JP5053520B2 - Airbag - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is, for example, about the airbags to expand opposite the leg portion of the occupant of the motor vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called knee airbag device, which is a knee protection airbag device that deploys an airbag facing an occupant's knee or the like seated on an automobile seat, is known. This knee airbag device is disposed, for example, below the steering wheel in front of the driver's seat or below the glove box in front of the passenger seat on the instrument panel, and the control device detects an impact such as a frontal collision of the vehicle. When the airbag is folded, the airbag stored in a folded state is deployed between the instrument panel and the occupant's knee, and the occupant's knee is restrained and protected (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ). Then, this airbag has a bag-like shape by folding one sheet of woven fabric and stitching the periphery, and a plurality of strip-shaped tethers are sewn inside the airbag so that the airbag is deployed. The thickness dimension is regulated.
JP 2003-205816 A (page 4-5, FIG. 5 to FIG. 6)

  In the above conventional configuration, although the thickness dimension at the time of deployment is regulated by the tether, since the inside of the airbag becomes one air chamber, when the knee comes into contact with the deployed airbag with a strong force, the knee May bottom, i.e. abut against the instrument panel. Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the volume of the airbag, but the enlargement of the airbag may be restricted depending on the mounting position of the airbag and the layout of the seat and interior members when the airbag is deployed, When the size of the airbag is increased, it is necessary to increase the output of the inflator that supplies gas to the airbag, which increases the size of the device and increases the manufacturing cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a airbags that can effectively protect the occupant.

The airbag according to claim 1 has an airbag main body portion including a front base fabric portion and a rear base fabric portion, forming a bag-like outer shell and having an interior as an air chamber. An airbag that is deployed between the lower limbs of a seated occupant, and is positioned below the upper protection part, which is deployed opposite to the occupant's knee and restrains the occupant's knee. The lower protection part that expands and restrains the ankle side of the occupant, and is positioned between the upper protection part and the lower protection part, and faces the shin part of the occupant and is more deployed than the upper protection part and the lower protection part. An intermediate protective portion having a small volume and a belt-like base fabric having a length dimension that defines the entire length of the air chamber in the width direction, and both side edges along the longitudinal direction are the front base fabric portion and the rear base. both ends in the longitudinal direction the airbag body portion while being joined by sewing in a substantially hermetically cloth part Are joined by sewing in a substantially airtight on both sides, the first barrier ribs partitioning between and between the intermediate protective portion and the lower protection portion of the intermediate protective portion and the upper protecting portion over the entire width of the air bag and A partition portion which is a second partition, and a hole-shaped ventilation portion which is provided in the first partition and the second partition and through which the gas can be inserted, are supplied from the lower protection portion. It is supplied to the upper protection part via the intermediate protection part, the protection part is communicated only with the ventilation part, and the ventilation part of the first partition and the ventilation part of the second partition are gas flow Arranged so that the position is shifted with respect to the direction , gas is supplied, and the lower protective part, the intermediate protective part, and the upper protective part are sequentially developed from the lower side to the upper side in this order .

In this configuration, the knee of the occupant seated by the upper protection part is restrained with the airbag deployed, and the movement of the occupant is suppressed, and the occupant is placed below the upper protection part by the lower protection part. It is prevented from moving so as to sink. Although much of the passenger's load due to inertia is applied to the upper protection part, the inside of the airbag is partitioned across the entire width by the partition part and communicates only with the ventilation part, so that each protection part is deployed in order and protected Since the flow of gas between the parts is restricted, excessively fast contraction of the upper protection part is suppressed, and the occupant is stably supported. For this reason, it is not necessary to increase the volume of the airbag more than necessary, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. And an airbag is located between an upper protection part and a lower protection part, an intermediate protection part with a smaller volume at the time of deployment than these upper protection part and lower protection part, the intermediate protection part, and the upper protection part and a partition wall for partitioning between the lower protection portion, and between the intermediate protective portion, for providing the intermediate protective part volume during deployment is smaller than the upper protection portion and a lower protecting portion, the passenger of The pressure on the shin portion is easily suppressed. Furthermore, since the supplied gas is supplied from the lower protective part to the upper protective part via the intermediate protective part, it is possible to quickly deploy the lower protective part that requires a large volume with respect to the upper protective part. become. In addition, it is not necessary to connect the upper protection part to the gas supply member side, and the upper protection part can be moved following the movement of the occupant. Furthermore, since the flow part of the first partition wall and the flow part of the second partition wall do not communicate with each other in a straight line, when the airbag is deployed, the supplied gas fills each protection part from the lower side to the upper side. The airbag can be stably deployed.

Then, the airbag, comprising an inflator for supplying gas to the airbag, the mounting surface portion, if you configure the vehicle instrument panel, small between the occupant seated with vehicle instrument panel Provided is an airbag device that can effectively protect an occupant seated in a space.

According to the present invention, in the state where the airbag is deployed, the occupant's knees seated by the upper protection part can be restrained and the movement of the occupant can be suppressed, and the occupant can be placed below the upper protection part by the lower protection part. It is possible to prevent moving so as to sink. The inside of the airbag is partitioned across the entire width by the partition wall and communicates only with the ventilation part, so that each protection part can be deployed in a reliable and sequential manner, and excessively fast contraction of the upper protection part is suppressed, and the occupant is supported stably. it can. For this reason, it is not necessary to increase the volume of the airbag more than necessary, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. And an airbag is located between an upper protection part and a lower protection part, an intermediate protection part with a smaller volume at the time of deployment than these upper protection part and lower protection part, the intermediate protection part, and the upper protection part And a partition wall section that divides the intermediate protection section and the lower protection section, and an intermediate protection section having a smaller volume when deployed than the upper protection section and the lower protection section is provided. The pressure on the shin portion can be easily suppressed. Furthermore, since the supplied gas is supplied from the lower protective part to the upper protective part via the intermediate protective part, the lower protective part requiring a large volume with respect to the upper protective part can be quickly deployed. Further, it is not necessary to connect the upper protection part to the gas supply member side, and the upper protection part can be moved following the movement of the occupant. Furthermore, since the flow part of the first partition wall and the flow part of the second partition wall do not communicate with each other in a straight line, when the airbag is deployed, the supplied gas fills each protection part from the lower side to the upper side. The airbag can be stably deployed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the airbags of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an airbag. As shown in FIG. 1, an airbag device 2 provided with the airbag 1 faces a compartment 4 of a vehicle body of a vehicle as a mounted member. It is arrange | positioned at the panel 5 as a mounting surface part. And this airbag apparatus 2 is also called a knee airbag apparatus, and when subjected to an impact such as a frontal collision, the airbag apparatus 2 is deployed so as to face the feet of the occupant A shown by a dummy in FIG. The lower limb A1 of the occupant A is restrained to protect the occupant A. Hereinafter, the direction such as the front-rear direction is based on the straight direction of the vehicle body, that is, the front F as the anti-occupant direction, the rear B, the upper U, the lower D, opposite to the front F and the occupant direction. And it demonstrates as the width direction W.

  The vehicle body includes a pair of seats 6 on both sides in which a passenger A can be seated in a passenger compartment 4, and a windshield and an instrument panel 12 are disposed in front F of the seats 6. . Further, a panel 5 called a dash panel or the like constituting the instrument panel 12 is disposed at a lower part or a middle part of the lower part D of the instrument panel 12. A bag device 2 is attached. One of the seats (not shown) is a driver's seat, and a steering wheel is disposed between the instrument panel 12 and the panel 5. The other seat 6 is a passenger seat, and a glove box or the like is disposed between the instrument panel 12 and the panel 5. In addition to the airbag device 2 described above, the passenger compartment 4 is provided with an airbag device (not shown) on the steering wheel, the instrument panel 12, the side of the seat 6, the roof side rail, and the like.

  The airbag device 2 includes a case body 21 that is an attachment means, an inflator 22 that is attached to the case body 21, a retainer 24, the airbag 1, a cover body 26, and the like. The case body 21 is also called a housing or the like, and includes a main body portion having a substantially box shape with the rear surface as an opening. In addition, a bracket fixed to the vehicle body is attached to the main body, and a plurality of attachment pieces are provided on the upper and lower surfaces. The inflator has a substantially columnar shape, a gas injection part is provided near one end, and a connection part is provided at the other end. The inflator 22 is connected to the control device via a harness connected to the connection portion, and injects gas from the gas injection portion based on an activation signal supplied from the control device via the harness. The retainer 24 includes a substantially cylindrical retainer main body and a pair of mounting bolts fixed to the retainer main body by welding or the like, and the retainer 24 is attached to the case by nuts screwed to the mounting bolts. It is attached to the body 21. The retainer body is formed with a gas through hole through which gas passes. Further, the cover body 26 is also called a lid or the like, and is integrally formed of, for example, a synthetic resin, and includes a front plate portion, and a mounting plate portion protruding from the rear side of the front plate portion, that is, from the front side to the front side. It has. And the tear line which is a fracture | rupture part weaker than another part is formed in the front-plate part in the substantially H shape etc., for example. The mounting plate portion has a rectangular tube shape, and a plurality of square hole-shaped mounting receiving portions are formed on the upper and lower surfaces corresponding to the mounting piece portions. Therefore, the mounting plate portion is fitted to the outside of the main body portion of the case body 21, and the cover portion is covered with the case body 21 so that the front plate portion covers the opening portion with the mounting piece portion engaged with the mounting receiving portion. A body 26 is attached.

  The airbag 1 is formed into a bag shape by stitching together one base fabric or a plurality of base fabrics, and is folded into a predetermined shape and stored in a case body 21. In the present embodiment, the airbag 1 includes an airbag main body 30 constituting a bag-shaped outer shell, a first partition 31 as a partition wall disposed inside the airbag main body 30, and The second partition wall 32 and the reinforcing cloth 34 disposed inside the airbag main body 30 are sewn together.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the airbag main body 30 folds one base fabric cut into a predetermined shape at a fold line 36 along the width direction W so that the front base fabric portion 30 a and A rear base fabric portion 30b is configured, and both side portions of the base fabric portions 30a and 30b are sewn together by side suture lines 37 and 37, and an opening 38 is provided at the lower end portion opposite to the folding line 36 serving as the upper end portion. As shown in FIG. 3, it is configured in a bag shape with the inside as an air chamber 39 with the vicinity of the opening 38 folded back. Further, the airbag main body 30 has a portion having the largest width dimension in the vicinity of the folding line 36 in a state where the airbag body section 30 is spread on a plane as shown in FIG. 2, and the width dimension decreases toward the opening 38. It is configured as follows.

  The first partition wall 31 and the second partition wall 32 are each composed of a belt-like base fabric, and the second partition wall 32 is disposed on the folding line 36 side of the first partition wall 31, so The internal air chamber 39 is arranged to divide into three air chambers: a lower protective part (lower chamber) 41, an intermediate protective part (intermediate chamber) 42, and an upper protective part (upper chamber) 43. . That is, the first partition wall 31 and the second partition wall 32 have a length dimension that defines at least the entire length of the airbag body 30 in the width direction W of the air chamber 39, and both side edges along the longitudinal direction are sewn together. The wire 44 is stitched and joined to the base fabric portions 30a and 30b before and after the airbag main body 30 in a substantially airtight manner, and both end portions in the longitudinal direction are joined in a substantially airtight manner with side suture lines 37. . Each partition wall 31 and 32 is formed with a circulation part 45 as a ventilation part through which gas can circulate at a predetermined interval. Each circulation part 45 has, for example, a circular shape with a predetermined diameter, and each circulation part 45 of the first partition wall 31 and each circulation part 45 of the second partition wall 32 do not communicate in a straight line. Further, they are alternately arranged so that their positions are deviated with respect to the vertical direction, that is, the arrangement direction of the protection parts 41, 42, 43, that is, the gas flow direction.

  That is, for the three protection portions 41, 42, 43 partitioned by the partition walls 31, 32, the intermediate protection portion 42 is disposed above the lower protection portion 41, and the upper protection is provided above the intermediate protection portion 42. The part 43 is disposed, and the protection parts 41, 42, 43 adjacent to each other, that is, the lower protection part 41 and the intermediate protection part 42, and the intermediate protection part 42 and the upper protection part 43 are divided into the partition walls 31, 32, respectively. In the left-right direction, that is, the entire width in the width direction W, the communication section 45 is configured to communicate with each other. Further, in the expanded state, the volume of the intermediate protection part 42 is set to be smaller than the volumes of the other lower protection part 41 and the upper protection part 43. Further, the lower protective part 41 is set with a gas introduction part in which the inflator 22 is arranged.

  Further, the reinforcing cloth 34 is also called a flameproof cloth or the like, and the gas introducing portion and the like are stitched on the base fabric constituting the airbag main body 30 so as to overlap. In addition, a plurality of circular mounting holes 47a and 47b are formed in the gas introduction portion so as to penetrate the base fabric and the flameproof fabric constituting the airbag main body portion 30. The mounting hole 47a on the upper side, that is, the side away from the opening 38 is formed only in the front base fabric portion 30a, and the mounting hole 47b on the lower side, that is, the opening 38 side, has the front and rear base fabric portions 30a, 30b. It is formed through.

  Next, the assembly process of this airbag apparatus 2 is demonstrated.

  First, an assembly is configured by combining the airbag 1, the inflator 22, the retainer 24, and the like. In this step, first, the retainer 24 to which the inflator 22 is attached is inserted into the airbag 1 from the opening 38, and the attachment bolt of the retainer 24 is pulled out from the attachment hole 47a. Then, with the lower end of the airbag 1 folded back, the mounting bolt of the retainer 24 is pulled out from the mounting hole 47b. Next, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 3, the airbag 1 is folded into a roll shape or a bellows shape from a state in which the shape is adjusted so as to be flattened, and is folded into a predetermined shape. Then, if necessary, the airbag 1 is covered with a wrapping (not shown), and the airbag 1 is held in a folded state to constitute an assembly.

  Next, the assembly is inserted into the case body 21 through the opening, and the mounting bolts of the retainer 24 are passed through the mounting holes (not shown) formed in the case body 21, and the mounting bolts are not shown from the outside of the case body 21. The nuts are screwed together to fix the assembly, that is, the airbag 1, the inflator 22, the retainer 24, and the like to the case body 21. Next, the airbag device 2 is configured by attaching the cover body 26 to the case body 21 so that the front plate portion covers the opening, that is, the airbag 1.

  Then, the bracket provided on the case body 21 is connected to the parts on the vehicle body side, and the airbag device 2 is attached to the vehicle body and connected to the inflator 22 so that the front plate portion of the cover body 26 is flush with the panel 5. The airbag device 2 is installed on the vehicle body by electrically connecting the harness to the control means.

  Next, the operation of the airbag device 2 will be described.

  When the control device detects an impact such as a frontal collision of an automobile, the control device supplies electric power as an activation signal through the harness and activates the inflator 22. Then, when gas is supplied from the inflator 22 into the airbag 1, the airbag 1 is inflated inside the case body 21, first ruptures the wrapping, and then breaks the cover body 26 at the tear line, The airbag 1 is protruded. In the airbag 1, first, the lower protective part 41 into which gas is first introduced is inflated and deployed. The lower protective part 41 is deployed in a relatively wide space below the panel 5 and restrains the ankle side of the occupant A to prevent the occupant A from slipping downward. Next, gas is supplied through the flow part 45 of the first partition wall 31 to expand the intermediate protection part 42. Next, gas is supplied from the intermediate protection part 42 via the circulation part 45 of the second partition wall 32 to expand the upper protection part 43. The upper protection portion 43 inflates and deploys against the knee portion A2 of the occupant A moving forward F due to inertia, restrains and protects the knee portion A2 of the occupant A, and as a result, the occupant By suppressing the movement of the waist of A, the relative movement of the occupant A with respect to the vehicle body is effectively suppressed, and direct contact with the floor surface entering the panel 5 or the passenger compartment 4 is suppressed. Protect. Then, the airbag 1 is finally inflated and deployed in a shape indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 or FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the airbag device 2 that can protect the knee portion A2 of the occupant A is not simply stitched together in the width direction W of the airbag 1, but the airbag 1 Since the inner side is partitioned into three protective parts 41, 42, 43 of the lower protective part 41, the intermediate protective part 42, and the upper protective part 43 by the respective bulkheads 31, 32 extending over the entire width in the width direction W. The gas supplied from the inflator 22 is filled in the order of the lower protective part 41, the intermediate protective part 42, and the upper protective part 43 through only the circulation part 45 provided, and the protective parts 41, 42, and 43 are sequentially and reliably deployed. be able to.

  And the lower protection part 41 is developed in a wide space in relation to the layout with the surrounding interior members in the area that the airbag device 2 deploys and protects. The gas is directly supplied from the inflator 22 to the lower protective part 41 that is positioned and provided horizontally, and the lower protective part 41 is deployed first, so that the airbag 1 can be deployed quickly and reliably in a wide space. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the occupant A from slipping downward, the so-called submarine phenomenon.

  In addition, the upper protection portion 43 is a portion where the surrounding space is deployed in a small space in the region that the airbag device 2 is deployed and protected, and much of the weight of the occupant A is aired from the knee due to inertia. May join the bag 1. In this respect, the upper protection part 43 is partitioned from the other protection parts 41 and 42 by the second partition wall 32 and communicates with the intermediate protection part 42 only through the circulation part 45, so that the upper protection part 43 is applied with force. In this case, the rapid contraction of the occupant A is suppressed, and the movement of the occupant A in particular to the front of the lumbar region is restricted, so that the occupant A can be stably supported and protected without so-called bottoming. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the volume of the airbag 1 more than necessary, and it is not necessary to increase the output of the inflator 22, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the airbag device 2 can be downsized.

  Furthermore, since the intermediate protective part 42 is provided between the lower protective part 41 and the upper protective part 43, a preferable unfolding behavior can be easily realized for the lower protective part 41 and the upper protective part 43. That is, the lower protection part 41 and the upper protection part 43 have different protection targets, and the lower protection part 41 is required to be deployed at a fixed position of the entire wide space, while being firmly fixed by the retainer 24 or the like, Since the upper protection part 43 is inflated and deployed in a limited space to support the weight of the occupant A, it is desirable that the upper protection part 43 be slightly movable. Therefore, since the upper protection part 43 is connected to the fixed lower protection part 41 via the intermediate protection part 42, the upper protection part 43 moves flexibly and flexibly according to the force applied from the occupant A. The passenger A can be effectively protected.

  In addition, since the intermediate protection part 42 is set to have a volume at the time of expansion smaller than that of the lower protection part 41 and the upper protection part 43, the upper protection part 43 is bent and easily moved, and the pressure on the shin part A3 of the occupant A is increased. Can be easily reduced.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, each flow part 45 of the first partition wall 31 and each flow part 45 of the second partition wall 32 do not communicate with each other in a straight line, so that the gas flow paths are different from each other. Therefore, when the airbag 1 is deployed, the gas supplied from the inflator 22 is supplied from the lower side to the upper side while filling the protective portions 41, 42, and 43, so that the airbag is stabilized. Can be deployed.

  Further, the deployment characteristics of the airbag 1 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the shape, size, and the like of these circulation portions 45.

In the above-described embodiment, the protection portions 41, 42, and 43, which are three air chambers, are configured by the two partition walls 31 and 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and three or more partition walls are provided . It is also possible to provide four or more protective parts.

  The present invention can be provided not only in an airbag and an airbag device provided in a vehicle but also in a moving body other than the vehicle.

It is explanatory drawing at the time of expansion | deployment of the airbag which shows one Embodiment of the airbag apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the state which spread the airbag same as the above on the plane. It is explanatory drawing of the II cross section equivalent position of FIG. 2 of an airbag apparatus same as the above.

Panel as 1 airbags 5 mounted surface portion
30 Airbag body
30a Front fabric
30b Rear base fabric
31 1st partition as partition
32 Second partition as partition
39 Air chamber
41 Lower protection
42 Intermediate protection
43 Upper protection
45 Distribution Department as Ventilation A A Crew A1 Lower limb A2 Knee

Claims (1)

It has an airbag body with a front base fabric part and a rear base cloth part, which forms a bag-like outer shell and has an air chamber inside, and is supplied with gas between the mounting surface part and the lower limb part of the seated occupant An airbag that deploys to
An upper protection part that is deployed opposite the occupant's knee and restrains the occupant's knee;
A lower protective part that is deployed under the upper protective part and restrains the ankle side of the occupant;
An intermediate protective part located between the upper protective part and the lower protective part , facing the occupant's shin part and having a smaller volume when deployed than these upper protective part and lower protective part,
It is composed of a strip-shaped base cloth having a length dimension that divides the entire length of the air chamber in the width direction, and both side edges along the longitudinal direction are sewn together in a substantially airtight manner to the front base cloth part and the rear base cloth part. The both ends of the longitudinal direction are joined to both sides of the airbag main body part in a substantially airtight manner, and are joined between the intermediate protective part and the upper protective part and between the intermediate protective part and the lower protective part. A partition part that is a first partition wall and a second partition wall that partitions the entire width of the airbag,
Provided in the first partition wall and the second partition wall, and a hole-shaped ventilation part through which the gas can be inserted,
The supplied gas is supplied from the lower protective part to the upper protective part via the intermediate protective part,
The protective part is communicated only with the ventilation part, and the ventilation part of the first partition and the ventilation part of the second partition are arranged so that their positions are shifted with respect to the gas flow direction ,
A gas is supplied, and the airbag is deployed in order of the lower protective part, the intermediate protective part, and the upper protective part from the lower side to the upper side .

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