JP2003200811A - Side collision air bag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To deploy an air bag reliably in a narrow clearance between a vehicle body and a seated position of an occupant without applying an excessive impact to the occupant. <P>SOLUTION: An inflator 5 has at a lower portion a blowhole 15 for blowing gas into a portion of a bag 7 opposed to an abdominal region 8 of an occupant 6. Deployment of the bag 7 is started with the portion opposed to the abdominal region 8, which resists a higher impact load than a thoracic region 10. At the deployment start with high pressure, a body 9 of the bag 7 is brought in contact with the abdominal region 8 resisting a higher impact load than the thoracic region 10 to push the occupant 6 inward, and thereafter, an upper inflation portion 11 of the bag 7 in a state capable of absorbing impact force is brought in contact with the thoracic region 10, which deploys the bag 7 beside the occupant 6. The air bag is reliably deployed in a narrow clearance between a vehicle body and the seated position of the occupant 6 without applying an excessive impact to the occupant 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a side collision airbag which protects an occupant when an impact is applied to the side of a vehicle from the outside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an external impact is applied to a side portion of a vehicle due to a side collision or the like, a door or a vehicle body component may be deformed by an impact load depending on the magnitude of the impact. In order to reduce the impact force on the occupant due to this deformation, the airbag (bag) is inflated between the vehicle side part and the occupant in the vehicle compartment in the event of a side collision, and the impact force acting on the occupant is absorbed by the bag. Various side impact airbags for protecting the occupant have been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 4-50052 and 40052).
4-356246, etc.).

Conventionally proposed side impact airbags are stored by folding the airbag together with a gas generator inside a vehicle seat (mainly a seat back) in order to maintain a constant relative position with an occupant. However, a detection means for detecting a side collision and ejecting gas from the gas generator into the bag is provided. Then, when a side collision is detected by the detection means, gas is instantaneously ejected from the gas generator into the bag, and the bag is inflated toward the front side of the vehicle to seat the seating position of the occupant on the vehicle side and in the passenger compartment. I'm trying to interpose a bag between and. By interposing the bag between the side portion of the vehicle and the seated position of the occupant in the vehicle interior, the impact of the deforming door or the like on the occupant is absorbed to protect the occupant.

[0004]

In the conventional side-impact airbag, the airbag is located at the front side when a side-impact collision is detected (upward when the side-impact airbag is provided on the seat cushion). Since the bag is inflated, the deployment direction of the bag is substantially perpendicular to the input at the time of side collision. Therefore, in order to reliably deploy the bag in the narrow gap between the vehicle body and the seated position of the occupant, it is necessary to instantly deploy the bag with high pressure. However, if the pressure of the gas ejected into the bag is increased, the impact on the occupant due to the pressure when the bag is deployed becomes large, and there is a possibility that the impact cannot be absorbed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a side surface capable of reliably deploying an airbag in a narrow gap between a vehicle body and a seated position of an occupant without excessively impacting the occupant. An object is to provide a collision airbag.

[0006]

The structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is a side collision airbag provided with a bag which is deployed between a vehicle side part and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator. In the structure, the gas generator is provided with an ejection port for ejecting gas into the bag toward a portion of the bag facing the abdomen of the occupant, and the load resistance is higher than that of the chest. The deployment of the bag is started from a site facing the abdomen, and the bag is brought into contact with the abdomen when the pressure is high.

Further, a guide member for guiding the gas ejected from the ejection port into the inside of the bag toward the portion of the bag facing the abdomen of the occupant is provided at the ejection port.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a side collision airbag structure of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a side view showing an airbag for side collision according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an inflator, FIG. 3 is a side view of the bag, FIG. 4 is a folded state of the bag, and FIG. Shows the relationship between the vehicle side and passengers when the bag is deployed, as seen from the rear of the vehicle, Fig. 6 is a perspective view when the bag is deployed, and Fig. 7 is a view taken along the line VII-VII in Fig. 6. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, a side collision airbag 4 is provided on a frame 3 of a seat back 2 of a vehicle seat 1. The side collision airbag 4 is ejected from an inflator 5 as a gas generator. The bag 7 is provided between the vehicle side portion and the occupant 6 by the generated gas. The bag 7 has a main body 9 that covers the side surface of the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6 when unfolded, and the chest 1 of the occupant 6 that bulges above the main body 9.
An upper bulge portion 11 as a bulge portion that covers the side surface of 0 (rib portion), and a lower bulge portion 13 that bulges below the main body 9 and covers below the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6 and part of the waist 12. It consists of The bag 7 is connected to the inflator 5 via a gas introduction unit 14 that suppresses diffusion of gas ejected from the inflator 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inflator 5 is
Has a tubular shape and is compressed and filled with gas inside,
A jet port 15 for jetting gas is provided below the inflator 5. The position of the ejection port 15 is arranged at a height substantially comparable to the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6, and the lower part of the inflator 5 covers the ejection port 15 and guides the ejected gas downward, that is, to the lower bulging part 13. An umbrella-shaped guide member 5a is attached. By mounting the guide member 5a, the gas ejected from the ejection port 15 is reliably guided to the lower bulging portion 13 (lower part) of the bag 7, and the gas is surely applied to the portion of the bag 7 facing the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6. You will be guided to.

A guide member 5a is attached to the lower portion of the inflator 5 so that the gas ejected from the ejection port 15 is ejected from the lower bulge portion 13
Although the gas is guided to the portion of the bag 7 facing the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6, the guide member 5a may be omitted depending on the position of the ejection port 15. Also, crew 6
The lower bulge 1 of the bag 7 so as to cover the entire waist 12 of the bag
It is also possible to form 3.

The upper bulging portion 11 of the bag 7 is provided with a vent hole 16 as a guide adjusting means, and an appropriate gas is supplied from the vent hole 16 in order to obtain an appropriate pressure for absorbing an impact when the bag 7 is deployed. Are to be discharged. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vent hole 16 is formed at a position on the side surface of the upper portion (upper bulging portion 11) opposite to the occupant 6 while being separated from the inflator 5 when the bag 7 is deployed. Has been done. Moreover, the vent hole 16
Is formed at a portion that does not come into contact with the door trim 17 as a vehicle interior constituent member when the bag 7 is deployed, that is, at a tip portion that becomes R-shaped when the bag 7 is deployed.

Further, the body 9 of the bag 7 and the upper bulging portion 11
At the upper bulge 11 near the boundary with the vent hole 1
A second vent hole 18 having a diameter smaller than 6 is formed,
The vent hole 18 is the same as the vent hole 16 in the bag 7
Is formed at a portion that does not come into contact with the door trim 17 as a vehicle interior constituent member when the bag is deployed, that is, at a tip portion that becomes R-shaped when the bag 7 is deployed.

In the above-mentioned example, the vent hole 16 was described as an example of the internal pressure adjusting means. However, when the bag 7 is deployed, a portion (upper bulging portion 11) in the bag 7 facing the chest 10 of the passenger 6 is expanded. The pressure is not limited to the vent hole 16 as long as the pressure can be appropriately maintained, that is, can be lowered.

Next, the gas introducing section 14 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the gas introduction portion 14 has a width t at a position lower than the upper end of the inflator 5 by a width T and a width t at a lower end position.
Is formed continuously with the bag 7 by extending the predetermined distance S. That is, the gas introduction portion 14 of the bag 7 has a connecting portion to the inflator 5 shorter than the length of the inflator 5. By providing the gas introduction portion 14, the gas from the inflator 5 is ejected toward the front side toward the site of the main body 9 without diffusing.

Note that the width t of the gas introducing portion 14 may be formed continuously with the bag 7 with a width substantially equal to the vertical length L of the inflator 5 and extending for a predetermined distance S. Also,
As shown in FIG. 8 showing the side surface of the bag 7, a narrowed portion 19 having a width q shorter than the vertical length L of the inflator 5 is provided, and the gas introduction portion 14 is connected to the upper and lower end portions of the inflator 5. It may be formed so as to extend a predetermined distance S. By appropriately setting the position of the throttle portion 19, it is possible to suppress the diffusion of the gas ejected from the inflator 5 and regulate the gas in an arbitrary direction.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end portion of the upper bulging portion 11 of the bag 7 in the lengthwise direction (the direction away from the inflator 5) is deleted so that the length P is shorter than that of the main body 9. ing. Inflator 5 of gas introduction part 14
The length of the upper bulging portion 11 is made shorter than the length of the main body 9 in the direction away from the inflator 5, by shortening the joining portion to the inflator 5 and deleting the tip portion of the upper bulging portion 11. ing. By making the length of the upper bulging portion 11 shorter than that of the main body 9, as shown in FIG. 5, the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 when the bag 7 is deployed is equal to the width H of the main body 9.
Narrower than.

9 (a) showing the side surface of the bag 7 and FIG. 9 showing the side surface of the bag 7 as the structure of the member for restricting the width of the upper bulging portion 11.
It is also possible to attach both ends of the strap 20 to the inner surface of the upper bulging portion 11 as shown in FIG. 9B showing the cross section in (a). In this case, the length M of the strap 20 is shorter than the width H when the main body 9 is unfolded (see FIG. 9 (b)), and the upper bulging portion 11 is the strap 20.
Due to this, bulging in the width direction is restricted, and the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 when it is deployed is narrower than the width H of the main body 9.

In the above-mentioned example, the width of the upper bulging portion 11 at the time of unfolding is made narrower than the width of the main body 9,
At least the width of the boundary between the upper bulging portion 11 and the main body 9 may be narrower than that of the main body.

The folding state of the bag 7 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the upper bulge 11
The lower bulging portion 13 and the lower bulging portion 13 are folded while being housed in the main body 9 from above and below, and have a substantially U-shaped cross-section when folded. At this time, the vent hole 16 is stored in the main body 9. Figure 4
As shown in (c), the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13
After being folded inside the main body 9, the bag 7 is sequentially folded toward the inflator 5 in a bellows shape.

As shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), the main body 9 of the portion where the upper bulging portion 11 is folded inside the main body 9 is shown.
It is also possible to tentatively sew the upper edge of the sewn portion and join it as a sewn portion 31 (which is separated by a predetermined pressure or more). By joining the upper edge of the main body 9 as the sewn portion 31, the upward diffusion of the gas ejected from the inflator 5 when the bag 7 is deployed is suppressed, and the gas ejected from the inflator 5 is located substantially in the front portion of the main body 9. Gush toward. Further, it is also possible to directly bond them with an adhesive or the like instead of sewing.

The bag 7 accommodated as described above, when a side collision is detected by the detection means (not shown),
It is designed to be expanded by the gas ejected from the inflator 5.

The operation of the side collision airbag 4 having the above structure will be described.

When a side collision of the vehicle is detected by a detection means (not shown), the gas in the inflator 5 is ejected from the ejection port 15
The bag 7 is spouted from and the deployment of the bag 7 starts. The gas ejected from the ejection port 15 is guided to the lower side of the bag 7 by the guide member 5a and is prevented from being diffused by the gas introduction portion 14 and ejected to the front side. Therefore, first, the bag 7
The part of the main body 9 (the part facing the abdomen 8 of the occupant 6) instantly expands under high pressure (see the state from FIG. 4 (c) to (b) and the dotted line part in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5), The main body 9 is inserted between the door trim 17 or the armrest 21 and the occupant 6.

The main body 9 includes the door trim 17 and the armrest 2.
By entering between 1 and the occupant 6, the abdomen 8 having a higher impact resistance load than the chest 10 is pushed, and the occupant 6 moves to the opposite side of the door trim 17 and the armrest 21. Therefore, the passenger 6 is pushed in the same direction with respect to the movement of the door trim 17 (armrest 21) into the vehicle compartment at the time of a side collision, and the relative speed for deformation is moderated.

As shown in FIG. 10, by joining the upper edge of the main body 9 with the sewn portion 31 in a provisionally sewn state, the diffusion of the ejected gas is further suppressed, and the suppressing action of the gas introducing portion 14 is suppressed. In combination with the above, the gas can be more reliably ejected to the front side, and the bag 7 can be easily deployed at a desired position, that is, a portion facing the abdomen 8.

The gas ejected from the ejection port 15 of the inflator 5 is guided downward by the guide member 5a and is suppressed from diffusing by the gas introduction portion 14 so as to face the abdomen 8 whose impact resistance is higher than that of the chest 10. Body 9
That is, a desired portion can be reliably expanded between the door trim 17 (armrest 21) and the occupant 6. As a result, the bag 7 can be instantly deployed in a narrow gap with a high pressure, and the relative speed with respect to the movement of the vehicle body constituent member into the vehicle interior can be moderated.

Next, when the gas continues to be ejected from the ejection port 15 of the inflator 5 into the bag 7, the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13 are respectively expanded in the vertical direction from the inside of the body 9. 7 are all developed (Fig. 4 (b) to (a)
1) and the solid line portion in FIGS. 1 and 5), the upper bulging portion 11 is deployed between the door trim 17 and the chest 10 of the occupant 6. Further, the lower bulging portion 13 expands between the door trim 17 and a part of the waist portion 12 of the occupant 6.

At this time, the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 1
The door trim 17
Deploy without interfering with or armrest 21. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, since the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed at the tip end portion which becomes R-shaped when the bag 7 is deployed, the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed. The upper bulging portion 11 expands without the 18 being blocked by the door trim 17 and the armrest 21.
Therefore, it is possible to properly maintain the discharged state of the gas and obtain an appropriate pressure of the bag 7.

In the process of the upper bulging portion 11 expanding, the internal volume of the bag 7 increases as the upper bulging portion 11 bulges from the main body 9, and a predetermined amount from the vent hole 16 is reached. In this state, the gas is discharged, and the proper pressure for absorbing the shock is obtained. Further, in the process of the upper bulging portion 11 expanding, in the vicinity of the boundary between the main body 9 and the upper bulging portion 11 from the second vent hole 18, that is, in the region facing the lower part of the chest 8 (the ribs at the bottom). Degas in the vicinity is performed. Further, when the entire bag 7 is deployed, the joint portion of the gas introduction portion 14 to the inflator 5 is shortened and the length of the upper bulging portion 11 is shorter than that of the main body 9, As shown in FIG. 5, the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 is narrower than the width H of the main body 9.

Therefore, between the door trim 17 and the chest 10 whose impact resistance load is lower than that of the abdomen 8, there is an appropriate pressure for absorbing the impact, and the upper bulging portion 11 having a narrow width is developed. Therefore, the bag 7 can be deployed without applying a large impact to the chest 10 to absorb the impact force with respect to the movement of the door trim 17 (armrest 21) into the vehicle interior. Furthermore, gas is vented in the vicinity of the boundary between the main body 9 and the upper bulge 11, and the impact when the bag 7 starts to contact the lower part of the chest 8 (the lowest rib) is relieved.

As shown in FIG. 9, the strap 20
Even when the width h of the upper bulging portion 11 is made narrower than the width H of the main body 9 by using, the bag 7 is similarly expanded without applying a large impact to the chest portion 10 and the impact force against the deformation of the vehicle body component is Can be absorbed.

In the above-described side-collision airbag 4, the gas from the inflator 5 is ejected downwardly of the bag 7 and the gas introduction portion 14 suppresses the diffusion, so that the impact-resistant load at the time of a side-collision is obtained. The deployment of the bag 7 is started by a high pressure from a portion of the main body 9 facing the abdomen 8 which is higher than the chest 10. That is, the deployment of the bag 7 is started while avoiding the portion facing the chest 10 where the impact load is low, and the bag 7 contacts the abdomen 8 and does not contact the chest 10 when the pressure is high. .
Therefore, the door trim 21 (armrest 22) and the occupant 6
The bag 7 is instantly and surely inserted into a narrow gap between the door trim 21 and the occupant 6 and is pushed positively inward.
The relative speed with respect to the movement of the (armrest 22) into the vehicle interior can be moderated.

After the main body 9 facing the abdomen 8 is expanded, the bulging of the upper bulging portion 11 is started from the main body 9,
As the upper bulging portion 11 bulges, the second vent hole 1
The gas is discharged from the vent hole 16 in a predetermined state while degassing the vicinity of the boundary between the main body 9 and the upper bulging portion 11 by means of 8, so that the upper bulging portion 11 is located inside the main body 9. When expanding and deploying from the upper part 11,
The upper bulge 11 having a width narrower than that of the main body 9 is inserted between the door trim 17 and the chest 10 while keeping the internal pressure of the body slightly lowered. Therefore, the upper bulge 11
The internal pressure of is properly adjusted, and the bag 7 can be deployed without applying a large impact to the chest 10 to absorb the impact force with respect to the movement of the door trim 17 into the vehicle interior.

Further, the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13
Expands in a vertical direction from the state of being housed inside the main body 9, and therefore, the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13 are spread at the time of deployment.
Does not interfere with the door trim 17 or the armrest 21, and the deployment of the bag 7 is not hindered. Further, since the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed at positions that are not affected by the deformation of the door trim 17, even if the door trim 17 is deformed toward the vehicle interior side, the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are formed. Is never blocked. For this reason, the discharge of gas is not hindered when the bag 7 is deployed, and a desired internal pressure state can always be obtained.

As described above, the expanding direction of the main body 9 is restricted toward the abdomen 8 so that the bag 7 can be expanded in a desired state, and the restraint performance of the occupant 6 can be improved. In addition, the gas introduction unit 14 allows the inflator 5
By controlling the ejection direction of the gas ejected from the chest 1,
It is possible to prevent the high-pressure gas from being ejected to the upper bulging portion 11 facing 0, and to improve the restraint performance of the occupant 6.

The vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are used to adjust the internal pressure of the bag 7 to an appropriate state, and the width of the upper bulging portion 11 is made narrower than that of the main body 9 so that the chest portion 10 has a large size. The bag 7 can be deployed without impact. Moreover, since the vent hole 16 and the second vent hole 18 are not blocked by the vehicle body constituent members, a desired internal pressure state is always obtained, and the restraint performance of the occupant 6 is not deteriorated.
Further, by deploying the upper bulging portion 11 and the lower bulging portion 13 in the vertical direction, it is possible to eliminate the risk that the bag 7 interferes with the door trim 17 and the armrest 21 during deployment.

[0038]

In the side impact airbag of the present invention, the gas generator is provided with an ejection port for ejecting gas toward the site facing the occupant's abdomen, so that the impact resistance load is higher than that of the chest. The deployment of the bag is started from a site facing the high abdomen, and the bag can be brought into contact with the abdomen when the pressure is high.

As a result, the airbag can be surely deployed in the narrow gap between the vehicle body and the seating position of the occupant without excessive impact on the occupant.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an airbag for side collision according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an inflator.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bag.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the folding state of the bag.

FIG. 5 is a rear view showing a relationship between a vehicle side portion and an occupant when the bag is deployed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view when the bag is deployed.

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a bag showing another embodiment of the gas introducing unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a bag of an example in which the width of the upper bulging portion is shortened by a strap.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a bag in an example in which the upper edge of the main body is sewn temporarily.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Vehicle seat 2 seat back 3 frames 4 Side impact airbag 5 inflator 5a Guide member 6 crew 7 bags 8 abdomen 9 body 10 chest 11 Upper bulge 12 waist 13 Lower bulge 14 Gas introduction section 15 spout 16 Bent hole 17 door trim 18 Second Bent Hall 19 throttle 20 straps 21 Armrest 31 Sewing part

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masaaki Nakajima             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Michito Takagi             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tsutomu Okochi             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Noriomi Nagayama             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Junichi Nakamura             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masanobu Hatta             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Miki Shimoda             Mitsubishi Motors, 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Industry Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3D054 AA02 AA03 AA21 CC10 CC11                       CC14 CC29 DD14 EE20

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A side collision airbag including a bag which is deployed between a vehicle side portion and an occupant by gas ejected from a gas generator, wherein the bag is directed toward a portion of the bag facing the occupant's abdomen. An air bag for side impact, wherein the gas generator is provided with an ejection port for ejecting gas inside the bag. 2. The guide member according to claim 1, wherein a guide member for guiding the gas ejected from the ejection port into the bag toward a portion of the bag facing the occupant's abdomen is provided at the ejection port. Airbag for side impact.