Airbag device

Abstract

Provided is an airbag device (4) that facilitates upward movement of an arm (71) of an occupant (7).　The airbag device (4) is disposed on at least one of both sides of a vehicle seat and inflates and deploys laterally of an occupant (7). The airbag device (4) is provided with: a main chamber (41) accommodating an inflator; and a protruding chamber (5) that has a smaller volume than the main chamber (41) and protrudes on a side surface on the occupant (7) side of the main chamber (41). The protruding chamber (5) is provided with a pointed ridge part (50) extending in the front-rear direction of the seat at the tip portion on the occupant (7) side. The protruding chamber (5) is shaped such that a cross section (B) orthogonal to a straight line (D1), which is the shortest distance from a prescribed point of the ridge part (50) toward a boundary region (A) between the main chamber (41) and the protruding chamber (5), becomes smaller from the main chamber (41) side toward the ridge part (50).

Description

airbag system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an airbag device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an airbag device that, in the event of a side collision of a vehicle, deploys an airbag early to the side of the occupant's shoulder and lifts the occupant's upper arm, thereby providing adequate protection for the occupant.

[0003] JP 2014-88073 A

[0004] However, the invention of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that when the airbag device inflates, the apex of the inflated airbag pushes the occupant's arms toward the inside of the vehicle, making it difficult for the occupant's arms to rise upward.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that allows an occupant's arms to easily move upward.

[0006] The airbag device of this embodiment is an airbag device that is arranged on at least one of both sides of a vehicle seat and inflates and deploys to the side of an occupant, and is characterized in that it comprises a main chamber that houses an inflator, and a protruding chamber that is smaller in volume than the main chamber and protrudes from the side of the main chamber facing the occupant, and the protruding chamber has a pointed ridge portion at its tip on the occupant side that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the seat, and the cross section perpendicular to a straight line that is the shortest distance from a specified point on the ridge portion to the boundary area between the main chamber and the protruding chamber has a shape that gradually decreases from the main chamber side toward the ridge portion.

[0007] The ridge portion is characterized in that it is configured to extend linearly in a direction intersecting the up-down direction.

[0008] The ridge portion is characterized in that it is included within the projection plane of the boundary area when viewed from the side of the vehicle seat at an angle that maximizes the area of ​​the boundary area.

[0009] The ridge portion is preferably provided in an area above the center of the boundary area in the vertical direction.

[0010] The protruding chamber may include a central panel extending in the vertical direction, side panels provided on both sides of the central panel, and an upper panel connected to the upper end of the central panel and the upper end of the side panels.

[0011] The border between the central panel and the upper panel is the ridge portion.

[0012] Furthermore, the first angle formed between the upper panel and the boundary area is larger than the second angle formed between the central panel and the boundary area, and the upper panel can move the occupant's arms upward when deployed.

[0013] The protruding chamber may be formed in a wedge shape in a cross section intersecting the ridge, the thickness of the protruding chamber decreasing downward.

[0014] In one aspect, when the airbag device is inflated, the arms of the occupant are more likely to be raised upward, thereby improving the occupant's protection function.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the interior of a vehicle cabin equipped with an airbag device. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the inflated and deployed state of the airbag device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the joined state of the main chamber and the protruding chamber. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device cut along a plane that passes through the ridge and is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. FIG. 5 is a developed view of the protruding chamber. FIG. 6 is a developed view of the second reinforcing component. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the protruding chamber. FIG. 8 is a developed view of the main chamber. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device cut along a plane that passes through the ridge and is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment. An airbag device is provided inside a vehicle (inside the passenger compartment) and inflates and deploys in the event of a vehicle collision to restrain an occupant seated in a vehicle seat from the side. The vehicle seat may be a driver's seat, a passenger seat, a rear seat, or the like. In this embodiment, the vehicle seat will be described as a passenger seat.

[0017] The directions used in the following description are those seen from the center of an occupant seated in a normal posture in the seat, with the direction in front being "front"; the direction behind being "rear"; the direction of the head being "up"; and the direction of the lower limbs being "down". Similarly, the direction to the occupant's right hand side is "right" and the direction to the occupant's left hand side is "left". The left-right direction (lateral direction) is, for example, the direction seen when an occupant seated in a normal posture in the passenger seat is viewed from "left" to "right" or from "right" to "left".

[0018] Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the interior of a vehicle cabin equipped with an airbag device. Fig. 1 shows a driver's seat 2 and a passenger seat 3 installed on a floor 10 of the vehicle cabin 1, and a side door 6. The passenger seat 3 includes a seat portion 31, a backrest 32 that rises upward from the rear side of the seat portion 31, and an airbag device 4. The airbag device 4 is disposed inside the backrest 32 on at least one of the driver's seat 2 side and the side door 6 side. In this embodiment, the airbag device 4 is disposed inside the backrest 32 on the side of the side door 6 side.

[0019] In the present embodiment, the airbag device 4 is disposed inside the seat back 32 on the side door 6 side, but this is not limiting. The airbag device 4 may be disposed inside the seat back 32 on both the driver's seat 2 side and the side door 6 side. The airbag device 4 can restrain an occupant seated in a vehicle seat from the side (right arm side) by inflating and deploying during a vehicle collision, even if the passenger seat 3 is rotated 180 degrees. In the present embodiment, the airbag device 4 is disposed in the passenger seat 3, but this is not limiting. The airbag device 4 may be disposed in the driver's seat 2. In that case, the airbag device 4 is disposed inside the backrest of the driver's seat 2, on at least one of the passenger seat 3 side and the side opposite the passenger seat 3. The airbag device 4 may also be disposed in a rear seat (not shown). In that case, the airbag device 4 is disposed on at least one of the left and right sides of the rear seat.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the inflated and deployed state of the airbag device. FIG. 2 shows an occupant 7 seated facing forward in the passenger seat 3 and an arm 71 of the occupant 7. The airbag device 4 inflates and deploys to the side (left arm side) of the occupant 7 during a vehicle collision. The airbag device 4 includes a main chamber 41 that houses an inflator (not shown) and a protruding chamber 5 that has a smaller volume than the main chamber 41 and protrudes from the side of the main chamber 41 facing the occupant 7. The protruding chamber 5 has a pointed ridge 50 extending in the front-to-rear direction of the passenger seat 3 at its tip portion facing the occupant 7. The main chamber 41 and the protruding chamber 5 are made of fabric reinforced by, for example, braiding nylon fibers. The main chamber 41 and the protruding chamber 5 are sewn together. When the airbag device of this embodiment inflates and deploys, the protruding chamber 5 moves the arm 71 of the occupant 7 upward.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connection state of the main chamber and the protruding chamber. FIG. 3 illustrates the main chamber 41, the protruding chamber 5, the first reinforcing component 8, the boundary region A (the area hatched downward to the right), and the cross section B (the area hatched downward to the left). The main chamber 41 includes an insertion hole 411a. The protruding chamber 5 includes a central panel 51, side panels 52, and an upper panel 53. The insertion hole 411a, the central panel 51, the side panels 52, and the upper panel 53 will be described later. The first reinforcing component 8 is, for example, a member made of fabric reinforced by braiding nylon fibers. The first reinforcing component 8 has, for example, a trapezoidal frame shape and is disposed at the sewn portion between the main chamber 41 and the protruding chamber 5. The protruding chamber 5 is sewn to the main chamber 41 on the occupant 7 side via the first reinforcing component 8. The ridge 50 extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the passenger seat 3. The space within the main chamber 41 and the space within the protruding chamber 5 are connected to each other. Boundary region A is formed by an imaginary plane surrounded by the connection portion where the protruding chamber 5 and the main chamber 41 are joined. In Figure 3, boundary region A is the boundary surface between the main chamber 41 and the protruding chamber 5. Cross section B is trapezoidal, and is a cross section of the protruding chamber 5 that is perpendicular to straight line D1 (see Figure 4), which is the shortest distance from a predetermined point on the ridge portion 50 to boundary region A.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device taken along a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and passing through the ridge portion. The protruding chamber 5 has a shape in which a cross section B perpendicular to the line D1 gradually decreases from the main chamber 41 toward the ridge portion 50. That is, the cross section B is largest near the boundary region A and decreases as it approaches the ridge portion 50. The ridge portion 50 is located above the vertical center of the boundary region A. A line F1 is a perpendicular line extending laterally (left-right) from any position within the boundary region A. The intersection of the line F1 and the side door 6 is denoted as P. When the boundary region A is viewed from the angle P, the area of ​​the boundary region A is maximized. When the boundary region A is viewed from the angle P, the ridge portion 50 is included within the horizontal projection plane of the boundary region A. That is, when viewed from the side (left-right) of the passenger seat 3 at an angle such that the area of ​​the boundary region A is maximized, the ridge portion 50 is included within the horizontal projection plane of the boundary region A. Line E1 in Fig. 4 represents the thickness of the protruding chamber 5 in the left-right direction. The protruding chamber 5 is formed in a wedge shape such that line E1 becomes thinner (smaller) as it moves downward in a cross section (Fig. 4) intersecting the ridge 50. That is, line E1 is largest at the position where it overlaps with line D1, and becomes smaller (thinner) as it moves upward or downward from the ridge 50.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a development view of the protruding chamber. In FIG. 5, the seam allowance used to sew together the protruding chamber 5, the main chamber 41, and the second reinforcing component 9 (described later) is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The protruding chamber 5 includes a central panel 51 extending in the vertical direction, side panels 52 provided on both sides of the central panel 51, and an upper panel 53. The central panel 51 is trapezoidal in shape, with the upper end 51a shorter than the lower end 51b. Alternatively, the central panel 51 may be trapezoidal in shape, with the upper end 51a longer than the lower end 51b. The two side panels 52 are generally triangular and extend outward from the hypotenuse of the central panel 51. The upper panel 53 is generally rectangular and extends outward from the upper end 51a of the central panel 51. That is, the upper panel 53 is connected to the upper end 51a of the central panel 51. Of the two sides of the two side panels 52 that are not in contact with the central panel 51, the side closest to the upper panel 53 (hereinafter referred to as the upper end 52a) has approximately the same length as the side of the upper panel 53 adjacent to the side that is in contact with the central panel 51. The side of the upper panel 53 adjacent to the side that is in contact with the central panel 51 is connected to the upper end 52a of the two side panels 52 during assembly (see FIG. 7).

[0024] FIG. 6 is a development view of the second reinforcing component. In FIG. 6, the development view of the protruding chamber 5 shown in FIG. 5 is shown by a two-dot chain line. In FIG. 6, the seam allowance used to sew the protruding chamber 5 and the second reinforcing component 9 together is shown by a two-dot chain line. The second reinforcing component 9 has a shape that follows the hypotenuse of the central panel 51, the upper end 51 a of the central panel 51, the upper end 52 a of the two side panels 52, and the side of the top panel 53 adjacent to the side that contacts the central panel 51. The second reinforcing component 9 is sewn to the protruding chamber 5 along the hypotenuse of the central panel 51, the upper end 51 a of the central panel 51, the upper end 52 a of the two side panels 52, and the side of the top panel 53 adjacent to the side that contacts the central panel 51. The second reinforcing component 9 is positioned inside the protruding chamber 5 when the protruding chamber 5 of FIG. 5 is assembled (see FIG. 7). The second reinforcing part 9 is used to connect and maintain the connection between the panels of the projecting chamber 5 .

[0025] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the protruding chamber. The second reinforcing component 9 shown in Figure 6 is omitted in Figure 7. The protruding chamber 5 is assembled by sewing together, via the second reinforcing component 9, the upper end portions 52a of the two side panels 52 and the edge of the upper panel 53 adjacent to the edge that contacts the central panel 51. The boundary (upper end portion 51a) between the central panel 51 and the upper panel 53 forms the ridge portion 50. The ridge portion 50 extends linearly in a direction (front-to-back direction) that intersects the up-down direction.

[0026] FIG. 8 is a development view of the main chamber. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the main chamber. The main chamber 41 includes an inner panel 411 facing the lateral position of the occupant 7 seated in the passenger seat 3, and an outer panel 412 positioned on the opposite side of the inner panel 411 from the occupant 7. The inner panel 411 and the outer panel 412 are both elliptical in shape and have substantially the same shape and dimensions. The inner panel 411 and the outer panel 412 are sewn together at their peripheries to form a bag shape (see FIG. 9 ). An inflator is housed inside the main chamber 41. The inflator is activated in response to a vehicle collision or the like and supplies gas for inflating and deploying the main chamber 41 and the protruding chamber 5. One of the inner panel 411 and the outer panel 412 (in this embodiment, the inner panel 411) includes an insertion hole 411a. A stud bolt (not shown) for attaching the inflator to a structure within the vehicle interior 1 is inserted through the insertion hole 411a. The inner panel 411 has an engagement hole 411b. The engagement hole 411b is trapezoidal. The first reinforcing component 8 is sewn to the inner panel 411 along the outer periphery of the engagement hole 411b. The airbag device 4 shown in FIG. 3 is assembled by sewing the protruding chamber 5 (see FIG. 7 ), to which the second reinforcing component 9 is sewn, to the inner panel 411, to which the first reinforcing component 8 is sewn. The protruding chamber 5 is disposed near the center of the inner panel 411. The protruding chamber 5 is disposed on the inner panel 411 with the upper panel 53 facing upward and to the right, and with the ridge 50 extending linearly in the front-to-rear direction.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device taken along a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and passing through the ridge portion. Descriptions of portions similar to those in FIG. 4 will be omitted. The second reinforcing component 9 is not shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 also illustrates a first angle K1 and a second angle K2. The first angle K1 is the angle between the upper panel 53, which contacts the arm 71 of the occupant 7, and the boundary region A. The second angle K2 is the angle between the central panel 51 and the boundary region A. The first angle K1 is greater than the second angle K2. As a result, when viewed from the side of the passenger seat 3, the ridge portion 50 is located in a region above the vertical center of the boundary region A. The upper panel 53 inflates and deploys above the ridge portion 50, thereby allowing the arm of the occupant 7 to move upward. Furthermore, the airbag device of this embodiment inflates and deploys near the left upper arm of the occupant 7 during a vehicle collision. The protruding chamber 5 of the airbag device lifts the upper arms of the occupant 7 upward at the same time as it inflates and deploys. Therefore, the airbag device of this embodiment can prevent the chest of the occupant 7 from being compressed by the arms 71 of the occupant 7 in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0028] The matters described in each of the above embodiments can be combined with each other. Furthermore, the independent claims and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any and all combinations, regardless of the reference format. Furthermore, the claims use a format in which a claim references two or more other claims (multiple claim format), but this is not limited to this. A multiple claim (multi-multi claim) that references at least one other multiple claim may also be used.

[0029] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0030] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Vehicle interior 2 Driver's seat 3 Passenger seat 31 Seat portion 32 Backrest 4 Airbag device 41 Main chamber 411 Inner panel 412 Outer panel 411a Insertion hole 411b Engagement hole 5 Projecting chamber 50 Ridge portion 51 Central panel 51a Upper end portion 51b Lower end portion 52 Side panel 52a Upper end portion 53 Upper panel 6 Side door 7 Occupant 71 Arm 8 First reinforcing part 9 Second reinforcing part 10 Floor surface A Boundary region B Cross section D1 Straight line K1 First angle K2 Second angle E1 Straight line F1 Straight line

Claims

1. An airbag device that is placed on at least one of both sides of a vehicle seat and inflates and deploys to the side of an occupant, comprising: a main chamber that houses an inflator; and a protruding chamber that is smaller in volume than the main chamber and protrudes from the side of the main chamber facing the occupant, wherein the protruding chamber has a pointed ridge that extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the seat at its tip facing the occupant, and wherein a cross section perpendicular to a straight line that is the shortest distance from a specified point on the ridge to a boundary region between the main chamber and the protruding chamber gradually decreases in size from the main chamber side toward the ridge.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the ridge portion is configured to extend linearly in a direction intersecting the vertical direction.

3. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the ridge portion is included within the projection plane of the boundary area when viewed from the side of the vehicle seat at an angle that maximizes the area of ​​the boundary area.

4. An airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the ridge portion is provided in an area above the vertical center of the boundary area.

5. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the protruding chamber includes a central panel extending in the vertical direction, side panels provided on both sides of the central panel, and an upper panel connected to the upper end of the central panel and the upper end of the side panels.

6. The airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the boundary between the central panel and the upper panel forms the ridge.

7. The airbag device according to claim 5, wherein a first angle formed between the upper panel and the boundary area is greater than a second angle formed between the central panel and the boundary area, and the upper panel is capable of moving the occupant's arms upward when the airbag device is deployed.

8. An airbag device as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protruding chamber is formed in a wedge shape such that the thickness of the protruding chamber becomes thinner downward in a cross section intersecting with the ridge portion.

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