is positioned approximately in the center of the front and rear of the belt loop portion 45 when it is laid flat, with its length roughly aligned with the length of the belt loop portion 45. The tether portion 47 is also positioned approximately in the center of the front, rear, left and right of the body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 when it is laid flat. The tether portion 47 is connected to the belt loop portion 45 and the main body portion 38 by continuously sewing the edges 47a and 47b on both sides in the width direction to the belt loop portion 45 or the main body portion 38 (more specifically, the portion of the lower wall portion 42 that constitutes the main body portion 38 in the conduit portion 37) using suture thread over substantially its entire length, thereby forming suture portions 48A and 48B (see Figures 5 and 6).

[0022] In this embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured such that the protective body portion 28 of the bag body 26 is folded into an elongated shape that substantially follows the lap belt 10, and in the state of the folded body 55 formed by folding the protective body portion 28, it is held on the lap belt 10 so as to be slidable relative to the lap belt 10. Specifically, although detailed illustrations are omitted, the airbag 25 (protective body portion 28) is folded so as to reduce the width dimension in the front-rear direction, from a protective body portion 28 that is deployed in a substantially flat state with the front wall portion 29 overlapping the rear wall portion 30 and the lower wall portion 31, thereby forming an elongated folded body 55 that substantially follows the left-right direction. The folded body 55 formed by folding the protective body portion 28 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 38 of the conduit portion 37, by inserting the lap belt 10 through the belt loop portion 45. At this time, as shown in Figure 3, the tether portion 47 is folded in an accordion shape and positioned between the folded body 55 and the main body portion 38. The folded body 55 is positioned in the area of ​​the lap belt 10, with its periphery covered by the cover portion 50, including the belt loop portion 45 and the lap belt 10 (see Figure 3). In this embodiment, when not attached as shown in Figure 1, the folded body 55 is positioned on the back side (backrest portion 2 side) of the lap belt 10 that is exposed on the front of the backrest portion 2.

[0023] In this embodiment, the cover portion 50 is configured to surround the folded body 55 of the airbag 25 and is made of a flexible sheet material. Specifically, the cover portion 50 is made of a sheet material such as synthetic leather or fabric. More specifically, in this embodiment, the cover portion 50 is configured to cover the outer periphery of the entire airbag 25 (i.e., the outer periphery from the outer periphery of the folded body 55 to the connection side portion 39 of the conduit portion 37), including the wrap belt 10, over almost the entire area (see Figures 1-3). The cover portion 50 is configured to rupture at predetermined locations over almost the entire left and right sides when the airbag 25 inflates, allowing the protective main body portion 28 to protrude.

[0024] In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, when the inflator 17 is activated while the occupant MP is seated in the seat 1 mounted in the vehicle with the seat belt 7 fastened, the expansion gas discharged from the inflator 17 flows into the protective body 28 via the conduit 37, causing the protective body 28 of the airbag 25 to rupture the cover 50 and protrude forward and upward from the wrap belt 10, completing the inflation as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0025] In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, when the airbag 25 has finished inflating, a tether portion 47 acting as a connecting member is interposed between the airbag 25 (in this embodiment, the bag body 26) and the belt body 8 (in this embodiment, the belt loop portion 45 through which the belt body 8 is inserted). In other words, a gap equal to the length of the tether portion 47 (in this embodiment, the width of the tether portion 47) is created between the belt body 8 that is restraining the occupant MP and the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26). That is, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, when the airbag 25 has finished inflating, a gap equal to the width of the tether portion 47 can be provided between the occupant MP and the inflated airbag 25 (bag body 26), thus preventing the airbag 25 (bag body 26) from pressing on the occupant MP more than necessary when it receives the occupant MP.

[0026] Therefore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the airbag 25, once inflation is complete, can prevent excessive pressure on the occupant MP.

[0027] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the airbag 25 is positioned on the lap belt 10 that, when fastened with the seat belt 7, restrains the lumbar region MW of the occupant MP seated in the seat 1. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the airbag 25 (bag body 26), upon completion of inflation, from pressing excessively against the area around the abdomen MA of the occupant MP wearing the lap belt 10. Specifically, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the airbag 25, specifically the protective body portion 28 of the bag body 26, is configured to complete inflation while protruding forward and upward from the lap belt 10. Upon completion of inflation, the rear wall portion 30 supports the forward-leaning upper body MU, and at the time of support of the upper body MU by the rear wall portion 30, the lower wall portion 31 is brought into contact with the thigh portion MT of the occupant MP, thereby supporting the occupant MP. In other words, in this embodiment, the protective body portion 28 is sandwiched between the occupant MP's thigh portion MT and upper body portion MU (chest, etc.) to restrain the occupant MP's upper body portion MU (see Figure 9). In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the tether portion 47 is positioned between the belt loop portion 45 through which the lap belt 10 is inserted and the bag body 26 (body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37). As shown in Figure 8, the protective body portion 28 moves forward and upward from the occupant MP by the width of the tether portion 47, meaning that a gap equal to the width of the tether portion 47 is created between the lap belt 10 and the body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 (see Figure 10A). Therefore, even if the occupant MP, who is received by the protective body 28, further tilts his upper body MU forward (compressing the protective body 28 by the upper body MU, bringing the rear wall 30 closer to the lower wall 31), the parts of the bag body 26 positioned near the abdomen MA (the area on the rear lower end 28a side of the protective body 28 and the body-side part 38 of the conduit 37) can be prevented from pressing against the abdomen MA (see B in Figure 10), and the protective body 28 can accurately protect the occupant MP's upper body MU. For this reason, the occupant protection device S of this embodiment can be suitably used for occupants such as pregnant women, for whom it is desirable to minimize the load on the abdomen.

[0028] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device of this embodiment, the airbag 25 is configured to include a bag body 26 that inflates when inflation gas is introduced into it, and a belt loop portion 45 through which the belt body 8 (lap belt 10) can be inserted, with a tether portion 47, which acts as a connecting member, arranged to connect the bag body 26 and the belt loop portion 45. In other words, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the airbag 25 can be attached to the belt body 8 by inserting the belt loop portion 45, which is connected to the bag body 26 via the tether portion 47, into the belt body 8. Therefore, compared to the case where the airbag is directly connected to the belt body, the attachment of the airbag 25 to the belt body 8 can be made easier. Also, by attaching the tether portion 47 to the belt loop portion 45 (a configuration in which the airbag 25 is attached to the lap belt 10 via the belt loop portion 45), the airbag 25 can be shifted relative to the lap belt 10. Of course, if these points are not taken into consideration, the belt loop portion may not be provided, and the tether portion, which serves as a connecting member, may be directly connected (sewn) to the belt body. The phrase "attached to the belt body side via a connecting member" in claim 1 includes both the configuration in which the connecting member is attached to the belt body via other members such as the belt loop portion, as in the embodiment, and the configuration in which the connecting member is directly connected to the belt body, as described above.

[0029] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the bag body 26 is configured to include a protective body portion 28 that protects the occupant MP and a conduit portion 37 that allows inflation gas to flow into the protective body portion 28. The tether portion 47, as a connecting member, is connected not to the protective body portion 28 that protects the occupant MP, but to the conduit portion 37 (specifically, the body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37 that is disposed on the lower surface side of the protective body portion 28). Therefore, the inflating protective body portion 28 is less affected by the tether portion 47 (it is possible to suppress changes in the protective performance of the protective body portion 28 due to the tether portion 47), and the protective body portion 28 can be smoothly inflated to protect the occupant MP without considering the strength of the tether portion 47. Of course, if these points are not considered, the connecting member may be configured to be directly connected to the protective body portion (the part of the airbag that protects the occupant when inflation is complete). Furthermore, the present invention is of course applicable to airbags of a type in which the conduit section is not located on the lower side of the protective body section. When using an airbag with such a configuration, the connecting member is directly connected to the protective body section (the part of the airbag that protects the occupant when inflation is complete).

[0030] In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, the tether portion 47, which serves as a connecting member, is elongated in length, with its length approximately matching that of the belt loop portion 45. The edge portion 47a is sewn (joined) to the belt loop portion 45 at a position approximately in the center of the front and rear when the belt loop portion 45 is laid flat. However, the shape and position of the tether portion (connecting member) are not limited to this embodiment. For example, the edge portion of the tether portion may be joined to the front or rear edge of the belt loop portion when it is laid flat. Alternatively, the tether portion may be configured to be approximately aligned with the width direction of the belt loop portion and placed at multiple locations, such as on both edges in the length direction of the belt loop portion or in the middle. From the viewpoint of reducing bulk and arranging the device compactly when mounted on a seat, it is preferable to use a tether portion in which the joining portion that connects to the belt loop portion or the bag body is approximately aligned with the length direction of the belt loop portion, i.e., the length direction of the belt body. Furthermore, by making the tether portion 47 elongated and substantially aligned with the length of the belt body 8, when the airbag 25 has finished inflating, the separation between the bag body 26 (body-side portion 38 of the conduit portion 37) and the wrap belt 10 can be stably maintained over a wide area (in the case of this embodiment, over the entire length of the belt loop portion 45) along the length of the wrap belt 10 (left and right direction). From this viewpoint as well, it is preferable to use a tether portion configured to substantially aligned with the length of the belt body. Moreover, in this embodiment, the tether portion (connecting member) is made from the same base material (flexible woven fabric) as the base material constituting the airbag, but of course, the material and shape of the connecting member are not limited to this embodiment. For example, the connecting member may be made from a flexible string-like body made of a different material from the base material constituting the airbag, or from an elastic material such as a spring-like elastic body or a rubber-like elastic string. Of course, such a connecting member can be provided in one or more locations.

[0031] 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. In the occupant protection device S of this embodiment, although the airbag 25 is held by the lap belt 10 of the seat belt 7, the inflator 17 operates with a delay (approximately 5 ms) compared to the operation of the pretensioner mechanism of the seat belt 7. As a result, the airbag 25 can be inflated while the seat belt 7 stably maintains the occupant MP's seated position on the seat 1, and the airbag 25 and seat belt 7 can stably protect the occupant MP.

[0032] Furthermore, although the embodiment describes an occupant protection device S configured to have the airbag 25 positioned on the lap belt 10 as an example, the occupant protection device to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this embodiment. The present invention is also applicable to occupant protection devices configured to have the airbag positioned on the shoulder belt. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1...Seat, 7...Seat belt, 8...Belt body, 10...Wrap belt, 17...Inflator, 25...Airbag, 26...Airbag body, 45...Belt loop section, 47...Tether section (connecting member), MP...Occupant, MW...Waist section, S...Occupant protection device.

Claims

1. It is mounted on the vehicle's seat, Seat belts and, Inflator and An airbag, which is attached to the belt body of the seat belt in a folded state, and which is configured to inflate to protect the occupant seated in the seat by allowing the inflation gas discharged from the inflator to flow into its interior when the inflator is activated, and by protruding forward, In an occupant protection device having the following configuration: The airbag is attached to the belt body side via a connecting member. An occupant protection device characterized in that the connecting member is in the shape of a long strip along the belt body, and the airbag and the belt body are connected by connecting both edges in the width direction to the airbag or the belt body, respectively.

2. It is mounted on the vehicle's seat, Seat belts and, Inflator and An airbag, which is attached to the belt body of the seat belt in a folded state, and which is configured to inflate to protect the occupant seated in the seat by allowing the inflation gas discharged from the inflator to flow into its interior when the inflator is activated, and by protruding forward, In an occupant protection device having the following configuration: The airbag is configured to be attached to the belt body via a connecting member, and comprises a protective body portion that protects the occupant, and a conduit portion that is connected to the inflator and allows inflation gas to flow into the protective body portion. The conduit portion is arranged to extend from the lower side of the protective body portion and is connected to the inflator. An occupant protection device characterized in that the connecting member connects the airbag and the belt body by connecting both edges to the conduit portion or the belt body, respectively.

3. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connecting member is folded in an accordion shape while the folded airbag is attached to the belt body.

4. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the airbag is positioned in the seat belt, which, when fastened, restrains the waist of the occupant seated in the seat.

5. The airbag is configured to include a bag body that inflates by introducing inflation gas into it, and a belt loop portion through which the belt body can be inserted. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that the connecting member is arranged to connect the bag body and the belt loop portion.

Images