Airbag of a vehicle occupant restraint system and vehicle occupant restraint system

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraint system (10), having an airbag (14) for installation on a vehicle seat (20), wherein the airbag (14) has a side wall part (28) facing the vehicle occupant and a side wall part (30) facing away from the vehicle occupant, which are connected to one another along their outer circumference (32) by a circumferential connection (34). The circumferential connection (34) defines, in the flatly spread-out, non-inflated state of the airbag (14), a gas-generator-side end (38) at a first side edge (36) of the airbag (14) and an opposite interior-side end (40) at a second side edge (42). The airbag (14) has, in the completely inflated state, a seat-back-side end (52) and a seat-back-remote end (54). A fastening interface (46) for a gas generator (18) is arranged on a surface of the side wall part (28) facing the occupant spaced at a distance (d) of 40 mm to 100 mm from the first side edge (36), and therefore in the completely inflated state of the airbag (14), the airbag (14) is curved in an arc shape in a top view and the interior-side end (40) of the circumferential connection (34) is offset with respect to the seat-back-remote end (54) of the airbag (14) in the direction of the side wall part (28) facing the occupant.

Description

[0001] Gas bag of a vehicle occupant restraint system and vehicle occupant restraint system

[0002] The invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraint system with a gas bag for mounting on a vehicle seat.

[0003] The positioning of an airbag relative to the vehicle seat and the vehicle occupant can be influenced, among other things, by folding the airbag. However, such folding arrangements are complex and often difficult to integrate with the limited space available on the vehicle seat.

[0004] The object of the invention is to improve the positioning of the gas bag with respect to the vehicle occupant.

[0005] This object is achieved by a vehicle occupant restraint system with a gas bag for mounting on a vehicle seat, wherein the gas bag has a side wall part facing the occupant and a side wall part facing away from the occupant, which are connected to one another along their outer circumference by a circumferential connection, wherein the circumferential connection, in the flat, spread-out, uninflated state of the gas bag, defines a gas generator-side end at a first side edge of the gas bag and an opposite interior-side end at a second side edge, and the gas bag, in the fully inflated state, has an end facing the seat back and an end remote from the seat back, and wherein a fastening interface for a gas generator is arranged on a surface of the side wall part facing the occupant, wherein the fastening interface is arranged at a distance of 40 mm to 100 mm from the first side edge,so that when the gas bag is fully inflated, the gas bag curves in a plan view and the interior-side end of the circumferential connection is offset from the end of the gas bag remote from the seat backrest in the direction of the side wall part facing the occupant.

[0006] This arrangement of the gas generator makes the positioning of the airbag significantly less dependent on the folding of the airbag. Thanks to the targeted curvature, the airbag can be easily moved closer to the torso of the vehicle occupant.

[0007] By shifting the fastening interface into the surface of the side wall section facing the occupant, which, when the airbag is installed, is equivalent to shifting the fastening interface forward along the seat's longitudinal direction, the side wall section facing away from the occupant is essentially extended, causing the airbag to rotate in towards the surface of the vehicle seat and thus towards the vehicle occupant on the vehicle seat. This makes it possible for the airbag to, for example, reach under the arm of the vehicle occupant and lift it, which may reduce the load on the uppermost rib. It has also been shown that shifting the fastening interface in this way can influence the load on the vehicle occupant's shoulders.This also makes it possible to reduce the dependence of the positioning of the gas bag on the width of a gap between the vehicle occupant on the vehicle seat and a component fixed to the vehicle, for example a door panel, a side wall or an adjacent vehicle seat.

[0008] The fastening of the gas generator to the fastening interface and to the vehicle seat has no significant influence on the rotational movement of the gas bag, so that the gas generator can be fastened in the conventional way, e.g. using fastening bolts or clamps.

[0009] The distance between the fastening interface and the first side edge of the airbag is determined, in particular, along a straight line perpendicular to the first side edge of the airbag. The distance by which the fastening interface is offset from the surface of the side wall part facing the occupant is preferably 25 mm to 100 mm.

[0010] Particularly preferably, the distance by which the fastening interface is offset from the surface of the side wall portion facing the occupant is between 40 mm and 70 mm. It has been found that such an offset allows for a sufficient curvature of the gas bag.

[0011] Due to the resulting curvature, it is also easily possible to arrange at least one outflow opening in the side wall part facing away from the occupant, since in this way the filling gas can flow out of the outflow opening in a direction away from the occupant.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, an outer wall of the gas bag consists of the side wall portion facing the occupant and the side wall portion facing away from the occupant, and the side wall portions are connected to one another along their entire outer circumference. For example, the gas bag is made from a single, particularly flat, pre-cut piece and folded along the first side edge. The remaining, superimposed sections of the outer circumference are connected with a circumferential seam. The circumferential seam can be created as a conventional seam, but also by gluing or welding.

[0013] Preferably, an outer circumference and a contour of the two side wall parts are identical, so that the peripheral connection can be expanded flatly in one plane. Of course, it is possible to introduce additional material onto the surface of the respective side wall part, so that the gas bag as a whole can assume a three-dimensional shape that cannot be expanded flatly and, when inflated, has projections, indentations, and / or protrusions on its side surfaces.

[0014] The gas bag is typically part of a gas bag module comprising an elongated gas generator. The gas generator is arranged in an interior of the gas bag between the two side wall parts and is secured to the attachment interface with fastening elements. The fastening elements are designed to be mounted on the vehicle seat. The gas generator is, for example, a conventionally used tubular gas generator whose longitudinal axis is aligned parallel to the first side edge of the gas bag.

[0015] The fastening elements can, for example, be fastening bolts protruding laterally from the gas generator, and the fastening interface can comprise an opening for each fastening bolt in the side wall section facing the occupant. The gas generator can then be mounted in the conventional manner by placing it in the interior of the gas bag and pushing the fastening bolts through the openings onto the outside of the gas bag.

[0016] The vehicle occupant restraint system preferably comprises a vehicle seat, wherein the gas bag module is mounted to a backrest of the vehicle seat via the fastening interface, and the gas bag, in the fully inflated state, is aligned with respect to the vehicle seat such that the gas bag is curved in an arc with respect to a vertical axis of the vehicle seat toward a seating surface of the vehicle seat, and the interior-side end of the circumferential connection is offset relative to the end of the gas bag remote from the seat backrest in the direction of a seating surface of the vehicle seat. The longitudinal axis of the gas generator is aligned in particular along the backrest. The offset therefore occurs along a seat transverse direction and thus toward the vehicle occupant on the vehicle seat.

[0017] When inflated, the gas bag can rest on the backrest at the end closest to the seat back, which increases its stability.

[0018] Preferably, the end of the gas bag remote from the seat backrest is located in the area of ​​the vehicle occupant's arm when fully inflated. In particular, the area around the peripheral connection is located under the vehicle occupant's arm and can lift it.

[0019] The gas bag is preferably a side gas bag, which, when inflated, is positioned between the vehicle seat and a vehicle side wall, or a center gas bag, which, when inflated, is positioned between the vehicle seat and another adjacent vehicle seat. When used as a center gas bag, the lateral curvature of the gas bag also allows for better alignment toward the occupant. This can also apply to an optional head chamber of the gas bag.

[0020] The invention is described in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. The figures show:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle occupant restraint system according to the invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a flatly spread out gas bag of the vehicle occupant restraint system from Figure 1; and

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the vehicle occupant restraint system from Figure 1 in a frontal view.

[0024] For reasons of clarity, not all identical components are always provided with reference symbols.

[0025] The figures show a vehicle occupant restraint system 10 with a gas bag module 12 which comprises a gas bag 14.

[0026] In an interior space 16 of the gas bag 14, a gas generator 18 is arranged, here an elongated tubular gas generator, which supplies filling gas for filling the gas bag 14.

[0027] The gas bag module 12 is mounted on a vehicle seat 20, which provides space for a vehicle occupant 22. The vehicle occupant 22 sits on a seat surface 24 of the vehicle seat 20 and leans against a backrest 26.

[0028] In this example, the gas bag module 12 is mounted on the backrest 26, more precisely on a side bolster of the backrest 26, such that a longitudinal axis I of the gas generator 18 is arranged parallel to a longitudinal extension of the backrest 26.

[0029] The gas bag 14 comprises a side wall part 28 facing the occupant and a side wall part 30 facing away from the occupant. In this example, an outer wall of the gas bag 14 consists of the two side wall parts 28, 30. As Figure 2 shows, an outer contour of the two side wall parts 28, 30 is identical along an outer circumference 32. Along the outer circumference 32, the side wall parts 28, 30 are firmly connected to one another at a circumferential connection 34. The gas bag 14 can be expanded here such that the entire circumferential connection 34 lies in one plane.

[0030] The side wall parts 28, 30 are here connected to one another in one piece along a first side edge 36 of the gas bag 14 and folded over along the first side edge 36 in such a way that they also lie congruently on one another along the remaining outer circumference 32.

[0031] The first side edge 36 defines a gas generator-side end 38 of the circumferential connection 34 in the flat, uninflated gas bag 14. Opposite this, an interior-side end 40 of the circumferential connection 34 in the flat, uninflated gas bag 14 lies at a second side edge 42. Both side edges 36, 42 are sections of the circumferential connection 34.

[0032] On the surface 44 of the occupant-facing side wall portion 28 is a fastening interface 46 for the gas generator 18. In this example, the fastening interface 46 comprises two openings 48 in the occupant-facing side wall portion 28, which are provided to receive fastening elements 50 of the gas generator 18. The fastening elements 50 are, for example, fastening bolts that protrude laterally from the gas generator 18 and via which the gas generator 18 and the entire gas bag module 12 are firmly fastened to a frame (not shown) of the backrest 26 of the vehicle seat 20.

[0033] The two openings 48 are arranged one behind the other along the longitudinal axis I of the gas generator 18 and thus in a direction parallel to the first side edge 36 of the gas bag 14.

[0034] The fastening interface 46 is arranged at a distance d of 25 mm to 100 mm, here between 40 mm and 70 mm, from the first side edge 36.

[0035] As can be seen in Figure 2, the fastening interface 46 is thus significantly offset into the surface 44 of the occupant-facing side wall part 28 compared to conventional solutions (indicated by dashed lines). This means that, starting from the fastening interface 46, a distance ai to the circumferential connection 34 at the interior-side end 40 perpendicular to the first side edge 36 (and accordingly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis I of the gas generator 18) along the occupant-facing side wall part 28 is significantly shorter than a distance a2 starting from the fastening interface 46 across the occupant-facing side wall part 30.

[0036] In the uninflated, flatly spread-out state of the gas bag 14, an end 52 on the seat back side and an end 54 of the gas bag 14 remote from the seat back lie on a straight line in the plane of the circumferential connection 34 and coincide with the gas generator side end 38 and the interior side end 40 of the circumferential connection 34 (see Figure 2 and indicated by dashed lines in Figure 1).

[0037] However, in the fully inflated state, the gas bag 14 curves in an arcuate manner in the direction of the seat surface 24 of the vehicle seat due to the position of the fastening interface 46 on the surface 44 in a plan view with respect to a vertical axis V of the vehicle seat 20 (see also Figure 3).

[0038] In this case, the interior-side end 40 of the circumferential connection 34 is displaced with respect to a seat transverse direction Q in the direction of the arrow P towards the seat surface 24 and towards the vehicle occupant 22. This results in the interior-side end 40 of the circumferential connection 34 of the gas bag 14 being offset by a distance 55 in the seat transverse direction Q towards the vehicle seat 20 relative to the end 54 of the gas bag 14 remote from the seat backrest, which defines the point of the gas bag 14 which protrudes furthest in a seat longitudinal direction L relative to the vehicle seat 20 (see Figures 1 and 3).

[0039] This curvature is generated by the distance d of the fastening interface 46 to the first side edge 36 and the resulting difference in length between the distances ai and a2 to the second side edge 42 along the side wall part 28 facing the occupant and the side wall part 30 facing away from the occupant.

[0040] The curvature of the gas bag 14 brings the interior-side end 40 of the circumferential connection 34 close to an arm 56 of the vehicle occupant 22, so that the gas bag 14 can raise the arm 56 and thus reduce the load on a torso 58 of the vehicle occupant 22 (see Figure 3). Due to the curvature of the gas bag 14, outflow openings 60 in the side wall part 30 facing away from the occupant (dashed in Figure 2) are also aligned such that the filling gas flowing out of the gas bag 14 flows away from the vehicle occupant 22. In the example shown here, the gas bag 14 is a side gas bag that extends between the vehicle seat 20 and a component 62 fixed to the vehicle. The component 62 is, for example, a side wall or a door panel.

[0041] In a variant not shown, the gas bag 14 is a center gas bag which is arranged between the vehicle seat 20 and an adjacent further vehicle seat.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) with a gas bag (14) for mounting on a vehicle seat (20), wherein the gas bag (14) has a side wall part (28, 30) facing the occupant and a side wall part (28, 30) facing away from the occupant, which are connected to one another along their outer circumference (32) by a circumferential connection (34), wherein the circumferential connection (34) defines, in the flat, spread-out, uninflated state of the gas bag (14), a gas generator-side end (38) at a first side edge (36) of the gas bag (14) and an opposite interior-side end (40) at a second side edge (42), and the gas bag (14) has, in the fully inflated state, an end (52) facing the seat back and an end (54) remote from the seat back, and wherein a fastening interface (46) for a gas generator (18) is provided on a surface of the side wall part facing the occupant (28), wherein the fastening interface (46) is arranged by a distance (d) of 25 mm to 100 mm,in particular, is arranged at a distance of 40 mm to 100 mm from the first side edge (36), so that when the gas bag (14) is fully inflated, the gas bag (14) curves in a plan view in an arcuate manner and the interior-side end (40) of the circumferential connection (34) is offset from the end (54) of the gas bag (14) remote from the seat back in the direction of the side wall part (28) facing the occupant.

2. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the distance (d) is between 40 mm and 70 mm.

3. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one outflow opening (60) is arranged in the side wall part (30) facing away from the occupant.

4. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an outer wall of the gas bag (14) consists of the side wall part (28, 30) facing the occupant and the side wall part (28, 30) facing away from the occupant, and the side wall parts (28, 30) are connected to one another along their entire outer circumference (32).

5. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas bag (14) is part of a gas bag module (12) which has a elongated gas generator (18), wherein the gas generator (18) is arranged in an interior of the gas bag (14) between the two side wall parts (28, 30) and is fixed to the fastening interface (46) by fastening elements (50), wherein the fastening elements (50) are intended to be mounted on the vehicle seat (20).

6. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to claim 5, wherein a longitudinal axis (I) of the gas generator (18) is aligned parallel to the first side edge (36) of the gas bag (14).

7. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the fastening elements (50) are fastening bolts projecting laterally from the gas generator (18) and the fastening interface (46) comprises an opening (48) in the occupant-facing side wall part (28) for each fastening bolt.

8. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to one of claims 5 to 7, with a vehicle seat (20), wherein the gas bag module (12) is mounted via the fastening interface (46) on a backrest (26) of the vehicle seat (20) and the gas bag (14) in the fully inflated state is aligned with respect to the vehicle seat (20) such that the gas bag (14) is curved in an arcuate manner with respect to a vertical axis (V) of the vehicle seat (20) towards a seat surface (22) of the vehicle seat (20) and the interior-side end (40) of the circumferential connection (34) is offset from the end (54) of the gas bag (14) remote from the seat back in the direction of a seat surface (24) of the vehicle seat (20).

9. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to claim 8, wherein the end (54) of the gas bag (14) remote from the seat backrest is located in the region of an arm (56) of a vehicle occupant (22) on the vehicle seat (20) in the fully inflated state.

10. Vehicle occupant restraint system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gas bag (14) is a side gas bag which, in the inflated state, is arranged between the vehicle seat (20) and a vehicle side wall, or a center gas bag which, in the inflated state, is arranged between the vehicle seat (20) and a laterally adjacent further vehicle seat.

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