JPH11291857A - Occupant protector for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the structure of a means for preventing the loosening of a bag body at the time of inflation and expansion, and reduce the man-hour of attaching the bag body to a car body so as to reduce a price. SOLUTION: A tongue part 20 is projectingly provided in each of the front end 22, the top part, the rear end 24 and the inclined parts 14 and 16 of a bag body 10, and a strap 26 is sewn to the tongue part 20. Since the tongue part 20 is held in the state of being suspended from the inclined parts 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 at the time of expansion of the bag body 10, the loosening of the inclined parts 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 is prevented. In other words, the conventional necessity of forming bolt inserting holes in a bolt and the bag body and screw holes for fixing bolts in roof and front pillars 50 and 52 is eliminated. Thus, since the structure of a means for preventing the loosening of the bag body 1 at the time of inflation and expansion is simplified, the man- hour of attaching the bag body 10 to a car body and a price are reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an occupant protection system for a vehicle in which a bag is inflated to support an upper portion of the occupant with the bag.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a vehicle occupant protection device, a structure is provided in which a bag is inflated between a vehicle body side portion and a vehicle occupant head to support the vehicle occupant head in the event of a collision (side collision) on the side of the vehicle. Has been proposed. Specifically, the bag body of the airbag device is installed on a roof side, a front pillar, or the like, and an inflator communicating with the bag body is actuated at the time of a side collision or the like to supply a pressure gas into the bag body to form the bag body. It is designed to expand.

As shown in FIG. 6, a vehicle body side portion includes a roof side 50 disposed substantially horizontally,
0 and a front pillar 52 connected diagonally downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the bag body 54 for protecting the head in the event of a side collision has a substantially triangular shape.

The bag 54 has a fixing hole 55 at the top 54A and the rear end 54B. Then, a bolt (not shown) is inserted into the hole 55 and fastened to the roof side 50. Further, as shown in FIG.
An airbag module (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “module”) 56 is connected to the front end 54C of the vehicle, whereby the bag body 54 is attached to the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 7, the bag 54 is folded alternately from the bottom 54D to the top 54A from the front side to the back side to form a bellows shape. That is, the bag body 54 is folded based on the bottom side 54D as a long side (long side). Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, the shape of the bag body 54 in the folded state is substantially rectangular.
When the folded bag body 54 is attached along the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52, the bag body 54 is bent around the vertex 54A as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.
That is, the bent state is the retracted state of the bag 54.

The length in the longitudinal direction of the folded bag 54 is the sum of the length LD on the rear end 54B side and the length LE on the front end 54C centering on the hole 55 of the vertex 54A. Length. The total length is the same as the length LC of the bottom 54D of the bag 54 as shown in FIG. 7B.

[0007] As shown in FIG. 6, the bag body 54 has an apex portion 5 with respect to the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52.
4A, the rear end 54B, and the front end 54C are fixed at three points. And, as described above, since the bag body 54 is stored in a folded state, the total length of the bag body 54 is the total length of the length LD and the length LE, that is, the bag body 54.
Is the length LC of the bottom portion 54D.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), when a perpendicular line is drawn from the hole 55 at the vertex 54A of the bag 54 in the unfolded state,
The rear end 54B side and the front end 54C side are each a right triangle with respect to the hole 55 of the vertex 54A. Therefore, the length LA from the hole 55 at the top 54A to the hole 55 at the rear end 54B of the unfolded bag 54 is the length LD (FIG. 7).
(See (A))). The bag 5 in the unfolded state
The length LB from the hole 55 of the top portion 54A to the edge of the front end portion 54C is longer than the length LE. That is, the bottom part 5
When the bag 54 is folded based on 4D, the length L
A, LB should be longer than length LD, LE.
4 must be formed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the bag body 54 is fixed at the above-mentioned three points, when the bag body 54 is inflated and deployed, from the apex portion 54A to the rear end portion 54B and the apex portion 5A.
The portion from 4A to the front end 54B becomes loose,
It does not have a triangular shape as shown in FIG.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, conventionally, in order to prevent the bag body 54 from being loosened, a fixing point is further provided between the vertex 54A and the rear end 54B and between the vertex 54A and the front end 54C. (The part where the bolt 58 is stopped) was increased.

[0011]

In the prior art shown in FIG. 8, a bolt 58 is formed as a means for preventing the bag 54 from loosening during inflation and deployment, and an insertion hole for inserting the bolt 58 into the bag 54 is formed. It is necessary to form screw holes for fixing the bolts 58 in the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52, and the number of steps for attaching the bag body 54 to the vehicle body increases, which increases the cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vehicle occupant protection apparatus which has a simple structure for preventing the bag from being loosened when inflated and deployed, and reduces the number of steps for attaching the bag to the vehicle body and reduces the cost. Aim.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an occupant protection system for a vehicle, comprising: a bag for supporting an upper portion of an occupant when the vehicle is inflated and deployed; The intersection between the roof side and the pillar in the bag and both ends of the bag are fixed to the vehicle body while being disposed along the provided roof side and the pillar, and from the intersection in the roof side and the pillar. An occupant protection device for a vehicle, wherein a total length of the bag to a fixed point on the roof side and the pillar to which both ends of the bag are fixed is the same as a length between the both ends of the bag in a contracted state. The total length from the intersection to the two ends of the bag at the time of inflation and deployment is from the intersection of the roof side and the pillar to the roof side and the pillar. An adjusting means for adjusting the roof-side and the pillar side said in total the bag so as to be the same as the length of up to two fixed points, characterized in that provided on the bag body side that.

In the above configuration, the bag body is normally in a retracted state along the roof side and the pillar, for example. In the event of a collision (side collision) on the side of the vehicle, the bag body is inflated and deployed. Therefore, kinetic energy in the vehicle width direction (vehicle lateral direction) above the occupant is absorbed by the bag. Here, the upper part of the occupant refers to the upper body of the occupant, and specifically includes a head, a shoulder, and the like.

In the present invention according to the first aspect, the adjusting means is provided so that the total length from the intersection to the end of the bag body in the inflated and deployed state is the same as the total length from the intersection to the fixed point. Because of the adjustment, the length from one end to the intersection and the length from the intersection to the other end of the bag are kept the same as the length in the retracted state.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the adjusting means is provided on the roof side and the pillar side of the bag, even when the bag is inflated and deployed, the roof side and the pillar side of the bag are provided. Is prevented from being loosened.

That is, according to the present invention, an insertion hole for inserting a bolt into a bolt and a bag body and a screw hole for stopping the bolt are formed on a roof side and a pillar as in the prior art. Since it is not necessary to perform the operation, the means for preventing the bag from being loosened during inflation and deployment has a simple configuration, and the number of steps for attaching the bag to the vehicle body is reduced and the cost is reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle occupant protection system according to the first aspect, the adjusting means is partially connected between the intersection of the bag and the both ends. It is characterized by a strap.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a vehicle occupant protection system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In FIG. 1, portions corresponding to those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The occupant protection device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment includes:
The bag body is retracted from the contracted state at the time of a collision (side collision) on the side of the vehicle, etc. from the vehicle body side (roof side and front pillar)
The occupant's head and the like are expanded and deployed between the occupant's head and the occupant's head.

As shown in FIG. 1, the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52 are provided with a long bag 10 along the longitudinal direction. That is, the bag body 10 is disposed in a section from the front end of the front pillar 50 to the rear side of the center pillar 11 on the roof side 52 with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the bag 10 is
In both the retracted state (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1) and the expanded state (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 5), it is elongated along the vehicle longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bag 10 in the expanded state
Has a substantially triangular shape, and has a bottom portion 12 and two inclined portions 14 and 16 inclined with respect to the bottom portion 12.
have. Further, the bag body 10 includes a vertex 18 as an intersection between the inclined portion 14 and the inclined portion 16 and a front end 2.
2 and a rear end 24.

The bag 10 has a contracted state.
The tongue 20 which forms a part of the adjusting means projecting from the front end 22, the vertex 18, the rear end 24, the inclined portion 16 between the front end 22 and the vertex 18, and the vertex 18 and the rear end Part 2
4 and is integrally protruded from the inclined portion 14. One tongue 20 is provided on the inclined portion 16 between the front end portion 22 and the apex portion 18, and two tongue portions 20 are provided on the inclined portion 14 between the apex portion 18 and the rear end portion 24. This is because the lengths LB and LA of the inclined portion 14 and the inclined portion 16 are different, and the tongue portions 20 are arranged at equal intervals with respect to the inclined portions 14 and 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, a long strap 26 constituting a part of the adjusting means is attached to the tongue 20 of the bag 10.
Are sewn along the longitudinal direction of the. That is, the strap 26 has a length LE from the front end 22 to the apex 18 of the bag body 10 at the time of contraction and a length LE from the apex 18 to the rear end 2.
4 is prevented from becoming the length LB from the front end portion 22 to the apex portion 18 and the length LA from the apex portion 18 to the rear end portion 24 of the bag body 10 shown in FIG. , Bag 1
Even when 0 is inflated and expanded, the lengths LE and LD maintain the length from the front end 22 to the top 18 and the length from the top 18 to the rear end 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, the length from the hole 20A of the tongue 20 formed at the vertex 18 of the bag 10 in the expanded state to the hole 20A of the tongue 20 formed at the rear end 24 is shown. The length LA is longer than the length LD (see FIG. 3).
The length LB from the hole 20A of the tongue 20 formed at the vertex 18 of the bag 10 in the expanded state to the edge P3 of the front end 22 is longer than the length LE.

A fixing hole 20A is formed in the tongue portion 20 at the apex portion 18 and the rear end portion 24. And hole 2
A bolt (not shown) is inserted into 0A and fastened to the roof side 50.

As shown in FIG. 6, a module 56 is connected to the front end 22 of the bag 10, and the module 56 and the front end 22 are communicated with each other. The module 56 includes a case 56A and an inflator (not shown) disposed in the case 56A. This inflator is equipped with a gas generating agent that generates a large amount of gas inside, and a side collision sensor (not shown) that operates at the time of side collision and ignites the detonator detects gas, etc. Gas (gas pressure) is generated from the agent. That is, the gas is supplied into the bag 10 by the ignition of the primer, and
0 is expanded and expanded. The case 56A is attached to the front end of the front pillar 12 with a plurality of bolts (not shown), whereby the bag body 10 is attached to the vehicle.

The bag body 10 is wrapped and concealed between the front pillar 52 and the roof side 50, and the interior material 28, and is arranged in a concealed state. Therefore, the bag 10 in the retracted state cannot be seen from the outside. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a cut 30 is formed in the interior material 28, and the cut 30 is broken when the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed. Therefore, the bag body 10 enters the inside of the car,
It deploys while facing the upper part of the occupant. The bag 10
Is made of a flexible material such as cloth or synthetic resin, and has a fold line (not shown) along the longitudinal direction.

Next, the procedure for folding the bag 10 and the bag 10
The attachment of the strap 26 to the strap 26 will be described. Bag 1
In the folding of 0, the bag body 10 in the unfolded state shown in FIG. 2 is alternately folded back and forth from the bottom 12 to the top 18 to form a bellows. And the bag body 10 is the bottom 1
2, the bag body 10 in this folded state is made substantially rectangular, as shown in FIG.

In the bag 10 in the folded state, the tongue 2
0 protrudes from the bag body 10. The strap 2 is slightly shorter than the length LC of the bottom portion 12 of the bag 10.
6 is sewn on the tongue 20 (see FIG. 4). In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the strap 26 is sewn so that the hole 20A formed in the tongue 20 of the apex 18 and the rear end 24 is not hidden.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intersection P1 between the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52 and the vertex 18 of the bag 10
With the hole 20A of the tongue 20 formed in
When the bag body 10 is attached along the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52, the bag body 10 is bent around the vertex 18. That is, this bent state is the retracted state of the bag 10.

(Operation) The operation of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the bag 10 is normally in a retracted state along the front pillar 52 and the roof side 50.

In the event of a side collision, the case 5 of the module 56
A side collision sensor (not shown) in 6A detects the side collision, and the inflator is activated, and gas is sent into the bag body 10 from an air supply port (not shown), and the internal pressure of the bag body 10 rises. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the cuts 30 in the interior material 28 are broken, so that the bag 10 is pulled out inside the vehicle and the bag 10 is inflated and deployed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the kinetic energy of the occupant's head is absorbed by the bag body 10.

In the present embodiment, the bag body 10 includes a case 56A, a bolt (not shown) inserted into the hole 20A of the tongue 20, and the tongue 20 fixed by the strap 26.
And the expanded and deployed state is maintained. The shape (side shape) of the bag body 10 when viewed from the side in the inflated and deployed state is a substantially triangular shape. Although not shown, a slight slack occurs between the tongue portions 20.

That is, in the present embodiment, since the strap 26 sew the tongue 20, the tongue 20 between the front end 22 and the apex 18 and the apex 18 and the rear end 24
Is held in a state of being suspended by the strap 26. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the lengths of the inclined portions 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 in the inflated and deployed state, that is, the length from the front end portion 22 to the vertex portion 18 and the length from the vertex portion 18 to the rear end portion 24 are length LE. And LD.

According to the present embodiment, since the lengths of the inclined portions 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 in the inflated and deployed state are held by the lengths LE and LD, the inclined portions 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 are maintained.
Is prevented from being loosened. That is, according to the present embodiment, the length LD from the apex portion 18 of the bag body 10 at the time of inflation and deployment to the center P2 of the hole 20A of the tongue portion 20 of the rear end portion 24 as the end portion, and the front end of the bag body 10 The total length of the length LE to the edge of the portion 22 is from the intersection point P1 to the fixing point (a bolted portion (not shown) for fixing the rear end portion 24 of the bag body 10 and an end of the front end portion 22 of the bag body 10). Since the length is the same as the total length up to the portion where the edge P3 is fixed, slack of the inclined portions 14 and 16 is prevented.

According to the present embodiment, it is necessary to form an insertion hole for inserting a bolt in a bolt and a bag body and to form a screw hole for fixing the bolt in the roof side 50 and the front pillar 52 as in the prior art. Disappears. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the means for preventing the bag body 10 from being loosened during inflation and deployment has a simple configuration, the number of steps for attaching the bag body 10 to the vehicle body is reduced and the cost is reduced.

In the above embodiment, the strap 26 is sewn to the tongue portion 20. However, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the inclined portions 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 can be sewn without using the strap 26. You may make it shrink (sew a slack part etc.). That is, claim 1 of the present invention includes a case where the inclined portions 14 and 16 are formed so as to be contracted when the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed.

In the above embodiment, the strap 26 is sewn to the tongue 20.
By forming a through hole for passing the strap 26 through the tongue portion 20 and passing the strap 26 through the through hole, the lengths of the inclined portions 14 and 16 of the bag body 10 at the time of inflation and deployment are length LE.
And LD. In this case, the end of the strap 26 is fixed to the bag 10. Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, the strap 26 may be directly attached to the inclined portions 14 and 16 without providing the tongue portion 20 on the bag body 10.

Although the bag 10 of the above embodiment has a substantially triangular side shape when inflated and deployed, the bag of the present invention may have a substantially rectangular shape. further,
In the present embodiment, the pillars are the front pillars 52, but the pillars of the present invention may be any pillars that are arranged obliquely with respect to the roof side. You.

[0041]

As described above, in the occupant protection system for a vehicle according to the present invention, the means for preventing the bag from being loosened when inflated and deployed has a simple structure, and the number of steps for attaching the bag to the vehicle body is reduced to reduce the cost. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a retracted state of a bag of an occupant protection device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 2 is a development view of the bag shown by a broken line in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bag shown in FIG. 2 in a folded state before a strap is attached.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where a strap is attached to the bag shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an inflated and deployed state of the bag body shown in FIG. 1, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an inflated and deployed state of a conventional bag body as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

7 shows the bag of FIG. 6, wherein FIG. 7 (A) is a side view of the bag in a folded state, and FIG. 7 (B) is a developed view of the bag.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an inflated and deployed state of a bag body of another conventional example, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bag 18 Top of bag (intersection) 20 Tongue (adjustment means) 22 Front end of bag 24 Rear end of bag 26 Strap (adjustment means) 50 Roof side 52 Front pillar P1 Intersection P2 Rear end Center of hole formed in tongue of part (fixed point) P3 Edge of front end (fixed point) LA Length from top to back end of bag when deployed LB Front end of bag when deployed Length from top to apex LC Length of bottom of bag, or total length of bag when contracted LD Length from top to back end of bag when contracted LE LE of bag when contracted Length from front end to vertex

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A bag for supporting an upper part of an occupant during inflation and deployment, wherein the bag is disposed along a roof side and a pillar arranged substantially horizontally, and the bag in the bag is provided. An intersection between the roof side and the pillar and both ends of the bag are fixed to the vehicle body, and both ends of the bag are fixed from the intersection of the roof side and the pillar. An occupant protection device for a vehicle in which the total length of the bag body is the same as the length between the two ends of the bag body in the contracted state, wherein the bag extends from the intersection to the both ends when the bag is inflated and deployed. The bag body such that the total length is the same as the total length from the intersection of the roof side and the pillar to the two fixed points of the roof side and the pillar. Occupant protection device for a vehicle, characterized by providing an adjustment means for adjusting the definitive roof side side and the pillar side to the bag body side. 2. An occupant protection system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said adjusting means is a strap that partially connects said intersection portion to said both ends of said bag.