JP2963462B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device for protecting an occupant by absorbing an impact generated at the time of a vehicle collision, and more particularly to an airbag device which is inflated by a high-pressure gas from an inflator at the time of a vehicle collision. The present invention relates to an airbag device including an airbag for receiving an occupant moving forward.

2. Description of the Related Art In an emergency such as a vehicle collision, an airbag device provided in a vehicle body fixing portion in front of a seat of an automobile is discharged from an inflator fixed to the vehicle body fixing portion such as a steering or a lower part of an instrument panel. It expands instantaneously due to the pressure of the reaction gas, and has a crucial role in protecting occupants from being injured due to collision with the vehicle body.

As shown in FIG. 5, such an airbag device 01
For example, when the magnitude of the deceleration of the vehicle is equal to or more than a certain magnitude, a gas generating agent is detonated by a collision signal from a collision detection sensor, and an inflator 02 that blows out gas, and the base is moved to the inflator 02. Fixed and inflator 02
And an airbag 03 that is inflated by gas ejected from the airbag. The airbag device 01 is attached to a vehicle body fixing portion such as a center portion of a steering wheel 04 or an instrument panel 05 in a state where the airbag 03 is folded and stored in a pad.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the gas generating agent in the inflator 02 reacts at the time of a vehicle collision, and the generated gas causes the airbag 03 to inflate and deploy instantaneously. As a result, the airbag 03 receives the occupant M moving forward due to inertia, and protects the occupant M from collision with the vehicle body.

By the way, among the airbags 03 in such an airbag device 01, the airbag 03 for the driver is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), a substantially circular front attached to the inflator side. The side base cloth 03a and the substantially circular rear base cloth 03b arranged so as to face the driver M are formed by sewing together the outer peripheral edges thereof. In this case, these base fabrics 03a and 03b are formed of a woven fabric composed of warp and weft, and the warp and weft directions of the front base fabric 03a and the warp and weft directions of the rear side 03b are respectively set. The stitches are stitched so as to cross each other at an angle of approximately 45 °. Since the warp direction and the weft direction of each of the front side base cloth 03a and the rear side base cloth 03b intersect by approximately 45 ° in this manner, the airbag 03 is inflated more roundly and uniformly at the time of inflation, Drivers coming forward can be effectively received.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such an airbag 03,
When the airbag is inflated by the high-temperature reaction gas from the inflator 02, the reaction gas softens the coating material applied to the base fabric, and the higher temperature and higher output reaction gas is generated due to the temperature dependence of the reaction gas. Will occur. When the coating material is softened and a high-output reactive gas is generated in this manner, a so-called opening phenomenon occurs in which the fabric structure is displaced at the sewn portion as shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the opening amount changes depending on the relative angle θ between the yarn direction of the woven fabric and the direction of the load applied to the base fabric. That is, the mesh is most frequently generated particularly at the portion where the yarn direction of the woven fabric and the load direction applied to the base fabric coincide (0 ° and 90 °), and at the portion where the yarn direction and the load direction intersect, the texture of the woven fabric changes. Since the base fabric expands and contracts due to the elasticity, the openings are reduced, and the opening amount is the smallest especially at a portion where the yarn direction and the load direction intersect at 45 °. Therefore, in the case of the airbag shown in FIG. 7, an aperture is formed in the vicinity of the sewn portion of the base cloth on the side where the direction of the applied force and the direction of the thread coincide.

Conventionally, in order to cope with such an opening phenomenon, the sewn portion is laid over the entire periphery as shown in FIG. 9 together with the base cloth, or as shown in FIG. Measures such as attaching a thin film sealing tape 06 were taken.

However, such a countermeasure means increases the number of suturing work steps, tape attaching work steps, and the like, and all of them have problems that not only workability is not good but also costs are high. In addition, since the relatively thick sewn portion is further sewn or a tape is stuck to the sewn portion, the sewn portion is further thickened, and the space for folding and storing, that is, the package volume is large. There is also a problem that it becomes.

Therefore, as a result of further studies and studies on the tendency of the openings to occur, it has been found that the openings occur during the bag inflation process, and also occur at specific portions depending on how the bag is folded. That is, if the up-down direction m and the left-right direction n of the airbag 03 are defined as the up-down direction and the left-right direction of the airbag in a state where the airbag 03 is mounted on the vehicle, FIGS. 11A and 11B show an example. As shown in the figure, generally, the airbag 03 is first folded in the vertical direction m from the upper or lower part, or folded left and right in the horizontal direction n. If the airbag 03 is folded first in the vertical direction m, the openings are concentrated at the upper and lower sewn portions in the vertical direction m, and the airbag is moved right and left. It was found that in the case of folding first in the direction n, the openings were concentrated on the suturing portions located on the left and right sides.

Therefore, as in the prior art, the seam is stitched over the entire circumference of the sewn portion to increase the absolute strength of the sewn portion, or a thin film sealing tape for preventing the passage of high-temperature gas from the opening is applied over the entire circumference of the sewn portion. If they were to wear them, they would have to take measures against apertures to the point where they were not so necessary, and it could not be said that aperture measures were being implemented efficiently.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently and easily provide an opening suppression means such as face-down sewing or sticking of a seal tape, and furthermore, the opening phenomenon is prevented. An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can be effectively and reliably suppressed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can be made bulky even when the airbag is folded, and that can be manufactured at low cost.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve this problem, the present invention relates to a first base fabric and a second base fabric which are formed from a woven fabric in which warp yarns and weft yarns are woven and are stitched around each other. And an airbag device having an airbag inflated by high-pressure gas from an inflator, wherein a stitching portion of the first base fabric and the second base fabric includes a first base fabric and a second base fabric. At least one of the base fabrics is provided with aperture suppression means over a predetermined range along the direction of the warp or weft yarn of the base cloth, and the airbag is configured such that its first folding direction is the aperture suppression means. It is characterized by being folded in the same direction as the direction.

[Operation] According to the airbag apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration, the opening is suppressed at the seam of the two base fabrics in which the direction of the warp or the weft is the same as the direction of the first folding of the airbag. Means will be provided along the direction of the initial folding of the airbag. Therefore, the portion of the stitched portion of the base cloth where the openings are concentrated most is effectively protected because the openings are suppressed by the opening suppressing means.

Therefore, when the airbag is inflated, the opening of the airbag is effectively suppressed.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment showing an installation direction of an airbag in an airbag device according to the present invention.

The airbag 1 used in this embodiment has a circular front-side (inflator mounting side) base cloth 1a and a rear-side base cloth 1b of the same shape as the conventional airbag shown in FIG. Are formed by sewing. In this case, the warp and the weft of the front base fabric 1a and the warp and the weft of the rear base fabric 1b are sewn at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the airbag 1 is attached, the directions of the warp and the weft of the front side base fabric 1a are inclined at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction m, n. Also, the rear base fabric 1b is mounted so that the direction of the warp yarns matches the vertical direction, and the direction of the weft yarns matches the horizontal direction. And, the base fabrics 1a, 1b located in the vertical direction
FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B)
As shown in FIG. That is,
The stitched portion of the front side base cloth 1a and the rear side base cloth 1b and the rear side base cloth 1b are partially stitched. As a result, the absolute strength of the sewn portion is increased, and in particular, the vicinity of the sewn portion of the warp of the rear base fabric 1b is reinforced.

In the airbag 1 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, for example, the airbag 1 is first folded in the vertical direction m and then in the horizontal direction n by a method similar to the conventional one shown in FIG.
And is stored in the pad.

Then, for example, when a reaction gas is ejected by the operation of the inflator at the time of a vehicle collision or the like, the airbag 1 is inflated by the reaction gas. In this case, since the first folding direction of the airbag 1 is the vertical direction m, the openings are concentrated on the side of the rear fabric 1b at the sewn portions located in the vertical direction m. That is, when the airbag 1 is inflated, a large vertical force is applied to the warp of the rear base fabric 1b of the stitched portion located in the vertical direction of the airbag 1.

However, the warp in this portion of the suture portion is reinforced by partial face-down stitches a and b, so that the opening in the suture portion is reliably suppressed even when a large force as described above is applied. Become. Thus, the face-down stitches a and b constitute the aperture suppressing means of the present invention in this embodiment.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the airbag is inflated, the downturn stitches a,
Since b is performed, the aperture is efficiently suppressed. In addition, since the face-down stitches a and b are not performed over the entire circumference of the base cloth, the work is extremely simple without waste, and the seam portion is not particularly thick, so that it can be folded without being bulky. That is, the package volume of the airbag 1 is reduced. When the airbag 1 is attached so that the first folding direction of the airbag 1 matches the direction of the thread of the front side base cloth 1a, the face-down stitches a and b correspond to the stitched portion and the front side base cloth 1a. Cloth 1a
And sew together. The range of the cover stitches a and b is appropriately determined according to the output of the inflator.

 FIG. 2 is a view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

Also in this embodiment, it is assumed that the airbag 1 is attached and folded in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

In this embodiment, a seal tape 2 similar to the seal tape 06 shown in FIG. 10 is adhered to the inner surface of the rear base fabric 1b including the sewn portion over a predetermined range. The sealing tape 2 not only reinforces the portion near the seam of the rear base fabric 1b, but also completely seals the seam and texture of the portion with the sealing tape 2. Become.

Therefore, even if a large force is applied in the vertical direction when the airbag is inflated, the warp of the rear side base cloth 1b will
Since the openings are reinforced, the openings are suppressed. Even if a slight opening occurs, the reaction gas does not leak because the sealing tape 2 completely seals the portion. Thus, the seal tape 2 constitutes the aperture suppressing means of the present invention in this embodiment.

Also in this embodiment, since the seal tape 2 is stuck to the portion where the opening of the base cloth stitching portion is concentrated, the seal tape 2 is applied over the entire circumference of the stitching portion of the base cloth 1b as in the related art. The work is greatly simplified as compared with the case of sticking. In addition, since the sealing tape 2 can be relatively short, not only can the material be saved, but also the airbag can be folded without being bulky. The sticking length of the sealing tape 2 is determined according to the output of the inflator.

Further, instead of the seal tape 2, a sealant (filler) may be applied to the seal tape-attached portion of the sewn portion by spraying or the like.

FIG. 3 is a view showing still another embodiment of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, it is assumed that the airbag 1 is attached in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

In this embodiment, instead of the sealing tape 2 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a patch cloth 3 is fixed to almost the same portion. That is, the patch cloth 3 is attached to the upper and lower parts of the peripheral edge serving as the stitching portion of the rear base cloth 1b over a predetermined range by, for example, sewing, and then the front base cloth 1a and the rear base cloth 1a Is sutured. By fixing the backing cloth 3 in this manner, the rear base cloth 1b is protected from the openings.

As described above, the patch cloth 3 constitutes the aperture suppressing means of the present invention in this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing still another embodiment of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, it is assumed that the airbag 1 is attached and folded in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

In this embodiment, the front side base cloth 1a and the rear side base cloth 1b are formed by bonding the upper and lower portions of a portion to be sewn together with an adhesive c over a predetermined range, and then forming a peripheral edge of the base cloth. Stitched together over the entire circumference. Also in this embodiment, since the portions where the openings are concentrated are joined by the adhesive c, misalignment is reliably prevented.

As described above, the adhesive c forms the aperture suppressing means of the present invention in this embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the airbag 1 is
Although the warp and the weft of 1b are attached so that the vertical and horizontal directions are m and n, the present invention sets the airbag 1 so that the warp of the front base fabric 1a is in the vertical direction m,
The present invention can also be applied to an airbag device in which the warp and the weft of the rear base fabric 1b are biased at an angle of 45 ° with the vertical direction m. In this case, since openings are generated in the front side base cloth 1a, it goes without saying that the seal tape 2, the sealant and the backing cloth 3 are provided on the front side base cloth 1a.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the first folding direction of the airbag 1 is the vertical direction m. However, the present invention can be applied to an airbag device in which the airbag 1 is first folded in the left-right direction n. . Furthermore, the airbag 1 can be folded from directions other than the vertical and horizontal directions m and n. In such a case, it is sufficient to provide a mesh opening suppressing means at the suturing portion located in the folding direction. In short, what is necessary is just to fold the airbag from the direction in which the opening suppression means of the base cloth stitching portion is provided when the airbag is attached.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the airbag device of the present invention, the stitched portion of two base cloths in which the direction of the warp or the weft is the same as the direction of the first folding of the airbag. In addition, since the aperture suppression means is provided along the direction of the first folding of the airbag, the seam where the aperture is most likely to be concentrated and generated when the airbag is inflated is reduced by the aperture suppression means from the aperture phenomenon. Safe and effective protection can be provided.

In addition, since the aperture suppression means is provided in the portion where the aperture is most likely to occur, and the aperture suppression means is not provided in other portions, the work of providing the aperture suppression means is relatively easy. At the same time, the material for the aperture suppressing means can be largely saved, and the airbag can be manufactured at low cost.

In addition, since the seam of the base fabric does not become thick and it is not bulky even when folded, the effect of reducing the package volume of the airbag is also obtained,
In particular, since the space for installing the airbag is narrow, it is extremely important to reduce the package volume.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B show an embodiment of an airbag in an airbag device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a front view thereof, FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line IB-IB of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an example, FIG. 5 is a view showing a general airbag device installed in an automobile, FIG. 6 is a view showing a conventional airbag, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the opening amount with respect to the angle between the direction of the yarn of the base fabric and the load, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a conventional countermeasure for the opening, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a view showing another conventional countermeasure for opening, and FIG. 11 is a view for explaining how to fold the airbag. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Airbag, 2 ... Seal tape (mesh opening suppressing means), 3 ... Patch cloth (mesh opening suppressing means), a, b ... Face-down sewing (mesh opening suppressing means), c ... Adhesive ( Aperture suppression means)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An airbag formed of a woven fabric in which warp yarns and weft yarns are woven and sewn around each other, and is inflated by high-pressure gas from an inflator. In the airbag device, at a seam of the first base cloth and the second base cloth, at least one of the first base cloth and the second base cloth has a warp or a weft direction of the base cloth. Aperture suppressing means is provided over a predetermined range along the airbag, and the airbag is folded with its initial folding direction set in the same direction as the direction of the opening suppressing means. Airbag device. 2. The airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first folding direction of the airbag is a vertical direction or a horizontal direction in a state where the airbag is mounted.