JP7507740B2 - Motorcycle airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a motorcycle airbag device that is mounted on a motorcycle.

It is becoming standard for automobiles (four-wheeled vehicles) to be equipped with one or more airbags to protect the occupants in the event of an accident. In recent years, airbag devices have also been proposed and put into practical use on motorcycles (two-wheeled vehicles).

In airbag devices installed in automobiles, the steering wheel, instrument panel, etc. can be used as support surfaces (reaction surfaces) for the deployed airbag, so it is relatively easy to stabilize the deployment behavior and deployment posture of the airbag. In contrast, airbags installed in motorcycles have fewer parts to support the deployed airbag, making it a challenge to stabilize the deployment behavior and deployment posture of the airbag.

In addition, since motorcycles have limited space to accommodate airbag devices compared to automobiles, depending on the location of the airbag device, the deployed airbag may interfere with the handlebars, causing unstable deployment behavior or causing injury to the occupant.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an airbag device for motorcycles that contributes to stabilizing the deployment behavior and deployment posture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device for motorcycles that can prevent interference with the handlebars when the airbag is deployed and reduce the risk of injury to the occupant.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a motorcycle airbag device that is mounted on a motorcycle having a windshield to protect the occupant, and includes a gas generator that is disposed near the bottom of the windshield and generates inflation gas; and an airbag that is inflated and deployed by contact with the inner surface of the windshield in front of the handlebars due to the inflation gas.

Here, "protecting the rider" includes at least preventing the rider from being thrown forward in a collision, i.e., restraining forward movement, and preventing the rider's head from striking the front part of his or her motorcycle.

A "windshield" can also be called a "windshield," "windscreen," "meter buoy," etc. It is a plate-like member that extends upward in front of the rider and above other structural parts of the motorcycle, such as the headlight and handlebars, and can be transparent, translucent, or opaque.

In addition, "contacting the inner surface of the windshield" includes cases where the device continues to contact the windshield after it has been deployed, as well as cases where the device makes temporary contact during deployment.

In the following explanation, the direction in which the motorcycle is moving will be referred to as "forward", the opposite direction as "rear", and the coordinate axes will be referred to as "forward-rear direction". Furthermore, the right side of the direction of movement will be referred to as the "right direction", the left side as the "left direction", and the coordinate axes will be referred to as the "left-right direction". Furthermore, vertically upward will be referred to as "upward", vertically downward will be referred to as "downward", and the coordinate axes will be referred to as the "up-down direction".

According to the present invention configured as described above, the airbag deploys from near the bottom of the windshield toward the top, contacting the inner surface of the windshield, so the airbag does not interfere with the steering wheel when deployed. This stabilizes the deployment behavior, deployment posture, and deployment shape of the airbag. In addition, because the airbag deploys forward of the steering wheel, the airbag does not directly apply excessive pressure to the occupant in the early stages of deployment, making it possible to reduce the harm to the occupant. Furthermore, because the windshield can act as a reaction surface when the airbag deploys, it is possible to reliably support and restrain the occupant when he or she enters the airbag.

The airbag can be configured to have a left chamber located on the left side of the windshield and a right chamber located on the right side of the windshield.

As described above, by dividing the airbag into left and right halves, the airbag can be stored on the left and right edges of the windshield, ensuring a wide field of vision through the windshield when the airbag device is not deployed.

A non-inflatable portion can be formed between the left and right chambers.

A space can be formed at the boundary between the left and right chambers.

Here, it is preferable that the "space" be sufficiently smaller than the occupant's head. If the space is too large, there is a risk that the occupant's head will strike the windshield directly.

In addition, by providing a space at the boundary between the left and right chambers when the airbag deploys, the deployment behavior and deployed shape of the airbag are stabilized. If the left and right chambers come into contact with each other near the center of the windshield, there is a risk that the center of the airbag will bend toward the occupant.

The device may further include a guide member that guides the inflation gas from the inflator to the airbag.

The guide member can be structured to form a Y-shaped flow path, with one end (input side or upstream side) connected to the inflator and the other end (output side or downstream side) connected to the left chamber and the right chamber.

The vehicle may be provided with an airbag case that houses the airbag and breaks open when the airbag is deployed.

The airbag case may include a left case disposed along the left edge of the windshield and housing the left chamber of the airbag; and a right case disposed along the right edge of the windshield and housing the right chamber of the airbag.

The airbag case can be configured to extend from the lower end to the upper end of the windshield.

This configuration allows the airbag to quickly cover the entire windshield.

The airbag case can be configured to extend from the lower end of the windshield to the middle part before reaching the upper end.

This configuration reduces the area of the windshield that is covered by the airbag case and obstructs visibility. In particular, the upper part of the windshield is likely to be within the occupant's field of vision.

The airbag can be formed from a single chamber. This simplifies the structure compared to using a pair of left and right chambers.

The vehicle may further include an inflator box that stores the inflator in a generally horizontal position. For example, when a cylindrical inflator is used, storing the inflator in a horizontal position provides greater flexibility in the storage space compared to storing the inflator in a vertical position.

The present invention is applicable to all types of motorcycles, including, for example, scooters, adventurers, tourers, sport tourers, scrubbers, classic (retro), American (cruisers), naked, street fighters, off-road supermotards, super sports, street, mini bikes, three-wheel trikes, four-wheel buggies, etc.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a motorcycle equipped with a motorcycle airbag device according to the present invention, showing a state in which the device is not activated. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a motorcycle equipped with the motorcycle airbag device according to the present invention, showing a state in which the device has been activated due to a collision. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the motorcycle airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the state before the device is activated. Fig. 4(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 3. Fig. 4(B) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the airbag deployed at the same location. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the motorcycle airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the device in an activated state. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the motorcycle airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is activated, and illustrates the positional relationship with structural parts such as the handlebars. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of an airbag device for a motorcycle according to a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the state before the device is activated. FIG. 8 is a front view showing a motorcycle airbag device according to a third embodiment of the present invention in an activated state.

The motorcycle airbag device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 are side views of a motorcycle equipped with a motorcycle airbag device according to the present invention, showing the device in an inactivated state (Figure 1) and the device activated by a collision (Figure 2).

The motorcycle airbag device of the present invention is mounted on a motorcycle having a windshield 12 to protect the rider R, and is equipped with a gas generator 14 that is disposed near the bottom of the windshield 12 and generates inflation gas; and an airbag 16 that is inflated and deployed by contact with the inner surface of the windshield 12 in front of the handlebars 18 due to the inflation gas.

(First embodiment)
Fig. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of a motorcycle airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state before the device is activated. Fig. 4(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 3. Fig. 4(B) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the airbag deployed at the same location. Fig. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of a motorcycle airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state after the device has been activated. Fig. 6 shows the motorcycle airbag device according to the first embodiment of the present invention in an activated state, showing its positional relationship with structural parts such as the handlebars.

As shown in Figure 3, the windshield 12 is shaped so that it spreads outwardly to the left and right from the bottom to the middle, and then narrows in width from the middle to the top. In Figure 3, the inflator 14 is actually stored in a generally horizontal position, as shown in the figure below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the airbag 16 is composed of a left chamber 16L located on the left side of the windshield 12 and a right chamber 16R located on the right side of the windshield 12. These pair of chambers 16L, 16R are independent as bags.

As shown in FIG. 5, a space (gap) 16X is formed at the boundary between the left chamber 16L and the right chamber 16R, i.e., near the center of the windshield 12 from left to right. The space 16X is narrow at the upper part, where the head of the occupant R can easily enter, and is sufficiently smaller than the head of the occupant. If the space in this area is too large, there is a risk that the head of the occupant R will directly hit the windshield. On the other hand, the lower part of the space 16X has a larger area than the upper part, which allows the overall capacity of the airbag 16 to be kept to a minimum.

Furthermore, by providing a space 16X at the boundary between the left and right chambers 16L, 16R when the airbag 16 is deployed, the deployment behavior and deployed shape of the airbag 16 are stabilized. If the left and right chambers 16L, 16R come into contact with each other near the center of the windshield 12, there is a risk that the center of the airbag 16 will bend toward the occupant.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, a guide member 20 is provided to guide the inflation gas from the inflator 14 to the airbag 16. The guide member 20 has one end 20a connected to the inflator 14 and the other ends 20L, 20R connected to the left chamber 16L and the right chamber 16R, forming a Y-shaped flow path. The inflation gas released from the inflator 14 is then evenly distributed to the left chamber 16L and the right chamber 16R.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the airbag device of this embodiment includes airbag cases 22L and 22R that house the airbag 16 and are ruptured when the airbag 16 is deployed.

The airbag cases 22L, 22R are arranged along the left edge of the windshield 12 and are composed of a left case 22L that houses the left chamber 16L of the airbag 16, and a right case 22R that is arranged along the right edge of the windshield 12 and houses the right chamber 16R of the airbag 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag cases 22L, 22R are molded from resin or the like into a triangular tube shape, and the inner edge is designed to split open as the airbag 16 inflates. The split area is molded to be weaker than other areas. The shape of the airbag cases 22L, 22R can be a square tube or a cylinder, in addition to a triangular tube.

As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the airbag cases 22L, 22R extend from the lower end to the middle part of the windshield 12 until it reaches the upper end. This configuration reduces the area of the windshield 12 that is covered by the airbag cases 22L, 22R and obstructs visibility when the airbag device is in a normal state where it is not activated.

The airbag covers 22L, 22R can also function as support members for supporting the windshield 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the actual storage state of the airbag unit, an inflator box 30 is used to store the inflator 14 in a generally horizontal position. The inflator 14 is then fixed to the box 30 by a stud bolt 14a.

As shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 16 (16L, 16R) will deploy in front of the steering wheel 18 and the meter 26.

According to this embodiment, the airbag 16 deploys from near the bottom of the windshield 12 toward the top, contacting the inner surface of the windshield 12, so the airbag 16 does not interfere with structural members such as the handlebars 18 during deployment. This stabilizes the deployment behavior, deployment posture, and deployment shape of the airbag 16. In addition, because the airbag 16 deploys forward of the handlebars 18, the airbag 16 does not directly apply excessive pressure to the occupant R in the early stages of deployment, making it possible to reduce the harm to the occupant R.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the windshield 12 acts as a reaction surface when the airbag 16 deploys, making it possible to reliably restrain the occupant R when the occupant R enters the airbag 16.

Furthermore, by dividing the airbag 16 into left and right halves, the airbag 16 can be stored in the left and right edges of the windshield 12, ensuring a wide field of vision through the windshield 12 when the airbag device is not deployed.

Second Example
7 is a front view showing the configuration of a motorcycle airbag device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing the state before the device is activated. The only difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above is the shape of the airbag cases 122L, 122R that house the airbag 16. The other configurations are the same, so duplicated explanations will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the airbag cases 122L, 122R extend from the lower end of the windshield 12 to near the upper end. According to this embodiment, the left and right airbag chambers 16L, 16R are housed in the airbag cases 122L, 122R in an elongated compressed state, and are deployed in one go from both the left and right sides of the windshield 12 toward the center by the inflation gas supplied from the inflator 14. In other words, the entire windshield 12 can be quickly covered with the airbag 16.

(Third Example)
8 is a front view showing a state in which the motorcycle airbag device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is activated. The difference between this embodiment and the first and second embodiments is that the airbag 216 is formed as a single chamber. In this embodiment, an inflator and an airbag 216 are accommodated inside a housing 230, and the airbag 216 deploys upward from the upper part of the housing 230 along the windshield 12.

In this embodiment, the airbag is formed from a single chamber, which simplifies the structure compared to when a pair of chambers are used.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is in no way limited to these embodiments and can be modified within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims.

Claims (8)

A motorcycle airbag device that is mounted on a motorcycle having a windshield and protects a rider,
a gas generator disposed near a lower portion of the windshield and configured to generate inflation gas ;
an airbag that is inflated and deployed by the inflation gas in contact with the inner surface of the windshield in front of the steering wheel ,
The airbag has a left chamber located on the left side of the windshield and a right chamber located on the right side of the windshield,
a guide member for guiding inflation gas from the gas generator to the airbag;
The guide member has one end connected to the gas generator and the other end connected to the left chamber and the right chamber, forming a Y-shaped passage.
Airbag device for motorcycles. A motorcycle airbag device that is mounted on a motorcycle having a windshield and protects a rider,
a gas generator disposed near a lower portion of the windshield and configured to generate inflation gas;
an airbag that is inflated and deployed by the inflation gas in contact with the inner surface of the windshield in front of the steering wheel,
The airbag has a left chamber located on the left side of the windshield and a right chamber located on the right side of the windshield,
an airbag case that houses the airbag and that ruptures as the airbag deploys;
The airbag device for a motorcycle includes a left case, the airbag case being arranged along the left edge of the windshield and housing the left chamber of the airbag, and a right case, the airbag case being arranged along the right edge of the windshield and housing the right chamber of the airbag . The airbag case extends from the lower end to the upper end of the windshield.
3. The motorcycle airbag device according to claim 2 . The airbag case extends from the lower end of the windshield to a middle portion thereof until it reaches the upper end.
3. The motorcycle airbag device according to claim 2 . A non-inflatable portion is formed between the left chamber and the right chamber.
5. An airbag device for a motorcycle according to claim 1 . A space is formed at the boundary between the left and right chambers.
6. An airbag device for a motorcycle according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The space has an upper portion that is narrower than a lower portion.
7. An airbag device for a motorcycle according to claim 6 . The inflator further includes an inflator box that houses the gas generator in a substantially horizontal state.
8. An airbag device for a motorcycle according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .

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