WO2017032700A1

WO2017032700A1 - Vehicle passenger restraint system comprising a central airbag

Info

Publication number: WO2017032700A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/069675
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marco Wahl; Dominique Acker; Gerd Zischka; Jürgen Scherr
Original assignee: Trw Automotive Gmbh
Priority date: 2015-08-21
Filing date: 2016-08-19
Publication date: 2017-03-02
Also published as: DE102015010809A1

Abstract

A vehicle passenger restraint system (10) comprises a central airbag (20) which unfolds between two seats that are adjacent to each other transversely to the longitudinal direction (x) of the vehicle. The central airbag (20) has two external portions (30, 32) that are across from each other in the inflated state of the central airbag (20), and one of the external portions (30, 32) faces a vehicle passenger (12) and at least partially forms a contact surface (34) which is concave in at least some sections thereof along the vertical direction (z) of the vehicle.

Description

Vehicle occupant restraint with a center gas bag

The invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraint device with a middle gas bag.

From the prior art it is known to arrange a gas bag between two vehicle seats in order to prevent a collision of the vehicle occupants in the event of a side impact. Such a gas bag is referred to as a middle gas bag or interaction gas bag. The middle gas bag also protects the vehicle occupant assigned to it from overshooting its seat so that the vehicle occupant does not hit hard structures of the vehicle interior of the neighboring side.

Typically, as for known side airbags an installation space is provided within the backrest of a vehicle seat. Predominantly, the installation space is in the range of an average height of a seat side bolster when installed on seats with separate vehicle seats. Alternatively, the installation space can also be provided on a center armrest.

The middle gas bags known from the prior art are held in position by means of tensioning straps and / or externally mounted positioning means in order, for example, to prevent overshooting of the vehicle occupant. Anchoring straps and positioning means also serve to define the inflation behavior of the middle gas bag. The use of guy straps and / or positioning means is expensive and increases the space requirement and the manufacturing cost of the middle gas bag. The invention therefore has the object to provide a protection for vehicle occupants by a middle gas bag, which has only a small footprint and with which a quick and secure positioning in its final inflated form can be achieved. For this purpose, according to the invention, a middle gas bag is provided in a vehicle occupant restraint system, which unfolds between two places adjacent to the vehicle longitudinal direction. The middle gas bag has two jacket sections lying opposite one another in the inflated state of the middle gas bag, one of the jacket sections facing a vehicle occupant seated laterally by the middle gas bag and at least partially forming a contact surface which has a concave curvature at least in sections along the vehicle vertical direction. This shape of the middle gas bag causes a positioning of the middle gas bag already during the inflation to the vehicle occupant, whereby the gas bag can develop, for example, in early contact with a backrest. Likewise, early, gentle contact with the occupant can be established. Due to the friction experienced by the center gas bag during inflation, instabilities in the deployment of the middle gas bag are reduced. As has been found, in particular wobble and rotational movements of the gas bag during deployment are reduced.

In order to achieve the concave curvature of the contact surface, at least one shirring seam is preferably provided in the contact surface, which causes the curvature. With the shirring seam, a fold in the jacket section of the middle gas bag is permanently fixed by a seam in order to reduce the effective fabric length of the jacket section. Ruff seams are easy to do and can be placed anywhere. Instead of a shirring seam, of course, other means can always be used, for example, it is possible to form the opposite sheath sections of different length blank parts, so that the contact surface in the vehicle vertical direction has a shorter length than the opposite lateral surface.

It can be worked with only one Raffnaht, but it can also be two, three or even more over or juxtaposed Raffnähte provided be. The Raffnähte can extend over the entire width of the contact surface or only over certain sections thereof.

In particular, the Raffnähte run predominantly or substantially horizontally relative to the installed and inflated state. The contact surface may be curved so that the middle gas bag is inclined toward the vehicle occupant above a shoulder region of the vehicle occupant. In this way, an early capture of the head, which increases the protection for the vehicle occupant.

In a preferred embodiment, the middle gas bag has a blow-in section which is fixed to a backrest, in particular to a seat side cheek, of a seat assigned to the vehicle occupant. The fixation of the inflation mouth, which also corresponds to the installation position of the entire gas bag module containing the middle gas bag, is preferably located approximately halfway up the backrest, ie in the region in which side gas bags are conventionally installed.

In the middle gas bag, for example, a lower gas bag section is provided, as well as an upper gas bag section adjoining the lower gas bag section, wherein the upper gas bag section extends in a head region of the vehicle occupant when the gas bag is inflated. The subdivision into upper and lower airbag sections can be clarified by differences in the shape of the individual airbag sections. But it can also be made purely virtual by a mental subdivision of the gas bag. In any case, the upper airbag section extends in the head region and serves to protect the head of the vehicle occupant, that is above the thorax of a vehicle occupant. The transition from lower to upper airbag section is preferably in the shoulder region of the vehicle occupant.

Designations such as "lower" and "upper" sections are always related to viewing along the vehicle's vertical direction. A lower portion is therefore below the upper portion with respect to the vertical direction. The contact surface may have a lower portion which rests against the backrest in the inflated state of the middle gas bag. The lower portion of the contact surface is at least at the lower gas bag section off formed, but can still extend into the upper airbag section. The installation of the middle gas bag on the backrest increases the stability during deployment and positioning of the middle gas bag. Preferably, the center gas bag unfolds so that it is in contact with the seat back during inflation and is stabilized by the friction thus generated, so that wobble during deployment is reduced.

The contact surface preferably has a head portion, which is inclined in the inflated state of the middle gas bag in plan view along the vehicle longitudinal direction to the head of the vehicle occupant. In order to effect the tilting or bending of the head section towards the vehicle occupant, preferably at least one gather seam is arranged in the transition region from the lower to the upper airbag section. Preferably, two seams superimposed in the vehicle vertical direction are used. However, it is also possible to provide only one or more than two seams, which can also be placed offset laterally.

It is advantageous if the upper airbag section has a larger volume than the lower airbag section, since the main purpose of the middle airbag is a protection of the head region of the vehicle occupant. The lower airbag section can be reduced in volume so that it serves only to fill the upper portion and the positioning and a certain stabilization of the middle gas bag.

The lower airbag section, for example, extends approximately to the shoulder of a vehicle occupant, while the upper airbag section extends approximately from the shoulder upwards over the head. In an advantageous embodiment, the lower airbag portion is tubular and has a width in the inflated state, which corresponds substantially to the width of the seat side cheek of the backrest. The lower airbag section is for example in the vehicle longitudinal direction about 5 to 20 cm wide and serves only to fill the upper airbag section as well as the positioning and stabilization of the middle gas bag, in particular by the system, the friction with and the deployment along the backrest. To form a comprehensive protection for the head of the vehicle occupant, the upper airbag portion seen in the vehicle longitudinal direction may extend forward to over the shoulder region of the vehicle occupant.

In one possible embodiment, the upper airbag section has a seat edge-related rear edge portion that extends obliquely upward. The slope can be about 30 ° to 60 °, more preferably about 45 °.

At the same time, the upper airbag section can have a front edge section which is related to the seat orientation and extends in sections parallel to the rear edge section.

The oblique course of the gas bag makes it possible to provide good protection for the head while at the same time requiring less material and having a smaller filling volume, which also benefits rapid deployment.

The entire upper airbag portion may be formed to extend substantially obliquely upwardly and forwardly.

In an alternative embodiment, the upper airbag section has a rear and a front edge section relative to the seat alignment, wherein the rearward edge section extends in extension of the seatback and the forward edge section describes an arc over the shoulder region of the vehicle occupant. In this form, the shoulder of the vehicle occupant is excluded, which saves filling volume with a good head protection. In this case, the middle gas bag also has a relatively large area at its rear edge, which covers the head of the vehicle occupant safely.

The "vehicle longitudinal direction" is understood to mean the normal forward direction, which also corresponds to a normal seat orientation.The terms "front" and "rear" are defined with respect to the seat orientation so that the front edge is closer to the front of the vehicle than the rear edge.

The middle gas bag is designed without outer stabilizing bands or other externally acting positioning means and held in particular only in the region of the inflation mouth on the vehicle side when it is inflated. The invention is described below with reference to several embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings show:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a vehicle occupant restraint device according to the invention with two inflated middle gas bags;

Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a vehicle occupant restraint device according to the invention according to Figure 1, with a middle gas bag according to a first embodiment; and

3 shows a schematic side view of a vehicle occupant restraint device according to the invention according to FIG. 1, with a middle gas bag according to a second embodiment.

The figures show a vehicle occupant restraint device 10 which protects a vehicle occupant 12 who sits on a vehicle seat 14 schematically indicated in the figures, with a head 16 of the vehicle occupant 12 in particular being protected in the event of a side impact.

FIG. 1 shows the situation for two occupants 12 sitting next to each other transversely to a vehicle longitudinal direction x on separate vehicle seats 14. Each of the vehicle seats 14 has an airbag module with a central airbag 20 on the side wall of the backrest 18 facing the vehicle interior. For reasons of clarity, the reference numerals in FIG. 1 are distributed over the two illustrated squares with middle gas sacks 20. However, the two middle gas bags 20 are in principle the same, but executed in mirror image.

Each middle gas bag 20 is filled via a gas generator 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), which is arranged at an installation position approximately halfway up the backrest 18 with respect to the vehicle vertical direction z, where a receptacle for the folded middle gas bag 20 is also located located. In this recording, the middle gas bag 20 is housed prior to its deployment. An injection section 24 of the middle gas bag 20 is fixed in the region of the gas bag receptacle (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Otherwise, no positioning means are provided for the inflated airbag 20. From the injection section 24, the middle gas bag 20 extends upward, wherein the middle gas bag 20 can be conceptually divided into a lower gas bag section 26 and an upper gas bag section 28.

The upper airbag section 28 extends in the inflated state in the head region of the vehicle occupant 12.

In general, the middle gas bag 20 has two opposite jacket sections 30, 32. The middle gas bag 20 can be composed of these two jacket sections 30, 32, for example by sewing or weaving, but it would also be possible to provide further jacket sections. The vehicle occupant 12 facing shell portion 32 of the middle gas bag 20 forms a contact surface 34. The contact surface 34 is concavely curved in the fully inflated state of the middle gas bag 20, so that in particular the upper airbag portion 28 to the head 16 of the vehicle occupant 12 tends. During inflation, the entire central airbag 20 is due to the curvature of the contact surface 34 to the vehicle occupant 12 back out. This also means that the middle gas bag 20, which exits laterally from the side cheek of the backrest 18, receives a movement component in the direction of the backrest 18. As a result, the center gas bag 20 deploys along the seat back in direct contact with the seat back 18 and, optionally, with a light touch of the vehicle occupant 12 to its final inflated position. The friction forces occurring stabilize the deployment movement of the middle gas bag 20 and in particular reduce a rolling or rotational movement. The contact surface 34 has a lower portion 35, which moves during the deployment along the side cheek of the backrest 18 and rests in the inflated state of the middle gas bag 20 on the backrest 18.

The curvature of the contact surface 34 is achieved in these examples by at least one substantially horizontally extending Raffnaht 36, in which a portion of the contact surface 34 placed in a fold and this fold is permanently fixed. The fold is inside the gas bag. Of course, the gathering of the abutment surface 34 could also be different, for example, through the use of long blanks for the two skirt portions 30, 32 or in any other suitable manner without the use of seams 36 can be achieved.

Here, two shirring seams 36 arranged one above the other in the vehicle vertical direction z are used. Each of the Raffnähte 36 is permanently executed and dissolves neither during deployment nor when hitting the vehicle occupant 12 in the middle gas bag 20 so that the middle gas bag 20 maintains the shape shown.

The seams 36 are provided here in the transition region from the lower airbag section 26 to the upper airbag section 28. Thus, the Raffnähte 36 are approximately in the shoulder portion 40 of the vehicle occupant 12, so that the main curvature of the contact surface 34 can be found in this area and the middle airbag 20 over the shoulder and over the upper end of the backrest 18 to the head 16 of the vehicle occupant 12 tends , The upper airbag section 28 is inclined in a plan view along the vehicle longitudinal direction x to the head 16 of the vehicle occupant 12, wherein in the example shown in Figure 1, a head portion 38 of the contact surface 34 is aligned accordingly.

In the embodiments shown, each of the upper airbag section 28 has a significantly larger volume than the lower airbag section 26. This is due to the fact that the middle airbag 20 is mainly intended to protect the head 16 of the vehicle occupant 12 and the lower airbag section 26 only has to fulfill the functions, to direct the fill gas to the upper airbag section 28 and to stabilize the middle airbag 20 so that it remains in the desired inflated position.

FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively show vehicle restraint devices 10 with differently shaped middle gas bags 120, 220. In the figures, the middle air bags are shown in each case in the fully inflated state. For identical or only slightly modified components, the same reference numerals are used in all figures for reasons of clarity.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the middle gas bag 120 is shaped so that the lower gas bag section 126 is in the form of a thin, slippery-bottomed gas bag. Ches is formed, which has substantially the width of the side cheek of the backrest 18.

The upper airbag section 128, however, is significantly more voluminous and extends in extension of the tubular lower airbag section 126 in the vehicle vertical direction z to above an upper edge of the backrest 18 and seen in the vehicle longitudinal direction x forward over a shoulder portion 40 of the vehicle occupant 12. Overall, the upper airbag section 128 in the xz-plane slightly obliquely upward, approximately at an angle of 5 ° - 30 °. A front edge portion 150 of the middle gas bag 120 and in particular of the upper gas bag portion 128 in this embodiment describes an arc over the shoulder portion 40 of the vehicle occupant 12 and thereby saves the shoulder. A rear edge portion 152 extends in extension of the backrest 18 and then parallel to the front edge portion 150, so that the head 16 is covered and protected in the vehicle longitudinal direction x. This geometry can save gas bag volume, which ultimately benefits rapid deployment.

In the further possible embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the middle gas bag 220 is shaped so that the front edge section 250 and the rear edge section 252 extend obliquely upward in the x-z plane with respect to the seat orientation. The angle at which the upper airbag section 228 extends obliquely upwards may be between 30 ° and 60 °. This orientation of the upper airbag section 228 obliquely upwards at the top provides a good protective field for the head 16 of the vehicle occupant 12 during a rapid deployment.

Here, the lower airbag section 226 is approximately triangular, which allows the upper airbag section 228 to be folded into the lower airbag section 226 when the middle airbag 220 is folded in order to obtain a compact airbag package. In the two embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the upper airbag section 128, 228, the front and rear edge sections 150, 152 and 250, 252 run essentially parallel. In the two embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3, the gather seams 36 shown in FIG. 1 are likewise provided in order to obtain a curvature of the contact surface 34. However, on the vehicle occupant 12 facing shell portion 32 Raffnähte 36 are hidden in the figures 2 and 3, however, by the shell portion 30.

Claims

claims

1 . Vehicle occupant restraint device (10) having a central airbag (20; 120; 220) deploying between two seats adjacent to the vehicle longitudinal direction (x), the middle airbag (20; 120; 220) being two in the inflated state of the middle airbag (20); 20; 120; 220) has opposite jacket sections (30, 32) and one of the jacket sections (30, 32) faces a vehicle occupant (12) and forms at least sections a contact surface (34) which at least partially along the vehicle vertical direction (z ) has a concave curvature.

2. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the contact surface (34) at least one Raffnaht (36) is provided, which causes the curvature.

3. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact surface (34) is curved so that the middle gas bag (20; 120; 220) above a shoulder region (40) of the vehicle occupant (12) to the vehicle occupant (12) is inclined.

4. The vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the middle airbag (20; 120; 220) has a blow-in section (24) which is attached to a backrest (18) of a vehicle seat (12) assigned to the vehicle occupant (12) ) is fixed.

5. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a lower airbag section (26; 126; 226) is provided, and an upper airbag section (28; 128; 228) adjoining the lower airbag section (26; ), wherein the upper airbag section (28; 128; 228) extends in the region of the head (16) of a vehicle occupant (12) when the middle airbag (20; 120; 220) is inflated.

6. The vehicle occupant restraint device according to claim 5, characterized in that the abutment surface (34) has a lower portion (xx), in the inflated state of the middle gas bag (20; 120; 220) rests against the backrest (18).

7. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the abutment surface (34) has a head portion (38) which in the inflated state of the middle gas bag (20; 120; 220) in plan view along the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) is inclined towards the head (16) of the vehicle occupant (12).

8. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that at least one shirring seam (36) in the transition region from the lower to the upper airbag section (26, 28, 126, 128, 226, 228) is arranged.

9. The vehicle occupant restraint device according to claim 5, wherein the upper airbag section has a larger volume than the lower airbag section.

10. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the lower airbag section (26; 126) is formed hose-shaped and in the inflated state has a width which substantially corresponds to the width of the backrest (18).

1 1. Vehicle occupant restraint device according to one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the upper airbag section (128;

228) seen in the vehicle longitudinal direction extends forward beyond a shoulder region (40) of the vehicle occupant (12).

A vehicle occupant restraint according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the upper airbag portion (128; 228) has a seat edge-related rear edge portion (152; 252) extending obliquely upward.

13. The vehicle occupant restraint device according to claim 12, characterized in that the upper airbag section (128, 228) has a front edge section (150, 250) which is oriented in relation to the seat orientation and runs in sections parallel to the rear edge section (152, 252).

14. A vehicle occupant restraint device according to any one of claims 5 to 13, characterized in that the upper airbag portion (128) relative to the seat alignment has a rear edge portion (152) and a front edge portion (150), wherein the rear edge portion (152) extends in extension of the backrest (18) and the front edge portion (150) describes an arc over the shoulder region (40) of the vehicle occupant (12).