JP2013124063A - Far side airbag system for side collision of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To relatively simplify a structure and a deploying method of an airbag, in a state of sufficiently supporting the airbag for covering a range of reaching a chest part and a waist part from a head part of an occupant, in a structure of a far side airbag in a side collision of a vehicle.SOLUTION: In this far side airbag device equipped in a seat of the vehicle, in an inside side part in the horizontal direction of the vehicle of the seat, an airbag body stored over a lower end of a seat back part from a headrest, is held on its upper end by the side part of the headrest, and gas is supplied from an upper part of the airbag body by an inflator, and in a deployed-inflated state, the lower end of the airbag body is held in a deploying state lower end position in the side part in front of the seat back part of a seat cushion part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle airbag system, and more particularly to a far-side airbag system that protects a passenger's head to waist during a side collision.

  In vehicles such as automobiles, various far-side airbag systems have been proposed for protecting occupants on the far side (the side opposite to the side on which the vehicle collides) in the event of a collision from the side. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a side collision of a vehicle is detected or predicted, a support member stored in a center console provided between the left and right seats protrudes upward, and an airbag (buffer member) is projected from the support member. A configuration has been proposed that inflates and protects the waist from the shoulder of the occupant from impact. In Patent Document 2, an airbag is attached from the upper end to the middle of the strap extending from the upper portion of the seat to the lower portion of the seat in the lateral direction inside the upper portion of the seat, and when the airbag is deployed, A configuration has been proposed in which an intermediate portion projects forward of the vehicle to protect the head of the passenger. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which an airbag housed in an inner portion of a front seat is inflated and deployed and extends from left and right front seats to a rear seat. Furthermore, as an example of a side airbag deployed between the door and the seat, the airbag is supported at two points, the shoulder portion of the seat and the front portion of the seat, and from the shoulder portion of the occupant to the thigh. The structure to protect is proposed (patent document 4).

JP2010-120411A JP 2010-83384 A JP2011-116153A JP2003-220922A

  An airbag for protecting a passenger on the far side at the time of a side collision of a vehicle is deployed between the left and right seats. Generally, a structure that can hold a flexible member such as an airbag is provided between the left and right seats. There is hardly any. Therefore, it is difficult to equip a configuration for deploying and supporting the airbag in a wide range. Thus, the conventional far-side airbag has a somewhat narrow protection range. For example, the protection range of the airbags in the above-mentioned patent documents is as follows. (The airbag protection range of Patent Document 2 is from the head of the passenger to the shoulder, and the airbag protection range of Patent Documents 1 and 3) Is below the shoulder of the occupant.) In addition, since the airbag is normally stored in a compact manner and should be inflated and deployed as quickly as possible in the event of a collision, it is desirable that the structure for holding the airbag be as simple as possible.

  Thus, one object of the present invention is to provide a far-side airbag structure at the time of a side collision of a vehicle in a state where the airbag covering the range from the head of the occupant to the chest and waist is sufficiently supported. Therefore, the structure for holding the airbag is relatively simplified.

  According to the present invention, the above-described problem is a far-side airbag device that is mounted on a vehicle seat, and extends from the headrest portion to the lower end of the seat back portion on the laterally inner side portion of the vehicle. An airbag main body, an inflator for supplying a gas for deploying and inflating the airbag main body into the airbag main body from the upper part of the airbag main body when a side collision of the vehicle is detected or predicted, and a headrest vehicle An airbag upper end holding portion which is disposed on the laterally inner side of the airbag and is connected to the upper end of the airbag body and holds the upper end of the airbag body at the side portion of the headrest, and is connected to the lower end of the airbag body. In the state where the bag body is inflated and inflated, an error occurs at the lower end position of the deployed state on the laterally inner side portion of the vehicle ahead of the seat back portion of the seat cushion portion. It is achieved by a device which comprises an air bag lower holding portion for holding the lower end of the bag body.

  According to the above configuration, in the structure of the far-side airbag, the airbag main body, which is a flexible member, in the retracted state, the lower end of the seat back portion from the headrest on the laterally inner side portion of the seat When the vehicle is stored, unfolded and inflated, the upper end and the lower end thereof are respectively positioned at the side portions on the laterally inner side of the vehicle ahead of the headrest and the seat back portion of the seat cushion portion. State lower end position). Therefore, the airbag body covers a wide range from the occupant's head and chest to the waist and upper thigh in the expanded and inflated state. In addition, since the upper end and the lower end of the airbag body are fixed at two points, that is, the lower end position of the headrest and the cushion portion, the airbag holding structure is relatively simple. Since the seat extends widely in the direction crossing the two L-shaped sides of the seat, the seat is sufficiently supported, and the reaction force against the lateral movement of the occupant can be made relatively large.

  In the above-described configuration of the present invention, preferably, the lower end of the airbag body is located below the seat back portion so as not to limit the degree of freedom of movement of the occupant in the stored state (lower position in the stored state). In the expanded and inflated state, the cushion portion is moved to the deployed lower end position to limit the lateral movement of the occupant due to the side collision. In order to achieve this configuration better, in the apparatus of the present invention described above, preferably, when the airbag body is deployed and inflated, the lower end of the airbag body is connected to the back portion of the seat at the lower end holding part of the airbag. There is provided an airbag lower end moving means for moving from the retracted state lower end position to the deployed state lower end position at the laterally inner side of the vehicle. When the lower end of the airbag body is moved and the distance from the upper end to the lower end of the airbag body is increased, the movement of the airbag body from the retracted state to the deployed inflated state is assisted, and the airbag body is bent. Thus, the reaction force against the lateral movement of the occupant of the airbag main body is increased. As the airbag lower end moving means, for example, a device that winds a strap connected to the lower end of the airbag main body with a spring force or the like, in the direction from the lower end position of the airbag main body to the lower end position of the deployed state with respect to the lower end of the airbag main body. When the airbag body is deployed and inflated, an arbitrary means for moving the lower end of the airbag body from the stored lower end position to the deployed lower end position may be provided.

  Further, as another aspect of the method of moving the lower end of the airbag body, the lower end of the airbag body from the retracted state lower end position to the deployed state lower end position by the force with which the airbag body expands when the airbag body is deployed and inflated. May be extruded. Since the gas supplied into the airbag body is fed from above the airbag body, the upper half of the airbag body is compared when the gas reaches and expands near the lower end of the airbag body. Since the gas expansion force acts to extend in the vicinity of the lower end of the airbag body, it is expected that the lower end of the airbag body is efficiently moved.

  In order to assist the movement of the lower end of the airbag body at the time of deployment and inflation as described above, it is preferable that the guide means (for example, guide the movement path of the lower end of the airbag body from the lower end position of the storage state to the lower end position of the deployment state) , Guide rails, etc.) may be provided on the side of the cushion portion of the seat.

  Thus, according to the above-described present invention, the far-side airbag at the time of a side collision of the vehicle has a relatively simple structure, but is sufficiently supported in a deployed and inflated state, In addition, an airbag covering a wide range from the head of the occupant to the chest and waist is provided. In particular, since the airbag of the present invention extends across the L-shaped seat structure and the upper and lower ends are fixed to the seat, the L-shaped seat itself is widely deployed. It functions as a support member for the extending airbag body, and, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, the movement of the occupant without using a member for supporting the airbag (such as a support member stored in the center console). Therefore, the support of the airbag body when the reaction force is applied to is obtained. In addition, since there are two fixed ends of the airbag main body, for example, a configuration for deploying the airbag from the stored state is different from a structure in which the airbag is fixed at three points as in Patent Document 2. Simple.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a front seat of a vehicle as viewed from the front, and shows an outline of a far side airbag according to the present invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic view of a front seat of a vehicle as viewed from the side. In the first embodiment of the far-side airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag main body is stored (left figure). ) And a state in which the airbag main body is expanded and inflated (right figure). FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic views of a front seat of a vehicle as viewed from the side, respectively, and a second embodiment of the far-side airbag device according to the present invention and a modification of the second embodiment. Here, a state where the airbag main body is stored (left figure) and a state where the airbag main body is deployed and inflated (right figure) are shown. FIG. 2C is a schematic plan view of a guide rail device that moves the lower end of the airbag body. FIG. 3 (A) is a schematic view of the front seat of the vehicle as seen from the side. In the third embodiment of the far-side airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag main body is stored (left figure). ) And a state in which the airbag main body is expanded and inflated (right figure). FIG. 3B schematically shows a configuration in which the upper portion and the lower portion of the airbag main body are bonded to each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle 10a ... Vehicle side surface 12L, R ... Front seat 14 ... Headrest 16 ... Seat back 18 ... Seat cushion 20 ... Side airbag 22 ... Airbag main body of far side airbag device 25 ... Upper end holding part (inflator)
27 ... Strap 29 ... Lower end holding part 30 ... Guide rail 32 ... Buckle 34 ... Inflator 36a, b ... Hook fastener

  The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

  Referring to FIG. 1 (A), when viewed from the front of vehicle 10, front seats (driver seat and passenger seat) 12R and L are typically headrests 14 on which the head of occupant α is located, The seat back portion 16 is located from the neck to the waist of the occupant α, and the seat cushion portion 18 is located from the buttocks to the thigh of the occupant. And the side airbag 20 and the far side airbag 22 are equipped in the lateral direction outer side and inner side of the vehicle of each front seat 12R, L, and these airbags are arbitrary systems normally. When a collision (arrow a) from the side surface 10a of the vehicle is predicted or detected at the side of the vehicle, the vehicle expands and expands on both sides of the occupant as shown in FIG. While mitigating the impact, the occupant can be protected by restricting the lateral movement of the occupant (particularly, the movement toward the side where the collision occurred).

  Among the above-described airbags, in particular, the far-side airbag 22 deployed inside each seat between the front seats 12R and L is understood from the left diagrams of FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B). Thus, typically, there is no structure between the front seats 12R and 12L that can support the airbag by applying a reaction force to the side of the occupant. Therefore, as mentioned in the “Summary of the Invention”, in the conventional far side airbag, the protection range covered by the airbag is compared due to the application of reaction force against the movement of the occupant and the support of the airbag. Narrow. Therefore, in the present invention, the far side airbag 22 is formed from the head of the occupant to the chest, and from the waist to the thigh as in the far side airbag 22 schematically illustrated in FIG. A new configuration is proposed that provides reaction force against the movement of the occupant and the support of the airbag while covering the process.

First Embodiment In the first embodiment of the present invention, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 (B), the airbag body 22 of the far-side airbag device is moved from the headrest 14 to the seat back. It has a length that extends to the lower part of the part 16, and is normally stored in an arbitrary manner on the side part in the upper part of the headrest 14 to the seat cushion part 18 (FIG. 1 ( B) Left figure). In this stored state, the upper end of the airbag main body 22 is connected to and held by an upper end holding portion 25 fixed to the headrest 14, and the lower end of the airbag main body 22 is positioned below the seat back portion (stored). The lower end position of the state) is connected to the lower end holding portion 29 fixed to the front of the seat cushion portion 18 via the strap 27. In such a configuration, the upper end holding portion 25 may be provided with an inflator that supplies gas that expands and expands the airbag body into the airbag body. The inflator may be integrated with the upper end holding portion 25 or may be separate, and may be disposed at any part as long as the airbag body is deployed from the upper part toward the lower part. Further, the lower end holding portion 29 is a winding device that exerts a tensile force in the direction of winding the strap 27. The airbag body 22, the strap 27, and the like may be manufactured from materials that are normally used for airbags in this field.

  Thus, when a side collision is predicted or detected in the vehicle (the prediction or detection of the side collision may be performed in an arbitrary manner using an acceleration sensor or the like), in response to this, the upper end holding unit The gas is blown into the airbag main body 22 from the inflator 25, whereby the airbag main body 22 escapes from the storage position and is expanded while being expanded. At that time, the winding device of the lower end holding portion 29 executes the winding of the strap 27, whereby the lower end of the airbag main body 22 moves from the rear to the front of the seat cushion portion 18 (FIG. 1 (B) in the left figure). And is fixed at the lower end holding portion 29 (deployed state lower end position). Preferably, the process of deploying and inflating the airbag body 22 proceeds from the upper part toward the lower part. Thus, when the airbag body 22 is fully deployed and inflated, the airbag body 22 is held at the headrest 14 at the upper end and the seat at the lower end as shown in the right figure of FIG. It will be in the state hold | maintained in the position of the lower end holding | maintenance part 29 of the front of the cushion part 18. FIG. In such a deployed and inflated state, the airbag body 22 extends from the side of the head of the occupant α to the upper part of the thigh, and its protection range is compared to that of the conventional far-side airbag. And a wider range. Further, the airbag body 22 has a structure in which two points of the upper end and the lower end of the airbag body 22 are fixed to substantially the leading ends of two L-shaped sides of the seat and the airbag body extends so as to linearly cross the L-shape of the seat. According to this, since the airbag body 22 has fixed ends at both ends thereof, the airbag body 22 is structurally simple and is stably held, and the occupant faces the collision surface due to inertia at the time of collision. An effective reaction force can be given to the movement. Furthermore, the configuration in which deployment and inflation proceeds from the upper part to the lower part of the airbag body 22 is advantageous in that the head of the occupant α can be quickly protected.

Second Embodiment Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the second embodiment of the present invention, basically, the airbag main body 22 is the same as the first embodiment. In the retracted state, the headrest 14 to the upper side of the seat cushion portion 18 are stored in an arbitrary manner, and when the airbag body 22 is deployed and inflated, gas is blown from the upper end and inflated, while the lower end Moves forward of the seat cushion portion 18 (in the direction of the arrow m). However, in the case of the present embodiment, in the movement path of the lower end of the airbag main body 22, the lower end of the airbag main body 22 is surely moved from below the seat back portion 16 to the front of the seat cushion portion 18 when the airbag is deployed and inflated. Guiding means are provided to help move. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2 (A), a guide rail 30 having a lower end holding portion 29 attached to the front end of the side portion of the seat cushion portion 18 is provided in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The lower end of the airbag main body 22 is fixed to a buckle 32 that can slide along the guide rail 30. In this case, preferably, as shown in FIG. 2 (E), the lower end holding portion 29 has a concave portion 29a facing the rear of the seat cushion portion, and the buckle 32 is fitted into the concave portion 29a. Possible protrusions 32a are formed. In operation, when the airbag main body 22 is deployed and inflated, the buckle 32 to which the lower end of the airbag main body 22 is connected moves forward on the guide rail 30 (in the direction of the arrow m), and the convex portion 32a of the buckle 32 is at the lower end. It fits into the concave portion 29a of the holding portion 29 (the convex portion 32a may be locked so as not to be easily detached when fitted into the concave portion 29a). The lower end of 22 is stably fixed to the position of the lower end holding part 29. The buckle 32 is formed by any method, for example, by providing a spring between the lower end holding portion 29 or a strap wound around the lower end holding portion 29 as in the first embodiment. By fixing to the buckle 32, a tensile force may be applied in the direction of the lower end holding portion 29, and the buckle 32 may be moved to the lower end holding portion 29 when the airbag body 22 is deployed and inflated. 2E, an inflator 34 is provided on the rear side of the buckle 32, and the inflator 34 blows gas onto the buckle 32 when the airbag body 22 is deployed and inflated. A forward movement of may be achieved. Furthermore, the buckle 32 may be pushed forward by the inflation deformation of the airbag body 22.

  The shape of the airbag main body 22 may be as shown in the right figure of FIG. 1B or the right figure of FIG. 2A, but as shown in the right figure of FIG. It may be substantially triangular so as to cover the occupant along the guide rail 30.

Third Embodiment Referring to FIG. 3A, in the third embodiment, the airbag main body is mounted on the upper airbag 22a mounted on the seat bag 16 and the seat cushion portion 18. It is divided into the lower airbag 22b and stored in a separate manner as shown in the left figure of FIG. When deployed and inflated, the upper airbag 22a extends forward and the lower airbag 22b extends upward (the lower airbag 22b may be provided with an insulator at the lower end holding portion 29). . At that time, the upper airbag 22a and the lower airbag 22b have a region 22x that overlaps each other in the deployed state, and their left and right contact surfaces are shown in the left diagram of FIG. As described above, bonding means 36a and 36b such as hook-and-loop fasteners are provided. When the occupant's load F is pressed against the airbag, the bonding means 36a, 36b such as hook-and-loop fasteners come into contact with each other as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 3B, and as a result, in the region 22x, the upper airbag 22a. And the lower airbag 22b are connected to each other, and thus the airbag covering the upper part of the thigh from the head of the occupant is stably supported at the upper and lower ends thereof. Even in such a configuration, the upper end and the lower end of the airbag body 22 are fixed to substantially the leading ends of the two L-shaped sides of the seat, and are structurally simple but stably held. Thus, an effective reaction force can be applied to the movement of the occupant in the direction of the collision surface due to inertia at the time of collision.

  Although the above description has been made in relation to the embodiment of the present invention, many modifications and changes can be easily made by those skilled in the art, and the present invention is limited to the embodiment exemplified above. It will be apparent that the invention is not limited and applies to various devices without departing from the inventive concept.

Claims (4)

A far-side airbag device mounted on a vehicle seat,
An airbag main body stored from the headrest portion to the lower end of the seat back portion at a laterally inner side portion of the vehicle of the seat;
An inflator for supplying a gas for expanding and inflating the airbag body into the airbag body from the upper part of the airbag body when detecting or predicting a side collision of the vehicle;
An airbag upper end holding portion that is disposed on a laterally inner side portion of the headrest and is connected to an upper end of the airbag main body and holds the upper end of the airbag main body at the side portion of the headrest;
In the state where the airbag body is connected to the lower end of the airbag body and the airbag body is deployed and inflated, the seat cushion portion is positioned at the lower end position in the lateral side of the vehicle in front of the seat back portion. And an airbag lower end holding part for holding the lower end of the airbag body.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the airbag main body is deployed and inflated, the lower end of the airbag main body is located at a laterally inner side of the seat back portion at the lower end holding portion of the airbag. An apparatus, comprising: an airbag lower end moving means for moving from a stored state lower end position to the deployed state lower end position.   The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the airbag lower end moving means applies a tensile force in a direction from the retracted lower end position to the deployed lower end position with respect to the lower end of the airbag main body, The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the airbag body is moved from the retracted lower end position to the deployed lower end position by the tensile force when deployed and inflated.   3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the airbag main body is deployed and inflated, a lower end of the airbag main body is moved from the retracted state lower end position to the deployed state lower end position by a force of the airbag main body inflating. A device characterized by that.

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