JPH09226502A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To absorb the kinetic energy of an occupant head sufficiently by a small device without enlarging the capacity of a bag body. SOLUTION: The longitudinal direction of a bag body 10 is a vehicular front/ rear direction and the both end parts of the longitudinal direction are bolted by bolts 18, 20 to a car body respectively on a front pillar 12 and a roof side 14. The bag body 10 are usually in a storing shrink state from the roof side 14 toward the front pillar 12 and an inflator 36 is operated and gas is supplied in the bag body 10 and the longitudinal direction intermediate part of the bag body 10 is bent downward and expanded and spread in a car room at the side collision time. The bag body 10 supports the occupant's head and absorbs the kinetic energy of the occupant's head. For example, when the occupant is positioned in a vehicular front side, the rotation of the occupant's head is obstructed by positioning from the occupant's head toward an occupant's neck.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device for inflating a bag between a side portion of a vehicle body and an occupant's head to support the occupant's head and the like and absorb kinetic energy of the occupant's head and the like. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an air bag device, a bag body is inflated between a vehicle body side portion and an occupant's head or the like to support the occupant's head or the like in the event of a side collision of a vehicle. A structure that absorbs kinetic energy of the occupant's head has been proposed.

Specifically, an air bag device is installed on a center pillar, a roof side, an upper part of a door trim, etc., and an inflator communicating with the bag body is operated at the time of a side collision or the like to supply pressure gas into the bag body. To inflate the bag.

[0004]

By the way, in order to reliably support the kinetic energy of the occupant's head or the like, a bag having a large capacity is required.

However, if the capacity of the bag is increased, the size of the airbag apparatus including the inflator is increased as a whole.
The cost is also high.

Therefore, it is desirable to have an airbag device which can sufficiently absorb the kinetic energy of the occupant's head without increasing the capacity of the bag.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag device capable of sufficiently absorbing the kinetic energy of the occupant's head or the like with a small device without increasing the capacity of the bag body. To do.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an airbag device according to a first aspect of the present invention is mounted in a vehicle front-rear direction along a roof side in a retracted and retracted state. It is characterized in that the middle part in the direction is curved downward and is provided with a bag body for supporting an occupant's head and the like.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the airbag device of the first aspect, both ends of the bag body in the vehicle front-rear direction are attached to the vehicle body, and the middle portion of the vehicle front-rear direction from the roof side during inflation and deployment. It is characterized in that it is separated and curved downward.

According to the above construction, the bag body is normally in the retracted state along the roof side.

In the case of a side collision of a vehicle (side collision), the bag body is inflated and deployed. At this time, the middle portion of the bag body in the vehicle front-rear direction is bent downward to support the occupant's head and the like, whereby the bag body has the occupant's head and the like in the vehicle width direction (vehicle lateral direction).
Can absorb kinetic energy to.

As the bag body, the bag body is wholly attached to the vehicle body in the vehicle front-rear direction, or as described in claim 2, the vehicle body front-rear end portions of the bag body are provided at two points on the vehicle body. It can be attached.

When both end portions of the bag body in the vehicle front-rear direction are attached to the vehicle body, the middle portion of the bag body in the vehicle front-rear direction is bent downward while being separated from the roof side when inflated and deployed.

When the occupant is located in front of the vehicle,
The bag body can be placed from the occupant's head to the occupant's neck to prevent rotation of the occupant's head. The head and the like can be accurately supported.

As a result, the small device can sufficiently absorb the kinetic energy of the occupant's head without increasing the capacity of the bag.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of an airbag device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
An arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle, and an arrow I indicates the inner side in the vehicle width direction.
N indicates the upper side of the vehicle by arrow UP.

The airbag device according to the present embodiment allows the bag body to be inflated and deployed between the vehicle body side portion and the occupant's head or the like from the retracted state when the bag body is in a retracted state at the time of a side collision (side collision) of the vehicle. ,
The bag body supports the occupant's head and the like to absorb the kinetic energy of the occupant's head and the like.

The bag body 10 is elongated along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in either the retracted state (indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1) or the inflated and deployed state (indicated by the chain line in FIG. 2 as well as in FIG. 2) and is retracted. In the contracted state, as shown in FIG. 1, the roof side 14 is attached along the front pillar 12. One end of the bag body 10 in the longitudinal direction (the end portion on the front side of the vehicle) is an inner panel 2 which will be described later in the front pillar 12.
4 is bolted to 18 and the other end in the longitudinal direction (end on the vehicle rear side) is bolted to the inner panel 24 on the vehicle rear side from the center pillar 16 of the roof side 14 so that both longitudinal ends are attached to the vehicle body. It is rotatably supported.

As shown in FIG. 5, the bag 10 is stored in the storage case 22. The storage case 22 is made of a deformable thin material such as a metal such as soft iron or aluminum or a synthetic resin. The storage case 22 has a long shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the bag body 10, has a rectangular tubular shape in a cross section at right angles to the longitudinal direction, and has an inner panel 24 and a garnish (interior material) arranged along the roof side 14 and the front pillar 12. ) 26. An opening 28 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the storage case 22 in the case wall portion of the peripheral wall of the storage case 22 facing the garnish 26. Opening 28
Facing each other, a linear cut 30 is formed in the garnish 26.

In the storage case 22, the bag body 10 made of a flexible material such as cloth or synthetic resin is folded and shrunk along the longitudinal direction with a folding line, and stored.
The storage case 22 wraps the bag body 10 so that the bag body 10 does not come out of the opening 28.

A plurality of brackets 32 are arranged in the storage case 22 along the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals.
The bracket 32 has one end fixed to the outer surface of the case wall of the storage case 22 facing the opening 28, and the other end fixed to the inner panel 24 with a bolt 34. This allows
The storage case 22 in which the bag body 10 has been stored is attached to the vehicle body.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an inflator 36 is connected to the end of the bag body 10 on the vehicle rear side. The inflator 36 is fixed to the inner panel 24 of the roof side 14. The end of the bag body 10 on the vehicle rear side is opened and communicates with the inflator 36. The inflator 36 has a gas generating agent inside. When a sensor (not shown) detects sudden deceleration of the vehicle, side collision of the vehicle, or the like, gas (gas pressure) is generated from the gas generating agent. The gas is supplied into the bag body 10 and the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed.

As shown by the chain line in FIG. 5, the expansion of the bag body 10 causes the storage case 22 to elastically or plastically deform so as to expand the opening 28, and the garnish 26 is left and right through the notches 30. Elastically or plastically deformable in such a manner that the bag 10 is longitudinally intermediate at the opening 10
It passes through the storage case 22 and projects downward into the vehicle compartment.

In the inflated and expanded state, both longitudinal ends of the bag body 10 are still supported on the vehicle body by the bolts 18 and 20, and the longitudinal middle portion is indicated by a chain line in FIG. 1 and a solid line in FIG. , Away from the roof side 14 and the dimension (L
2-L1) and a downwardly curved arc is drawn, the vertical middle part of the window 38 is hung across the center pillar 14 from the front pillar 12, and further, a webbing for restraining an occupant is inserted. It is positioned so as to pass through the center pillar 14 so as to cover the shoulder anchor 40 projectingly provided on the center pillar 14 for supporting.

Since the bag body 10 is bent along the roof side 14 from the front pillar 12 in the retracted state, the longitudinal dimension of the folded bag body 10 (both ends in the longitudinal direction of the bag body 10 are Bolts 18 and 2 supported on
Regarding the dimension between 0), the dimension L1 of the bag body 10 in the retracted retracted state is larger than the linear dimension between the bolts 18 and 20. Therefore, the bag body 10 is bent downward during expansion and deployment. However, as shown in FIG. 1, by forming the dimension L2 of the bag body 10 in the expanded and expanded state to be longer than the dimension L1 of the stored and contracted state, the longitudinal middle portion of the bag body 10 is surely bent downward sufficiently. It is possible to The bag 10 is
With a dimension (L2-L1) that is the difference between the dimension L2 in the expanded state and the dimension L1 in the stored state, with a slack in the longitudinal direction (in addition to being folded along the longitudinal direction with a fold line, It is stored in the storage case 22 after being folded with a folding line along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The front pillar 12 and the roof side 14 have an inclined portion which is inclined upward inward in the vehicle width direction, and the inner panel 24 having an inclined portion which is inclined opposite to the inclined portion. Bag 10 in a direction at a right angle
The end portion of the bag is fastened with bolts 18 and 20 and supported, and the bag body 1
0 is attached to the vehicle body, and as shown in FIG.
The intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is inflated and expanded obliquely in the direction of arrow A from the upper side toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. According to the above configuration, the bag body 10 has the longitudinal ends fastened to the bolts 18 and 20 and attached to the vehicle body. Normally, the front pillar 12 and the roof side 14 are secured.
Stored along the retracted state.

At the time of a side collision, etc., the sensor detects it and the inflator 36 is activated to inflate and deploy the bag 10.
At this time, the middle portion of the bag body 10 in the vehicle front-rear direction is curved downward apart from the roof side 14 to support the occupant's head and the like, whereby the bag body 10 absorbs kinetic energy of the occupant's head and the like. You can

Since the intermediate portion of the bag body 10 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is bent downward and inflated, when the occupant is positioned on the front side of the vehicle during inflation and deployment, the bag body 10 is attached to the center pillar 14.
And the head of the occupant or the like to prevent contact of the occupant's head or the like with the shoulder anchor 40, and when the occupant is located on the front side of the vehicle, the bag body 10, The occupant's head is placed on the occupant's neck to prevent rotation of the occupant's head. As shown in FIG. 3, when the longitudinal intermediate portion of the bag body 10 receives a load from the occupant's head or the like, the load acts downward (in the direction of arrow B). that time,
Both ends of the bag body 10 are opposed to each other so as to tension the bag body 10 in the longitudinal direction and suppress the movement of the bag body 10. Even if the bag 10 is a small bag, the occupant's head and the like can be accurately supported regardless of the position of the occupant.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, since the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed obliquely inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper side in the direction of arrow A, the bag body 10 is occupant's head. The movement of the bag body 10 in the vehicle width direction is suppressed when the bag body 10 is urged outward in the vehicle width direction by the load received from the portion, etc.
0 can support the occupant's head accurately regardless of the position of the occupant even with a small bag.

As described above, the small device can sufficiently absorb the kinetic energy of the occupant's head without increasing the capacity of the bag body 10.

Further, the bag body 10 is retracted and retracted between the inner panel 24 and the garnish 26 provided along the roof side 14, and the garnish 26
In the configuration in which the notch 30 is formed in the vehicle body and the bag body 10 is laterally expanded through the notch 30 by the bag body 10 to inflate the bag body 10 into the vehicle interior at the time of expansion and deployment, as shown in FIG. The notch 3 of the garnish 26 when the longitudinal end portion of the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed.
When the bag body 10 is inflated and deployed, the garnish 26 is locked at the end portion of 0 to stabilize the direction of the inflation and expansion.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the end of the bag 10 on the vehicle rear side is locked to the end of the notch 30 of the garnish 26 on the vehicle rear side. Similarly to the rear side portion of the vehicle, the end portion of can be locked to the end portion of the notch 30 of the garnish 26 on the front side of the vehicle.

In the above-described embodiment, the bag body 10 is elongated along the vehicle front-rear direction and is supported by the vehicle body at two points at both ends in the vehicle front-rear direction. Although it is configured to be separated and curved downward, the present invention is applicable not only to such a configuration. For example, even if the bag body is wholly supported by the vehicle body in the vehicle front-rear direction so that the vehicle front-rear direction intermediate portion does not separate from the roof side, the vehicle body front-rear direction intermediate portion of the bag body is curved downward when inflated and deployed. If so, the present invention is applicable.

[0035]

As described above, in the airbag device of the present invention, the kinetic energy of the occupant's head can be sufficiently absorbed by a small device without increasing the capacity of the bag.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inside in a vehicle width direction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an inflated and expanded state of the bag body as seen from the vehicle interior.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, showing an inflated and deployed state of the bag.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an end portion of the bag body on the vehicle rear side, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction when the bag body is inflated and deployed.

FIG. 5 is an end view showing the retracted state of the bag body as seen from the front of the vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 bag 12 front pillar 14 roof side 16 center pillar 18, 20 bolt 22 storage case

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A bag body, which is attached in a vehicle front-rear direction along a roof side in a retracted and retracted state, has a middle portion in a vehicle front-rear direction curved downward when inflated and deployed to support an occupant's head and the like. An airbag device characterized in that 2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the bag in the vehicle front-rear direction are attached to the vehicle body, and an intermediate portion in the vehicle front-rear direction is bent downward apart from the roof side when inflated and deployed.