Airbag system

Abstract

To appropriately control a behavior of an occupant in lateral collision and head-on collision of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An air bag device includes: a far-side airbag 10 which is disposed at a center console side of a seatback rest 21 of a vehicle front seat, comprises one columnar base fabric, has an annular outer periphery, and has a shoulder protection air chamber 11 including in an inner peripheral part, a shoulder back face air chamber, a shoulder lateral face air chamber and a shoulder front face air chamber developed in a vertically long cylindrical shape and protecting the shoulder of an occupant in a development state, a head protection air chamber 12 having a semicircular shape in developing, developed in a form of falling to CRR, CRL sides of the occupant seated on a seat, and protecting the head of the occupant, and a non-expansion part 15 adjacent to the shoulder back face air chamber; and a development control part 120 for controlling development of the far-side airbag. The non-expansion part is disposed with a cylinder for storing an inflator 13 covered with a cylinder 14 and having exhaust ports EPU, EPD in a vertical direction, and is formed with a gas flow channel for sending high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust ports to the shoulder protection air chamber and the head protection air chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Today, airbag apparatuses have already been widely put into practical use and popularized as safety devices for protecting occupants during vehicle collisions. As one type of the above airbag apparatuses, a far-side airbag apparatus that protects an occupant by suppressing the occupant's movement caused by a side collision when a side collision occurs to the own vehicle has also been put into practical use.

[0003] As this type of airbag apparatus, for example, there is disclosed an airbag apparatus including: a first inflating portion that inflates and deploys at a lateral side of an occupant's shoulder; a second inflating portion and a third inflating portion that inflate and deploy forward and rearward of the first inflating portion respectively; and a recess formed between the second inflating portion and the third inflating portion, wherein a tether is attached to the second inflating portion and a seat frame so as to bridge the recess, faces the first inflating portion via the recess, and when the airbag deploys, the tether receives the occupant's shoulder, thereby deforming the second inflating portion in a direction approaching the front portion of the occupant (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1 International Publication No. 2020 / 036048 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The airbag apparatus described in the above Patent Document 1 suppresses an occupant's movement by using the tether as a reaction force to restrain the occupant's shoulder during a side collision of a vehicle. However, if there is a passenger in the front passenger seat, the difference in the transmission of impact during a collision could cause the driver and front passenger to behave differently, potentially leading to a collision between them.

[0006] Furthermore, while the airbag device described in Patent Document 1 above suppresses the occupant's behavior by restraining the occupant's shoulders during a side collision, it has the problem that it cannot be expected to be sufficiently effective in controlling the occupant's behavior during a frontal collision.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an airbag device that appropriately controls the behavior of occupants in side collisions and frontal collisions of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Embodiment 1; One or more embodiments of the present invention are provided on the center console side of the seat backrest of the front seat of a vehicle, with an annular outer circumference, and an inner circumference containing a shoulder protection air chamber that unfolds into a vertically elongated cylindrical shape to protect the occupant's shoulders, a shoulder back air chamber, a shoulder side air chamber, and a shoulder front air chamber, and a head protection air chamber that unfolds into a semicircular shape when unfolded and collapses toward the occupant seated on the seat to protect the occupant's head, and a non-inflatable portion adjacent to the shoulder back air chamber. The non-inflatable section includes a storage case for housing an inflator covered by a cylinder and having an exhaust port in the vertical direction, and a first opening, a second opening, and a third opening provided between the head protection air chamber and the shoulder protection air chamber for sending the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port to the shoulder protection air chamber and the head protection air chamber. It comprises a far-side airbag having and a deployment control unit that controls the deployment of the far-side airbag, When the inflator is activated, the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the upper end of the cylinder flows outwards towards the upper outer circumference, and the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the lower end of the cylinder flows from the bottom of the shoulder protective air chamber to the shoulder front air chamber, changes direction upward, and the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the upper end of the cylinder and the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the lower end of the cylinder merge at the first opening, flow through the second opening into the shoulder rear air chamber, and expand the shoulder rear air chamber, and the merged high-pressure gas flows through the third opening into the shoulder side air chamber, and expands the shoulder side air chamber. This invention proposes an airbag system characterized by the following features.

[0010] form 2 One or more embodiments of the present invention propose an airbag device characterized in that the cylinder is J-shaped.

[0011] form 3One or more embodiments of the present invention propose an airbag device in which the far-side airbag is provided with a cavity formed by the inner surface of the cylinder and the outer shape of the inflator, and after deployment, when the back of the occupant's shoulder comes into contact with the shoulder back air chamber, the shoulder protective air chamber changes its deployment form so as to wrap around the occupant's shoulder. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an airbag system can be provided that appropriately controls the behavior of occupants in side and frontal collisions of a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged perspective view of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows the configuration of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a processing flow diagram of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows the deployed state of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] <Embodiment> The airbag device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In Figures 1, 2, and 5, the front of the vehicle is indicated by arrow FR, the rear of the vehicle by arrow BK, the top of the vehicle by arrow UP, the bottom of the vehicle by arrow DN, and in a front view of the vehicle, the left side in the vehicle width direction is indicated by arrow LH, and the right side in the vehicle width direction is indicated by arrow RH. Furthermore, in the following description, when descriptions are made using the directions of up and down, front and back, and left and right, unless otherwise specified, these directions refer to the vehicle vertical direction, vehicle front-rear direction, and vehicle left-right direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle.

[0015] Figure 1 shows a host vehicle MV equipped with an airbag device 1 according to the present embodiment. Figure 1 shows an occupant CR sitting on a seat 2 including a seat backrest 21 and a headrest 22, and the far-side airbag 10 of the airbag device 1 which is provided on the center console side of the seat backrest 21 and deployed when a collision from the left side in the vehicle width direction, a collision from the right side in the vehicle width direction or a collision from the front of the vehicle occurs.

[0016] <Configuration of Far-Side Airbag 10> As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the far-side airbag 10 according to the present embodiment is formed of, for example, one cylindrical base fabric material. For the far-side airbag 10, with respect to said one cylindrical base fabric material, the outer periphery thereof is formed into an annular shape by tethers, and the inner periphery includes: a shoulder protection air chamber 11 comprising a shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, a shoulder side air chamber 11SS and a shoulder front air chamber 11SF which deploys into an elongated cylindrical shape that protects the shoulders of occupants CRR and CRL in the deployed state; a head protection air chamber 12 which is semicircular when deployed, deploys in a form falling towards the sides of occupants CRR and CRL sitting on the seat 2, and protects the heads of occupants CRR and CRL; and a non-inflation portion 15 adjacent to the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB. The non-inflation portion 15 is provided with a storage case 16 that stores an inflator 13 which is covered by a cylinder 14 and has exhaust ports EPU and EPD in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the far-side airbag 10 is formed with a gas flow path that includes openings APA, APB, and APC formed by tethers, which delivers high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust ports EPU and EPD to the shoulder protection air chamber 11 and the head protection air chamber 12. In addition, in Figure 2, the one-dot chain curve with arrows indicates the flow of high-pressure gas from the exhaust port EPU, and the two-dot chain curve with arrows indicates the flow of high-pressure gas from the exhaust port EPD. Further, the far-side airbag 10 is inflated and deployed by the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust ports EPU and EPD in the order of the head protection air chamber 12, the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, the shoulder side air chamber 11SS, and the shoulder front air chamber 11SF. Further, the cylinder 14 is J-shaped extending from the upper part to the lower part, and the upper end and the lower end thereof serve as exhaust ports EPU and EPD, respectively. Further, inside the cylinder 14, cavities 14A and 14B are formed by the inner surface of the cylinder 14 and the outer shape of the inflator 3. Then, after the far-side airbag 10 is deployed, the pressure of the high-pressure gas is equalized by the cavities 14A and 14B of the cylinder 14, and when the shoulder rear surfaces of the occupants CRR and CRL come into contact with the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, the deployment form is changed so that the shoulder front air chamber 11SF wraps around the shoulder portions of the occupants CRR and CRL.

[0017] <Electrical Configuration of Airbag Apparatus 1> The electrical configuration of the airbag apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the airbag apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to include a detection unit 110, a deployment control unit 120, and an inflator 13.

[0018] The detection unit 110 detects the direction of a collision with the host vehicle. The detection unit 110 is, for example, a sensor, and is configured to include a sensor that detects a collision from the right side of the vehicle, a sensor that detects a collision from the left side of the vehicle, and a sensor that detects a collision from the front of the vehicle. The detection unit 110 outputs sensor information from each of the aforementioned sensors to the deployment control unit. Specific examples of the detection unit 110 include an acceleration sensor that detects impact or vibration applied to the host vehicle as acceleration. Further, the acceleration sensor may be either a piezoresistive type that utilizes a change in the electrical resistance of a semiconductor, or a capacitive type that detects a gap change between the movable part and the fixed part of an interdigital electrode as a capacitance. Alternatively, the system may include an acceleration sensor for detecting collisions and another acceleration sensor for detecting floor acceleration, and the system may determine and confirm a collision based on the acceleration values ​​from both acceleration sensors.

[0019] The deployment control unit 120 controls the deployment of the far-side airbag 10. Specifically, the deployment control unit 120 controls the activation of the inflator 13, which will be described later, based on the sensor information obtained from the detection unit 110. In this embodiment, when the deployment control unit 120 receives sensor information from the detection unit 110 indicating that a collision has been detected from the right side of the vehicle, from the left side of the vehicle, or from the front of the vehicle, it executes a startup control for the inflator 13, which will be described later.

[0020] When the inflator 13 receives an activation signal from the deployment control unit 120, it supplies high-pressure gas to the far-side airbag 10, causing the far-side airbag 10 to inflate and deploy. The inflator 13 discharges the high-pressure gas to the outside from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the housing.

[0021] <Processing of airbag device 1> The processing of the airbag device 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figures 4 and 5.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, the deployment control unit 120 determines whether or not a collision with the vehicle MV has occurred based on the detection signal (sensor signal) from the detection unit 110 (step S100). Then, if the deployment control unit 120 determines that no collision has occurred with its own vehicle MV ("NO" in step S100), it switches to standby mode.

[0023] On the other hand, if the deployment control unit 120 determines that a collision with its own vehicle MV has occurred (YES in step S200), it activates the inflator 13 and terminates the process (step S300).

[0024] When the inflator 13 is activated by a start signal from the deployment control unit 120, the high-pressure gas is discharged to the outside from both ends of the inflator 13's housing in the longitudinal direction. The inflator 13 is housed in a J-shaped cylinder 14 that extends from top to bottom. The upper and lower ends of the cylinder 14 are exhaust ports EPU and EPD. The exhaust port EPU is opened so as to face the direction of the upper head protection air chamber 12, and the exhaust port EPD is opened so that its tip is curved to follow the plane of the shoulder protection air chamber 11.

[0025] When the inflator 13 is activated, the high-pressure gas flows in from above the far-side airbag 10 (arrow (1) in Figure 5) towards the outer periphery of the far-side airbag 10, as shown in Figure 5, deploying the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB. Then, it flows inward and forward of the outer periphery of the far-side airbag 10 (arrow (2) in Figure 5), changes direction towards the inward and downward of the outer periphery of the far-side airbag 10 (arrow (3) in Figure 5), deploying the shoulder side air chamber 11SS and the shoulder front air chamber 11SF.

[0026] More specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the high-pressure gas discharged from the end of the inflator 13 (indicated by the dashed arrow in Figure 2) flows from the exhaust port EPU at the upper end of the cylinder 14 towards the upper outer circumference of the far-side airbag 10.

[0027] On the other hand, the high-pressure gas discharged from the other end of the inflator 13 (indicated by the dashed arrow in Figure 2) flows from the exhaust port EPD at the upper end of the cylinder 14, through the bottom of the shoulder protective air chamber 11, to the shoulder front air chamber 11SF, and then changes direction upward.

[0028] Then, the high-pressure gas discharged from one end of the inflator 13 (the dashed arrow in Figure 2) and the high-pressure gas discharged from the other end of the inflator 13 (the double dashed arrow in Figure 2) merge at the opening APA located between the head protection chamber 12 and the shoulder protection chamber 11, and flow through the opening APB into the shoulder back chamber 11SB, causing the shoulder back chamber 11SB to expand.

[0029] Next, the combined high-pressure gas flows into the shoulder lateral air chamber 11SS through the opening APC, causing the shoulder lateral air chamber 11SS to expand. Subsequently, the head protection chamber 12 and the shoulder front chamber 11SF deploy, completing the deployment of the entire far-side airbag 10.

[0030] Furthermore, when a collision with the vehicle occurs and the shoulders of the occupants CRR and CRL are pressed against the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB as shown in Figure 5, the side 17 of the storage case of the inflator 13 acts as a pivot point, causing the shoulder protective air chamber 11 to rotate forward and deform to wrap around the entire shoulder of the occupant.

[0031] <Effects and Actions> As described above, the airbag device 1 according to this embodiment is provided on the center console side of the seat backrest 21 of the front seat of the vehicle, and consists of a single cylindrical base fabric material, with an annular outer circumference, and a shoulder protection air chamber 11 that includes a shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, a shoulder side air chamber 11SS, and a shoulder front air chamber 11SF that deploy in a vertically elongated cylindrical shape to protect the occupant's shoulder when deployed, and a semi-circular shape that folds towards the occupant CRR and CRL when seated on the seat 2. The system includes a far-side airbag 10 which deploys to protect the heads of the occupants CRR and CRL, a head protection chamber 12, and a non-inflatable section 15 adjacent to the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, and a deployment control unit 120 which controls the deployment of the far-side airbag 10. The non-inflatable section 15 houses an inflator 13 covered by a cylinder 14, and a gas passage is formed which sends the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust ports EPU and EPD of the cylinder 14 to the shoulder protection chamber 11 and the head protection chamber 12. In other words, the far-side airbag 10 has a shoulder protection chamber 11 which includes a shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, a shoulder side air chamber 11SS, and a shoulder front air chamber 11SF that become a vertically elongated cylindrical shape when deployed, sewn with a tether from a single cylindrical base fabric material; a head protection chamber 12 which becomes a semicircular shape when deployed and deploys in a manner that folds towards the occupant CRR, CRL seated on the seat 2 to protect the head of the occupant CRR, CRL; and a non-inflatable section 15 adjacent to the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB. Therefore, the degree of sealing of the high-pressure gas discharged from the inflator 13 and retained inside the far-side airbag 10 can be maintained at a high level. Furthermore, the far-side airbag 10 includes a shoulder protection chamber 11 which includes a shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, a shoulder side air chamber 11SS, and a shoulder front air chamber 11SF that become vertically elongated cylindrical when deployed, and a head protection chamber 12 which becomes semi-circular when deployed and deploys in a manner that folds towards the occupant CRR and CRL seated on the seat 2 to protect the heads of the occupant CRR and CRL. Therefore, the shoulders and heads of the occupants CRR and CRL can be adequately protected from the impact of collisions from the right side of the vehicle, the left side of the vehicle, and the front of the vehicle. Furthermore, the non-inflatable portion 15 of the far-side airbag 10 houses an inflator 13 covered by a cylinder 14, and a gas passage is formed to send the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust ports EPU and EPD of the cylinder 14 to the shoulder protective air chamber 11 and the head protective air chamber 12. In other words, the non-inflatable section 15 is fixed and disposed inside the seat backrest 21, and the high-pressure gas discharged from both ends of the inflator 13 is sent into the far-side airbag 10 via the exhaust ports EPU and EPD, and flows into the shoulder protection chamber 11 and the head protection chamber 12 along the pre-formed gas flow path. Therefore, due to the pre-formed gas flow path configuration, the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, shoulder side air chamber 11SS, shoulder front air chamber 11SF, and head protection air chamber 12, which form the shoulder protection air chamber 11, can be deployed quickly and at the appropriate timing in the event of a collision from the right side of the vehicle, the left side of the vehicle, or the front of the vehicle.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the airbag device 1 inflates and deploys in the order of the inner outer periphery, the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, and the shoulder side air chamber 11SS, using high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust ports EPU and EPD of the cylinder 14, and then the shoulder front air chamber 11SF and the head protection air chamber 12 inflate and deploy. In other words, in the event of a side collision with the vehicle, the shoulders of the occupants CRR and CRL are first pushed towards the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, then towards the shoulder side air chamber 11SS, and furthermore, the heads of the occupants CRR and CRL tilt towards the head protection air chamber 12. Furthermore, in the event of a frontal collision with a vehicle, the shoulders of occupants CRR and CRL are first pushed towards the rear shoulder air chamber 11SB, and then pushed towards the front shoulder air chamber 11SF. Therefore, with the deployment sequence of the airbag device 1 according to this embodiment, the behavior of the occupants can be appropriately controlled regardless of whether a side collision or a frontal collision occurs with the vehicle.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the airbag device 1 has a J-shaped cylinder 14. Specifically, the cylinder 14 is J-shaped, extending from the top to the bottom, with its upper and lower ends serving as exhaust ports EPU and EPD. In other words, the high-pressure gas discharged from both ends of the inflator 13 is sent along the shape of the cylinder 14 and into the far-side airbag 10 via the exhaust ports EPU and EPD. Therefore, due to the shape of the cylinder 14 and the pre-formed gas flow path configuration, the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, shoulder side air chamber 11SS, shoulder front air chamber 11SF, and head protection air chamber 12, which form the shoulder protection air chamber 11, can be deployed quickly and at the appropriate timing in the event of a collision from the right side of the vehicle, a collision from the left side of the vehicle, or a collision from the front of the vehicle.

[0034] Furthermore, the far-side airbag 10 of the airbag device 1 according to this embodiment is provided with cavities 14A and 14B formed by the inner surface of the cylinder 14 and the outer shape of the inflator 13. After deployment, when the back of the occupant's shoulder comes into contact with the shoulder back air chamber 11SB, the shoulder protective air chamber 11 changes its deployment form so as to wrap around the shoulder of the occupant CRR or CRL. In other words, after the far-side airbag 10 is deployed, when the back of the occupant's shoulder comes into contact with the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB, the high-pressure gas is uniformly distributed in the cavities 14A and 14B formed by the inner surface of the cylinder 14 and the outer shape of the inflator 13. As a result, the pressing force on the shoulder rear air chamber 11SB causes the shoulder protective air chamber 11 to rotate forward and deform to wrap around the entire shoulder of the occupant.

[0035] Furthermore, the airbag device 1 of the present invention can be realized by recording the processing of the deployment control unit 120 on a recording medium readable by a computer system, and then loading and executing the program recorded on this recording medium into the deployment control unit 120. The computer system referred to here includes hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices.

[0036] Furthermore, "computer system" includes the homepage provisioning environment (or display environment) if the WWW (World Wide Web) system is being used. The above program may also be transmitted from the computer system in which the program is stored to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves within the transmission medium. Here, "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0037] Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. It may also be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0038] While embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0039] 1; Airbag system 2; sheet 10; Far-side airbags 11; Shoulder protective air chamber 11SF; shoulder anterior air chamber 11SS; Shoulder lateral air chamber 11SB; Shoulder back air chamber 12; Head protection air chamber 13; Inflator 14;tube 14A; Cavity 14B; Cavity 15; Non-expanding part 16; Storage Case 17; Side of storage case 21; Seat backrest 22; Headrest 110; detection unit 120; Deployment Control Unit APA; opening APB; opening APC; opening CRR; Crew CRL; Crew EPU; exhaust port EPD; exhaust port MV; Own vehicle

Claims

1. A far-side airbag is provided on the center console side of the seat backrest of the front seat of the vehicle, with an annular outer circumference, and an inner circumference containing a shoulder protection chamber that deploys in a vertically elongated cylindrical shape to protect the occupant's shoulders, a shoulder rear air chamber, a shoulder side air chamber, and a shoulder front air chamber; a head protection chamber that deploys in a semi-circular shape when deployed and folds toward the occupant seated on the seat to protect the occupant's head; and a non-inflatable section adjacent to the shoulder rear air chamber, the non-inflatable section being provided with a storage case for housing an inflator covered by a cylinder and having an exhaust port in the vertical direction, and a far-side airbag having a first opening, a second opening, and a third opening provided between the head protection chamber and the shoulder protection chamber to send the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port to the shoulder protection chamber and the head protection chamber, A deployment control unit that controls the deployment of the far-side airbag, Equipped with, When the inflator is activated, the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the upper end of the cylinder flows outwards in the direction of the upper outer circumference, the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the lower end of the cylinder flows from the bottom of the shoulder protective air chamber to the shoulder front air chamber, changes direction upward, the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the upper end of the cylinder and the high-pressure gas discharged from the exhaust port at the lower end of the cylinder merge at the first opening, flow through the second opening into the shoulder rear air chamber, and deploy the shoulder rear air chamber, and the merged high-pressure gas flows through the third opening into the shoulder side air chamber, and deploys the shoulder side air chamber, characterized in that the airbag device.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylinder is J-shaped.

3. The airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the far-side airbag is provided with a cavity formed by the inner surface of the cylinder and the outer shape of the inflator, and after deployment, when the back of the occupant's shoulder comes into contact with the shoulder back air chamber, the deployment configuration changes so that the shoulder protective air chamber wraps around the occupant's shoulder.

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