JP6545606B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side due to a side collision or the like, the airbag is deployed and inflated between the occupant seated on the vehicle seat and the side wall portion of the vehicle to The present invention relates to a side airbag device that protects a region from the chest to the head from impact.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a side airbag device that protects a part from the chest to the head of an upper body of a passenger sitting on a vehicle seat from an impact due to a side collision or the like.

  In this side airbag device, a partition extending substantially in the vertical direction is provided in the airbag main body that constitutes the outer shell portion of the airbag. The compartment body divides the air bag main body into a rear inflating part on the rear side of the compartment and a front inflating part on the front side of the compartment. A gas generator is disposed below the rear end of the rear expansion portion. Furthermore, the communicating hole which makes a back expansion part and a front expansion part connect is provided in the division part. And the airbag is comprised by the said airbag main body and the division part.

  In the side airbag device, the airbag main body in the non-inflated and deployed state is in the storage mode by at least performing the first folding and the second folding. In the first folding, so-called bellows folding is performed on a portion of the airbag body in the non-inflated and deployed state above the gas generator, along a plurality of fold lines extending substantially in the front-rear direction. . In the second folding, the airbag main body whose dimensions are reduced in the vertical direction by the first folding is folded from the front toward the rear. The thus-compacted air bag and gas generator are housed in the seat back of the vehicle seat.

  According to the side airbag device, when the gas for expansion is generated by the gas generator in response to an impact caused by a side collision or the like, the gas for expansion flows upward in the rear expansion portion. In addition, part of the inflation gas flows into the front inflation portion through the communication hole while flowing upward in the rear inflation portion. The air bag main body of the storage form is expanded by the gas for expansion while the second fold and the first fold are each eliminated (deployed).

  The airbag main body which deploys and inflates in this manner jumps out of the vehicle seat in a state in which a part is left in the seat back. Even after that, the air bag main body expands and expands in the gap between the above-mentioned part of the upper body of the occupant and the side wall of the vehicle, and mitigates the side impact transmitted to the above part through the side wall.

JP, 2014-237409, A

  In the above-mentioned side airbag device, the gas generator is disposed at the lower rear end of the rear inflating portion, and the air bag main body is expanded and expanded laterally at a wide portion from the chest to the head of the occupant. The upper part, which is the part protecting the head of the occupant, is far from the gas generator. In addition, the gap between the upper body of the occupant and the side wall of the vehicle, which is a path along which the air bag body deploys and inflates, is narrow. In order to deploy and inflate the upper portion of the airbag body like other portions through this narrow gap, it is important to deploy and inflate the airbag body upward more quickly.

  In this respect, in the side airbag device in which the first fold of the accordion fold is made with respect to the portion of the airbag main body above the gas generator, the first fold is eliminated (deployed) on the upper side. It is made in the middle of the direction and the vehicle width direction. Deployment toward the upper side is delayed by the amount of travel toward the vehicle width direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a side airbag device capable of expanding and inflating the airbag body faster.

  A side airbag device that solves the above-mentioned problems includes at least a region from the chest to the head of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat by an inflation gas housed in a storage form and supplied from a gas generator. An air bag main body that deploys and inflates with a side wall portion of the vehicle, and the inside of the air bag main body is positioned rearward of the same by a partition extending in the vertical direction, and the gas generator is It is divided into a rear expansion part to be disposed, a front expansion part located on the front side of the partition part, and an upper expansion part connecting the rear expansion part and the front expansion part above the partition part, In the storage mode, the dimensions of the airbag body in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction are smaller than those in the non-inflated deployed state in which the airbag body is deployed in a flat shape without being filled with inflation gas. It is an airbag apparatus, Comprising: The upper part of the said upper inflation part is arrange | positioned inside a lower part as a form between the storage form and the said non-inflation expansion | deployment state, and the said airbag main body is from the said non-inflation expansion | deployment state Also in the storage mode, the storage form includes a long overlapping portion in which a plurality of components extending in the vertical direction are overlapped in their thickness direction.

  According to the above configuration, by arranging the partition part, the air flow path of the inflation gas including the post-inflating part, the upper inflating part and the front inflating part is disposed in the air bag main body after the gas generator is disposed. It is formed. Therefore, when the expansion gas is generated by the gas generator in response to an impact such as a side collision, most of the gas flows in the above-mentioned flow path, which is earlier than when the partition is not disposed in the air bag main body. It is led from the top. Then, the inflation gas is supplied to each of the rear inflation portion, the upper inflation portion, and the front inflation portion, so that a plurality of components in the overlapping portion are overlapped in the air bag main body of the storage form. While dilating (expanding).

  Here, in the intermediate-type airbag body, the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion. At the time of deployment and inflation of the air bag body, the upper portion of the upper inflating portion, which is disposed inside the lower portion, is pushed straight from the lower portion by the pressure of the inflating gas flowing upward. Be Accordingly, the air bag body is deployed and inflated upward more quickly than in the case of Patent Document 1 whose upper portion is bellows-folded.

In addition, the partitioning portion is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction to be in a tense state with the expansion and the expansion of the airbag body, thereby restricting the expansion thickness of the airbag body in the vehicle width direction.
As a result, although the gap between the upper body (especially the shoulder) of the occupant sitting on the vehicle seat and the side wall of the vehicle is narrow, the entire airbag body including the upper inflation portion is not clogged but this narrow Deploy and expand properly in the gap. Then, the air bag main body expanded and inflated as described above intervenes in the gap, thereby protecting at least a region of the occupant from the chest to the head from an impact due to a side collision or the like.

  In the side airbag device, the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body in the intermediate form is smaller than the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body in a state where the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion. Is preferred.

  According to the above configuration, when the air bag main body takes an intermediate form between the non-inflated and deployed state and the storage form, the dimension in the vertical direction of the air bag main body is simply the upper part of the upper inflating portion is the lower part Smaller than the dimension in the same direction of the air bag body in the state of being disposed inside the Therefore, when the air bag main body is in the storage mode, the size in the vertical direction is already reduced. In the storage mode, the dimension in the vertical direction of each component decreases, and the dimension in the vertical direction of the overlapping portion in the airbag main body decreases. The airbag body has a compact form suitable for storage.

  In the side airbag device, in the airbag body of the intermediate form, at least a portion of the airbag body above the gas generator in the airbag body in which the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion. However, it is preferable that the remaining portion be disposed in the vehicle width direction.

  According to the above configuration, when the air bag main body takes an intermediate form, at least a portion of the air bag main body above the gas generator in the air bag main body in a state where the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion It is located at a position adjacent to the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the intermediate form airbag body is at least the dimension in the same direction when the portion above the gas generator and the remaining portion are aligned in the vertical direction, that is, the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is simply It becomes smaller than the dimension of the same direction of the air bag main body of the state arrange | positioned inside a lower part.

  In the side airbag device, at least a portion of the airbag main body above the gas generator is composed of a plurality of portions adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, and the plurality of portions are respectively It is preferable to arrange | position in the state accumulated in the width direction.

  According to the above configuration, when the air bag main body takes an intermediate form, the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is at least the upper side of the gas generator among the air bag main bodies in a state of being disposed inside the lower portion A plurality of parts adjacent in the vertical direction are located at places adjacent to the remaining part in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the intermediate form air bag main body is at least the portion above the gas generator is a single portion, and is the same direction as in the case where the remaining portion is adjacent in the vehicle width direction Smaller than the size of

  In the side airbag device, the lower end portion of the partition is located at the lower end of the airbag main body, and the rear inflating portion and the front inflating portion are provided at the vertical intermediate portion of the partition. It is preferable that a communication hole to be communicated is provided.

  According to the above configuration, a portion of the expansion gas generated in the gas generator and directed upward in the rear expansion portion flows into the front expansion portion via the upper expansion portion as described above, Even before reaching the upper inflatable portion, it flows into the front inflatable portion by passing through the communication hole. Therefore, the pre-expansion portion can start expansion and expansion before the inflation gas flows in from the upper expansion portion.

  According to the side airbag device, the airbag body can be expanded and inflated more quickly upward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of a side airbag apparatus, and is a side view which shows the vehicle seat provided with the same apparatus with an airbag and a passenger | crew. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In one Embodiment, the plane sectional view which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a side wall part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In one embodiment, sectional drawing which looked at a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a side wall part from the vehicle front. In one embodiment, a partial plan sectional view showing the internal structure of the side of a seat back in which an airbag module is incorporated. In one embodiment, a side view showing an airbag module in which the airbag body is in a non-inflated and deployed state. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial side sectional view showing an internal structure of the air bag module of FIG. 5 together with an occupant and a vehicle seat. In one embodiment, a side view showing the airbag module before the airbag body is folded. FIG. 9 is a side view of the airbag module of FIG. 8 in a first folded position. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. FIG. 10 is a view showing another folded airbag module with respect to the airbag body of FIG. 9, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a rear view as viewed from the left of FIG. FIG. 12 is a view showing an air bag module in which the air bag main body is in an intermediate form by further folding the air bag main body of FIG. 11, wherein (a) is a side view, and (b) is FIG. FIG. 12 (c) is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the lower side of FIG. 12 (a). FIG. 13 is a view showing the airbag module in the middle of the second folding of the airbag main body of FIG. 12, wherein (a) is a side view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view as viewed from below in FIG. . It is a figure which shows the air bag module in which the 2nd folding was completed and the air bag main body was made into the form for storing, (a) is a side view, (b) is a sectional view seen from the lower part of Drawing 14 (a). . The partial flat cross section which shows the state which the airbag main body of FIG. 4 jumped out from the vehicle seat leaving the part in seat back, and was expand | deployed and expanded. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the state of the inside of the airbag when the airbag body in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the folding aspect of an airbag main body, and is a rear view corresponding to FIG.12 (b).

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a side airbag device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front, and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear. Further, with the central portion in the width direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle as a reference, the side closer to the central portion is referred to as “inward side”, and the side away from the central portion is referred to as “exterior side”. In addition, it is assumed that an occupant having the same physical constitution as a dummy for a collision test is seated on the vehicle seat. This dummy is, for example, AM50 (a model that covers 50% of US adult males) of the International Uniformity Side Impact Dummy (WorldSID).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a vehicle seat 12 is disposed in the vicinity of the inner side of the side wall portion 11 in the vehicle 10. Here, the side wall portion 11 refers to a vehicle constituent member disposed on the side of the vehicle 10, and mainly corresponds to a door, a pillar, and the like. For example, the side wall portion 11 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B-pillar) or the like. The side wall portion 11 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quota, and the like.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 13 and a seat back 14 which is configured to rise from the rear side of the seat cushion 13 and to be adjustable in inclination angle. The vehicle seat 12 is disposed on the vehicle 10 in a posture in which the seat back 14 faces forward. The width direction of the vehicle seat 12 disposed in this manner coincides with the vehicle width direction.

Next, the internal structure of the side portion outside the vehicle in the seat back 14 will be described.
In the seat back 14, a seat frame forming the framework is disposed. As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the seat frame is disposed on an outer side portion in the seat back 14, and this portion (hereinafter referred to as "side frame portion 15") is formed by bending a metal plate or the like. It is formed by A seat pad 16 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is disposed on the front side of the seat frame including the side frame portion 15. Further, on the rear side of the seat frame, a hard backboard 17 formed of a synthetic resin or the like is disposed. In addition, although the seat pad 16 is coat | covered with outer_skin | epidermis, illustration of the outer_skin | epidermis is abbreviate | omitted in FIG. The same applies to FIG. 15 described later.

  A storage portion 18 is provided in the vicinity of the outer side of the side frame portion 15 in the seat pad 16. The storage unit 18 incorporates an airbag module ABM which is a main part of the side airbag device.

  A slit 19 extends diagonally forward and outward from the corner of the storage portion 18. A portion between the front corner portion 16c of the seat pad 16 and the slit 19 (a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) constitutes a portion 21 to be broken which is to be broken by an air bag 40 described later. ing.

The air bag module ABM includes a gas generator 30 and an air bag 40 as main components. Next, each of these components will be described.
<Gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 includes an inflator 31 and a retainer 32 that covers the inflator 31. Here, as the inflator 31, a type called a pyro type is employed. The inflator 31 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas generating agent (not shown) for generating an inflation gas is accommodated in its inside. The inflator 31 has a gas injection part (not shown) at its upper end. Further, the lower end portion of the inflator 31 is connected with a harness 33 (see FIG. 5 and the like) which is an input wiring of an operation signal to the inflator 31.

  As the inflator 31, a type (hybrid type) is used in which the partition wall of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with high-pressure gas is broken by a gunpowder or the like instead of the pyrotype using the gas generating agent. It may be done.

  On the other hand, the retainer 32 functions as a diffuser for controlling the direction in which the inflation gas is jetted, and is a member having a function of fastening the inflator 31 together with the air bag 40 to the side frame portion 15. Most parts of the retainer 32 are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending substantially in the vertical direction by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. A bolt 34 is fixed to the retainer 32 as a locking member for attaching the retainer 32 to the side frame portion 15.

The gas generator 30 may be one in which the inflator 31 and the retainer 32 are integrated.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the outer shell portion of the air bag 40 is constituted by the air bag main body 41.

<Airbag body 41>
FIG. 5 shows the air bag module ABM in a state in which the air bag main body 41 is expanded flatly without being filled with an inflation gas (hereinafter referred to as “non-inflated expanded state”). 6 shows a cross-sectional structure taken along line 6-6 in FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 7 shows the airbag module ABM for the occupant P and the vehicle in which the airbag main body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state of FIG. 5 is cut at the center in the vehicle width direction to show the internal structure of the airbag module ABM. It is shown with the sheet 12.

  As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the airbag body 41 is a car by folding a piece of cloth (also called a base cloth, a panel cloth, etc.) along a folding line 42 set in the central part thereof. It is formed by overlapping in the width direction, and connecting the overlapped portions to form a bag. Here, in order to distinguish the two overlapped portions of the airbag main body 41, the one located on the vehicle inner side is referred to as the main body cloth portion 43, and the one located on the vehicle outer side is referred to as the main body cloth portion 44. Do.

  In the present embodiment, the cloth piece is folded in half so that the folding line 42 is located at the rear end of the airbag main body 41, but the folding line 42 has other ends, such as the front end, the upper end, The piece of cloth may be folded in half so as to be located at the lower end or the like. The air bag body 41 may be formed of two pieces of cloth divided along the fold line 42, or may be formed of three or more pieces of cloth.

  In the air bag main body 41, the outer shapes of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are in line symmetry with each other with the folding line 42 as a symmetry axis. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the shapes and sizes of the main body cloths 43 and 44 are determined by the airbag main body 41 when the air bag main body 41 is deployed and inflated between the vehicle seat 12 and the side wall 11. It is set so as to occupy an area corresponding to a region from the chest PT to the head PH in the upper body of the occupant P seated on the seat 12.

  As both main body cloth parts 43 and 44, materials having high strength and flexibility and being easily foldable, such as woven fabrics formed using polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, etc., are suitable. .

  As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the above-mentioned coupling of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is made at the peripheral joint portion 45 provided on the peripheral edge thereof. In the present embodiment, the peripheral edge joint portion 45 is formed by sewing (stitching with a sewing thread) a portion of the peripheral edge portions of both the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 except the rear lower end portion (portion near the folding line 42). It is done. This point is the same as for various coupling portions described later. The various joints are the rear longitudinal joints 53 and 54, the front longitudinal joint 55, and the like.

  Regarding the above-mentioned sewing, in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, FIG. 11 (a), FIG. 12 (a), FIG. 13 (a) and FIG. . The first line type is a line (a kind of broken line) in which a thick line of a fixed length is intermittently arranged side by side, which shows a state in which the suture portion is viewed from the side (periphery in FIG. 5) Refer to coupling part 45 and the like). The second line type is a line (a kind of broken line) in which thin lines of a fixed length (a length longer than a general broken line) are intermittently arranged and expressed, and this is, for example, The figure shows the state of the suture thread which is located in the back of and invisible (hidden) directly (see front longitudinal joint portion 55 etc. in FIG. 5). The third type of line is a line (one kind of broken line) representing points arranged at regular intervals (one kind of broken line), which shows a cross section of the thread on the plane passing through the sewing portion (peripheral joint 45 in FIG. 7, etc. reference).

In addition, the peripheral edge coupling portion 45 may be formed by means different from the above-mentioned sewing using the suture, for example, adhesion using an adhesive. This point is the same for the various coupling portions.
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the space between the main body cloths 43 and 44, which is surrounded by the peripheral edge joint 45 and the fold line 42, constitutes an inflating portion 46 which is expanded and expanded by the expanding gas. doing.

A compartment 50 is provided in the inflating part 46. The partition 50 has a configuration similar to that generally referred to as a tether.
<Division 50>
The dividing portion 50 includes a pair of cloth portions 51 and 52 made of the same material as the airbag main body 41. Both the cloth portions 51, 52 are in the form of a vertically-long band extending below the head portion PH of the upper body of the occupant P and extending downward from the side of the region including at least the shoulder portion PS. In the present embodiment, the upper end of the partition 50 is located at a position slightly lower than the head portion PH. Further, the lower end portion of the dividing portion 50 is located at the lower end portion of the airbag main body 41. When the air bag body 41 is in the non-inflated and deployed state, the two cloth portions 51 and 52 are overlapped in the vehicle width direction.

The lower end portions of both the cloth portions 51 and 52 are joined (co-stitched) to the lower end portions of both the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by a part of the above-mentioned peripheral edge joint portion 45.
The cloth portion 51 on the inner side of the car is joined to the main body cloth portion 43 on the inner side of the car by a rear longitudinal joint portion 53 on the inner side of the car provided so as to extend substantially vertically along the peripheral portion on the rear side. The cloth portion 52 on the vehicle outer side is coupled to the body cloth portion 44 on the vehicle outer side by a rear longitudinal joint portion 54 provided on the vehicle outer side so as to extend substantially in the vertical direction along the peripheral portion on the rear side.

  The two fabric portions 51 and 52 of the partition 50 are connected to each other by a front longitudinal joint portion 55 provided to extend substantially in the vertical direction along the front peripheral edge portion. The dividing portion 50 is bridged between the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 of the air bag main body 41 by the coupling of the above-described form.

  A space on the rear side of the dividing portion 50 in the inflating portion 46 constitutes a rear inflating portion 56. The above-described gas generator 30 is disposed at the lower end of the rear end in the rear expansion portion 56. Details will be described later. The post-inflation unit 56 is deployed and inflated mainly on the side of the rear half of the chest PT and the side of the shoulder PS in the upper body of the occupant P by the inflation gas from the gas generator 30. A space on the front side of the dividing portion 50 in the inflating portion 46 constitutes a front inflating portion 57. The front inflating portion 57 is deployed and inflated mainly on the side of the front half of the chest PT in the upper body of the occupant P. In the inflating portion 46, a space above the dividing portion 50 constitutes an upper inflating portion 58 that allows the rear inflating portion 56 and the front inflating portion 57 to communicate with each other. The upper inflation portion 58 mainly deploys and inflates on the side of the head PH in the upper body of the occupant P.

  The dividing portion 50 has a function of dividing the middle portion and the lower portion of the inflating portion 46 into the rear inflating portion 56 and the front inflating portion 57 as described above, and the thickness of the air bag main body 41 in the vehicle width direction It also has a function of regulating the distance between the main body cloths 43 and 44: expansion thickness.

  A communication hole 61 communicating the rear inflation portion 56 and the front inflation portion 57 is provided at an intermediate portion of the partition 50 in the vertical direction. More specifically, the front longitudinal joint 55 is uncoupled at the middle in the vertical direction. In the middle portion in the vertical direction of the dividing portion 50, the front longitudinal joint portion 55 for coupling the two cloth portions 51 and 52 is not provided. The portion of the front longitudinal joint portion 55 where the coupling is released constitutes the communication hole 61.

And the airbag 40 is comprised by the said airbag main body 41 and the division part 50. FIG.
The gas generator 30 described above is in a posture extending substantially in the vertical direction, and is accommodated at the lower end of the rear end of the rear expansion portion 56. The harness 33 is pulled out to the rear of the air bag main body 41 through a slit (not shown) or the like provided at a rear end portion of the air bag main body 41. All the bolts 34 of the gas generator 30 are inserted into the main body cloth portion 43 on the inner side of the vehicle. By this insertion, the gas generator 30 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the air bag main body 41.

  Furthermore, the main body cloth portion 44 on the vehicle outer side has an exhaust hole 62 at its front. The exhaust hole 62 is a hole for discharging the excess inflation gas of the inflation portion 46 from the front of the air bag main body 41 to the outside of the vehicle exterior.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 14 (a) and 14 (b), the air bag module ABM having the gas generator 30 and the air bag 40 as main components is compact by folding the air bag main body 41. (Hereinafter referred to as "storage mode"). In the storage mode, the dimensions of the airbag main body 41 in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction are smaller than those in the non-inflated and deployed state. This is to make the air bag module ABM suitable for storage with respect to the limited-sized storage portion 18 of the seat back 14.

  The airbag main body 41 is in the storage configuration by being folded as shown in FIGS. 8 to 14 with respect to the airbag main body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state. Next, the process of folding the air bag main body 41 will be described. When specifying the direction of folding, assuming that the air bag 40 is attached to the vehicle seat 12, "front", " Words such as “after”, “above”, “below”, “in” and “out” are used.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which the airbag main body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state, in which the folding line 42 and the axis line AL of the gas generator 30 extend in the vertical direction, is viewed from the vehicle outer side. A fold line 71 orthogonal to the fold line 42 is set at the middle portion in the vertical direction of the upper inflatable portion 58 in the air bag body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state.

  As shown by the arrow in FIG. 8, the upper inflating portion 58 is folded so that the upper portion (portion above the folding line 71) 72 is located inside the lower portion (portion below the folding line 71) 73. A first fold (also called a center fold, an inner fold, etc.) is performed to fold back along the line 71. By this first folding, the upper portion 72 of the upper expansion portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The upper portion 72 overlaps the lower portion 73 in the vehicle width direction, and the dimension in the vertical direction of the upper expansion portion 58 is about half that before the first folding is performed. Along with this, the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag main body 41 becomes smaller than the dimension in the vertical direction in the non-inflated and deployed state.

  Here, assuming that the upper end of the partition 50 is positioned at the upper end of the airbag main body 41, the first folding can not be performed. This is because the dividing portion 50 bridged between the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 hinders the folding of the upper portion 72 to the inside of the lower portion 73. The first folding can be performed under the condition that the upper end of the partition 50 separates downward from the upper end of the airbag body 41 (the upper end of the peripheral edge joint 45).

  Next, in the folded airbag body 41 at least in the portion above the gas generator 30, in this case, slightly above the upper end of the gas generator 30, the folding line 71 is used. A folding line 74 is set parallel to the other. As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9, in the air bag body 41, the portion 75 above the fold line 74 is folded back along the fold line 74 to the vehicle outer side (the front side of FIG. 9). This portion 75 corresponds to at least a portion above the gas generator 30. The portion 75 includes an upper portion 72 and a lower portion 73 of the upper expanded portion 58. By the folding, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, most of the portion 75 is overlapped with the portion 76 below the folding line 74 from the outside of the vehicle. The portion 76 corresponds to a portion (remaining portion) different from the portion 75 (at least the portion above the gas generator 30) in the airbag body 41.

  The dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body 41 is the dimension in the same direction when at least the portion (portion 75) above the gas generator 30 and the remaining portion (portion 76) are aligned in the vertical direction, The upper portion 72 of the inflating portion 58 is smaller than the dimension in the same direction of the air bag main body 41 in the state of being disposed inside the lower portion 73 (FIG. 9).

  Next, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 11A, at least the intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the portion above the gas generator 30 (the portion 75 folded downward) of the air bag main body 41. A folding line 77 is set parallel to the folding lines 71 and 74. A plurality of (two) portions 78 and 79 vertically adjacent to each other with the folding line 77 as boundaries are set at least at a portion (portion 75) above the gas generator 30.

  As shown by the arrow in FIG. 11A, in the at least the portion above the gas generator 30 (the portion 75), the portion 78 below the folding line 77 is along the folding line 77. It is folded back to the outside of the vehicle (the front side of FIG. 11A), and is superimposed on the portion 79 above the folding line 77 from the outside of the vehicle. 12 (a) to 12 (c) show the airbag main body 41 after the above-mentioned folding. Due to the folding, the vertical dimension of the airbag main body 41 becomes smaller than the dimension in FIG. 11 as well as the dimension in FIG. The form of the airbag main body 41 at this time is referred to as an "intermediate form". Therefore, in the air bag main body 41 to be made into the storage form through the intermediate form, when it is made the storage form, the dimension in the vertical direction is already reduced.

  Subsequently, second folding is performed on the airbag body 41 in the intermediate form. Specifically, fold lines 82 are set in parallel to the fold line 42 (axis line AL) at a plurality of locations in the front area Z1 of the airbag body 41 of the intermediate form. The area Z1 is an area on the front side of the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the airbag body 41 of the intermediate form, and here, an area on the front side of the dividing section 50. Then, the area Z1 is folded from the front to the rear by roll folding which is repeatedly folded in the same direction along the fold lines 82. By this folding, as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the airbag body 41 becomes smaller in dimension in the front-rear direction than the intermediate configuration.

  Next, fold lines 84 are set parallel to the fold line 42 (axis line AL) at a plurality of locations in the area Z2 on the rear side of the roll folded area Z1 in the airbag body 41. Then, the area Z2 is folded along the folding lines 84 from the front to the rear by the accordion fold which is alternately folded back and forth. By this folding, the airbag main body 41 is in the storage form shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b).

  In the process of the intermediate form air bag main body 41 being made into the storage form, the vertical folding is not performed. When the storage form is adopted, the vertical size reduced in the intermediate form is maintained.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), the air bag main body 41 in the storage form is provided with a long overlapping portion 85. The overlapping unit 85 includes a plurality of components 86 extending in the vertical direction. The plurality of components 86 are overlapped in their thickness direction.

  As described above, when the air bag main body 41 is put into the storage form, the dimension in the vertical direction is already small, so in the storage form, the dimension in the vertical direction of each component 86 is small. The dimension in the vertical direction of the overlapping portion 85 in the bag body 41 is small.

  Further, as described above, the air bag module ABM in which the air bag main body 41 is stored is reduced in size both in the vertical direction and in the front and rear direction, relative to the narrow storage portion 18 of the seatback 14. Is also suitable for storage.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air bag module ABM configured to be stored is disposed in the storage unit 18. The bolt 34 extending from the retainer 32 and inserted into the main body cloth 43 of the air bag main body 41 is inserted into the side frame portion 15 from the outer side of the car. The gas generator 30 is fixed to the side frame portion 15 together with the air bag 40 by fastening the nut 35 to the bolt 34 from the inner side of the side frame portion 15.

The gas generator 30 may be fixed to the side frame portion 15 by a member different from the bolt 34 and the nut 35 described above.
As shown in FIG. 1, the side airbag apparatus includes an impact sensor 91 and a control device 92 in addition to the above-described airbag module ABM (see FIG. 2). The impact sensor 91 includes an acceleration sensor or the like, and is provided on the side wall 11 (see FIG. 2) or the like, and detects an impact applied to the side wall 11 from the side. The controller 92 controls the operation of the gas generator 30 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 91.

  Furthermore, although the vehicle 10 is equipped with a seat belt device for restraining the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 on the vehicle seat 12, the illustration of the seat belt device is shown in FIG. It is omitted.

Next, the operation of the side airbag device of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
In this side airbag device, when an impact is not applied to the side wall portion 11 of the vehicle 10 from the side due to a side collision or the like, an operation signal for operating the gas generator 30 is not output from the control device 92 . The inflation gas is not supplied to the airbag 40 from the gas generator 30. The air bag module ABM continues to be stored in the storage section 18 in the storage mode (see FIG. 4).

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 is traveling, an impact having a predetermined value or more is applied to the side wall portion 11 from the side due to a side collision or the like, and when this is detected by the impact sensor 91, the control device From 92, an operation signal for operating the gas generator 30 is output. In response to this actuation signal, the gas generator 30 generates a high pressure expansion gas.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the partition 50 is bridged between the main body cloths 43 and 44 so that the gas generator 30 is disposed in the air bag main body 41 and then the inflating part A flow path for the expansion gas, which comprises the upper expansion portion 58 and the front expansion portion 57, is formed. Further, in the air bag main body 41, a flow path of an inflation gas including the rear inflation portion 56, the communication hole 61, and the front inflation portion 57 is formed. The flow passage area (cross-sectional area) of the communication hole 61 is smaller than the flow passage area (cross-sectional area) of the upper expansion portion 58. Therefore, most of the inflation gas flows in the former flow path and is guided upward earlier than in the case where the partition 50 is not disposed in the airbag main body 41.

In addition, even before flowing into the front expansion portion 57 via the upper expansion portion 58, part of the expansion gas directed upward in the rear expansion portion 56 flows into the front expansion portion 57 through the communication hole 61. Do.
Then, the inflation gas is supplied to each of the rear inflation portion 56, the upper inflation portion 58, and the front inflation portion 57, so that the airbag main body 41 of the storage form (see FIGS. 14A and 14B). However, while the second fold and the first fold are respectively eliminated (expanded), they expand. In other words, in the air bag main body 41 of the storage mode, the plurality of components 86 in the overlapping portion 85 expand while eliminating (deploying) the overlapped state.

Further, the front expansion portion 57 into which the expansion gas flows in through the communication hole 61 starts expansion and expansion before the expansion gas flows in from the upper expansion portion 58.
As described above, in the process of the airbag body 41 expanding and expanding, the seat pad 16 of the seat back 14 is pressed by the airbag body 41 and is broken at the portion 21 to be broken shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the airbag main body 41 jumps out from the seat back 14 to substantially the front of the vehicle 10 in a state in which the rear end portion of the airbag body 41 is left in the storage portion 18 together with the gas generator 30 and the like.

  Even after that, as the supply of inflation gas continues, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rear inflating portion 56 in the airbag main body 41 has the side of the shoulder PS of the occupant P and the rear half of the chest PT. Deploy and expand laterally. The front inflatable section 57 deploys and inflates on the side of the front half of the chest PT of the occupant P, and the upper inflatable section 58 deploys and inflates on the side of the head PH of the occupant P. Thus, the airbag main body 41 is a narrow gap between a portion from the chest PT to the head PH and the side wall portion 11 of the vehicle 10 in the upper body of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 Deploy and expand.

  Here, the second folding is performed by folding the first folded airbag main body 41 from the front toward the rear. Therefore, the second fold cancellation (deployment) is performed from the rear to the front.

  Further, the first folding is performed by folding back the upper portion 72 of the upper inflatable portion 58 of the air bag body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state so as to be located inside the lower portion 73. As shown in FIG. 10, the first folding is released (expanded) by the upper portion 72 of the upper expanding portion 58, which is disposed inside the lower portion 73 by being folded back, flowing upward. It is done by receiving the pressure of the gas and pushing it straight upward from the lower part 73. Therefore, the portion of the air bag main body 41 above the gas generator 30 is deployed and inflated upward faster than the bellows-folded Patent Document 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the partitioning portion 50 is pulled on both sides in the vehicle width direction to be in a tense state along with the above-described expansion and expansion of the airbag main body 41, whereby the vehicle width of the airbag main body 41 is obtained. Regulate the thickness of expansion in the direction.

  As a result, although the gap between the upper body (especially the shoulder PS) of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 and the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 is narrow, the entire airbag main body 41 including the upper inflation portion 58 However, it will unfold and expand properly in this narrow gap without clogging. Then, the air bag main body 41 deployed and inflated as described above intervenes in the gap, so that at least a part of the occupant P from the chest PT to the head PH is restrained. Moreover, the impact from the side transmitted to the said site | part of the passenger | crew P through the side wall part 11 is relieved.

  Note that, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, since the partition 50 is not provided in the upper inflating portion 58, in the same inflating portion 58, the above-described restriction of the inflating thickness is not performed. However, the gap between the head portion PH and the side wall portion 11 is wider than the gap between the shoulder portion PS and the side wall portion 11. Therefore, there is no problem even if the upper inflation portion 58 is inflated with a large inflation thickness in the vehicle width direction. Rather, as the thickness of the expansion increases, the amount by which the upper expansion portion 58 absorbs the energy of the collision increases, and the head portion PH of the occupant P can be protected more appropriately from the impact.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, the surplus expansion gas in the expansion portion 46 is discharged to the vehicle outer side than the main body cloth portion 44 on the vehicle outer side through the exhaust hole 62. By this discharge, the internal pressure of the expansion portion 46 is reduced, and the occupant P is restrained by the expansion portion 46 with an appropriate pressing force, and is protected from an impact.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The gap between the occupant P and the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 is narrow (FIG. 3).
However, by arranging the partition 50 extending in the vertical direction in the airbag main body 41, the inside of the airbag main body 41 is located on the rear side of the partition 50, and the post expansion is performed when the gas generator 30 is disposed. Section 56, a front inflatable section 57 located on the front side of the partition section 50, and an upper inflatable section 58 communicating the rear inflatable section 56 and the front inflatable section 57 above the partition section 50 (FIG. 7) .

  In the air bag body 41, the upper portion 72 of the upper inflatable portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73 (FIG. 10) as a form between the storage form and the non-inflated deployed state (FIG. 10). Take an intermediate form (FIG. 12 (a)) with a small size. In the storage mode, the air bag body 41 includes an elongated overlapping portion 85 in which a plurality of component portions 86 extending in the vertical direction are overlapped in their thickness direction (FIGS. 14A and 14B). ).

  Therefore, by directing the inflation gas supplied from the gas generator 30 upward by the dividing section 50, the airbag main body 41 is directed upward from earlier than in the case where the dividing section 50 is not provided. It can begin to expand and expand.

  Further, in the portion of the air bag main body 41 which is the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P, the inflating thickness in the vehicle width direction can be regulated by the dividing portion 50. Although the gap between the shoulder PS and the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 is particularly narrow, the air bag body 41 can be deployed and inflated in this narrow gap (FIG. 3).

  Furthermore, when the air bag body 41 is deployed and inflated, the upper portion 72 of the upper inflating portion 58 disposed inside the lower portion 73 is pushed straight upward by the pressure of the expanding gas flowing upward. As a result, the airbag body 41 can be expanded and inflated more quickly upward (FIG. 10).

  As a result, the entire air bag body 41 can be deployed and inflated in a narrow gap between the occupant P (in particular, the shoulder PS) and the side wall 11. By interposing the expanded and inflated air bag main body 41 in the gap, the region from the chest PT of the occupant P to the head PH can be appropriately protected from an impact due to a side collision or the like.

  In particular, although the upper inflatable portion 58 of the air bag body 41 is far from the gas generator 30, the upper inflatable portion 58 is appropriately deployed and inflated on the side of the head PH of the occupant P The PH can be protected from impact (Figure 7).

(2) In the air bag main body 41, the dividing portion 50 is not provided in the upper inflating portion 58 deployed and inflated on the side of the head portion PH of the occupant P (FIG. 7).
Therefore, the expansion thickness of the upper expansion portion 58 can be secured, and the performance of protecting the head portion PH from impact can be enhanced.

  (3) The dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body 41 of the intermediate form is set smaller than the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body 41 in a state where the upper portion 72 of the upper inflating portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73 (FIG. 12 (a), FIG. 9).

  Therefore, when the air bag body 41 is put into the storage mode, the dimension in the vertical direction is already reduced. Therefore, in the storage mode, the size in the vertical direction of each component 86 is reduced, the size in the vertical direction of the overlapping portion 85 in the air bag body 41 is reduced, and the air bag body 41 is compact. It can be in the form (Fig. 14 (a), (b)).

  (4) In the airbag body 41 of the intermediate form, at least the portion (portion 75) of the airbag body 41 in which the upper portion 72 of the upper inflating portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73 than the gas generator 30 ) Are arranged in a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion (portion 76) (FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b)).

  Therefore, the vertical dimension of the air bag main body 41 of the intermediate form is such that at least a portion (portion 75) above the gas generator 30 and the remaining portion (portion 76) are vertically aligned (FIG. 9) It can be made smaller than the dimension in the same direction, and the effect of the above (3) can be obtained.

  (5) At least the upper portion (portion 75) of the air bag body 41 above the gas generator 30 is constituted by a plurality of portions (portions 78 and 79) adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. 78, 79) are arranged in the state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion (portion 76) (FIG. 12 (b)).

  Therefore, the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body 41 in the intermediate form can be made smaller than the dimension in the same direction when at least the portion (portion 75) above the gas generator 30 consists of a single portion. The effects of the above (3) can be obtained more suitably.

  (6) The lower end portion of the dividing portion 50 is positioned at the lower end portion of the airbag main body 41. The communication hole 61 which makes the back expansion part 56 and the front expansion part 57 connect is provided in the intermediate part of the up-down direction of the division part 50 (FIG. 5).

  Therefore, even before the expansion gas flows into the front expansion section 57 via the upper expansion section 58, the expansion gas is allowed to flow into the front expansion section 57 from the communication hole 61 to expand the front expansion section 57 and You can start to inflate.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented as a modification which changed this as follows.
<About Storage Unit 18>
In place of the seat back 14 of the vehicle seat 12, a portion corresponding to the storage portion 18 may be provided in the side wall portion 11, and the airbag module ABM may be incorporated therein.

<About the gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 may be configured by only the inflator 31 having the bolt 34 without using the retainer 32.

<About the expanded portion 46>
The air bag main body 41 may be formed by the expansion portion 46 substantially as in the above embodiment, but the expansion gas is not supplied and the air bag main body 41 has a non-inflatable portion which does not expand. It may be one.

The area of the occupant P that is restrained and protected by the inflating portion 46 may be expanded below the chest PT.
<Folding of Airbag Body 41>
In the above embodiment, a combination of roll folding and bellows folding is performed as the second folding, but only roll folding or only bellows folding may be performed.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the entire portion 78 folded along the folding line 77 is overlapped on the vehicle outside of the portion 79, but instead, it is shown in FIG. Thus, a portion of the portion 78 (the portion including the lower portion 73) may be further folded back inside the vehicle.

  The size and shape of the portion of the air bag body 41 in which the upper portion 72 of the upper inflating portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion is at least gas It can be changed on condition that it is above the generator 30.

  The portion of the airbag body 41 at least above the gas generator 30 may be configured by three or more portions adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Also in this case, it is desirable that the plurality of portions be disposed in the state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion.

<About the partition 50>
The partition 50 may be constituted by a single piece of cloth.
The position of the upper end of the partition 50 in the vertical direction can be changed under the condition that it is a portion below the head PH of the occupant P and including at least the shoulder PS. For example, the position of the upper end of the partition 50 may be changed to the side of the shoulder PS.

  The position of the lower end of the partition 50 in the vertical direction may be the lower end of the airbag main body 41 or may be changed to above the lower end. In the latter case, the lower end of the partition 50 is separated upward from the lower end of the peripheral joint 45.

<Others>
The air bag module ABM may be disposed in the storage portion 18 and fixed to the side frame portion 15 in a state of being housed in a case (not shown).

  The vehicles to which the side airbag device is applied include various industrial vehicles as well as private vehicles.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle 11 side wall part 12 Seat for vehicle 30 Gas generator 41 Airbag main body 50 Division 50 56 rear expansion part 57 front expansion part 58 upper expansion part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 61 ... Communication hole, 72 ... Upper part of upper inflation part, 73 ... Lower part of upper inflation part, 75, 76, 78, 79 ... part, 85 ... Superposition part, 86 ... Construction part, P: Passenger, PH: Head , PT ... chest.

Claims (5)

The expansion gas stored in the storage form and supplied from the gas generator causes the expansion and expansion between at least a region from the chest to the head of the occupant sitting on the vehicle seat and the side wall of the vehicle. Equipped with an air bag body that
The inside of the air bag body is located rearward of the compartment by a compartment extending in the vertical direction, and a rear inflating part in which the gas generator is disposed, and a front in front of the compartment Divided into an inflatable portion and an upper inflatable portion which communicates the rear inflatable portion and the front inflatable portion above the partition portion;
In the storage mode, the dimensions of the airbag body in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction are smaller than those in the non-inflated deployed state in which the airbag body is deployed in a flat shape without being filled with inflation gas. An air bag device,
The upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion as a form between the storage form and the non-inflated and deployed state, and the airbag body has a dimension in the vertical direction more than the non-inflated and deployed state. A side air bag device comprising a long overlapping portion in which a small intermediate form is taken and, in the storage form, a plurality of components extending in the vertical direction are overlapped in their thickness direction.   The side according to claim 1, wherein the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body in the intermediate form is smaller than the dimension in the vertical direction of the airbag body in a state where the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion. Airbag device.   In the air bag main body of the intermediate form, at least a portion of the air bag main body above the gas generator in the air bag main body in a state where the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion has a vehicle width relative to the remaining portion The side airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the side airbag device is disposed in a state of being overlapped in a direction. At least a portion of the air bag main body above the gas generator comprises a plurality of portions adjacent to each other in the vertical direction,
The side airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of portions are arranged in a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion. The lower end of the partition is located at the lower end of the air bag body,
The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a communication hole communicating the rear inflating portion and the front inflating portion is provided at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the partition portion.

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