JP2006151390A - Vehicle occupant protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure, in a curtain airbag device A, designed to be installed on both sides of a vehicle 1, and to cover the inner sides of the side windows 7, 9, by developing an airbag 10 from the roof-side rail 5 in the downward direction at the time of shock receipt to the side of the vehicle, the constrained state of an occupant by applying a tension force on the floated-state airbag 10 from the forward/backward positions of the vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: Front side and back side tethers 18, 19, are put up to connect the front edge and rear edge units at the lower positions of the airbag 10 to a front pillar 2 and rear pillar 31, respectively. A trim 32 of the rear pillar 31 is equipped with a frame member 33, fixed to the inner panel of the rear pillar 31. A sufficient tensile power is created by absorbing the looseness of the back-side tether 19 based on the arrangement of expanding the back-side tether 19 toward the inner side of the cabin along the frame member 33 through the use of the force of the airbag 10 to expand in the lower direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant protection device such as an airbag for protecting an occupant when an impact is applied to the vehicle, and more particularly, to protect the occupant's head and prevent the occupant from jumping out of the vehicle. It belongs to the technical field of curtain airbags deployed along side windows.

  Conventionally, as an occupant protection device for this type of vehicle, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an airbag that is long in the front-rear direction is stored in a folded state so as to straddle the roof side frame from the front pillar of the vehicle. When an impact is applied to the side portion, the airbag is deployed in a curtain shape downward along the side window.

In the above, the front end portion of the airbag is connected to the lower side of the front pillar of the vehicle, while the rear end portion is connected to the upper side of the quarter pillar, and the airbag extends from the front end portion to the rear end portion. The airbag is divided into a plurality of sachets (inflatable portions) extending substantially in the vertical direction. The sachets are expanded in a cylindrical shape when the airbag is deployed, so that the airbag is deployed in a curtain shape as a whole. . And since the plurality of sachets are inflated in this way, the length of the entire airbag is reduced in the front-rear direction, so that the tension acts naturally in the front-rear direction to restrain the occupant's head and the like. It has become.
JP-A-10-166888

  However, in the curtain airbag that is deployed so as to cover the inside of the side window as described above, it is required to further increase the force that stretches the airbag in the front-rear direction when deployed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and the object of the present invention is to devise a configuration for stretching the curtain airbag in the front-rear direction when deployed, and to ensure the restraint of the occupant. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is such that front and rear pillars are respectively arranged in front and rear of a side window of a vehicle, and are connected in the front-rear direction so as to connect the upper ends of both pillars. A vehicle provided with an extended roof side rail, and folded and stored in a range extending from the front pillar to the rear pillar via the roof side rail so as to cover the inside of the side window Occupant protection device of

  The airbag has an inflatable portion that inflates when deployed, and at the upper end edge thereof is fixed to at least the roof side rail, and at a predetermined portion on the lower side and the rear end side of the airbag, One end of a connecting member for connecting the airbag to the rear pillar is fixed and arranged so as to be positioned on the roof side rail when the airbag is stored. Further, the rear pillar is provided with a guide member for guiding the other end side of the connecting member that moves along with the one end of the connecting member moving downward as the airbag is deployed. A member shall guide the other end side of a connection member so that the looseness of this connection member may decrease with the movement.

  With the above configuration, the airbag stored mainly in the roof side rail of the vehicle expands downward, for example, when an impact is applied to the side portion of the vehicle, and expands so as to cover the inside of the side window. At this time, the folded airbag as a whole moves downward from above, and one end of the connecting member fixed to the predetermined portion also moves downward, and the other end of the connecting member moving accordingly The side is guided by the guide member so that the looseness of the connecting member is reduced. Thereby, the tension in the front-rear direction is sufficiently applied to the airbag.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the occupant protection device having the same premise structure as the first aspect of the present invention, a guide member for guiding the connecting member is provided on the front pillar of the vehicle in the same manner as described above. The effect similar to that of the invention of claim 1 is obtained.

  In the occupant protection device as described above, it is preferable that the connecting member is arranged such that when the one end thereof moves downward as the airbag is deployed, the other end also moves downward (Claim 3). Invention).

  The guide member is preferably provided along the longitudinal direction of the front to rear pillars (invention of claim 4), and in this case, the upper end portion of the guide member is located in the center of the vehicle rather than the lower end portion in the side view. It is more preferable to position it closer (Invention of Claim 5).

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the other end of the connecting member is fixed to the lower end of the pillar (invention of claim 6). More preferably, it is configured to press (invention of claim 7).

As described above, according to the vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention, when the airbag is deployed from the roof side rail so as to cover the inside of the lower side window, the airbag is disposed below the airbag. One end of the connecting member with the vehicle body is fixed, and when the one end moves downward as the airbag is deployed, the other end of the connecting member that moves with the airbag is guided by the guide member. Since the slack is absorbed, the tension for pulling the airbag in the front-rear direction can be sufficiently applied, thereby ensuring the restraint of the occupant.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, a reference example having a configuration similar to that of the embodiment will be described first.

(Reference example)
FIG. 1 shows a curtain airbag device (occupant protection device) A according to a reference example of the present invention. The curtain airbag device A is disposed on the right side body of the three-box type passenger vehicle 1 and is deployed as shown in the figure when an impact of a predetermined magnitude or larger is applied to the right side surface of the vehicle 1. Is to protect. Although not shown, this curtain airbag device A is also disposed on the left side body of the vehicle.

  A front pillar 2, a center pillar 3, and a quarter pillar 4 that are connected to a bonnet (not shown) are arranged in order from the front side (left side in the figure) on the right side body of the vehicle 1. A roof side rail 5 extending in the front-rear direction is installed so as to connect the upper ends of 3 and the quarter pillar 4. A front door 6 and a front side window 7 are disposed between the front pillar 2 and the center pillar 3, and a rear door 8 and a rear side window 9 are disposed between the center pillar 3 and the quarter pillar 4, respectively. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag 10 is folded and stored in a range extending from the front end portion of the roof side rail 5 to the quarter pillar 4. The airbag 10 is formed by sewing two sheets together at the peripheral portion into a large bag shape. When viewed from the side in the deployed state shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 10 is long in the front-rear direction and has a front end edge portion. While the shape extends substantially straight in the vertical direction, the rear end edge portion is an inclined portion that extends to the rear side as it goes downward. And the opening part is provided in the lower end part of this inclination part, and resin-made hoses 11 are inserted in this opening part in the airtight state. The hose 11 is connected to a cylindrical tubular inflator 12 containing an ignition part and an explosive, and is disposed inside the airbag 10 so as to extend to the front end along the upper edge. Further, a plurality of gas supply holes are provided in the middle of the hose 11 so that the high-pressure gas from the inflator 12 is uniformly supplied into the airbag 10 from the supply holes of the hose 11. .

  In addition, six attachment fittings 13, 13,... Are disposed on the upper edge portion of the airbag 10 at a substantially constant interval from the front end portion to the rear end portion. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, each of the mounting brackets 13 is formed, for example, by bending a steel plate so as to sandwich the upper end edge of the airbag 10 and the hose 11, and the inner panel 5 a of the roof side rail 5 by the bolt 14. It is concluded to. That is, the airbag 10 has an upper end edge fixed to the roof side rail 5 by the mounting brackets 13, 13,..., And folded between the roof side rail 5 and the roof trim 16. It is stored. In the figure, reference numeral 17 denotes a seaming welt that covers the joint flanges of the roof inner panel 5a and the roof outer panel 5b. The seaming welt 17 is engaged with the edge of the roof trim 16. A protrusion 17a to be held is provided.

  When an impact acts on the right side surface of the vehicle 1 and an ignition signal is input to the inflator 12 from a sensor (not shown), the airbag inflated by the high-pressure gas supplied from the inflator 12 is shown in FIGS. As also shown, the roof trim 16 is pushed open and deployed downward to restrain and protect the passenger's head of the vehicle 1 and to prevent the passenger from jumping out of the vehicle. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a non-inflatable region 10 a sewed together so as not to inflate the left and right seats of the airbag 10 is provided slightly behind the central portion of the airbag 10. Yes. As described above, by providing the non-inflatable region in the portion that does not contact the occupant, the volume of the airbag 10 can be suppressed, the time required for deployment can be shortened, and the entire apparatus can be downsized.

  In general, when the airbag 10 that is long in the front and rear direction greatly expands in the left-right direction when deployed, the airbag 10 may be deployed toward the occupant and contact the occupant. By providing the non-inflatable region 10a as described above, it is possible to appropriately suppress the inflation of the airbag 10 in the left-right direction and to avoid such an adverse effect.

  On the other hand, tethers 18 and 19 (front and rear connecting members) for pulling the airbag 10 in the deployed state in the front-rear direction are disposed at the front and rear end portions on the lower side of the airbag 10, respectively. That is, one end portion of the front tether 18 is attached to the front end portion of the airbag 10, and the other end portion of the front tether 18 is fixed to the lower end side of the front pillar 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the pillar side end of the front tether 18 is fixed to the buckle 20, and the buckle 20 is attached to the collar 21 so as to be rotatable around the bolt 22, and The bolt 22 is fixed to the inner surface of the inner panel 2a of the front pillar 2. Thus, the front tether 18 is arranged along the front pillar 2 as shown in FIG. 2 in the retracted state of the airbag 10, while the end on the airbag 10 side is lowered downward as the airbag 10 is deployed. By moving, it rotates around the bolt 22 and extends in the forward direction as shown in FIGS.

  One mounting bracket 13 is disposed in the middle of the inclined portion at the rear end of the airbag 10, and the front tether is disposed near the lower end of the inclined portion, that is, the opening where the hose 11 is inserted. One end of the rear tether 19 shorter than 18 is sewn. The other end portion of the rear tether 19 is fixed to the lower end side of the quarter pillar 4 via the buckle 20 in the same manner as the front tether 18. In the retracted state of the airbag 10 shown in FIG. 2, the front tether 18 is housed inside the pillar trim 23 as shown in FIG. 7, and similarly, the mounting bracket 13 and the rear tether 19 at the rear end of the airbag 10. Is also housed inside the pillar trim, which improves the appearance and improves the merchantability.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 2 b denotes a pillar outer panel that constitutes the closed pillar-shaped front pillar 2 together with the pillar inner panel 2 a, and a front window 25 is supported on the pillar outer panel 2 b via a seal member 24. Reference numeral 26 denotes a seaming welt that covers the joint flange portion of the pillar inner panel 2a and the pillar outer panel 2b. The seaming welt 26 has a protrusion that engages and holds the edge of the pillar trim 23. 26a is provided.

  By the way, although the airbag 10 of this reference example is long as described above, it is not divided into a plurality of small bags as in the conventional curtain airbag, but as one large bag-like one as a whole. Yes. Therefore, when the storage state shown in FIG. 2 is shifted to the deployed state shown in FIG. 1, the length of the airbag 10 itself in the front-rear direction is not so short, but rather, the front tether 18 is slackened. If the tension in the front-rear direction of 10 becomes insufficient and the vehicle body receives an impact or subsequently rolls over, there is a possibility that the occupant will displace the airbag 10 outward from the vehicle and jump out of the vehicle from the side window. there were.

  Therefore, in this reference example, the connection structure between the front tether 18 and the front end portion of the airbag 10 is devised, and the slack of the front tether 18 is absorbed as the airbag 10 is deployed. Tension is applied. With this configuration, even when the vehicle body receives an impact as described above or rolls over after that, the airbag 10 in which sufficient tension acts in the front-rear direction causes the occupant to enter the passenger compartment. It is possible to protect the vehicle so that it stays, thereby improving occupant protection performance.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, a hole 10 b that penetrates the airbag 10 left and right is provided on the front end side of the airbag 10. The end portion of the front tether 18 on the airbag 10 side extends so as to wind from the front right side of the inflatable portion 10c on the front side of the hole portion 10b, and passes through the hole portion 10b on the opposite left side. And then wound around the left inflatable portion 10c and stitched together at the seam 10d of the airbag 10. In other words, the front end portion of the airbag 10 is provided with an inflatable portion 10c that expands when the airbag 10 is deployed, and the through-hole portion 10b is provided behind the inflatable portion 10c (a portion closer to the center of the airbag 10). The end of the front tether 18 on the side of the airbag 10 is fixed to the front end edge of the airbag 10 after about one turn around the inflating portion 10c.

  With such a configuration, when the stored airbag 10 is deployed, the inflated portion 10c at the front end thereof is inflated, and as shown in FIG. 8, the end of the front tether 18 is largely wound around the inflatable portion 10c. Once taken, the slack will be absorbed. As a result, even if the front tether 18 has a large slack, it can be absorbed without deficiency, and a sufficient tension can be applied to the airbag 10. Further, the load from the front tether 18 is dispersed around the inflating portion 10c, and the reliability of the airbag 10 is improved. The hole 10b and the inflating portion 10c of the airbag and the attachment structure of the front tether 18 to the airbag 10b correspond to the slack absorbing mechanism S that absorbs the slack of the tether 18 as the airbag 10 is deployed.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle occupant protection apparatus A according to this reference example, when another vehicle collides with the right side surface of the vehicle 1 and an impact of a predetermined magnitude or more acts, the input from the sensor is made. The ignition part of the inflator 12 ignites, the explosive burns at high speed, and a large amount of gas generated at that time is supplied to the airbag 10 by the hose 11. The airbag 10 is rapidly inflated and deployed downward from the roof side rail 5 and covers the inside of the front and rear side windows 7 and 9 so that the occupant can be protected.

  At this time, the inflatable portion 10c at the front end of the airbag 10 expands in a substantially cylindrical shape by supplying high-pressure gas, and the end of the front tether 18 is largely wound, so that the slack of the tether 18 is absorbed. 10 has a sufficient longitudinal tension. Thereby, even if the airbag 10 is not divided into a plurality of small bags as in the conventional curtain airbag, the restraint of the occupant can be ensured.

  And since the airbag 10 is not divided | segmented, the seam of the part which contacts a passenger | crew can be eliminated, and, thereby, the protection performance of the airbag 10 can be improved as a whole. Further, since the airbag 10 is not sewn to divide it, and it is not necessary to seal the sewn portion, labor and time required for these operations can be saved, and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced. it can.

  Further, since the airbag 10 in this reference example is deployed so as to cover both the front and rear side windows 7 and 9 including not only the front seat but also the rear seat of the vehicle, the airbag 10 is extremely long in the front direction and is naturally left and right. The direction is less constrained. Therefore, the effect of absorbing the slackness of the tether 18 with a simple configuration as described above and sufficiently exerting the tension in the front-rear direction on the airbag 10 that is extremely long in the front-rear direction is extremely effective. .

  Furthermore, in this reference example, since the end edge portion of the front tether 18 is sewn together by the seam 10d of the airbag 10, the number of sewing points does not increase and the strength of the airbag does not decrease.

  In the reference example, the end portion of the front tether 18 on the airbag 10 side is wound around the inflatable portion 10c, and then the end edge portion is sewn together by the seam of the airbag 10. It is not limited. That is, the edge of the front tether 18 does not necessarily have to be sewn near the seam of the airbag 10. Further, for example, the end portion of the front tether 18 may be sewn to at least a portion that expands in the left-right direction of the inflatable portion 10c without being wound around the inflatable portion 10c as described above.

(Embodiment)
FIGS. 9-11 shows embodiment which applied the curtain airbag apparatus A of this invention to the wagon type vehicle 30. FIG. In the curtain airbag device A according to this embodiment, the schematic configuration of the airbag 10 and the mounting structure of the front tether 18 are the same as those of the reference example. Description is omitted. The feature of the curtain airbag device A according to this embodiment is that the airbag 10 is deployed between the rear tether 19 attached to the rear end of the airbag 10 and the rear pillar 31 of the vehicle 1 as the airbag 10 is deployed. A slack absorbing mechanism S ′ for absorbing the slack of the side tether 19 is provided.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, when the airbag 10 is stored, the airbag 10 is folded in the same manner as in the reference example and is stored between the roof side rail 5 and the roof trim 16. The rear tether 19 is housed between the rear pillar 31 and the pillar trim 32. Further, in this state, the end of the rear tether 19 on the airbag 10 side is positioned above the end of the rear pillar 31 side.

  The pillar trim 32 includes a front frame member 33 and a rear panel member 34. That is, although not shown in detail, the frame member 33 is fixed to the inner panel of the rear pillar 31 with bolts, and gently protrudes from the upper side to the lower side toward the vehicle interior, and protrudes toward the vehicle interior toward the lower end side thereof. In addition to having the bank portion 33a to be operated, the airbag portion 10 has high rigidity enough to counter the deployment force of the airbag 10. The panel member 34 is held along the inner side of the rear pillar 31 by engaging the front end portion thereof with the rear end edge portion of the frame member 33.

  When high pressure gas is supplied from the inflator 12 and the airbag 10 is deployed as shown in FIG. 11, the airbag 10 pushes and opens the roof trim 16 as shown by the phantom line in FIG. When inflated indoors, the rear tether 19 attached to the lower portion of the airbag 10 also pushes and opens the panel member 34 of the pillar trim 32 and moves downward. At this time, the rear tether 19 always moves downward along the frame member 33. Therefore, the rear tether 19 is pressed toward the vehicle interior as the airbag 10 is deployed, and the solid line in FIG. As shown, when the airbag 10 is fully deployed, it is pressed toward the vehicle interior by the bank portion 33a of the frame member 33 and is bent into a substantially L shape.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the rear tether 19 is projected toward the vehicle interior along the frame member 33 by utilizing the force that the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed downward, so that the rear tether 19 is loosened. Can be absorbed and given sufficient tension. Thereby, the same effect as the reference example can be obtained, and the protection performance of the airbag 10 can be enhanced and the cost can be reduced while ensuring the restraint of the occupant by the airbag 10. Further, by urging the airbag 10 toward the vehicle interior via the rear tether 19, the passenger's protection performance by the airbag can be further enhanced.

  The frame member 33 corresponds to a guide member that guides the rear tether 19 when the airbag 10 is deployed. The frame member 33, the bank portion 33a on the lower end side thereof, and the like The slack absorbing mechanism S ′ is constituted by the arrangement of the rear tether 19. According to the slack absorbing mechanism S ′, there is no need to provide the hole 10b or the like in the airbag 10 unlike the slack absorbing mechanism S provided at the front end of the airbag 10. Therefore, the seam of the airbag is not necessary. Can be avoided, and the structure of the airbag can be complicated.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said reference example and embodiment, Other various embodiment is included. That is, in the reference example, the slack absorbing mechanism S that absorbs the slack of the tether is provided on the front side of the airbag 10, and in the embodiment, a slack absorbing mechanism S ′ different from that is provided on the rear side of the airbag 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any slack absorbing mechanism S, S ′ can be applied to both the front side and the rear side of the airbag.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the expansion | deployment state of the curtain airbag apparatus which concerns on the reference example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a stored state of the airbag. It is sectional drawing in the III-III line of FIG. 2 which shows the structure which fixes an airbag to a roof side rail. It is sectional drawing in the IV-IV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the VV line of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which show the attachment structure to the front pillar of a front side tether. It is sectional drawing in the VII-VII line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the VIII-VIII line of FIG. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement configuration of the rear side tether accommodated in the rear pillar of the vehicle in the retracted state of the airbag. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 showing the airbag in a deployed state.

Explanation of symbols

A Curtain airbag device S, S 'Loose absorption mechanism 1 Vehicle 2 Front pillar (front pillar)
5 Roof side rail 7, 9 Side window 10 Air bag 18 Front tether (front connecting member)
19 Rear tether (rear connecting member)
30 Vehicle 31 Rear pillar (rear pillar)
33 Frame member (guide member)
33a Bank

Claims (7)

Front and rear pillars are arranged in front and rear of the vehicle side window, respectively.
Roof side rails extending in the front-rear direction so as to connect the upper ends of both pillars are provided,
In the vehicle occupant protection device, in which the airbag folded and stored in the range from the front pillar through the roof side rail to the rear pillar is deployed so as to cover the inside of the side window,
The airbag has an inflating portion that inflates when deployed, and an upper end edge portion is fixed to at least the roof side rail,
One end portion of a connecting member for connecting the airbag to the rear pillar is fixed to a predetermined portion on the lower side and the rear end side of the airbag, and the roof side rail is in a retracted state of the airbag. Arranged to be located at
The rear pillar is provided with a guide member that guides the other end side of the connecting member that moves along with the one end of the connecting member moving downward as the airbag is deployed. The member guides the other end side of the connecting member so that the looseness of the connecting member is reduced with the movement of the connecting member. Front and rear pillars are arranged in front and rear of the vehicle side window, respectively.
Roof side rails extending in the front-rear direction so as to connect the upper ends of both pillars are provided,
In the vehicle occupant protection device, in which the airbag folded and stored in the range from the front pillar through the roof side rail to the rear pillar is deployed so as to cover the inside of the side window,
The airbag has an inflating portion that inflates when deployed, and an upper end edge portion is fixed to at least the roof side rail,
One end portion of a connecting member for connecting the airbag to the front pillar is fixed to a predetermined portion on the lower side and the front end side of the airbag, and is positioned on the roof side rail in the stored state of the airbag. Arranged to
The front pillar is provided with a guide member that guides the other end side of the connecting member that moves along with the one end of the connecting member moving downward as the airbag is deployed. Is a vehicle occupant protection device that guides the other end side of the connecting member so as to reduce the slackness of the connecting member as it moves. In either claim 1 or 2,
The occupant protection device for a vehicle, wherein the connecting member is arranged such that when the one end thereof moves downward as the airbag is deployed, the other end also moves downward. In either claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle occupant protection device, wherein the guide member is provided along the pillar longitudinal direction. In claim 4,
The guide member is provided such that its upper end is located closer to the center of the vehicle than the lower end in a side view,
The connecting member is disposed such that when one end portion thereof moves downward as the airbag is deployed, the other end side is guided by the guide member and moves obliquely downward. Crew protection device. In either claim 1 or 2,
An occupant protection device for a vehicle, wherein the other end of the connecting member is fixed to the lower end of the pillar. In claim 6,
The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is configured to press the other end side of the connecting member toward the vehicle interior when the airbag is deployed.

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