JP3881760B2 - Crew restraint system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an occupant restraint device including an airbag and an air belt that are inflated by high-pressure gas generated by an inflator at the time of a side collision of a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An airbag device for side collision that deploys between a door or a center pillar and an occupant at the time of a side collision of the vehicle and protects the chest side surface and the head side surface of the occupant is already known from, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-220993. ing. Also, an air belt device that stores a bag inside a seat belt and inflates the bag at the time of a vehicle collision to restrain a passenger softly is already known from, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-56001. Such an air belt device is particularly effective at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, but if the upper end of the inflatable shoulder belt is disposed at a position higher than the head of the occupant, the side surface of the occupant's head is protected at the time of a side collision of the vehicle. Can do.
[0003]
The above-described conventional airbag device for side collision is integrally provided with a head bag portion for protecting the occupant's head side surface on the upper portion of the chest bag portion for protecting the occupant's chest side surface. When a seat belt is used in combination, there is a possibility that the head bag portion interferes with the shoulder belt of the seat belt and smooth development is hindered. Therefore, by combining an airbag device for side collision that protects only the occupant's chest side surface and an air belt device equipped with an inflatable shoulder belt, the occupant's chest side surface and head side surface can be effectively protected. it can.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, for example, when another vehicle collides with the right side of the vehicle and receives an impact, the torso of the occupant sitting on the right seat of the vehicle is a door that is recessed toward the vehicle interior due to the impact of the collision, or the door. It is pushed to the left by the airbag that is deployed along the inner surface of the vehicle, but the heavy passenger's head tries to stay in its original position, so the passenger's head is slightly delayed from the moment of the collision. It moves so as to fall to the right side with respect to the body part. In this way, if the seat belt of the air belt device is inflated in a timely manner when the head of the occupant falls to the right side, the right side of the head of the occupant can be effectively protected.
[0005]
However, when the airbag device and the air belt device are operated simultaneously with the collision of the vehicle, when the head of the occupant falls to the right side, the shoulder belt of the air belt device may have already finished inflating and starting to contract, There is a possibility that the side of the head of the passenger cannot be effectively protected.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to effectively protect the chest side surface and the head side surface of an occupant with an airbag device and an air belt device.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an invention described in claim 1 includes an airbag inflator that generates high-pressure gas, and a chest side surface of an occupant sitting on a seat inflated by the high-pressure gas generated by the airbag inflator An air bag that protects only the air bag, an air belt inflator that generates high-pressure gas, an air belt that inflates with the high-pressure gas generated by the air belt inflator to restrain the occupant to the seat and protects the occupant's head side surface, An impact detection means for detecting an impact of a side collision; and a control means for operating an inflator for an airbelt after operating an inflator for an airbag when the impact detection means detects an impact of a side collision of the vehicle , After inflating the airbag with the airbag inflator and moving the occupant's torso toward the inside of the vehicle body Occupant restraint system is proposed, which comprises protecting the occupant's head which tries to stay in the original position by inertia by expanding the air belt by the air belt inflator.
[0008]
According to the above configuration, when the impact of the side collision of the vehicle is detected, the airbag inflator is activated, the airbag is inflated, the side of the chest of the passenger sitting on the seat is protected, and the airbag inflator is activated. Then, the air belt is inflated, and the side face of the head of the passenger sitting on the seat is protected. Since the airbag only needs to protect only the side of the chest of the occupant, there is no need to project the airbag upward, and there is no possibility of interference with the airbag when the airbag is inflated. Moreover, when the impact of the side collision of the vehicle is detected, the airbag inflator is first actuated to inflate the airbag to protect the chest side surface of the occupant sitting on the seat. At this time, the body of the occupant moves toward the inside of the vehicle body due to the inflation of the airbag, and the head of the occupant trying to stay in the original position due to inertia falls slightly behind and falls toward the outside of the vehicle body. By operating the inflator behind the airbag inflator, it is possible to inflate the air belt in accordance with the timing when the head of the occupant falls to the outside of the vehicle body. Can be protected.
[0009]
According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the airbag is provided inside the seat back, and is deployed in a rectangular shape in a side view from the seat back toward the front. An occupant restraint device is proposed.
[0010]
According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or claim 2, the air belt is provided with a bag formed in a cylindrical shape, and the bag is inflated substantially uniformly. An occupant restraint device is proposed .
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.
1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front seat portion of an automobile, FIG. 2 is a view in two directions in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a three direction arrow in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the air belt device, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4, and FIG.
[0012]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a side collision airbag device 3 is provided inside a seat back 2 to restrain a driver sitting on the seat 1 at the time of a side collision of the vehicle. The airbag device 3 includes an airbag inflator 4 that generates a high-pressure gas at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, a high-pressure gas generated by the airbag inflator 4, breaks the skin of the seat back 2, and a center pillar 12 and An airbag 6 is provided between the front door 5 and the driver. The ignition control device 7 controls ignition of the airbag inflator 4 based on a signal from an acceleration sensor 8 that detects acceleration generated by a side collision of the vehicle. The ignition control device 7 constitutes the control means of the present invention, and the acceleration sensor 8 constitutes the impact detection means of the present invention.
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the air belt device 11 for restraining the driver to the seat 1 includes a shoulder belt retractor 13 provided at a lower portion of the center pillar 12, and a lower side of the shoulder belt retractor 13. A lap belt retractor 14 provided on the shoulder belt 16 and a shoulder belt 16 drawn from the shoulder belt retractor 13 and extending via a slip guide 15 provided on the center pillar 12, and a lap drawn from the lap belt retractor 14. A belt 17, a tongue device 18 fixed to the end portions of the shoulder belt 16 and the lap belt 17, a buckle device 19 fixed to a seat base 20 made of a seat frame or a slide rail and to which the tongue device 18 is coupled; One on the buckle device 19 And a air belt inflator 21 provided.
[0014]
The known shoulder belt retractor 13 and lap belt retractor 14 wind the shoulder belt 16 and the lap belt 17 so that the shoulder belt 16 and the lap belt 17 can be pulled out, respectively, and a mechanical acceleration sensor (not shown) has not detected an impact exceeding a predetermined value. At normal times, the belts 16 and 17 can be pulled out to allow the occupant to move, and the belts 16 and 17 cannot be pulled out when the mechanical acceleration sensor detects an impact of a predetermined value or more during a vehicle collision. The occupant is restrained by locking the door. The air belt inflator 21 is ignited by an ignition command output from the ignition control device 7 when the acceleration sensor 8 detects an impact of a predetermined value or more, and generates high-pressure gas.
[0015]
The lap belt 17 is composed of a plain synthetic fiber plain woven belt. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a portion of the shoulder belt 16 constituting the air belt of the present invention that comes into contact with the chest and the side of the head is made of a rubber bag 22 formed in a cylindrical shape and the outside thereof. And a cover 23 for covering. The cover 23 made of circular knitted knit has the property of being easily stretchable in the radial direction and difficult to stretch in the longitudinal direction. The bag 22 and the cover 23 are normally flat belt-like, but when high-pressure gas is supplied from the inflatable belt 21 to the bag 22, the bag 22 expands to the state indicated by the chain line and restrains the passenger softly.
[0016]
Referring also to FIG. 5, the buckle housing 24 constituting the main body of the buckle device 19 has the air belt inflator 21 fixed to the lower part thereof and the buckle 25 fixed to the upper part thereof. A lower end of an anchor member 27 whose upper end is fixed to the buckle housing 24 with a bolt 26 is supported by the seat base 20 via a fulcrum pin 28 so as to be swingable back and forth. A connection port 29 opened on the upper wall of the buckle housing 24 and the inflator 21 for air belt communicate with each other by a gas passage 30 formed inside the buckle housing 24.
[0017]
The bag 22 and cover 23 of the shoulder belt 16 fitted to the upper outer peripheral surface of the tongue housing 31 of the tongue device 18 and the lap belt 17 superimposed on the outside thereof are fastened and fixed by an annular holder 32. A tongue 33 having an upper half embedded in the tongue housing 31 is fixed to the tongue housing 31 with a bolt 34 that penetrates the holder 32, the lap belt 17, the cover 23, and the bag 22. A connecting pipe 35 that can be inserted into the connection port 29 of the buckle housing 31 projects from the lower surface of the tongue housing 31. A gas passage 36 is formed in the buckle housing 31 and the connecting pipe 35 to communicate the connecting port 29 with the bag 22. A release button 37 for separating the tongue 33 coupled to the buckle 25 is provided on the buckle housing 24.
[0018]
Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.
[0019]
For example, when another vehicle collides with the right side surface of the vehicle and the acceleration sensor 8 detects an impact greater than a predetermined value, an ignition signal from the ignition control device 7 is output to the airbag inflator 4 of the airbag device 3. When the airbag 6 is inflated by the high-pressure gas generated by the ignition of the airbag inflator 4, the skin of the seat back 2 is broken by the pressure, and the airbag 6 is in the center pillar 12, the front door 5, and the right side of the driver's chest. Expands between the faces. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the airbag device 3 operates simultaneously with the occurrence of a side collision, and the impact transmitted from the front door 5 and the center pillar 12 deformed toward the passenger compartment to the right side of the chest of the occupant. Can be reduced.
[0020]
The body of the driver is pushed by the front door 5 and the center pillar 12 that are deformed toward the inside of the vehicle body due to the side collision or by the airbag 6 that is deployed along the front door 5 and the center pillar 12. It moves in the direction of arrow A toward the inside of the vehicle body, but the head of a heavy driver tends to stay in its original position due to inertia, so that a slight amount from the collision as shown by arrow B in FIG. The head moves with a time delay so that it falls to the outside of the vehicle body relative to the body. The ignition control device 7 outputs an ignition command signal to the air belt inflator 21 of the air belt device 11 after a short time has elapsed from the output of the ignition command signal to the air bag inflator 4 of the air bag device 3. As a result, the shoulder belt inflated between the driver's head and the front door 5 and the center pillar 12 by igniting the air belt inflator 21 in time with the driver's head moving toward the outside of the vehicle body. The upper part of 16 can be interposed, and thereby, the side face of the head of the driver can be effectively protected.
[0021]
If the airbag 6 and the shoulder belt 16 are inflated at the same time, the shoulder belt 16 moves from the vent hole provided in the bag 22 when the head of the driver moves toward the outside of the vehicle body with a time delay from the collision. There is a case where it has already contracted due to the omission, and there is a possibility that sufficient restraint force cannot be exhibited. However, the functions of the airbag 6 and the shoulder belt 16 can be maximized by inflating the shoulder belt 16 behind the airbag 6 as in the present embodiment.
[0022]
Further, if it is intended to protect both the chest side surface and the head side surface of the driver with the airbag 6 of the airbag device 3, it is necessary to extend the airbag 6 upward to a position reaching the driver side surface of the head. By protecting the head side surface of the driver with the inflatable shoulder belt 16 as in this embodiment, the size of the airbag 6 in the vertical direction is reduced, and when the airbag 6 is inflated, it interferes with the shoulder belt 16. The risk of doing so can be eliminated. As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention can perform a various design change in the range which does not deviate from the summary.
[0023]
For example, in the embodiment, an occupant restraint device for a driver's seat is illustrated, but the present invention can also be applied to an occupant restraint device for a passenger seat.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1, when the impact of the side collision of the vehicle is detected, the airbag inflator is actuated to inflate the airbag, and the chest of the occupant sitting on the seat The side surface is protected, and the air belt inflator is activated to inflate the air belt, thereby protecting the side surface of the head of the passenger sitting on the seat. Since the airbag only needs to protect only the side of the chest of the occupant, there is no need to project the airbag upward, and there is no possibility of interference with the airbag when the airbag is inflated. Moreover, when the impact of the side collision of the vehicle is detected, the airbag inflator is first actuated to inflate the airbag to protect the chest side surface of the occupant sitting on the seat. At this time, the body of the occupant moves toward the inside of the vehicle body due to the inflation of the airbag, and the head of the occupant who tries to stay in the original position due to inertia falls slightly behind and falls toward the outside of the vehicle body. By operating the inflator behind the airbag inflator, it is possible to inflate the air belt in time with the timing when the head of the occupant falls to the outside of the vehicle body. Can be protected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front seat portion of an automobile. FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Sectional view of line 5-5 [Fig. 6] Illustration of action [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 2 Seat back 4 Air bag inflator 6 Air bag 7 Ignition control device (control means)
8 Acceleration sensor (impact detection means)
16 Shoulder belt (Air belt)
21 Inflator for air belt 22 Bag

Claims (3)

An airbag inflator (4) for generating high-pressure gas;
An airbag (6) that inflates with the high-pressure gas generated by the airbag inflator (4) and protects only the chest side of the occupant seated on the seat (1);
An air belt inflator (21) for generating high-pressure gas;
An air belt (16) that is inflated by the high-pressure gas generated by the air belt inflator (21) to restrain the occupant to the seat (1) and protect the occupant's head side surface;
An impact detection means (8) for detecting the impact of a side collision of the vehicle;
Control means (7) for operating the air bag inflator (21) after operating the air bag inflator (4) when the impact detecting means (8) detects the impact of the side collision of the vehicle ;
Equipped with a,
The airbag (6) is inflated by the airbag inflator (4) to move the occupant's torso toward the inside of the vehicle body, and then the airbag (16) is inflated by the airbag inflator (21) for inertia. An occupant restraint device for protecting the head of an occupant who wants to stay in its original position .   The occupant according to claim 1, wherein the airbag (6) is provided inside the seat back (2), and is deployed in a rectangular shape in a side view from the seat back (2) to the front. Restraint device. The said air belt (16) is provided with the bag (22) formed in the cylinder shape, This bag (22) expand | swells substantially equally as a whole, The bag (22) is characterized by the above-mentioned. Crew restraint device .

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