JP2008247212A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device capable of preferably restraining an occupant and improving occupant protecting performance. <P>SOLUTION: The side airbag device comprises an inflator 48; and an airbag 44 stored in a vehicular seat 22, expanded and deployed by gas from the inflator 48 to project out by breaking the vehicular seat 22, and expanded and deployed between the body side of a vehicle and a the vehicular seat 22. In the side airbag device, a side collision of a vehicle is estimated by a control device 67, and the inflator 48 is made to start actuation before the side collision according to the estimation. Furthermore, concerning the airbag 44 expanded and deployed accompanied by the actuation start of the inflator 48, the deploying speed of the airbag 44 is lowered than the deploying speed of the case that the actuation of the inflator 48 is started after the side collision, at least the outside the vehicular seat 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a side airbag device in which an airbag is inflated and deployed between a body side portion of a vehicle and a vehicle seat so as to reduce an impact from the side of the vehicle and protect an occupant.

  A side airbag device is widely known as a device that protects an occupant from a shock when a side impact is applied to the vehicle due to a side collision (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The side airbag device includes an inflator and an airbag, and is stored in a seat back (backrest) of a vehicle seat in a compact state by folding the airbag.

  In the above-described side airbag device, when an impact is applied from the side to the body side portion of the vehicle, the inflator is activated to inject gas into the airbag. The airbag is inflated and deployed by the ejected gas, and jumps out of the seat back with a part left in the seat back. The airbag is inflated and deployed forward from the seat back in a narrow space between the occupant seated on the vehicle seat and the body side portion. The inflated airbag is interposed between the occupant and the body side portion that enters the passenger compartment, restrains the occupant, and mitigates the side impact transmitted to the occupant through the body side portion.

By the way, in the side collision, the “crushable zone”, which is a space for absorbing an impact, is very narrow compared to other collision modes, for example, the front collision. Therefore, in the case of a side collision, it is required to inflate and deploy the airbag between the occupant and the body side portion in a very short time after the side collision occurs from the viewpoint of reliably protecting the occupant. In order to meet this requirement, when a side collision is detected, the airbag is inflated and deployed at high speed.
JP 2004-276808 A

  However, if the airbag is inflated and deployed at a high speed as described above, the airbag can be inflated and deployed in a short time after the occurrence of a side collision. However, the energy that the inflated and deployed airbag gives to the occupant as a reaction force is high. It becomes difficult to restrain the occupant appropriately. Such a problem is particularly likely to occur when an occupant is seated at a location deviating from the normal seating position and a part of the body is located in a region where the airbag is inflated and deployed.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The objective is to provide a side airbag apparatus which can restrain a passenger | crew suitably and can aim at the improvement of passenger | crew protection performance.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is provided in an inflator and a vehicle seat, inflated and deployed by a gas from the inflator, ruptured and ejected the vehicle seat, In a side airbag device comprising an airbag that inflates and deploys between a body side portion and a vehicle seat, an inflator that predicts a side collision of the vehicle and causes the inflator to start operating prior to the side collision in accordance with the prediction. With respect to the airbag that inflates and deploys when the inflator operation is started by the control means and the inflator control means, at least outside the vehicle seat, the inflation speed of the airbag is started after the side collision. The gist of the present invention is to provide a deployment speed lowering means for lowering the deployment speed at that time.

  According to the above configuration, when a side collision of the vehicle is inevitable, this is predicted by the inflator control means, and the operation of the inflator is started prior to the side collision. Gas is ejected from the inflator, and the airbag starts inflating and deploying in the vehicle seat. The vehicle seat is pressed by an airbag that is inflated and deployed, and then is broken at a specific portion. The airbag jumps out of the vehicle seat through the broken portion, with a part left in the vehicle seat. Thereafter, the airbag is inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle between the outside of the vehicle seat, more precisely, the body side portion of the vehicle. The inflated airbag is interposed between the occupant and the body side portion that enters the passenger compartment, restrains the occupant, and mitigates the side impact transmitted to the occupant through the body side portion.

  Here, in the conventional side airbag device, when a side collision occurs, this is detected by a sensor. In response to the detection, the operation of the inflator is started, and the airbag is inflated and deployed by the gas ejected from the inflator. On the other hand, if a side collision can be predicted, the operation of the inflator can be started before the side collision occurs, so that the airbag can be inflated and deployed, and there is a margin in the time for inflating and deploying the airbag.

  In consideration of this point, in the invention according to claim 1, when the airbag is inflated and deployed at least outside the vehicle seat, the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced after the side collision by the deployment speed reducing means. It is made lower than the deployment speed when the operation is started. Due to the decrease in the deployment speed, the energy given to the occupant as a reaction force by the airbag that is inflated and deployed decreases, and the occupant is preferably restrained.

  The reduction in the deployment speed by the deployment speed reduction means is performed when the airbag is inflated and deployed at least outside the vehicle seat as described above. Therefore, when the airbag is inflated and deployed inside the vehicle seat, the inflation and deployment is performed at the same deployment speed as when the operation of the inflator was started after the side collision, so that the air bag is inside the vehicle seat. The bag can be quickly inflated and deployed to prepare for the above-described inflation and deployment of the airbag outside the vehicle seat.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the deployment speed reducing means is configured so that the airbag is inflated in the vehicle seat and the vehicle seat starts to inflate forward. The gist is to reduce the unfolding speed for a period until the sheet is taken out.

  According to the above configuration, when the vehicle seat is inflated forward in the process of inflating the airbag in the vehicle seat, the occupant is pushed by the vehicle seat. However, even at this time, the deployment speed of the airbag is lowered by the deployment speed reduction means. Therefore, the energy of the airbag given to the occupant via the vehicle seat that bulges forward as described above is reduced, and the occupant is more preferably restrained.

  Here, the period during which the deployment speed is lowered by the deployment speed reducing means is from when the airbag breaks the vehicle seat and jumps out to the outside until the inflation and deployment is completed. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the airbag starts from inflating forward by pushing the vehicle seat until inflating and deploying is completed. In any case, it is the second half of the entire period from the start to the completion of the inflation of the airbag. Therefore, in claims 1 and 2, the period during which the deployment speed is lowered is referred to as “the latter stage of the expansion and deployment period”. Further, the other period, that is, the period immediately after the airbag starts inflating in the vehicle seat is referred to as “the first period of the inflating and deploying period”.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the airbag is configured to be stored by being folded and stored in the vehicle seat, and the deployment speed is reduced. The means comprises an elongate member that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at its end and has a redundant portion that is in a slack state when the airbag is in the stowed configuration. The gist is that the holding portion is held in a slack state and the holding by the holding portion is released as the airbag is inflated and deployed.

According to the above configuration, when the airbag is in the storage mode, the redundant portion is held in a state of being slackened by the holding portion.
When the airbag is inflated and deployed, the long member is pulled, and the redundant portion is stretched and tensioned, the holding portion holds the redundant portion in a slack state and tries to prevent the airbag from being inflated and deployed. If the airbag continues to inflate and deploy from a state in which the redundant portion is in tension, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed to eliminate the holding by the holding portion, and the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced. Then, when the holding of the holding unit is canceled, there is no one that tries to hold the redundant unit in a slack state. At this time, when the airbag is continuously inflated and deployed, the slack state of the redundant portion is eliminated and the airbag is stretched and the long member is tensioned.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the airbag is configured to be stored by being folded and stored in the vehicle seat, and the deployment speed is reduced. The means comprises an elongate member that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at its end and has a redundant portion that is in a slack state when the airbag is in the stowed configuration. A first redundant part that is held in a slack state by the holding part and released by the holding part as the airbag is inflated and deployed, and the airbag before the holding by the holding part is released And a second redundant portion that is stretched along with the expansion and expansion of the.

According to the above configuration, when the airbag is in the storage configuration, the second redundant portion is in a slack state, and the first redundant portion is held in a slack state by the holding portion.
In the first half of the inflating and deploying period, the long member is pulled along with the inflating and deploying of the airbag, but the second redundant portion is merely stretched, and the long member hardly disturbs the inflating and deploying of the airbag.

  On the other hand, in the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag, the second redundant portion is stretched and tensioned with the inflation and deployment of the airbag. The holding part holds the first redundant part in a slack state and tries to prevent the airbag from being inflated and deployed. When the airbag continues to inflate and deploy from a state in which the second redundant portion is in tension, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed to eliminate the holding by the holding portion, and the airbag deployment speed is reduced. Be made. When the holding by the holding unit is cancelled, there is no longer anything that tries to hold the first redundant portion in a sagging state, and a sagging portion occurs. If the airbag continues to inflate and deploy at this time, the slack state of the first redundant portion is eliminated and the airbag is stretched, and the long member is tensioned again.

  In addition, it is effective to use a plurality of combinations of the first redundant part and the holding part as the developing speed reduction means, and to change the holding strength of the holding part for each first redundant part. In this case, with the inflation of the airbag, it is possible to release the holding by the holding portion in order from the first redundant portion having the holding portion with a low holding strength. Each time the holding by each holding portion is released, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed, and the airbag deployment speed can be continuously reduced over a predetermined period (time).

  The first redundant portion may be one in which a part of the long member is folded and held in a folded state by the holding portion. For example, in a long member, a folded portion is held in a folded state by being sewn with a sewing thread or bonded with an adhesive. In this case, the stitched portion by the sewing thread and the glued portion by the adhesive correspond to the holding portion. In these cases, as the airbag is inflated and deployed, the above-mentioned holding is released by breaking or cutting the stitched portion or the bonded portion.

  Further, the holding unit may be configured by a pair of snap-type fastening parts such as a snap fit, a snap button, and a snap hook. In this case, both fastening parts are provided at locations facing each other in the folded portion of the long member. When both the fastening parts are connected to each other, a part of the long member is held in a folded state. Moreover, the above-mentioned holding is released by separating both fastening parts as the airbag is inflated and deployed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the invention of the first or second aspect, the airbag is folded into a storage configuration for storing in the vehicle seat, and the deployment speed reducing means is provided. Is a long member that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at its end and is in a slack state when the airbag is in the stowed configuration, and is tensioned by the inflating and deploying airbag; The gist of the present invention is to include a separation planned portion provided in the middle of the long member and separated along with the inflation and deployment of the airbag.

According to the above configuration, when the airbag is in the storage configuration, the long member is in a slack state.
In the first half of the inflating and deploying period, the long member is pulled along with the inflating and deploying of the airbag. However, the long member is still unstrained and this elongated member hinders the inflating and deploying of the airbag. There is almost no.

  On the other hand, in the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag, the long member is stretched and tensioned with the inflation and deployment of the airbag. This long member tends to prevent the airbag from being inflated and deployed. Here, in the long member, the strength is lower than the other parts in the separation planned portion, and when the external force such as the tension of the airbag is applied to the long member, the long member is separated in the separation planned portion. It is easy to be separated.

  Therefore, if the airbag continues to inflate and deploy from a state in which the long member is in tension, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed for separation of the scheduled separation portion, and the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced. And if a long member is isolate | separated in a separation scheduled part as mentioned above, the force which tries to prevent the expansion | deployment of the airbag by the long member will lose | eliminate.

  In addition, it is effective to use a plurality of long members having the planned separation portion and having different lengths as the development speed reducing means as described above. In this case, if the strength of the planned separation portion is constant, the long member can be separated in the planned separation portion in order from the short long member as the airbag is inflated. It is possible to continuously reduce the airbag deployment speed over a predetermined period (time) by consuming the energy of inflation and deployment of the airbag every time the separation-scheduled portion is separated in each long member.

  Moreover, the scheduled separation part may be constituted by, for example, a perforation put in a long member. In this case, the perforation is formed by putting a plurality of cuts each having a predetermined length into the long member at predetermined intervals. And a long member is isolate | separated in a scheduled separation part by the part between adjacent notches being fractured | ruptured.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deployment speed reducing means is formed of a stretchable material, and the vehicle seat or the airbag at its end. The gist of the present invention is to provide an elongated member that is fixed to the airbag and extended by an airbag that is inflated and deployed.

  According to the above configuration, in the first half of the inflating and deploying period, the long member is pulled along with the inflating and deploying of the airbag. However, the long member is not yet stretched against its own elasticity, and this long member is There is almost no hindrance to the expansion of the bag.

  On the other hand, in the later stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag, the long member is pulled by the airbag that is inflated and deployed to be in a tension state. Since the long member is formed of a stretchable material, when the airbag is further inflated and deployed, the inflation and deployment is performed by extending the long member. The long member has an elastic restoring force, and this elastic restoring force increases as the long member expands. Therefore, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed for the extension of the long member, and the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced.

  In addition, the said elongate member in the invention as described in any one of the said Claims 3-6 may be arrange | positioned outside an airbag like the invention of Claim 7, and, According to the invention described in item 8, it may be arranged inside the airbag.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 7, when the long member is disposed outside the airbag, the long member exhibits a function of regulating the inflation form of the airbag. Therefore, it is also possible to restrict the phenomenon that the airbag is inflated excessively in the vehicle width direction.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the airbag is a pair of overlapping portions obtained by folding the base fabric in half, or a pair of overlapping portions each consisting of a base fabric. And a peripheral joint part that joins the two superposed parts at their peripheral parts, and the deployment speed reducing means can separate the two superposed parts in a region surrounded by the peripheral joint part of the airbag. And an inner coupling portion that is separated as the airbag is inflated.

  According to the above configuration, in the later stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag, the inner coupling portion that couples the pair of overlapping portions tends to hinder the inflation and deployment of the airbag. Here, in an airbag, the force which couple | bonds both superposition | polymerization parts is made lower than the other location (periphery coupling | bond part) in an inner coupling | bond part. Both overlapping portions are more easily separated at the inner joint than at the peripheral joint. Therefore, if the airbag continues to inflate and deploy, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed for releasing the coupling by the inner coupling portion, and the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced. And if both superposition | polymerization parts are isolate | separated by the said coupling | bonding cancellation | release, the force which tries to prevent the expansion | deployment deployment of the airbag by the inner joint part will lose | eliminate.

  In addition, it is effective to provide inner coupling portions at a plurality of locations in the deployment direction of the airbag as the deployment speed reduction means. In this case, as the airbag is inflated, it is possible to sequentially release the coupling by the inner coupling portion from the rear side in the deployment direction (side near the inflator) toward the front side in the deployment direction. It is possible to continuously reduce the airbag deployment speed over a predetermined period (time) by consuming the energy of inflation and deployment of the airbag each time the inner coupling portion is released from the coupling.

  The inner coupling portion may be constituted by a tear seam that couples the overlapping portions in the region surrounded by the peripheral coupling portion of the airbag and is broken as the airbag is inflated.

  In this case, the tear seam tends to prevent the airbag from being inflated and deployed later in the airbag inflation and deployment period. Here, in an airbag, the force which couple | bonds both superposition | polymerization parts is made lower than another location (peripheral coupling | bond part) in a tear seam, and the same tear seam is easy to fracture | rupture rather than the same peripheral coupling | bond part. Therefore, if the airbag continues to be further inflated and deployed, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag is consumed for breaking the tear seam, and the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced. When the tear seam is broken as described above, there is no force to prevent the airbag from being inflated and deployed by the tear seam.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the deployment speed reducing means constitutes a rear portion of the airbag stored in the vehicle seat in the deployment direction. And a bellows-folded portion folded in a bellows, and a roll-folded portion constituting a roll-folded front portion of the airbag, and immediately after the operation of the inflator is started, The folding speed of the airbag is reduced at least outside the vehicle seat by eliminating the folded state of the bellows folding portion inside and eliminating the folded state of the roll folding portion outside the vehicle seat. This is the gist.

  In general, a folded bellows airbag is more easily resolved than a roll folded airbag. The airbag is inflated and deployed by eliminating this folded state. Therefore, when gas is ejected from the inflator, the latter airbag is inflated and deployed later than the former airbag.

  Focusing on this point, in the invention according to claim 10, the folding manner of the airbag is made different between the rear portion in the deployment direction and the front portion in the deployment direction. The portion on the rear side in the unfolding direction is folded by a bellows fold that is easy to cancel the folded state. The portion on the front side in the unfolding direction is folded by roll folding, which is more difficult to cancel the folded state than the bellows folding. Then, immediately after the start of the operation of the inflator (the first half of the expansion / deployment period), the folded state of the bellows fold is mainly eliminated. On the other hand, the folded state of the roll fold is mainly canceled in the later stage of the expansion and deployment period. As a result, the airbag is inflated and deployed at a high deployment speed inside the vehicle seat in the first half of the inflation and deployment period, and is inflated and deployed mainly at the slow deployment speed outside the vehicle seat in the second half of the inflation and deployment period. .

  An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the movable member according to the first or second aspect, wherein the deployment speed reducing means is configured to vary a supply amount of gas that is ejected from the inflator and supplied to the airbag. And the movable member is moved to a position that restricts the gas supply amount, thereby reducing the deployment speed of the airbag. Here, the supply amount means the amount of gas supplied from the inflator to the airbag per unit time.

  Generally, in a side airbag device, gas from an inflator is filled into the interior of the airbag and the internal pressure rises, whereby the airbag is inflated and deployed. As the internal pressure rises quickly, the airbag deployment speed increases. The internal pressure rises faster as the amount of gas supplied from the inflator and supplied into the airbag increases.

  In this regard, in the invention described in claim 11, the amount of gas supplied from the inflator and supplied into the air bag can be changed by moving the movable member. The movable member is moved to a position that restricts the amount of gas supply in the latter part of the airbag inflation and deployment period. By this movement, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the airbag becomes smaller than before, the increase in the internal pressure is delayed, and the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced accordingly.

  The movable member may be moved from the first half of the expansion / deployment period to a position where the gas supply amount is limited. In this case, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the airbag is reduced immediately after the start of the operation of the inflator.

  According to the side airbag device of the present invention, the inflator is started to operate prior to the side collision of the vehicle, and at least outside the vehicle seat, the inflation speed of the airbag is started after the side collision. Therefore, the occupant is preferably restrained and the occupant protection performance can be improved.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front (front of the vehicle), and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear (rear of the vehicle). Further, in the following description, the vertical direction means the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the horizontal direction is the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and coincides with the horizontal direction when the vehicle moves forward.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle seat 22 is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle inner side (upper side in FIG. 2) of the body side portion 21 in the vehicle. Here, the body side portion 21 refers to a member disposed on the side portion of the vehicle, and mainly includes a door, a pillar, and the like. For example, the body side part 21 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B pillar), or the like. The body side portion 21 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quarter, and the like.

The vehicle seat 22 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 23 and a seat back (backrest portion) 24.
As shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 and 3, the seat back 24 has a side support portion 25 on each of the side portions 26 at the front portion thereof in the vehicle width direction. Both side support portions 25, 25 are for supporting the occupant P so as to regulate the movement of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 22 and leaning against the seat back 24 in the vehicle width direction.

Next, in the seat back 24, the internal structure of the side part 26 outside the vehicle including the side support part 25 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, a seat frame constituting the skeleton is arranged in the seat back 24. A seat pad 27 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is disposed around the seat frame. A part of the seat frame is disposed in the side portion 26 of the seat back 24, and this portion (hereinafter referred to as “side frame portion 28”) is formed by bending a metal plate.

  The seat pad 27 is covered with a plurality of skins 31 to 33. The skins 32 and 33 are overlapped and stitched at the front side of the side support portion 25. The stitched portion 34 is accommodated in a groove 35 provided in the seat pad 27. Since the stitched portion 34 is lower in strength than the non-stitched portions of the both epidermis 32 and 33, it constitutes a part of a planned fracture portion that is broken by an airbag 44 described later.

  Moreover, in the skins 31 and 32, the location corresponding to the base portion of the side support portion 25 is folded back and stitched. The stitched portion 36 is accommodated in a groove portion 37 provided in the front portion of the seat pad 27 in a state of being pulled rearward.

  Further, two webbings 38 and 39 are wound around portions between the outer skins 32 and 33 and the seat pad 27 and corresponding to the periphery of the side frame portion 28 and an airbag module 43 described later. Both the force cloths 38 and 39 are each formed in a belt-like shape from a material with little elongation for the purpose of improving the deployability of the airbag 44. One end of each force cloth 38, 39 is sewn together with the skins 32, 33 at the stitched portion 34. Further, the other end of each of the webbings 38 and 39 is locked to the side frame portion 28. Both the force cloths 38 and 39 are in an expanded state in the initial stage of inflation and deployment of the airbag 44, thereby suppressing the inflation of the airbag 44 in a direction different from a predetermined deployment direction. In addition, both the force cloths 38 and 39 suppress the deformation of the seat pad 27 and the elongation of the skins 32 and 33 and cause the breakage of the planned breakage portion.

A storage space 41 for incorporating the airbag module 43 is provided in the vicinity of the side frame portion 28 of the seat pad 27.
A slit 42 extends from the corner on the vehicle outer side and the front side of the storage space 41 toward the stitched portion 34 of the skins 32 and 33. A portion of the seat pad 27 between the slit 42 and the stitched portion 34 has a thin shape, and together with the stitched portion 34 constitutes the above-described planned fracture portion.

  The airbag module 43 incorporated in the storage space 41 includes an airbag 44 and an inflator assembly 47 as main components. Next, each of these structural members will be described. 5 and 6 schematically show the airbag module 43 in a state where the airbag 44 is deployed without being filled with gas.

<Airbag 44>
As shown in FIG. 5, the airbag 44 is made of a woven fabric formed using a material having high strength and flexibility and can be easily folded, for example, polyester yarn or polyamide yarn. It is formed in a bag shape by a single base fabric.

  In this formation, a base fabric having a predetermined shape is folded in half at the central portion. Along with the folding, a pair of front and back overlapping portions 44A and 44B having the same shape are formed. Both overlapping portions 44A and 44B are arranged and used such that the side 45 that is folded in half is on the vehicle rear side. Further, both overlapping portions 44A and 44B are wide areas from the waist portion Pp of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) to the chest portion Pt when the airbag 44 has been inflated and deployed. It has the size and shape that can cover. This size / shape is merely an example, and the airbag 44 may have a size / shape different from this. For example, the airbag 44 may have a size and shape that can cover a region from the waist portion Pp to the shoulder portion of the occupant P.

The pair of overlapping portions 44A and 44B may be formed by overlapping two base fabrics. In this case, each base fabric constitutes each overlapping portion 44A, 44B.
Both overlapping portions 44A and 44B are coupled at a peripheral coupling portion 46 provided at the peripheral portion thereof. In the first embodiment, the peripheral joint portion 46 is provided by sewing the peripheral portions of the overlapping portions 44A and 44B with sewing threads. The peripheral joint 46 may be provided by means different from the sewing using the sewing thread, for example, bonding using an adhesive.

<Inflator assembly 47>
The inflator assembly 47 includes an inflator 48 as a gas generation source, and a retainer 49 attached to the inflator 48. The inflator 48 and the retainer 49 are disposed in a rear portion in the front-rear direction in the internal space of the airbag 44 and in a substantially intermediate portion in the vertical direction in the airbag 44.

  The inflator 48 has a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the substantially vertical direction, and a gas generating agent (not shown) is accommodated therein. In this type of inflator 48, gas is generated by the combustion reaction of the gas generating agent. A plurality of gas ejection ports 51 for ejecting the generated gas radially outward are provided at one end (here, the lower end) of the inflator 48.

  As the inflator 48, a type in which a partition of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with a high-pressure gas is broken with an explosive or the like to eject gas may be used instead of the type using the gas generating agent.

  On the other hand, the retainer 49 is a member that functions as a diffuser and has a function of fixing the inflator 48 together with the airbag 44 to the side frame portion 28 (see FIG. 3). Most of the retainer 49 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the vertical direction by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. On the front side of the lower end portion of the retainer 49, a window portion 52 that exposes a part of the gas outlet 51 of the inflator 48 from the retainer 49 is provided, and the gas from the gas outlet 51 passes through the window portion 52 to the vehicle. Erupted almost to the front. As shown in FIG. 4, a bolt 53 is implanted in a place different from the window portion 52 of the retainer 49, and the bolt 53 is inserted into the airbag 44 and exposed to the outside of the airbag 44. ing.

  By the way, in the side airbag device, the airbag 44 is made into a compact form (hereinafter referred to as “storage form”) suitable for incorporation into the storage space 41 (see FIG. 3) through the following steps. . First, as shown in FIG. 6, the airbag 44 in a state of being deployed without being filled with gas is accordion folded. The bellows fold here is one of the folding modes of the airbag 44, and the airbag 44 is directed from the front side of the vehicle toward the rear side of the vehicle along a plurality of fold lines 54 extending substantially in the vertical direction. Folding while changing the folding direction alternately by a certain width. By performing this bellows folding, as shown in FIG. 7 (A), the airbag 44 has an elongated shape in the substantially vertical direction as an intermediate form for the storage form.

  Next, the upper and lower portions of the airbag 44 elongated as described above are moved in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 7A, that is, the upper portion is rotated clockwise and the lower portion is counterclockwise. Each is folded in the clockwise direction. In the first embodiment, each of the upper part and the lower part of the airbag 44 is folded once, but this is only an example, and the number of times of folding can be changed as appropriate. As a result of these turns, the length of the airbag 44 in the substantially vertical direction is shortened as shown in FIG. 7B.

  And the airbag 44 folded as mentioned above is bundled with the binding tape 55 in a plurality of places (two places in FIG. 7B). The airbag 44 is held in a folded state by these binding tapes 55.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag module 43 configured as described above is configured such that the inflator assembly 47 is positioned on the rear side and the bellows-folded portion of the airbag 44 is positioned on the front side. It is accommodated in the storage space 41 of the back 24. As described above, the bolt 53 inserted through the airbag 44 is fastened to the side frame portion 28 by the nut 63. By this fastening, the inflator assembly 47 is fixed to the side frame portion 28 together with the airbag 44.

  In the airbag module 43, the airbag 44 is inflated by the gas from the inflator 48 as follows. Details will be described later. First, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed in the storage space 41 immediately after the start of gas supply. As this inflation and deployment proceeds, the airbag 44 begins to inflate by pressing the side support portion 25 forward. When the side support portion 25 swells forward, the back of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 22 and leaning against the seat back 24 is pushed forward. The airbag 44 that inflates and deploys pushes the occupant P through the side support portion 25, that is, indirectly. When the inflation and deployment further proceeds, the airbag 44 breaks the vehicle seat 22 and jumps out of the vehicle seat 22 with a part left in the storage space 41. The airbag 44 is inflated and deployed forward from the vehicle seat 22 between the body side portion 21 and the vehicle seat 22 (see FIG. 2). This inflated and deployed airbag 44 directly pushes and restrains the occupant P.

  Here, the entire period from the start to the completion of the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 is referred to as an “inflation and deployment period”. This inflating and deploying period can be divided into a period in which the airbag 44 directly or indirectly pushes and restrains the occupant P and a period in which the airbag 44 is not restrained. As described above, the airbag 44 presses and restrains the occupant P indirectly or directly after the timing when the airbag 44 starts to inflate by pressing the seat pad 27 forward. The timing at which the seat pad 27 starts to be inflated is in the middle of the inflating and expanding period. Therefore, here, for the sake of convenience, based on the timing at which the seat pad 27 starts to inflate, the period before that is referred to as “the first period of the inflating and expanding period”, and the period after that timing is referred to as “the latter period of the inflating and expanding period”. To do. When defined in this way, “the first period of the inflating and deploying period” corresponds to a period in which the occupant P is not restrained, and “the latter part of the inflating and deploying period” corresponds to a period in which the occupant P is restrained directly or indirectly.

  In the first half of the inflating and deploying period, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a deployment speed V2 that is as fast as the conventional side airbag apparatus, while in the latter part of the inflating and deploying period, the airbag 44 is installed in the conventional side airbag apparatus. In order to inflate and deploy at a slower deployment speed V1, the following configuration is newly adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag module 43 includes a belt 56 formed of a cloth, a tape, or the like as a long member in addition to the basic configuration described above. The belt 56 has a length that can surround the airbag 44 that has been inflated and deployed, more specifically, a length that is slightly shorter than the circumferential length of the airbag 44 in the same state. This length is longer than the length required to enclose the airbag 44 in the storage configuration. And the belt 56 is arrange | positioned in the state which enclosed the airbag 44 in the substantially horizontal direction in the exterior of the airbag 44 made into the accommodation form. The bolts 53 of the retainer 49 described above are inserted into both end portions of the belt 56, and the both end portions are fixed to the side frame portion 28 with bolts 53 and nuts 63.

  With respect to the belt 56, a surplus portion (hereinafter referred to as “redundant portion 57”) that is not related to the surrounding of the airbag 44 in the storage form is slackened. The redundant part 57 includes a first redundant part 58 and a second redundant part 60. Here, a plurality of first redundant portions 58 and a plurality of second redundant portions 60 are provided.

  As shown in at least one of FIGS. 4 and 8A, each first redundant portion 58 is for regulating and reducing the deployment speed of the airbag 44 in the later stage of the inflation and deployment period. It has the same configuration. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 8B and 9, each first redundant portion 58 is a fold line 59 extending in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 9) substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the belt 56. Are evenly set, and the belt 56 is folded along the folding line 59 thereof. In the first embodiment, two fold lines 59, 59 are set for each first redundant portion 58, and the belt 56 is folded along the fold lines 59, 59 while alternately changing the folding direction. Yes. Since there are two fold lines 59, in each first redundant portion 58, three fold pieces 61 in contact with each fold line 59 are formed, and these fold pieces 61 are overlapped.

  Each first redundant portion 58 is provided with a holding portion 62 that holds this in a sagging state and releases the holding as the airbag 44 is inflated. In the first embodiment in which the first redundant portion 58 is configured by folding a part of the belt 56, each first redundant portion 58 is provided with a holding portion 62 that holds the three folded pieces 61 in an overlapped state. ing. Here, each holding part 62 is formed by sewing three folded pieces 61 in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 9) substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the belt 56 with a sewing thread. In this configuration, the holding portion 62 is released by breaking the stitched portion of the sewing thread as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed.

  Further, if the holding unit 62 for each first redundant unit 58 defines the strength that holds the three folded pieces 61 in the first redundant unit 58 in an overlapped state, the holding unit 62 defines 3 as the holding strength. One folded piece 61 is sewn with a holding strength different from that of the other first redundant portion 58. Due to such stitching, the holding strength differs for each first redundant portion 58.

The holding strength can be varied by, for example, sewing as follows.
(I) The folded piece 61 is stitched using a plurality of types of sewing threads having different strengths for each first redundant portion 58.

(Ii) The folded piece 61 is stitched using a plurality of sewing threads having different thicknesses for each first redundant portion 58. In this case, the holding strength increases as the sewing thread becomes thicker.
(Iii) The length of stitching is made different for each first redundant portion 58. In this case, the holding strength increases as the length of the suture increases.

(Iv) Different sewing intervals are used for each first redundant portion 58. In general, the holding strength increases as the sewing interval decreases.
(V) The number of holding units 62 is made different for each first redundant unit 58. In this case, the holding strength for each first redundant unit 58 increases as the number of holding units 62 increases.

  On the other hand, each second redundant portion 60 is for allowing the airbag 44 to be inflated and deployed at a high deployment speed in the first half of the inflating and deploying period, and the belt 56 is released from being held by the holding portion 62. This is a portion that is stretched along with the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44.

  The plurality of first redundant portions 58, the holding portions 62 for each first redundant portion 58, and the plurality of second redundant portions 60 constitute a deployment speed reduction means. In this developing speed reduction means, the material, length, and width of the belt 56, the number of first redundant portions 58, the holding strength, the number of second redundant portions 60, and the like are set so as to satisfy the following conditions. .

Condition 1: The holding portion 62 does not hinder the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 in the first period of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44.
Condition 2: In the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, the holding portion 62 hinders the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 and reduces the deployment speed, which is about the same as the airbag in the conventional side airbag device. Complete inflation and deployment at the timing. The same timing refers to the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from the occurrence of the side collision (see timing t6 in FIG. 13).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the side airbag apparatus includes a side collision prediction sensor 66 including a millimeter wave radar in addition to the above-described airbag module 43 and a control device 67 as an inflator control means. .

  Millimeter wave radar emits radio waves (millimeter waves) having a wavelength of several millimeters to the side of the vehicle (own vehicle), and reflects the object located in the same direction, mainly from other vehicles (other vehicles). Radio waves are received, and the position of the object and the relative speed with respect to the vehicle (own vehicle) are measured based on the propagation time and the frequency difference caused by the Doppler effect.

  The control device 67 is configured around a microcomputer, and a central processing unit (CPU) performs arithmetic processing according to a control program, initial data, a control map, etc. stored in a read-only memory (ROM). Based on the calculation result, the operation of the inflator 48 is controlled.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 13 schematically shows a change over time in the degree of expansion of the airbag 44 at the initial stage of inflation. Here, the degree of inflation is an index indicating how much the airbag 44 is inflated. The degree of expansion is “0%” when the airbag 44 is not inflated, that is, in the storage configuration. Further, the degree of inflation becomes “100%” when the airbag 44 is inflated to the maximum size that can be taken, that is, when inflation is completed and the occupant P is restrained. In FIG. 13, the amount of change in the degree of expansion per unit time corresponds to the deployment speed.

  With respect to a conventional side airbag device that detects the occurrence of a side collision with an impact sensor and outputs an ignition command signal to the inflator in response to the detection, the change over time in the degree of inflation of the airbag is shown by a characteristic line L2 in FIG. (Two-dot chain line).

  That is, for example, when a side collision occurs at timing t4 in FIG. 13, this is detected by the impact sensor. An ignition command signal is output at a timing t5 slightly delayed from the side collision occurrence timing t4, and the inflator starts operating in response to the signal. Then, the airbag starts to inflate by the gas from the inflator, the inflating and deploying proceeds at a constant deployment speed V2, and the inflation ends at timing t6. The development speed V2 represents the development speed between the respective timings as an average speed.

  In contrast, in the first embodiment, the control device 67 monitors the possibility of a side collision based on the position detected by the side collision prediction sensor 66 and the relative speed. When it is determined that a side collision is unavoidable at timing t1 in FIG. 13, that is, when a side collision is predicted, an ignition command signal is sent to the inflator 48 at timing t2 before the actual side collision occurs (timing t4). Output. By this ignition command signal, ignition is performed by the inflator 48, and high-temperature and high-pressure gas is generated by the combustion reaction of the gas generating agent. This gas is ejected from the gas ejection port 51 to the airbag 44 through the window 52 of the retainer 49 (see FIG. 5).

Next, the manner of inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 that is inflated and deployed by this gas will be described separately for the first and second periods of the inflation and deployment period.
<First half of expansion period>
As shown in FIG. 10, in the first half of the expansion and deployment period, the airbag 44 starts to expand due to the gas, and the binding tape 55 (see FIG. 7 (B)) that bound the airbag 44 is broken. The The airbag 44 is inflated and deployed forward in the vehicle in the storage space 41 while eliminating the folded state.

  The belt 56 disposed outside the airbag 44 is pulled forward by the airbag 44 that is inflated and deployed as described above. As described above, a redundant portion 57 having a plurality of first redundant portions 58 and a plurality of second redundant portions 60 is set on the belt 56. From this, when the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed, the three folded pieces 61 of each first redundant portion 58 are pulled forward while being held in a state of being overlapped by the holding portion 62. At this stage, each of the second redundant portions 60 is stretched, but is still in a state where it is not strained. Therefore, the belt 56 hardly hinders the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44. As a result, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a deployment speed V2 similar to that of the conventional side airbag device after the timing t2.

<Late stage of expansion and expansion period>
In the process of inflating and deploying the airbag 44 in the storage space 41, the airbag 44 presses the side support portion 25 forward. After that, as the expansion and deployment proceeds, the side support portion 25 starts to swell forward due to the above-mentioned pressing at timing t3 (see FIG. 11).

  At this time (timing t3), the belt 56 is pulled by the airbag 44 that is inflated and deployed, and all the second redundant portions 60 are all strained (there is no slack). On the other hand, in each first redundant portion 58, each folded piece 61 is held in a folded state by the holding portion 62. Therefore, the belt 56 is in a tension state as a whole. The force to be held by the holding portion 62 becomes the resistance for inflation and deployment of the airbag 44. Due to this resistance, a part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed, and after the timing t3, the deployment speed of the airbag 44 starts to decrease.

  On the other hand, as the inflation proceeds, a part of the airbag 44 enters the slit 42. The airbag 44 tends to continue to be inflated and deployed even after entering the slit 42. Therefore, as the airbag 44 is inflated, the side support portion 25 is broken at the planned breaking portion as shown in FIG. That is, the thin portion of the seat pad 27 between the slit 42 and the stitched portion 34 is broken, and the stitched state in the stitched portion 34 is released to form the opening 64. The airbag 44 jumps out of the seat back 24 through the opening 64 while expanding the opening 64 caused by the breakage. At this time, a portion of the side support portion 25 on the vehicle inner side than the opening 64 opens forward with the stitched portion 36 as a fulcrum. Further, a portion of the side support portion 25 behind the opening 64 opens rearward with a notch 65 provided in the side portion of the seat pad 27 as a fulcrum.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the airbag 44 that has jumped out from the opening 64 that is generated due to the breakage of the stitched portion 34 and the like expands and deploys forward from the seat back 24. Thereafter, the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 continues.

  Here, since a plurality of first redundant portions 58 and holding portions 62 are provided on the belt 56, and the holding strength of the holding portions 62 is different for each first redundant portion 58, the timings t3 to t6 are different. In the period, the holding part 62 having the lowest holding strength is first broken. Part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed for breaking the holding portion 62, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced.

  As described above, in the first redundant portion 58 in which the holding portion 62 is broken, there is no one that holds the three folded pieces 61 in a folded state, and a new slack portion is generated. However, since the airbag 44 is continuously inflated and deployed, the folded state of each folded piece 61 is canceled, the first redundant portion 58 is stretched, and the belt 56 is tensioned again. In the belt 56, the remaining holding part 62 tries to hold each first redundant part 58 in a folded state. Due to the breaking of the holding portion 62 having the second lowest holding strength, the energy for inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 is consumed, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced.

  Thereafter, the holding portion 62 is broken in order from the one having the lower holding strength, and the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed each time the fracture occurs, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced. As a result, during the period from timing t3 to t6, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a deployment speed V1 that is slower than the conventional side airbag device described above. In addition, this unfolding speed V1 represents the unfolding speed between each timing as an average speed like the unfolding speed V2.

  The airbag 44 completes inflating as shown in FIG. 15 at timing t6. The inflated airbag 44 is interposed between the occupant P, in particular, a wide portion from the waist Pp to the chest Pt, and the body side portion 21 entering the vehicle interior, and passes through the body side portion 21 to the occupant P. Mitigates the impact from the transmitted side. At this time, the holding portions 62 in all the first redundant portions 58 are broken, and the belt 56 is put in a tension state by the airbag 44.

  As described above, the airbag 44 is inflated at the same timing t6 as that of the conventional side airbag device, although the deployment speed is decreased after the timing t3. This is possible because the start time of inflation of the airbag 44 is made earlier than the start time of inflation in the conventional side airbag device.

  That is, under the condition that the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 is terminated at a specific timing t6, the time (deployment time) that can be involved in the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 varies depending on the start timing of the inflation and deployment. Come. If the start time is advanced, the expansion and deployment time becomes longer accordingly. As shown in FIG. 13, if the timing t5 immediately after the actual side collision occurs is set as the expansion and deployment start timing, the period from timing t5 to t6 becomes the deployment time T2. On the other hand, if a side collision is predicted and the timing t2 before the actual side collision is set as the expansion and deployment start timing, the period from timing t2 to t6 becomes the deployment time T1. Only the difference (= T1−T2) between the two expansion times T1 and T2 provides a margin for the time required for the expansion and expansion, and the expansion speed can be reduced.

  Considering this point, in the first embodiment, after the airbag 44 starts to inflate the side support portion 25 forward, it is inflated and deployed outside the vehicle seat 22 to complete the inflation (timing t3 to t6). ), The deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced below the deployment speed V2 when the operation of the inflator 48 is started after a side collision. Due to the decrease in the deployment speed, the energy given to the occupant P as the reaction force by the airbag 44 that is inflated and deployed decreases.

  When the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed inside the vehicle seat 22, more specifically, during the period (timing t2 to t3) until the side support portion 25 starts to be inflated forward, the above-described reduction in the deployment speed is reduced. Not done. During this period, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed quickly at the same deployment speed V2 as when the operation of the inflator 48 is started after a side collision, and is prepared for the inflation and deployment at the timings t3 to t6. During this period (timing t2 to t3), since the side support portion 25 is not inflated as described above, the occupant P is not pushed by the side support portion 25 even if the airbag 44 is rapidly inflated and deployed as described above. .

  In FIG. 13, the case where the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is switched from V2 to V1 at timing t3 before the actual side collision occurs (timing t4) is described as an example. The deployment speed may be switched later. However, when a part of the body of the occupant P is located in a region where the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed, this switching is performed from the viewpoint of reducing the energy that the airbag 44 inflated and deployed gives to the occupant P as a reaction force. The timing should be earlier than the timing t6 and as early as possible. Specifically, the switching timing is preferably before timing t5, and more preferably before timing t4. As in the first embodiment, it is most preferable to start inflating and deploying the airbag 44 at the slow deployment speed V1 from the timing t3 before the side collision occurs. Before the airbag 44 restrains the occupant P, the deployment speed of the airbag 44 can be reliably reduced.

According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the situation on the side of the vehicle is monitored and a side collision of the vehicle is predicted, the inflator 48 is activated prior to the actual side collision. In the later stage of the inflation and deployment period, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a deployment speed V1 lower than the deployment speed V2 when the operation of the inflator 48 is started after a side collision. Therefore, the energy given to the occupant P as a reaction force by the airbag 44 inflated and deployed can be reduced, and the occupant P can be appropriately restrained to improve the occupant protection performance.

  (2) The effect described in the above (1) is sufficiently obtained even when the period after the airbag 44 jumps out of the vehicle seat 22 is the latter period of the inflating and deploying period. In the first embodiment, the period from the time when the airbag 44 is further inflated in the storage space 41 and the side support portion 25 starts to be inflated to the outside of the vehicle seat 22 is included in the latter stage of the inflating and deploying period. ing. Therefore, even when the airbag 44 indirectly presses the occupant P via the side support part 25, the energy given to the occupant P via the side support part 25 is reduced, and the occupant P is more preferably restrained. It is possible to further improve the passenger protection performance.

  (3) In the first half of the inflation and deployment period, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at the same deployment speed V2 as when the inflator 48 is started after a side collision. Therefore, the airbag 44 can be quickly inflated and deployed inside the vehicle seat 22 to prepare for the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 outside the vehicle seat 22 described above. Note that the side support portion 25 is not inflated forward by the airbag 44 in the first half of the inflating and deploying period. For this reason, the phenomenon in which the airbag 44 indirectly pushes the occupant P through the side support portion 25 does not occur, and even if the airbag 44 is quickly inflated and deployed as described above, there is a problem that leads to a decrease in occupant protection performance. Does not occur.

  (4) A belt 56 is used as a long member, and both ends thereof are fixed to the vehicle seat 22. Further, by setting a redundant portion 57 on the belt 56 and holding the first redundant portion 58 of the redundant portion 57 in a folded state by the holding portion 62, the redundant portion 57 is held in a slack state. . Therefore, a part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 can be consumed for releasing (breaking) the holding by the holding portion 62, and the deploying speed of the airbag 44 can be reliably reduced.

  (5) The belt 56 is disposed outside the airbag 44. Therefore, the belt 56 can restrict the expansion of the airbag 44 in the vehicle width direction and suppress excessive expansion in the same direction.

The first embodiment may be modified and implemented as follows.
(A) The deployment speed may be decreased only during a period in which the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed outside the vehicle seat 22. In this case, the second redundant portion 60 may still be slack even immediately before the airbag 44 exits from the storage space 41 to the outside of the vehicle seat 22.

  Further, the deployment speed may be reduced during a period in which the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed inside the vehicle seat 22 (storage space 41). In this case, you may omit the 2nd redundant part 60 for implement | achieving expansion | deployment with the quick expansion | deployment speed V2 inside the vehicle seat 22. FIG.

  (B) You may form the holding | maintenance part in each 1st redundancy part 58 by means different from a sewing thread | yarn. For example, an adhesive may be used, and the adjacent folded pieces 61 in the first redundant portions 58 may be bonded to each other by the adhesive. Even in this case, each first redundant portion 58 can be held in a folded state.

  (C) You may comprise the holding | maintenance part 62 with a pair of snap type fastening components, such as a snap fit, a snap button, and a snap hook. In this case, both fastening parts are provided in the fold pieces 61 facing each other in the first redundant portion 58. If it does in this way, the 1st redundant part 58 is hold | maintained in the folded state by couple | bonding both fastening components mutually. Further, as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed, both the fastening parts are separated to release the holding.

(D) The number of redundant portions 57 in the belt 56 and the number of first redundant portions 58 in each redundant portion 57 may be changed.
(E) For all the first redundant portions 58, the holding strength of the holding portions 62 may not be different from each other. The plurality of first redundant portions 58 may be divided into a plurality of groups, and the holding strength of the holding portion 62 may be varied for each group. Further, the holding strength of the holding unit 62 may be the same for all the first redundant units 58.

  (F) When the holding strength of the holding portion 62 is made different between the first redundant portions 58, there is no particular relationship required between the holding strength level and the position of the first redundant portion 58. Accordingly, the holding strength of the holding portion 62 in the first redundant portion 58 at which position and the holding strength of the holding portion 62 in the first redundant portion 58 at which position may be arbitrarily set.

  (G) The extending direction of the holding part 62 in each first redundant part 58 may be changed. FIG.16 and FIG.17 has shown the example. In this modification, the holding portion 62 is formed by stitching the three folded pieces 61 in each first redundant portion 58 in the length direction of the belt 56 (the left-right direction in FIGS. 16 and 17). In the later stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, each holding portion 62 is broken from the rear side of the vehicle toward the front side as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed. The energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed for breaking the holding portion 62, and the deployment speed is reduced.

  In addition, although not shown, the extending direction of the holding portion 62 may be a direction that obliquely intersects the length direction of the belt 56. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment can be anticipated.

Although not illustrated, in FIGS. 16 and 17, the holding portions 62 adjacent to each other in the length direction of the belt 56 may be connected to each other.
(H) Both end portions of the belt 56 may be fixed to the rear portion of the airbag 44 instead of the side frame portion 28. Alternatively, one end of the belt 56 may be fixed to the side frame portion 28 and the other end may be fixed to the rear portion of the airbag 44.

  (I) A belt 56 having a length slightly shorter than the circumferential length of the airbag 44 that has been inflated and deployed is used. Then, the belt 56 may be separated when the airbag 44 has been inflated and deployed. 18 and 19 show an example of a structure for separating the belt 56.

  The bolt 53 of the retainer 49 described above is inserted into one end portion 56A of the belt 56 (downward in FIG. 18). The end portion 56A is inserted into the side frame portion 28 (vehicle seat 22) by the bolt 53 and the nut 63. It is fixed to. Further, the other end 56B (upper side in FIG. 18) of the belt 56 is indirectly connected to the vehicle seat 22 by the connecting means.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19A, the other end 56B of the belt 56 (upper side in FIG. 18) is indirectly connected to the vehicle seat 22 by a connecting means. The connecting means includes an anchor member 81 and a restraining member 82. The anchor member 81 is formed by a pin or the like, and is fixed to the end portion 56B. The restraining member 82 is formed of a shape memory alloy that deforms when energized, and is fixed to the end portion 56A.

  When the constraining member 82 is not energized, as shown in FIG. 19A, the restraining member 82 has a substantially annular shape around the anchor member 81 and grips the anchor member 81. By this gripping, the connecting means is in a state where the end portion 56B is connected to the side frame portion 28 via the anchor member 81, the restraining member 82, the end portion 56A, the bolt 53 and the nut 63 (connected state). Since the end portion 56A of the belt 56 is always fixed to the vehicle seat (side frame portion 28), the belt 56 is fixed to the vehicle seat 22 at both ends 56A and 56B in this connected state. It becomes a state.

  Further, when the restraining member 82 is energized, the restraining member 82 is deformed into a substantially arc shape around the anchor member 81 as shown in FIG. Due to this deformation, the force of gripping the anchor member 81 of the restraining member 82 is weakened, and the connecting means is in a disconnected state where the connecting state (restraining) of the anchor member 81 by the restraining member 82 is released. In this disconnected state, the belt 56 is fixed to the vehicle seat 22 only at one end portion 56A.

  In the connection means, the connection state and the connection release state are switched by controlling the energization of the restraining member 82 by the control device 67. In this case, energization to the restraining member 82 is not performed until the airbag 44 is completely inflated, and the connecting means is in a connected state. This state corresponds to a state in which the belt 56 is fixed to the side frame portion 28 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a fast deployment speed V2 by the action of the second redundant portion 60 in the first half of the inflation and deployment period. Further, in the later stage of the inflating and deploying period, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a slow deployment speed V1 due to the action of the first redundant portion 58.

Then, after the airbag 44 is completely inflated, the restraining member 82 is energized, so that the connecting means is in the above-described disconnected state.
Further, the belt 56 may be separated by a configuration different from the above. For example, instead of the connecting means (anchor member 81 and restraining member 82), a perforation is made along the width direction of the belt 56. Then, when the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed and the belt 56 is in a tension state, the belt 56 is cut at the perforation.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 (A) and 20 (B).

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the belt 56 is disposed outside the airbag 44 in that the belt 56 is disposed inside the airbag 44.
The belt 56 has a length approximately equal to the length connecting the rear end portion and the front end portion of the airbag 44 that has been inflated and deployed. The rear of the belt 56 is wrapped around the inflator assembly 47 in the airbag 44. A bolt 53 of a retainer 49 is inserted into the rear end portion of the belt 56, and the rear end portion is fixed to the side frame portion 28 with a bolt 53 and a nut 63. The front end portion of the belt 56 is connected to the front end portion in the airbag 44 by means such as sewing and adhesion.

  A redundant portion 57 that is in a slack state when the airbag 44 is in the stowed configuration is formed at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the belt 56. The redundant portion 57 includes one or more first redundant portions 58 (three in FIG. 20B). Each first redundant portion 58 folds a part of the belt 56 along a fold line extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the length direction of the belt 56 (direction substantially orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 20B). Is formed by. Each first redundant portion 58 is held in a folded state by the holding portion 62. Here, each holding part 62 is formed by sewing three folded pieces 61 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the belt 56 with a sewing thread. In each first redundant portion 58, the three folded pieces 61 are sewn with a holding strength different from that of the other first redundant portions 58. Due to such stitching, the holding strength differs for each first redundant portion 58.

  The plurality of first redundant portions 58 and the holding portion 62 provided for each of the first redundant portions 58 constitute a deployment speed reducing means. In this developing speed reducing means, the material, length, and width of the belt 56, the number of first redundant portions 58, the holding strength, and the like are set so as to satisfy the above-described conditions (i) and (ii).

Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same members and portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
In the second embodiment, although the arrangement location of the belt 56 is different from that of the first embodiment, a part of the energy of inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 is consumed for breaking the holding portion 62 in the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period. The deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced below the deployment speed V2.

Therefore, also by the second embodiment, the same effects as (1) to (4) in the first embodiment can be obtained.
In addition, 2nd Embodiment may be changed and implemented similarly to (a)-(i) mentioned above.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the third embodiment, the deployment speed reduction means is realized by a configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

  The developing speed reduction means includes a plurality of belts 56 formed of cloth, tape, or the like as a long member. Each belt 56 is formed slightly shorter than the length that can surround the airbag 44 that has been inflated and deployed. This length is longer than the length required to enclose the airbag 44 in the storage configuration. However, the length of each belt 56 differs between the belts 56. And each belt 56 is arrange | positioned in the state which enclosed the airbag 44 in the substantially horizontal direction in the exterior of the airbag 44 made into the accommodation form. Both end portions of each belt 56 are fixed to the side frame portion 28 described above.

  About each belt 56, the surplus part which is not related to surrounding of the said airbag 44 of a storage form is slackened. The length of this surplus portion differs for each belt 56. In FIG. 21A, for convenience of explanation, the excess portion of each belt 56 is illustrated as being stretched.

  Each belt 56 is provided with a scheduled separation portion 71 that has lower strength than other portions of the belt 56 and is more likely to break than the other portions. The strength here refers to strength that can withstand breaking. The scheduled separation portion 71 is constituted by perforations that are inserted along a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 21A) substantially orthogonal to the length direction of the belt 56. That is, the scheduled separation portion 71 is formed by putting a plurality of cuts each having a predetermined length into the belt 56 at predetermined intervals. The separation scheduled portion 71 is formed by repeating this unit several times, with a cut-in place and an adjacent cut-out place as one unit. Each belt 56 is perforated so that the strength of the scheduled separation portion 71 is the same between the belts 56.

In the developing speed reducing means, the length of each belt 56, the number of separation scheduled portions 71, the strength, and the like are set so as to satisfy the following conditions.
Condition 3: All belts 56 are not in a tension state in the first half of the above-described inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, and do not hinder the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44.

  Condition 4: In the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, at least one belt 56 is in a tensioned state, hinders inflation and deployment of the airbag 44, and reduces the deployment speed. In the conventional side airbag device, Complete inflation and deployment at the same timing as the airbag.

In the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the belt 56 is not provided with the first redundant portion 58 and the holding portion 62.
Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same members and portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In the third embodiment, when the airbag 44 is in the storage configuration, the surplus portions of all the belts 56 are in a slack state.
In the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, all the belts 56 are stretched along with the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44. By this stretching, the belt 56 having the shortest length is first tensioned and tries to prevent the airbag 44 from being inflated and deployed. Here, each belt 56 has a lower strength than the other portions in the planned separation portion 71, and when an external force such as the tension of the airbag 44 is applied to the belt 56, the belt 56 is separated in the planned separation portion 71. It is easy to break.

  For this reason, if the airbag 44 continues to inflate and deploy from a state in which the belt 56 is in tension, the energy of inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 is consumed for breaking the separation planned portion 71, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is increased. Reduced. When the belt 56 is broken and separated at the planned separation portion 71 as described above, the force that prevents the airbag 44 from being inflated and deployed by the belt 56 is lost.

  In particular, in the third embodiment, a plurality of belts 56 having the scheduled separation portion 71 and having different lengths are used as the developing speed reduction means as described above. Therefore, as the airbag 44 is inflated, the belt 56 is broken at the scheduled separation portion 71 in order from the belt 56 having a shorter length. In the latter part of the inflating and deploying period, every time the planned separation portion 71 is broken, a part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed, and the deploying speed of the airbag 44 is lowered below the deploying speed V2.

  Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the same effects as (1) to (3) and (5) in the first embodiment can be obtained. As for the above (4), the following effect (4A) corresponding to this can be obtained.

  (4A) A belt 56 is used as a long member, and both ends thereof are fixed to the vehicle seat 22. Further, a scheduled separation portion 71 is set in the middle of the belt 56 to be separated as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed. Therefore, a part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 can be consumed for the separation (breaking) of the planned separation portion 71, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 can be reliably reduced.

The third embodiment may be modified and implemented in the same manner as (a) and (h) described above. In addition, the third embodiment may be implemented with the following modifications.
(J) The scheduled separation portion 71 may be configured by means different from the perforation. For example, the belt 56 may be constituted by a plurality of belt pieces, and the adjacent belt pieces may be detachably connected by a pair of snap-type fastening parts as described in (c) above. In this case, both fastening parts are separated as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed. Part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed for this separation, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced.

(K) The number of separation scheduled portions 71 in each belt 56 may be changed.
(L) When the lengths of the belts 56 are made different between the belts 56, there is no particular relationship required between the length of the belts 56 and the position of the belts 56. Accordingly, it is possible to arbitrarily set which position of the airbag module 43 the belt 56 of which length is arranged.

  (M) The strength of each scheduled separation portion 71 varies depending on the proportion of the length of one unit occupied by the portions that are not cut. The strength increases as the proportion of the portions that are not cut increases.

  By utilizing this fact, as shown in FIG. 21 (B), the ratio of the portions not cut is made different for each belt 56, thereby making the strength of the separation scheduled portion 71 different between the belts 56. May be.

  In this case, the strengths of the scheduled separation portions 71 may or may not be different for all the belts 56. In the latter case, the plurality of belts 56 may be divided into a plurality of groups, and the strength of the separation scheduled portion 71 may be varied for each group.

  The strength of the scheduled separation portion 71 is preferably set so as to increase as the length of the belt 56 increases. In this way, as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed, it is possible to easily separate the belt 56 in the planned separation portion 71 in order from the belt 56 having a shorter length.

(N) The direction in which the planned separation portion 71 extends in each belt 56 may be changed. For example, although not shown, the belt 56 may be crossed obliquely.
(O) The belt 56 having the same configuration as described above may be disposed inside the airbag 44 as in the second embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the deployment speed lowering means is realized by a configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

  That is, the deployment speed reducing means is constituted by at least one belt 56 formed of a stretchable fabric, tape, or the like as a long member. The length of the belt 56 in a natural state (a state where the belt 56 is not stretched) is longer than a length necessary for surrounding the airbag 44 in the storage form. Further, the length of the belt 56 in the extended state is a length that can surround the airbag 44 that has been inflated and deployed. In the fourth embodiment, the belt 56 has a length that is maintained in a natural state in the first half of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44 and is extended in the second half.

  The belt 56 is disposed outside the airbag 44 in the storage form and surrounds the airbag 44 in a substantially horizontal direction. Both end portions of the belt 56 are fixed to the side frame portion 28 described above. About the belt 56, the surplus part which is not concerned with surrounding of the said airbag 44 of a storage form is slackened.

Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same members and portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
In the fourth embodiment, the belt 56 is in a slack state in the first half of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44. Therefore, the belt 56 hardly hinders the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44.

  In the latter stage of the inflating and deploying period of the airbag 44, the belt 56 that has been slack until then is pulled by the inflating and deploying airbag 44 so that there is no slack (tensed state). Since the belt 56 is formed of a stretchable material, when the airbag 44 is further inflated and deployed, the inflation and deployment is performed by extending the belt 56. The belt 56 has an elastic restoring force, and this elastic restoring force increases as the belt 56 extends. The energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed for the extension of the belt 56, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced.

  Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, the same effects as (1) to (3) and (5) in the first embodiment can be obtained. Note that the following effect (4B) corresponding to the above (4) can be obtained.

  (4B) A belt 56 formed of a stretchable material is used as the long member, and both ends thereof are fixed to the vehicle seat 22 (side frame portion 28). Therefore, a part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 can be consumed for the extension of the belt 56, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 can be reliably reduced.

The fourth embodiment may be modified and implemented in the same manner as (a), (h), (i), and (o) described above. In addition, the fourth embodiment may be implemented with the following modifications.
(P) The number of belts 56 is not limited to one, and a plurality of belts 56 may be used.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the fifth embodiment, the deployment speed lowering means is realized by a configuration different from that of the first embodiment.
The deployment speed lowering means is constituted by an inner coupling portion that detachably couples the overlapping portions 44A and 44B in a region surrounded by the peripheral coupling portion 46 with respect to the airbag 44 and is separated as the airbag 44 is inflated. ing.

  Here, the inner coupling portion is composed of one or more (four in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23) tier seams 72. Each tear seam 72 joins both overlapping portions 44 </ b> A and 44 </ b> B with lower strength than the peripheral joint portion 46. Each tear seam 72 is formed by sewing both overlapping portions 44A and 44B in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deployment direction of the airbag 44 using a sewing thread. Both end portions of each tear seam 72 are connected to the peripheral joint portion 46.

The tear seam 72 is set at a location that satisfies the following conditions.
Condition 5: The tear seam 72 does not hinder the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 in the first period of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44.

  Condition 6: In the latter stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, the tear seam 72 hinders the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 to reduce the deployment speed, and at the same timing as the airbag in the conventional side airbag device. To complete the inflatable deployment.

  The place satisfying both the conditions 5 and 6 is the front side in the development direction in the region surrounded by the peripheral joint portion 46 with respect to both the overlapping portions 44A and 44B. A portion on the rear side in the deployment direction in the region performs the same function as the second redundant portion 60 in the first embodiment, that is, inflated and deployed at a fast deployment speed V2 of the airbag 44 in the first half of the inflation and deployment period. Is an expansion region Z for allowing

Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same members and portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the inflation region Z is inflated by the gas in the storage space 41 in the first stage of the inflation and deployment time of the airbag 44, so that the airbag 44 has a high deployment speed V2. And expand. At this time, each tear seam 72 is not broken, and the two overlapping portions 44A and 44B are joined.

  In the later stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, the tear seam 72 that couples the overlapping portions 44A and 44B tends to hinder the inflation and deployment of the airbag 44. Here, in the airbag 44, the force that couples the overlapping portions 44 </ b> A and 44 </ b> B is made smaller in the tear seam 72 than in other portions (peripheral coupling portion 46), and the tear seam 72 is smaller than the circumferential coupling portion 46. It is easy to break. Therefore, if the airbag 44 continues to be further inflated and deployed, the energy for inflation and deployment of the airbag 44 is consumed for breaking the tear seam 72, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 is reduced. When the tear seam 72 is broken as described above, there is no force to prevent the airbag 44 from being inflated and deployed by the tear seam 72.

  In particular, in the fifth embodiment, tear seams 72 are provided at a plurality of locations in the deployment direction of the airbag 44. Therefore, as the airbag 44 is inflated, the tear seam 72 can be broken sequentially from the rear side in the deployment direction (side near the inflator assembly 47) toward the front side in the deployment direction. When each tear seam 72 is ruptured, the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 is consumed, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 can be continuously decreased over a predetermined period (time).

  The timing at which the portion of the airbag 44 on the front side in the deployment direction from the inflated region Z (the portion where the tear seam 72 is provided) starts to be released, that is, the timing at which the deployment speed is switched from V2 to V1 (timing t3 in FIG. 13). ) Is preferably a period immediately before and after the airbag 44 jumps out of the vehicle seat 22.

  Therefore, according to the fifth embodiment, the same effects as (1) to (3) in the first embodiment can be obtained. As for the above (4), the following effect (4C) corresponding to this can be obtained.

  (4C) For both the overlapping portions 44A and 44B, a tear seam 72 that connects the overlapping portions 44A and 44B with lower strength than the peripheral connecting portion 46 is provided in a region surrounded by the peripheral connecting portion 46. Therefore, a part of the energy for inflating and deploying the airbag 44 can be consumed for breaking the tear seam 72, and the deployment speed of the airbag 44 can be reliably reduced.

In addition, 5th Embodiment may be changed and implemented similarly to (a) mentioned above. In addition, the fifth embodiment may be implemented with the following modifications.
(Q) The inner coupling portion may be constituted by a pair of snap-type fastening parts as described in (c) above. In this case, both fastening parts are provided at locations facing each other in both overlapping portions 44A and 44B. If it does in this way, both superposition parts 44A and 44B will be combined by connecting both fastening parts mutually. Further, when the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed, both the fastening parts are separated, so that the coupling between the two overlapping portions 44A and 44B is released.

  (R) Each tear seam 72 may be formed by means different from the sewing thread. For example, an adhesive may be used, and the two polymerized portions 44A and 44B may be bonded to each other with the adhesive to form the tear seam 72.

  (S) The tear seam 72 has a characteristic that the strength increases as the length increases. Therefore, the length of each tear seam 72 may be different. In this way, the deployment speed V1 can be made variable even in the later stage of the expansion and deployment period. For example, as shown in FIG. 25A, the rearmost tear seam 72 in the deployment direction may be made the shortest, and the tear seam 72 may be made longer toward the front in the deployment direction. In this case, in the later stage of the inflating and deploying period, the degree of decrease in the deploying speed V1 increases with the passage of time, and the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed slowly.

  (T) The extending direction of the tear seam 72 may be changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 25B, the tear seam 72 may be formed so as to be parallel to the deployment direction of the airbag 44. In this case, the tear seam 72 is sequentially broken from the rear side in the deployment direction toward the front side as the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed.

  As shown in FIG. 25B, when only one tear seam 72 is provided, the gas from the inflator 48 reaches the front portion of the airbag 44 before the tear seam 72 is broken. The part may expand.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25C, a plurality of tear seams 72 extending in the deployment direction of the airbag 44 may be provided. In this case, the tear seam 72 can be broken while the entire airbag 44 is inflated with good balance.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG.

In the sixth embodiment, the deployment speed lowering means is realized by a configuration different from that of the first embodiment.
Here, as described above, when the airbag 44 is folded, the airbag 44 is folded. However, there are a plurality of types of folding modes. And the ease of cancellation of folding differs according to the folding mode. This ease of folding is closely related to the ease with which the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed, and thus the deployment speed. As the folding mode is easier to cancel, the unfolding speed becomes faster.

  Specifically, in addition to the bellows fold described above, the folding mode includes what is called roll folding. Roll folding is a folding mode in which one end of the airbag 44 is the center and the other part is wound around the end. In general, a folded bellows airbag is more easily resolved than a roll folded airbag. Therefore, when gas is ejected from the inflator, the latter airbag is inflated and deployed later than the former airbag.

  Focusing on this point, in the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, the airbag 44 is formed with a bellows fold portion 73 and a roll fold portion 74 in order to obtain a storage form. Similar to the first embodiment, the bellows folding portion 73 is a so-called bellows that folds the rear portion of the airbag 44 in the direction of deployment from the vehicle front side toward the vehicle rear side while alternately changing the folding direction by a predetermined width. It is formed by folding. The roll folding part 74 is formed by roll folding the portion of the airbag 44 on the front side in the deployment direction as described above. Here, at the time of roll folding, the other end portion of the front side in the deployment direction is wound counterclockwise around the end portion of the airbag 44 in the deployment direction front side.

The bellows fold 73 and the roll fold 74 are formed so as to satisfy the following conditions.
Condition 7: The bellows fold 73 becomes the main part of the inflation and deployment in the first half of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44. That is, the folding state of the bellows fold portion 73 is mainly canceled during this first period, and the folding state of the roll fold portion 74 is not canceled or hardly eliminated.

  Condition 8: In the latter stage of the inflating and deploying period of the airbag 44, the roll fold 74 is a main part of inflating and deploying. That is, in this latter period, the folded state of the roll folding portion 74 is mainly canceled, and the inflation and deployment are completed at the same timing as the airbag in the conventional side airbag device.

The bellows fold portion 73 and the roll fold portion 74 constitute a deployment speed reduction means in the sixth embodiment.
In the sixth embodiment, immediately after the start of the operation of the inflator 48 (the first half of the expansion and deployment period), as shown in FIG. 26, the folded state of the bellows fold 73 is mainly inside the vehicle seat 22 (the storage space 41). Is resolved. On the other hand, the folded state of the roll fold 74 is mainly eliminated in the later stage of the expansion and deployment period. Here, the roll folding part 74 is unfolded forward while in contact with the body side part 21 while the folded state is eliminated.

  The timing at which the roll folding portion 74 starts to cancel the folded state, that is, the timing at which the deployment speed is switched from V2 to V1 (timing t3 in FIG. 13) is immediately before and after the airbag 44 jumps out of the vehicle seat 22. A period is desirable.

Therefore, according to the sixth embodiment, the same effects as the above (1) to (3) in the first embodiment can be obtained, and the following effects can also be obtained.
(6) A bellows fold portion 73 is formed at the rear side in the deployment direction of the airbag 44 in the storage form, and a roll fold portion 74 is formed at the front side in the deployment direction. Therefore, the airbag 44 can be inflated and deployed at a fast deployment speed V2 in the first half of the inflation and deployment period, and the airbag 44 can be inflated and deployed at a slow deployment speed V1 in the second half of the inflation and deployment period.

The sixth embodiment may be modified and implemented in the same manner as (a) described above. In addition, the sixth embodiment may be implemented with the following modifications.
(U) At the time of roll folding, the front side portion of the airbag 44 in the deployment direction may be wound in the opposite direction, that is, in the clockwise direction.

(V) The ratio of the bellows fold 73 and the roll fold 74 in the airbag 44 may be adjusted according to the vehicle.
(Seventh embodiment)
Next, a seventh embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In general, in the side airbag device, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed when the gas from the inflator 48 is filled into the airbag 44 and the internal pressure increases. As the internal pressure rises quickly, the deployment speed of the airbag 44 increases. The internal pressure increases rapidly as the amount of gas supplied from the inflator 48 and supplied into the airbag 44 increases.

  Therefore, in the seventh embodiment, the supply amount of gas ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied into the airbag 44 is variable. For this purpose, the following configuration is adopted as a deployment speed reduction means.

  A plurality of through holes 75 are provided in the lower end portion of the retainer 49 instead of the window portion 52 in the first embodiment. The through-hole 75 functions as a passage for the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 51 (see FIG. 5) of the inflator 48. These through-holes 75 are provided at least on the vehicle front side in the circumferential direction of the retainer 49. The plurality of through holes 75 are located at a plurality of different locations (two locations in FIGS. 28A and 28B) at least in the longitudinal direction of the retainer 49. Here, in order to distinguish the plurality of through holes 75, the one located in the upper stage is referred to as a through hole 75U, and the one located in the lower stage is referred to as a through hole 75L.

  A movable member 76 having a bottomed cylindrical shape is attached to the lower end portion of the retainer 49 so as to be movable in the length direction of the retainer 49. In the initial state, the movable member 76 is held at the position (unrestricted position) shown in FIG. In this non-restricted position, the movable member 76 does not block any of the through holes 75U and 75L. Therefore, the movable member 76 does not limit the amount of gas that is ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied to the airbag 44. The amount of gas supplied here means the amount of gas supplied from the inflator 48 to the airbag 44 per unit time.

  The movable member 76 is connected to an actuator 77 that is actuated by energization and moves the movable member 76 to the position (restricted position) shown in FIG. In this restricting position, the movable member 76 blocks only the lower through hole 75 </ b> L, and restricts the amount of gas that is ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied to the airbag 44.

  The control device 67 described above does not operate the actuator 77 in the first period of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44 and holds the movable member 76 in the non-restricted position shown in FIG. In this case, the actuator 77 is operated to move (advance) the movable member 76 to the limit position shown in FIG.

The movable member 76, the actuator 77, and the control device 67 constitute a deployment speed reducing means.
According to the above configuration, the supply amount of the gas ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied into the airbag 44 varies depending on the position of the movable member 76. Accordingly, the deployment speed of the airbag 44 also varies. If a large amount of gas is supplied from the inflator 48 to the airbag 44, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a high deployment speed. On the contrary, if a small amount of gas is supplied from the inflator 48 to the airbag 44, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a slow deployment speed.

  In the seventh embodiment, the movable member 76 is held at the unrestricted position shown in FIG. The gas ejected from the inflator 48 is supplied to the airbag 44 without being restricted by the movable member 76. Therefore, the air bag 44 is quickly filled with gas and the internal pressure rises quickly. The airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a fast deployment speed V2.

  On the other hand, the movable member 76 is moved to the restricting position shown in FIG. The gas ejected from the inflator 48 is limited by the movable member 76, and the amount of gas supplied to the airbag 44 is reduced. As the internal pressure of the airbag 44 increases slowly, the airbag 44 is inflated and deployed at a slow deployment speed V1.

Therefore, according to the seventh embodiment, the same effects as the above (1) to (3) in the first embodiment can be obtained, and the following effects can also be obtained.
(7) The movable member 76 is used which makes the supply amount of the gas ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied to the airbag 44 variable. Therefore, at a later stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, the movable member 76 is moved to a position where the amount of gas supply is restricted by the actuator 77, so that the airbag 44 can be inflated and deployed at a slow deployment speed V1. it can.

The seventh embodiment may be modified and implemented in the same manner as (a) described above. In addition, the seventh embodiment may be modified and implemented as follows.
(W) The inflator assembly 47 may be changed to a structure that does not use the retainer 49. In this case, the movable member 76 having a bottomed cylindrical shape is attached to the lower end portion of the inflator 48 so as to be movable in the length direction of the inflator 48. In the initial state, the movable member 76 is held at a position where the gas outlet 51 of the inflator 48 is not blocked. Therefore, the movable member 76 does not limit the amount of gas that is ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied to the airbag 44. Then, in the later stage of the inflation and deployment period of the airbag 44, the movable member 76 is moved to a position where a part of the gas ejection port 51 is blocked by the actuator 77. At this position, the supply amount of gas that is ejected from the inflator 48 and supplied to the airbag 44 is limited. For this reason, the effect similar to the said 7th Embodiment is acquired.

  In addition, the expansion | deployment speed reduction means shown in the 1st-7th embodiment mentioned above may be used combining suitably.

1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle seat to which a side airbag device is applied in a first embodiment embodying the present invention. The schematic plan view explaining the positional relationship of a vehicle seat and a body side part. The partial plane sectional view which shows the internal structure of the side part of the vehicle outer side in a seat back. FIG. 4 is a partial plan sectional view showing a side frame portion and an airbag module in FIG. 3. The side view which shows the positional relationship of the airbag module and passenger | crew of the state by which the airbag was expand | deployed. The side view which shows the relationship between the airbag of a deployment state, and the fold line set in the case of the bellows fold. FIG. 7A is a side view showing a state in which the airbag is bellows folded from the state of FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a side view showing an airbag module in which the airbag is stored. FIG. 5A is an enlarged plan sectional view showing an X portion in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged partial plan sectional view showing a predetermined first redundant portion in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along line 9-9 in FIG. The partial plane sectional view which shows the state of the expansion | deployment initial stage of an airbag about the vehicle outer side part in a seat back. FIG. 11 is a partial plan sectional view showing a state in which the side support portion is inflated forward by an airbag that inflates and deploys from the state of FIG. 10. The fragmentary plane sectional view which shows the state by which the seat back was further fractured | ruptured from the state of FIG. The characteristic view which shows the time change of the inflation degree of an airbag. The fragmentary top view which shows the state in the middle of the airbag expansion | swelling expansion | deployment outside the vehicle seat about the A section in FIG. The partial top view which shows the state which the airbag completed the expansion | deployment deployment from the state of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of 1st Embodiment, and is sectional drawing which shows the cross-section of the belt corresponding to the said FIG. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 16; It is a figure which shows the modification of 1st Embodiment, and is a partial plane sectional view which shows the side frame part and airbag module corresponding to the said FIG. In FIG. 18, it is a figure for demonstrating the connection means which connects the edge part of a belt to a side frame part, (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the connection means made into the connection state, (B) is a connection cancellation | release state The fragmentary sectional view which shows the made connection means. It is a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment which actualized this invention, (A) is a plane sectional view which shows the airbag module integrated in the storage space of the seat back, (B) is Y part in said (A). The plane sectional view expanding and showing. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment which actualized this invention, (A) is a side view which shows the airbag module integrated in the storage space of a seat back, (B) is a modification of the Z section in said (A) The partial side view which expands and shows. The side view which shows the positional relationship of the airbag and tear seam of a deployment state in 5th Embodiment which actualized this invention. The plane sectional view showing the air bag module built in the storage space of the seat back in the 5th embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 11, a partial plan sectional view showing a state in which the side support portion is inflated forward by an inflating and deploying airbag. (A)-(C) is a figure which shows the modification of 5th Embodiment, and is a side view which shows the positional relationship of the airbag and tear seam of a deployment state. In 6th Embodiment which actualized this invention, the partial plane sectional view which shows the state by which the side support part was inflated ahead with the airbag which expand | deploys corresponding to FIG. The plane sectional view showing the air bag module built in the storage space of the seat back in the 6th embodiment. It is a figure which shows 7th Embodiment which actualized this invention, (A) is a partially broken side view which shows the state with which the movable member was hold | maintained at the non-restricted position, (B) is a movable member moved to a restricted position The partially broken side view which shows the state made to do.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Body side part, 22 ... Vehicle seat, 44 ... Air bag, 44A, 44B ... Overlapping part, 46 ... Peripheral joint part, 48 ... Inflator, 56 ... Belt (long member), 57 ... Redundant part, 58 ... First redundant part 60 ... Second redundant part 62 ... Holding part 67 ... Control device 71 ... Scheduled separation part 72 ... Tear seam (inner coupling part) 73 ... Bellows fold part 74 ... Roll fold part 76 ... movable members, V1, V2 ... deploying speed.

Claims (11)

An inflator,
A side airbag device comprising an airbag housed in a vehicle seat, inflated and deployed by a gas from the inflator, ruptured and ejected from the vehicle seat, and inflated and deployed between a vehicle body side portion and the vehicle seat In
An inflator control means for predicting a side collision of the vehicle and starting the operation of the inflator prior to the side collision according to the prediction;
About the airbag that inflates and deploys when the inflator operation is started by the inflator control means, at least outside the vehicle seat, the deployment speed of the airbag is the deployment speed when the operation of the inflator is started after a side collision. A side airbag device comprising: a deployment speed reduction means for lowering the speed than that. The deployment speed reduction means reduces the deployment speed even during a period from when the airbag is inflated in the vehicle seat and starts to inflate the vehicle seat to the outside of the vehicle seat. Item 11. The side airbag device according to Item 1. The airbag is stored in the vehicle seat by being folded, and is stored in the vehicle seat,
The deployment speed reducing means includes a long member having a redundant portion that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at an end portion of the deployment speed reduction unit and is in a slack state when the airbag is in the storage configuration. ,
The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the redundant portion is held in a slack state by a holding portion, and the holding by the holding portion is released as the airbag is inflated and deployed. The airbag is stored in the vehicle seat by being folded, and is stored in the vehicle seat,
The deployment speed reducing means includes a long member having a redundant portion that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at an end portion of the deployment speed reduction unit and is in a slack state when the airbag is in the storage configuration. ,
The redundant portion is held in a slack state by a holding portion, and the first redundant portion that is released by the holding portion as the airbag is inflated and deployed, and before the holding by the holding portion is released The side airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a second redundant portion that is stretched along with the inflation and deployment of the airbag. The airbag is folded into a storage form for storing in the vehicle seat,
The deployment speed reduction means is
A long member that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at its end and is in a slack state when the airbag is in the stowed configuration, and is tensioned by the inflating and deploying airbag;
The side airbag device according to claim 1, further comprising a separation scheduled portion that is provided in the middle of the elongated member and is separated along with the inflation and deployment of the airbag. The deployment speed reduction means includes a long member that is formed of a stretchable material and that is fixed to the vehicle seat or the airbag at an end portion thereof, and is elongated by an airbag that is inflated and deployed. The side airbag device according to 1 or 2. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the elongated member is disposed outside the airbag. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the elongated member is disposed inside the airbag. The airbag includes a pair of overlapping portions obtained by folding a base fabric in half, or a pair of overlapping portions each consisting of a base fabric, and a peripheral edge connecting portion that connects both overlapping portions at their peripheral edges. ,
The deployment speed reducing means includes an inner coupling portion that separably couples the overlapping portions in the region surrounded by the peripheral coupling portion with respect to the airbag, and is separated as the airbag expands. The side airbag device according to 1 or 2. The deployment speed reduction means is
About the airbag stored in the vehicle seat,
A bellows fold portion that constitutes a portion on the rear side in the deployment direction and is folded bellows,
A portion of the airbag in the deployment direction front side, and a roll folded portion that is roll folded;
Immediately after the start of the operation of the inflator, the folded state of the bellows fold portion is eliminated inside the vehicle seat, and the folded state of the roll fold portion is eliminated outside the vehicle seat, so that at least the vehicle The side airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a deployment speed of the airbag is reduced outside a medical seat. The deployment speed reducing means includes a movable member that varies a supply amount of gas that is ejected from the inflator and supplied to the airbag, and moves the movable member to a position that limits the supply amount of the gas. The side airbag apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 which reduces the deployment speed of the said airbag by this.

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