JP2004136769A - Vehicular seat equipped with side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular seat equipped with a side airbag device improved to enable inflating an airbag into a vehicular interior without resistance even when there is almost no clearance between a seat side end portion and a vehicular body. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular seat is equipped with the side airbag device that protects a passenger from impact by unfolding the airbag with gas pressure at side surface collision, between a vehicular interior and the passenger. An airbag module 9 composed of the folded airbag and a gas generator is arranged between a back surface of the side end portion of the seat 1 and the vehicular body, and a displaceable portion 2a capable of displacing by expansion force of the airbag 10 is provided in at least a part of the side end portion of the seat. The displaceable portion is displaced to open a clearance for inflating the airbag into the vehicular interior between a space with the vehicular body. Therefore, the side end portion of a seat back or a seat cushion is deformed, so that the airbag can be unfolded from a side part of the seat. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat provided with a side airbag device for protecting an occupant from the impact of a side collision.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a device for protecting an occupant from deformation of a vehicle body at the time of a side collision, for example, an airbag module including a folded airbag and a gas generator as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-272392 is mainly used as a seat. A side collision airbag device that is housed at the side end of the back or the side end of the seat cushion and inflates the airbag between the vehicle interior surface and the occupant when a side impact is detected has been developed. Are known.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-272392 (paragraph number 0003, FIG. 1)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described side collision airbag device, in the case of a front seat having a margin between the side end surface of the seat and the inner surface of the vehicle body, the inflation of the airbag stored in the side end portion of the seat is hindered. However, in the case of the rear seat, since there is almost no gap between the side end of the rear seat and the vehicle body, there is a limit to a reduction in resistance to inflate the airbag into the vehicle interior.
[0005]
The present invention has been devised in order to solve such a problem of the related art, and a main object of the present invention is to provide an airbag even when there is almost no gap between a seat side end and a vehicle body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat including a side airbag device improved so as to be able to inflate into a vehicle interior without resistance.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve such an object, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device that protects an occupant from an impact by deploying an airbag with gas pressure at the time of a side collision between a vehicle interior surface and an occupant. In a vehicle seat provided, an airbag module (9) including a folded airbag and a gas generator is disposed between the rear surface of a side end of the seat (1) and the vehicle body, and the airbag module is inflated by the inflation force of the airbag. A displaceable portion (2a) that can be displaced is provided on at least a part of the side end portion of the seat, and a gap (G) for displacing the displaceable portion and inflating the airbag into the vehicle compartment is opened.
[0007]
With this configuration, the side end of the seat back or the seat cushion is deformed, and the airbag can be deployed from the side of the seat.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0009]
FIG. 1 shows a side end of a rear seat constructed according to the present invention. The rear seat 1 includes a seat back 2 and a seat cushion 3, and is provided so that a side end portion covers a front portion of a bulge of a wheel house of a vehicle body, similarly to a known rear seat.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 2, the seat back 2 is provided with a frame plate 5 formed of a relatively hard synthetic resin material on a surface (rear surface) facing a sheet metal portion 4 constituting a vehicle body. A pad 6 made of urethane foam material is provided on the front surface, and the surface of the pad 6 is covered with a skin material 7 made of woven fabric, vinyl leather, or the like. A groove 8 is formed at an appropriate position of the contact surface of the pad 6 of the frame plate 5 so as to bend when a pushing force is applied from the back to the vehicle interior.
[0011]
A well-known airbag module 9 is housed in a space formed between the facing surfaces of the frame plate 5 and the sheet metal portion 4 at a position facing the portion where the groove 8 is formed.
[0012]
In the airbag module 9, a gas generator is activated by a signal from an acceleration sensor or the like generated by an impact at the time of a collision, the high-pressure gas generated at that time is blown into the airbag, and the airbag is instantly deployed into the vehicle interior. ing. When the inflation force toward the passenger compartment accompanying the deployment of the airbag 10 acts on the rear surface of the side end of the seat back 2, the linear thin portion formed by the groove 8 of the frame plate 5 exerts a hinge action. Then, the frame plate 5 is bent along the groove 8, and as shown in FIG. 3, an outer portion from the groove 8 at the side end of the seat back 2 is pushed forward.
[0013]
By providing the displaceable portion 2a which can be displaced by the inflation force of the airbag 10 in a part of the seatback 2 or the seat cushion 3 in this manner, when the airbag 10 inflates, the displacement of the seatback 2 or the seat cushion 3 occurs. A gap G is opened between the side end and the sheet metal portion 4, that is, the vehicle body, and the airbag 10 swells into the vehicle compartment with relatively little resistance. The inflating airbag 10 quickly moves the occupant's upper body to the non-collision side, and protects the occupant from the inwardly deformed vehicle body.
[0014]
The position at which the airbag 10 is deployed is not limited to the entire side end of the seat back 2 or the seat cushion 3, and a part for which the protection effect is particularly desired can be specified as necessary. For example, when it is desired to specify the displaceable part only in a part of the side end of the seat back 2 in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. Then, by sewing the divided portion and another general portion using a thread that can be cut with an appropriate tension, a specific portion can be easily torn. In this manner, by specifying the rupture site with the sewing line 11, the deployment performance of the airbag 10 can be prevented from being affected by the difference in the physical properties of the skin material 7.
[0015]
Since the airbag module 9 may have a known structure including a folded airbag and a gas generator, a detailed description is omitted here. The mounting position of the airbag module is not particularly limited as long as it can be fitted between the side end of the seatback 2 or the seat cushion 3 of the rear seat 1 and the vehicle body.
[0016]
5 to 7 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a fragile portion 12 is provided at a predetermined portion of the frame plate 5, and a specific portion is torn by the inflation force of the airbag 10. Further, a slit 13 is provided in the pad 6 corresponding to the fragile portion 12, and the skin material 7 is divided at a position corresponding to the slit 13 and sewn using a thread that can be cut with an appropriate tension. Then, the airbag module 9 is arranged close to the fragile portion 12 of the frame plate 5.
[0017]
Also in this configuration, when the airbag 10 is inflated, the fragile portion 12 and the sewing line 11 are torn by the inflation force, and the specific portion 2a of the seat back 2 (or the seat cushion 3) is displaced and the gap G is formed. The point that the airbag 10 opens (see FIG. 8) and swells into the vehicle compartment with relatively little resistance is the same as in the first embodiment.
[0018]
FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this configuration, the frame plate 5 is divided at a predetermined position, and the pad 6 and the skin material 7 are also divided according to the position of the dividing portion S. The dividing line of the skin material 7 is the seat back 2 or the seat cushion 3. Is sewn on the surface side of. The airbag module 9 is arranged at a portion of the frame plate 5 facing the dividing portion S.
[0019]
In this configuration, when the airbag 10 is inflated, the inflated airbag 10 pushes apart the divided portion S of the frame plate 5. Then, the inflation force of the airbag 10 is transmitted to the sewing line 11, the sewing line 11 is broken, a gap G is opened in the dividing portion S, and the airbag 10 inflates into the vehicle compartment with relatively little resistance (see FIG. 10). .
[0020]
If the sewing line 11 is set at a desired position, the deployed position of the airbag 10 can be set at a desired position.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 11, the pad 6 is divided, its edges are wrapped with a skin material 7, and both are brought into contact with each other to sew the skin material 7 on the surface side, and cut off the edge of the skin material 7. You may make it couple | bond with the edge part of the frame board 5 made.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
As described in detail above, according to the present invention, even if there is almost no gap between the side end of the seat and the vehicle body, a desired portion of the seat is easily torn and the portion is displaced. Since it is made possible, the seat does not hinder the inflation of the airbag provided on the back surface of the seat, and the airbag can be inflated into the vehicle compartment without resistance. Therefore, a great effect can be achieved in enhancing the effect of protecting the occupant from a side collision by the side airbag device provided between the seat and the vehicle body.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a rear seat to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of a rear seat showing another application example of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of a rear sheet showing still another application example of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5 showing the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5 showing the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the same plane as FIG. 6 when the bag is deployed. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 4 showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along the same plane as FIG. 9 at the time. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along the same plane as FIG. 9 showing a modification of the third embodiment of the present invention.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 rear seat 2 seat back 3 seat cushion 4 sheet metal part 5 frame plate 6 pad 7 skin material 8 groove 9 airbag module 10 airbag 11 sewing line 12 weak portion 13 slit

Claims (1)

A vehicle seat including a side airbag device that deploys an airbag with gas pressure during a side collision between a vehicle interior surface and an occupant to protect the occupant from impact,
An airbag module including a folded airbag and a gas generator is disposed between the rear surface of the side end of the seat and the vehicle body, and at least a part of the side end of the seat inflates the airbag. Provide a displaceable part that can be displaced by force,
A vehicle seat provided with a side airbag device, wherein a gap for displacing the displaceable portion and inflating the airbag into a vehicle compartment is opened.

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