JP2004182113A - Airbag type protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag type protection device for buffering shock without being dependent on an excessive pneumatic pressure and continuing to support a worker for a long period of time even under its lateral falling state. <P>SOLUTION: This airbag device 14 inflates an air bag 2 with a pneumatic flow generated by an inflator 5. A soft elastic material 3 for buffering shock is mixed into the airbag 2 together with air gas when the airbag device 14 is operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an airbag device for inflating an airbag by an air pressure flow generated by an inflator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an airbag device is known to be inflated instantaneously when a vehicle collides with an obstacle or the like to protect a passenger's head or the like.
The operation principle of the airbag device shown at 14 in FIG. 6A is as follows. First, a sudden change in acceleration is captured by the acceleration detection sensor 8a to determine collision, and the explosive is ignited by the electric heater shown in FIG. It is. This becomes a fire and ignites an enhancer (conductant) in the inflator 5 to burn the gas generating agent 6 (compounds such as sodium azide and molybdenum disulfide), thereby instantaneously generating a large amount of nitrogen gas. Then, this gas pressure breaks through the notch of the pad and flows into the airbag bag 2, and the volume of the bag 2 is rapidly expanded by the airflow indicated by Z1 in FIG.
In FIG. 6A, reference numeral 2 denotes a state in which the airbag bag is folded, and in FIG. 6B, reference numeral 2 denotes a state in which the airbag bag is inflated in a dotted line direction in the drawing. Things.
That is, in the prior art, the impact of a light load (such as the head) is avoided by a pneumatic cushion that instantly inflates like a balloon from an instantaneous event of a collision.
On the other hand, it is known that a powerful pneumatic cushion that inflates instantaneously puts the elderly and children at risk from the pressing force, and in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-165608 (Patent Document 1) and the like, In order to control the inflation speed of the bag, the peak pressure P at the time of inflation is weakened by time difference ignition of the two inflators indicated by 50 and 51 in FIG. Slightly lasting ones have been proposed.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-225573 (Patent Document 2), an airbag is provided in a cabin of a hydraulic shovel, and an inflator is provided so as to be capable of continuously supplying gas to generate gas as in Patent Document 1. Alternatively, a method has been proposed in which a spray of instantaneous condensation is sprayed into a room to cover the glass with a resin material or the like.
That is, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, the airbag is inflated instantaneously by the collision, and the inflation pressure and the inflation time within a short time between the moments are controlled.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-165608 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-225573
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The configuration of the above-described conventional airbag device is a configuration whose main purpose is to deal with an instantaneous event of a collision, and there is a problem in an application in which a mitigation action must be maintained for a relatively long time. Had.
That is, for example, in heavy equipment such as construction equipment, the fall of the aircraft has been a serious problem from the past, and the rollover of the aircraft is slow, unlike instantaneous operations such as collisions seen in car accidents and the like. It has been said that there is a problem in protecting a worker with a conventional airbag device because the vehicle is kept falling down at a speed and still standing.
That is, unless the airbag bag is inflated instantly after detecting the inclination of the fuselage, the operator receives gravity in the direction of the inclination of the aircraft and is pushed down to the side, while detecting the inclination of the aircraft and instantaneously inflates the air. If the bag bag is inflated, the peak of the air pressure of the air bag bag will pass while the airframe is tilting, and the inflator inflation pressure required in the event of a critical rollover collision that will strike after that has already burned out and almost no pressure Is in a holding state that cannot be increased.
Therefore, in a holding state in which the pressure cannot be increased, while the weight of the operator keeps falling constantly, a subsequent rollover impact occurs, and there is a problem in protecting the operator with the airbag device.
In other words, even after a rollover impact, in a posture state where the weight of the worker continues to apply a rebound impact, a rolling impact, or an impact at the time of slippage, the airbag pressure withstands a local pressure for a relatively long time. While it must be maintained without lowering, an airbag device with excessive air pressure places a heavy burden on elderly workers, and the surface of the airbag bag is stretched over the pan and is not supported by a seat belt or the like. There is a problem that a body that is rolling over is displaced by the airbag pressure.
In addition, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. H11-165608 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-225573 (Patent Document 2), which show a conventional example, maintain an appropriate pressure. In order to maintain the inflation pressure for a long time, it is necessary to prepare a number of inflators and ignite them continuously for a long time, so that the peak pressure P is increased for a long time. However, there is a problem in that the above-described method can be maintained stably over a long period of time to avoid the above-mentioned overturning impact.
In the instantaneous connection spray disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-225573 (Patent Document 2), by operating the device toward a wall surface in a state where it is about to fall, an arm or the like which is stepped on to support weight is momentarily applied. It is hardened by tying and causes danger such as a fracture. Conversely, if the setting speed is slow or the spraying operation is delayed, there is no protection effect because the body is already leaning against the wall surface There are various restrictions on use, such as the problem of the operation timing and the spraying method of instantaneously attaching to the entire surface of the glass.
[0004]
Therefore, for vehicles that move around such as civil engineering or agricultural machinery and are at risk of falling over, they do not rely on excessive air pressure and absorb rollover impact even when their weight is constantly falling, and There has been a demand for an airbag that has a pressure-resistant sustaining element that can support a long time and that protects a worker in a cabin (operator cab) from a fall accident.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag-type protection device that relieves impact without relying on excessive air pressure and continues to support an operator for a long time even in a rollover state.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An airbag protection device according to the present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems by providing an airbag device that inflates an airbag bag by an air pressure flow generated by an inflator. It is characterized in that a soft elastic material for absorbing impact is mixed therein.
Further, it is preferable that the soft elastic material to be mixed is composed of a large number of soft elastic material pieces, and the soft elastic material pieces are sponge pieces.
Further, if the soft elastic material compressed in the air passage through which the air pressure flow generated by the inflator is mixed into the airbag bag, the mixing of the cushioning material can be realized with a simple configuration at a low cost.
On the other hand, if the soft elastic material to be mixed is compressed and held in the replenishing device connected to the air passage through which the air pressure flow generated by the inflator flows, a large amount of the soft elastic material can be put into the relatively large airbag bag. Can be mixed.
And, as long as it protects workers working in the cabin provided in the vehicle of the working machine such as construction machinery and agricultural machinery from falling impact, the protection function is greatly reduced without losing the cushion function even in the case of falling. Improvement can be maintained.
[0006]
(Action)
With the above configuration, the present invention can perform the following operations. That is, in an airbag device that inflates an airbag bag by an air pressure flow generated by an inflator, a soft elastic material for absorbing impact is mixed into the airbag bag together with air gas during operation of the airbag device. The gas (air) and the soft elastic material coexist in the bag.
The soft elastic material put in the airbag bag can be used even when the airbag bag receives local overpressure due to a convex part of a human body, for example, when the airbag receives external pressure and the air pressure decreases. It is possible to completely prevent the convex portion of the human body from directly colliding with a wall or the like at the pressure point. Conversely, even if the soft elastic material placed in the airbag bag is on a wall with some protrusions such as irregularities, the protrusions will be subject to local overpressure as described above, Therefore, it is possible to prevent the human body from directly colliding with the protrusions.
In other words, without relying on excessive air pressure, which is a burden for the elderly, etc., the cushioning effect is maintained by the soft elastic material existing between the human body and the side walls, etc., even at a low air pressure, and this cushioning effect By supporting the excessive pressurization applied to the airbag bag, the airbag and the soft elastic material can serve as a cushion for long-time support.
[0007]
Further, if the soft elastic material to be mixed is composed of a number of soft elastic material pieces and the soft elastic material piece is a sponge piece, the soft elastic material pieces of the sponge can be easily mixed into the airbag bag by an air flow. In addition, the sponge material has a wide variety of materials from hard to soft. If the sponge is blown into the airbag bag at high speed under the air pressure of the inflator, it is a soft elastic body, so it is safe even if it hits a human body.
[0008]
Furthermore, if the soft elastic material compressed in the air passage through which the air pressure flow generated by the inflator is mixed into the airbag bag, the soft elastic material in the air passage can be extremely easily formed by the pressure of the air pressure flow generated by the inflator. The material can be mixed into the airbag bag, and the mixing means can be realized at a low cost with a simple configuration.
[0009]
On the other hand, if the soft elastic material to be mixed is compressed and held in the replenishing device coupled to the air passage through which the air pressure flow generated by the inflator flows, since the soft elastic material is a soft resilient material, even a small replenishing device is used. A large amount of soft elastic material can be compressed and stored, and the blown-out soft elastic body expands significantly in the airbag, so that a large amount of soft elastic material is mixed into the relatively large airbag. be able to.
[0010]
And, if it protects workers working in the cabin provided in the vehicle of the working machine such as construction machine or agricultural machine from the fall impact, the machine body may start to tilt and work in the airbag bag containing only air. Considering the case where the weight of the person continues to be applied, the air in the bag absorbs the pressure of the weight, but if the inflator is burned out, the pressure must no longer increase and continue to be supported. Will not be. In this state, if a dynamic load accompanying a rollover impact is received, the internal air pressure is excessively overpressurized. When this state continues or is repeated for a long time, the pressure in the airbag bag is steadily decreasing, and eventually the shock cannot be absorbed, and the role as a cushion is lost.
However, in the above-described configuration in which the gas (air) and the soft elastic material coexist in the bag, the soft elastic material put in the airbag bag completely removes the airbag at the local overpressure point. When the air is over-pressed by a dynamic load such as a rollover impact, the worker is supported by the soft elastic material when the air is over-pressed by a dynamic load such as a rollover impact. With this support, that is, while the cushioning action is maintained by the soft elastic material existing between the worker and the object such as the side wall, the air pressure of the airbag squeezes into the generated gap, so that the excess In addition to preventing pressurization, the wraparound air pressure and the soft elastic material can support the static load of the worker for a long time and serve as a cushion.
This point is greatly different from airbag bags that only use air. Bags containing soft elastic materials are more friendly to humans, in addition to protecting them from shock without escaping air pressure due to local pressure. A protective element that supports the human body for a long time can be provided.
[0011]
As described above, it is possible to reduce the impact without depending on the excessive air pressure, and to keep the worker supported for a long time even in the rollover state.
[0012]
【Example】
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the principle of an airbag type protection device 1 of the present invention, in which an inclination sensor 8, an ignition device 7, an inflator 5 having a gas generating agent 6, and an air passage 4 containing a soft elastic material 3 are provided. , An airbag 2.
Here, the inclination sensor indicated by 8 in FIG. 1A detects the inclination of the machine body of the working machine. Heater is ignited.
This becomes a kind of fire and ignites an enhancer (conductant) in the inflator 5 to burn a gas generating agent 6 (a compound such as sodium azide and molybdenum disulfide), thereby instantaneously generating a large amount of nitrogen gas. .
Then, due to the air pressure flow generated by the inflator 5, the air gas flows out to the air passage 4 connecting the inflator 5 and the airbag 2, and the soft elastic elasticity for relaxing the impact is provided in the air passage 4. The material 3 is compressed and inserted, and the soft elastic material 3 is extruded in the direction indicated by Z1 in FIG. Both the air pressure flow and the soft elastic material are omitted for the sake of illustration, but break through the notch of the holding pad for holding the folded airbag bag 2, flow into the airbag bag 2, and flow into the airbag bag 2. The volume is expanded rapidly.
Therefore, in this state, the air gas and the expanded soft elastic material 3 are mixed in the airbag bag 2.
[0013]
The soft elastic material 3 mixed here is composed of a number of soft elastic material pieces made of a hard material. 3A and 3B, 3b shows a state where the soft elastic material 3 is compressed, and 3c shows a state where the soft elastic material 3 is expanded. 1 (a) and 1 (b) is provided at the entrance of the air passage 4 to prevent the soft elastic material 3 from flowing back into the inflator.
On the other hand, the soft elastic material indicated by 3 in FIG. 2A is a sponge piece 3a, and the cover indicated by 12 in FIG. 2 is a cover for compressing the sponge 3 and keeping it in the air passage. In addition, the cover indicated by 12 in FIG. 2B is broken by the air pressure generated by the inflator, and the soft elastic material 3 is mixed into the airbag bag 2. Here, the sponge piece 3a mixed in the airbag bag 2 is released from the compression and expands to greatly increase its volume.
Here, the dotted lines in FIG. 1 (b) and FIG. 2 (b) show how the airbag bag 2 is inflated. Further, in the configuration of FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those of FIG. 1, and the detailed description is omitted.
[0014]
As described above, if the soft elastic material 3 disposed in the air passage 4 through which the air pressure flow generated by the inflator 5 is mixed into the airbag bag 2, the soft elastic material 3 is put into the airbag bag 2. The mixing device can be realized with a simple configuration.
[0015]
Next, a detailed description will be given of a method of supplying the soft elastic material 3 with reference to FIG. Note that, in the configuration of FIG. 3, the same parts as those of FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0016]
As long as the soft elastic material 3 to be mixed is supplied from the replenishing device shown in FIG. 3 connected with the branch in the air passage 4, a large amount of soft Elastic material 3 can be mixed.
In the supply device 11 shown in FIG. 3A, the movable member 11a is stopped by the lock 11b in a state where the spring 11c is contracted, and the soft elastic members 3 and 3a are provided on the upper side of the movable member 11a as shown in FIG. It is plugged with the cover shown and compressed and packed.
Here, when the inclination sensor 8 makes a fall determination, airflow from the inflator 5 indicated by Z1 in FIG. 3B is generated, and the lock shown by 11b in FIG. As a result, the movable member 11a is pushed up in the Z2 direction in the figure.
The cover 11d is torn by this pushing-up operation, and the soft elastic material 3 packed in the replenishing device 11 is pushed out at a stretch in the direction of the air passage 4 indicated by Z3 in the drawing while keeping the compressed state. The soft elastic material 3 is carried into the airbag bag 2 indicated by Z4 in the drawing on the airflow from the inflator 5 described above. Here, the soft elastic material 3 mixed into the airbag bag 2 is released from the external pressure and greatly expands in the bag.
[0017]
Next, the operation concept of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram in which the principle of the airbag protection device 1 of the above embodiment is applied to a cabin indicated by 20 in FIG.
When the airbag protection device 1 disposed on the upper side surface inside the cabin 20 detects the inclination indicated by R1 in FIG. 4B, the airbag protection device 1 first uses the airflow of the inflator, which is omitted for convenience of the drawing. After opening, the air gas and the soft elastic material 3 are mixed into the airbag bag 2. Therefore, the airbag is inflated in the lateral direction inside the cabin 20 to protect a worker in the cabin 20 from falling down in the overturning direction. In this inclined state, the weight of the worker is continuously applied to the airbag 2.
Next, when the cabin 20 collides with the ground indicated by reference numeral 22 in FIG. 4C when the body falls, the impact of the collision first absorbs the impact with the air gas in the airbag bag 2 while the airbag absorbs the impact. The bag 2 receives the dynamic load of the worker whose weight is falling in the direction indicated by R in the figure. Here, since the soft elastic material 3 in the airbag bag 2 is inserted between the worker and the side wall of the cabin 20, even if a local overpressure occurs due to an impact, the soft elastic material 3 is supported by the contraction pressure of the soft elastic material 3. At the same time, the air gas in the airbag bag 2 is dispersed to other space gaps, and both the soft elastic material 3 and the air gas serve to support the worker.
[0018]
On the other hand, the hydraulic excavator 23 shown in FIG. 5 is working in a high place, and in the related art, if a fall accident occurs, the hydraulic excavator 23 falls down from a high place while tilting slowly, resulting in an excessive airbag. Although it was difficult to protect the worker 28 in the cabin 20 without pressure, this is an example of the use of protecting the worker 28 by the operation shown in FIG.
Since the configuration of FIG. 5 is common to that of FIG. 4, in FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c), common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description is omitted.
Reference numeral 23 shown in FIG. 5A is a hydraulic excavator that performs work at a high place. An operator 28 operates the aircraft in the cabin 20. The airbag protection device 1 shown in FIG. 5 (b) detects the inclination and mixes the air gas and the soft elastic material 3 into the airbag bag 2 expanded by the airflow of the inflator. .
Reference numeral 23 shown in FIG. 6C indicates a hydraulic excavator when it falls down. First, the worker 28 is also falling down on the airbag 2 due to the falling posture of the body. Subsequently, while the impact due to the strong collision applied to the cabin 20 is temporarily absorbed by the air pressure in the airbag bag 2 serving as a cushion, the air in the airbag bag 2 that receives the rollover impact is instantaneously transferred to the working vehicle 28. Is subjected to overload compression. Then, when the airbag bag 2 comes into a sprinkle, the soft elastic material 3 starts to act to support the dynamic load of the worker due to the rollover operation of the hydraulic excavator 23, and the airbag is formed in the space made of the soft elastic material 3. The air pressure in the bag 2 spreads, and the worker 28 continues to be supported for a long time on a large surface so as to assist the soft elastic material 3.
[0019]
As described above, the airbag-type shock-absorbing device of the present invention can be used for vehicles such as civil engineering and agricultural machines that perform moving operations and pose a danger of falling. Even in such a state, an effect of protecting a worker in the cabin (operating cab) from a fall accident is provided by absorbing a rollover impact and also having a pressure-resistant sustaining element for sustaining a long time.
[0020]
In the above embodiment, the soft elastic material 3 is a hard sponge piece 3a, but the material is not limited to a sponge as long as the material is soft, and may be, for example, cotton. , May be feathers. Further, FIG. 5 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to the inside of the cabin 20 of the excavator 23. However, the present invention is not limited to the excavator, and is a work vehicle such as a tractor, a truck, a dump truck, a Russell vehicle, or a public passenger vehicle. It may be applied to or a shared bus. 4 and 5, the airbag bag 2 is drawn so that the state of the soft elastic material 3 inside can be understood for convenience of explanation. That is, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible based on the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an airbag-type protection device that alleviates an impact without depending on excessive air pressure and continues to support a worker for a long time even in a rollover state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and (a) and (b) are principle diagrams.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show another embodiment, in which FIGS.
3 (a) and 3 (b) each show a principle diagram of the replenishing device. FIG.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show the operation, and FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are conceptual diagrams.
FIGS. 5A to 5C are perspective views each showing an example of the application.
FIGS. 6A and 6B show a conventional example, in which FIGS. 6A and 6B are principle diagrams, and FIG. 6C is a graph.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 airbag type protection device 2 airbag bag 3 soft elastic material 3 a hard sponge piece 4 air passage 11 supply device 11 a movable member 11 b lock 11 c spring 11 d cover 13 net 14 airbag device 20 cabin 28 worker

Claims (5)

In an airbag device for inflating an airbag bag by an air pressure flow generated by an inflator,
An airbag type protection device characterized in that a soft elastic material for absorbing impact is mixed together with air gas into the airbag bag during operation of the airbag device. 2. The airbag protection device according to claim 1, wherein the soft elastic material to be mixed is composed of a number of soft elastic material pieces, and the soft elastic material pieces are sponge pieces. 3. The airbag protection device according to claim 1, wherein the soft elastic material compressed in the air passage through which the air pressure flow generated by the inflator flows is mixed into the airbag bag. 4. The airbag protection device according to claim 1, wherein the soft elastic material to be mixed is compressed and held in a replenishing device connected to an air passage through which an air pressure flow generated by the inflator flows. The airbag-type protection device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, which protects a worker who works in a cabin provided on a vehicle of a working machine such as a construction machine or an agricultural machine from falling impact.

Images