JP2915380B2 - Energy absorption structure on the side of the vehicle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called side collision countermeasure for protecting an occupant in a vehicle cabin by absorbing the impact energy due to a relatively large impact applied to the side of the vehicle body from the outside. The present invention relates to an energy absorbing structure on the side of a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a vehicle such as an automobile is provided with an airbag device having an inflator and an airbag, and when a relatively large impact force acts on the vehicle body during a collision or the like, the airbag is normally in a contracted state. It is known that the inflated airbag reduces the impact force acting on the occupant in the passenger compartment to protect the occupant.

In such a device, as a countermeasure for side collisions, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 1-117957, an impact sensor which is turned on by an impact force inputted from the side is provided at the side of the vehicle body. There has been proposed an apparatus in which a folded airbag and a propulsion means for inflating the airbag in response to a signal from the sensor are provided in an armrest inside a vehicle body side portion.

[0004]

However, since such an airbag device is mounted on the armrest of the door, if the door enters the vehicle interior during a side collision,
As the relative speed between the airbag and the occupant increases, when the occupant slides the seat back and forth to adjust the position, the position of the occupant may deviate from the position regulated by the airbag device.

[0005] Therefore, it is conceivable to provide an airbag device for the seat. However, if the airbag device is provided on the outer surface of the seat, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of appearance and safety. When the device is installed, it is necessary to break the seat skin and inflate the airbag with the inflation pressure when the airbag is deployed,
Various problems arise such as management of the deployment timing and deployment direction of the airbag, and reduction of the impact force to the occupant.

An object of the present invention is to provide an energy absorbing structure on the side of a vehicle body in which the airbag reliably protects an occupant when the airbag is inflated and deployed in a side collision.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a side collision airbag device that is deployed between a vehicle body side wall and a vehicle occupant constituting a vehicle body side is disposed on a seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction. Impact detecting means for detecting an impact force input to the vehicle body,
An inflator that operates based on a signal from the impact detection means, and an airbag unit having an airbag fixed to the inflator and deployed by the operation of the inflator are provided. The airbag unit is fixed to a strength member of a seat disposed in the seat, and
The inflator and the airbag are configured to be deployed by breaking a predetermined seam portion formed in advance on the seat skin, and the inflator deployment pressure direction is directed to the predetermined seam portion. It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a side collision airbag device which is deployed between a vehicle body side wall and a vehicle occupant constituting the vehicle body side is disposed on a seat slidable in the front-rear direction. In the energy absorbing structure, an impact detecting means for detecting an impact force input to the vehicle body, an inflator activated based on a signal from the impact detecting means, and an airbag fixed to the inflator and deployed by the operation of the inflator And an airbag unit having: The airbag unit is fixed to a strength member of a seat provided in the seat, and is housed and disposed in a seat covered by a seat skin, and the airbag is formed in advance in the seat skin. The airbag and the inflator are arranged in series in the order of the airbag and the inflator with respect to the predetermined stitched portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rupture in the seat that acts to rupture the predetermined stitched portion by a deployment pressure when the airbag is deployed. It is characterized in that a promotion means is provided. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the airbag unit has a lid located in a space between the predetermined stitching portion and the airbag. A free end of the lid is disposed substantially corresponding to the predetermined stitching portion so that the predetermined stitching portion is broken along with the turning operation of the lid.

[0010]

According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the airbag of the soft balloon body is provided at the time of side collision by arranging the inflator so that the deployment pressure of the inflator is directed to the seam of the seat skin. Thus, the stitched portion of the seat skin can be reliably broken and deployed, and the deployment timing and deployment direction of the airbag can be made suitable. Moreover, since the airbag is deployed using the seam of the seat skin, there is no need to provide a dedicated airbag deployment opening or a dedicated lid in the seat skin, and the appearance is improved.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle seat, which includes a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3, and a headrest 4. An airbag as an airbag unit is provided on a side of the seat cushion 2. The device 5 is embedded.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the airbag device 5 is provided with an inflator 8 in a casing 7 in which an airbag lid 6 as a break promoting means is mounted so as to be openable and closable.
And the airbag 9 are housed and buried in the cushion material 2 a of the seat cushion 2. A break portion 2c as a seam portion is formed on the sheet skin 2b so that the seam is cut when the air bag grid 6 is opened. When the airbag grid 6 is pressed by the deployment pressure of the airbag 9 at the time of a side collision or the like, the airbag grid 6 breaks the breaking portion 2c and the lid portion 2d of the seat cushion 2 is opened together with the airbag grid 6. The airbag 9 is configured to be deployed between the door 10 as the vehicle body side wall and the occupant M in the vertical direction from below to above. 11 is a seat frame, 12 is a reinforcing plate, and 13 is an armrest formed on the door trim 14.

The air bag grid 6 is provided with a guide means 15 for restricting the deployment angle shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and is constructed so as not to open more than a predetermined opening degree, so that the air bag 9 does not escape to the side. It has become. This is because if the opening angle of the airbag grid 6 is not restricted, the airbag 9 is deployed below the armrest 13 as shown by a chain line in FIG. 2 and does not extend to the chest M1 of the occupant M but the chest M1 of the occupant M.
Is not protected.

The air backgrid 6 includes a lid body 6a.
Has side plate portions 6b on the left and right sides thereof, and the side plate portions 6b are pivotally attached to the casing 7 together with the slide plate 16. In the side plate portion 6b, arc-shaped long holes 6c and 6d around the rotation shaft 17 are formed, and stopper pins 18 and 18 erected from the slide plate 16 can slide in the long holes 6c and 6d. Is engaged. The slide plate 16 is provided at its end with a locking portion 7 on the side edge of the casing 7 when the lid is opened.
A locking portion 16a is formed to engage with a. As shown in FIG. 6, a leaf spring member 19 having a narrowest portion 19a is attached to the end of the long hole 6c (6d) so as to regulate the relationship between the air bag lid 6 and the slide plate 16. Has become.

With the above construction, a side collision is detected by a collision detection mechanism (two independent systems disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle) by an impact sensor S disposed on the door 10 and detecting a side collision. Then, an initiating signal for deploying the airbag 9 is sent to the inflator 8.

In response to this signal, the inflator 8 explodes and the airbag 9 inflates, pressing the airbag lid 6 in the opening direction. This pressing force breaks the break portion 2c of the seat skin 2b, and opens the airbag lid 6 together with the lid portion 2d (see the broken line in FIG. 3).

The opening of the air bag grid 6 is performed by first opening the air bag grid 6 in the side plate portion 6b and the slide plate 16 due to the engagement relationship between the long holes 6c, 6d and the stopper pins 18, 18. It is released to the degree. At this time, the stopper pin 18 is connected to the narrowest portion 19a of the leaf spring member 19.
And it is difficult to move between the narrowest portion 19a and the end portion.
Is maintained in a predetermined coupled state.

Then, the slide plate 16 rotates along with the rotation of the air bag grid 6, and the locking portion 16a of the slide plate 16 rotates until the locking portion 16a of the casing 7 engages with the locking portion 7a. As a result, the opening of the air bag grid 6 changes to the second set opening and is regulated.

As a result, the airbag device 5 is disposed on the seat cushion 2 (seat seat 1) below the armrest 13, but the deployment direction of the airbag 9 is regulated by the airbag grid 6, so that the armrest 1
3, the space between the door 10 and the occupant M is vertically expanded from below to above, and the protection of the occupant M is ensured.

In the above embodiment, the slide plate 16 is used, but it can be omitted as shown in FIG. In this case, the long holes 6e, 6
The stopper pins 18 and 18 that engage with f are erected on the casing 7. Further, a leaf spring member similar to the leaf spring member 19 is disposed at the ends of the long holes 6e and 6f so as to maintain the open state.

Further, as shown in FIG.
An airbag device (not shown) is provided at an upper position in 3,
For example, the guide means 15 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be applied to a structure in which the airbag is deployed from the airbag grid 13a formed on the upper portion.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the airbag 2 of the airbag device 20 disposed on the side of the seat cushion 2 in order to protect the waist M2 of the occupant M first.
1 is divided into an upper airbag 21A and a lower airbag 21B, and a pressure control valve 22 is interposed in a partition 21C therebetween to inflate the lower airbag 21B earlier than the upper airbag 21A. You can also. In this way, the airbag 21 deployed vertically from the side of the seat cushion 2 first inflates to the height of the waist M2 of the occupant M, thereby protecting the waist M2 of the occupant M, and then the chest M1.
To the height of Accordingly, the waist M1 and the chest M2 of the occupant M correspond to the contact timing with the inner surface of the door 10.
The airbag 21 is deployed in this order, so that more efficient shock absorption can be performed. P indicates the bumper position.

Example 2 This example is an example in which an airbag device is provided in a seat back.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG.
An airbag device 31 is disposed on the side of the seat back 3 so that the airbag 32 is deployed between the door 10 and the occupant M in the front-rear direction from the rear to the front in the event of a side collision.

The airbag device 31 has an inflator 34 housed in a casing 33 together with the airbag 32, and is buried in a cushion material 3 a of the seat back 3. The airbag 32 has a thin elliptical shape so that the side of the occupant can be sufficiently protected.

Although not specifically shown, the casing 33 is provided with an air bag grid 35, for example, as shown in FIGS.
A guide means for regulating the opening degree is provided in the same manner as shown in FIG. The casing 33 is fixed to the seat frame 37 via a reinforcing member 36 for attachment.

According to the above-described structure, at the time of a side collision, when an initiating signal for deploying the airbag 32 is sent to the inflator 34, the inflator 34 explodes and the airbag 32 is inflated, so that the airbag grid is inflated. 35
Is pressed in the opening direction. The airbag lid 35 is opened by this pressing force.

At this time, the opening of the airbag lid 35 is regulated by the guide means for regulating the opening of the airbag lid 35 as described above, and the airbag lid 35 is only opened at the set opening.

As a result, the deployment direction of the airbag 32 is regulated by the airbag grid 35, and the airbag 32 is deployed in a front-rear direction between the door 10 and the occupant M to deploy the occupant M, thereby ensuring protection of the occupant M. Becomes

Embodiment 3 In this embodiment, the airbag device is rotated to direct the airbag toward the occupant.

13 and 14, the airbag device 41 has a casing 42 embedded in the side of the seat back 3 and a seat frame 43 via a mounting reinforcing member 44 as in the second embodiment. It is attached to a frame 45 which is attached and fixed so that it can be displaced outward.

More specifically, a shaft member 46 is provided upright on the rear end of the casing 42 at the upper and lower surfaces.
Is restricted by the first restricting portion 45a of the frame 45 from moving outward by a predetermined amount or more. On the other hand, the front end portion is rotatably connected to the frame 45 via the link member 47, and is positioned outward by the engagement between the engaging portion 47a of the link member 47 and the second regulating portion 45b of the frame 45. Movement beyond a certain amount is regulated. In this manner, the guide means for rotating the airbag device 41 and deploying the airbag 48 toward the occupant when the airbag 48 is deployed is configured. Note that 49
Is an inflator and 50 is an air bag grid.

With this configuration, when the airbag is inflated, the casing 42 is deflected by the explosive force of the inflator 49.
The front end moves largely outward while the rear end moves small outward. The outward movement of the shaft member 46 by a predetermined amount or more is prevented by the first regulating portion 4 of the frame 45.
5a, the amount of outward movement of the front end by the link member 47 is also regulated by the engagement between the engaging portion 47a of the link member 47 and the second regulating portion 45b of the frame 45,
As a result, the front end of the casing 42 is displaced outward more than the rear end.

As described above, the front end of the casing 42 is displaced outward more than the rear end, and the front end of the casing 42 is directed between the door and the occupant. Since the airbag 48 is inflated and deployed, the airbag 48 is deployed between the door and the occupant in a front-to-rear direction and directed forward from the rear to the occupant side, thereby protecting the side of the occupant M.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body side portion according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a deployment direction of an airbag.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the air bag grid in a closed state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the air bag grid in an open state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an end of a long hole.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a modified example.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram when an airbag device is provided on an armrest.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram in a case where an airbag is configured by an upper bag and a lower bag.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a partition portion of the airbag.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 1 for a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the air bag grid in a closed state according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the airbag lid in an open state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat seat 2 Seat cushion 3 Seat back 5,31,41 Airbag device 6,35,50 Airbag grid 8,34,49 Inflator 9,32,48 Airbag 10 Door 13 Armrest 15 Guide means S Impact sensor (impact detection) means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hideki Nishitake 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside Mazda Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-60-240535 (JP, A) JP-A Heihei 2-310140 (JP, A) JP-A 1-1117957 (JP, U) JP-A 61-159248 (JP, U) JP-A 50-147335 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60R 21/16-21/32 B60N 2/42

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A side collision airbag device, which is deployed between a vehicle body side wall and a vehicle occupant constituting a vehicle body side, is provided with a front-rear swing.
An energy absorbing structure on a side of a vehicle body provided on a rideable seat, comprising: an impact detecting means for detecting an impact force input to the vehicle body; and an inflation operating based on a signal from the impact detecting means.
And the inflator fixed to the inflator
Airbag unit having an airbag deployed by actuation
A knit, and the airbag unit is provided with a seat provided in the seat.
Fixed to the strength member of the seat and covered with the sheet skin
The air bag is stored in the seat and
A predetermined seam is formed in advance on the sheet skin.
Is configured to be deployed by breaking the
The inflation pressure for the specified seam
Inflators and airbags are installed so that
Energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body side, characterized by being. 2. A vehicle body side wall and a vehicle occupant constituting a vehicle body side.
Airbag device for side collision deployed between
Energy on the side of the vehicle body mounted on a slidable seat
In the absorbing structure, impact detecting means for detecting an impact force input to the vehicle body
And an inflation operating based on a signal from the impact detection means.
And the inflator fixed to the inflator
Airbag unit having an airbag deployed by actuation
A knit, and the airbag unit is provided with a seat provided in the seat.
Fixed to the strength member of the seat and covered with the sheet skin
The air bag is stored in the seat and
A predetermined seam is formed in advance on the sheet skin.
Is configured to be deployed by breaking the
Airbag and inflation for the specified seam
Are arranged almost in series in the order of
Energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body side that. 3. The airbag deployment in the seat.
The predetermined seam is broken by the unfolding pressure.
That a rupture accelerating means that acts to
The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The airbag unit according to claim 1 , wherein
A lip located in the space between the seam and the airbag
With the lid, when the airbag is deployed
Of the lid so as to break the specified seam
Arranged with free end almost corresponding to the above specified seam
The energy absorbing structure for a vehicle body side portion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: