JP2008114616A - Airbag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve strength of an airbag for an occupant on a front passenger seat. <P>SOLUTION: This airbag 11 for the occupant on the front passenger seat being deployed from an instrument panel is formed by sewing a belt-like main panel 31 and a pair of side panels 32 together. The main panel 31 is formed into an annular shape by joining end fringe parts 31a, 31b mutually in a connection part. A lid part 35 is formed in a part being continuous with the end fringe part 31a on one side. A gas introducing port 36 for attaching an inflater is formed in the lid part 35. An upper part of the lid part 35 on which strong force is applied when deploying the airbag uses a lower side where basic cloth is continuous and it is difficult to apply force on it as the connection part. Consequently, the work for sewing the main panel 31 and the side panels 32 together while the lid part 35 is opened becomes easy. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag for a passenger on a passenger seat provided in an instrument panel of an automobile, for example.

  DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Conventionally, the airbag apparatus for passenger seat passenger | crew with which the instrument panel of a motor vehicle is equipped is known, for example. The airbag device includes a box-shaped case body, and an inflator for supplying gas and an airbag folded into a predetermined shape are accommodated inside the case body. In the event of an automobile collision, etc., gas is supplied from the inflator to inflate and deploy the airbag in front of the seated occupant to alleviate the impact applied to the occupant. And as such an airbag, the structure provided with the strip | belt-shaped center panel and a pair of side panel sewn along the both sides of this center panel is known (for example, refer patent document 1). . As described above, the airbag composed of the three base fabrics can be configured to have a relatively free three-dimensional shape, and the airbag is deployed so as to go around the front of the passenger in the passenger seat from the inclined instrument panel. Can be easily formed into a preferable shape.

On the other hand, the airbag constituted by three base fabrics as described above is a large rectangular through hole surrounded by both ends of the center panel and the side panel adjacent to the end. A gas inlet is formed. Therefore, by using a square frame retainer combined with the gas introduction portion, and firmly fixing the retainer to the case body, airtightness between the case body and the airbag is ensured, and the gas supplied from the inflator is used. Air bags are deployed.
JP 2000-85506 A (FIGS. 6 and 7)

  However, the above-described conventional configuration requires a large and heavy case body that can ensure airtightness, restricts the shape of the inflator, and has a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size and the manufacturing cost.

  In this regard, both ends of the center panel are sewn together to form an annular shape, and a substantially airtight space is formed by the base fabric. In addition, the center panel has a configuration in which a minimum through hole into which an inflator can be inserted is formed. Conceivable.

  However, this configuration has a problem that when the airbag is deployed, a portion where both end portions of the center panel are sewn together becomes a weak portion, so that it is difficult to increase the output of the inflator. Further, since the airbag for the passenger on the passenger seat has a relatively large capacity, it is not easy to firmly sew together the connection portion between the center panel and the side panel with the minimum through hole into which the inflator can be inserted. Have.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the airbag which can be formed easily and can improve an intensity | strength easily.

  The airbag according to claim 1 is an airbag including a bag-like bulging portion that is inflated and deployed when gas is introduced. The airbag has a belt-like shape, and a gas inlet is formed in a region including one end edge portion. A main panel provided with a lid portion, a pair of side panels, a connecting portion that connects the end edges of the main panel to form an annular shape, both side edges of the main panel, and an outer peripheral portion of the side panel. The outer peripheral connection part to connect is comprised.

  And in this structure, the bulging part swells by the gas introduce | transduced from a gas inlet, and protects a to-be-protected object. A relatively free three-dimensional shape is constituted by the main panel and the pair of side panels. By connecting the end edges of the main panel to form an annular shape, the airtightness of the bulging portion is improved, and the structure of the airbag device including the airbag can be simplified. By working in a state where the lid portion is opened, an outer peripheral connection portion having high strength can be easily formed.

  The airbag according to claim 2 is the airbag according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral connection portion is formed by sewing from the inner and outer sides of the bulging portion.

  And in this structure, a firm outer periphery connection part is formed by sewing from the inner and outer sides of the bulging part. By working with the lid open, the work of sewing from inside and outside becomes easy.

  The airbag according to claim 3 is the airbag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bulging portion is bulged from the front side of the gas introduction port so as to be bulged, and the connection portion is the one of the gas introduction port. It is arranged on one side.

  And in this configuration, since the connecting portion is provided on the same side as the biasing direction for the airbag having the bulging portion that is biased and bulged from the front side of the gas introduction port, when introducing the gas It becomes difficult to apply a force to the connecting portion, and the strength of the airbag can be easily improved.

  The airbag according to claim 4 is the airbag according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the airbag is opposed to an occupant who is a protected object in the passenger seat of the vehicle and is inclined downward toward the rear side. It is housed and arranged in the instrument panel.

  In this configuration, the airbag for the passenger on the passenger seat, which is disposed on the instrument panel and has a relatively large capacity, is biased toward one side and bulges out, is easily formed, and the strength is easily improved. To do.

  According to the airbag of the present invention, a relatively free three-dimensional shape can be configured by the main panel and the pair of side panels. By connecting the end edges of the main panel to form an annular shape, the airtightness of the bulging portion is improved, and the structure of the airbag device including the airbag can be simplified. By working in a state where the lid portion is opened, it is possible to easily form an outer peripheral connection portion having high strength.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an airbag according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an airbag device. The airbag device 1 is an instrument panel 4 serving as an installation portion located in front of a passenger seat of an automobile as a vehicle, that is, a passenger seat of a passenger seat that is a protected object. The airbag device 1 for the passenger in the passenger seat is configured. Hereinafter, the front-rear direction, the both-side direction, and the up-down direction will be described based on the straight traveling direction of the automobile in a state where the airbag apparatus 1 is attached to the automobile. The instrument panel 4 is formed in a curved surface or the like that slightly lowers toward the rear side, that is, the passenger seat side. The instrument panel 4 is disposed on the inner side of the instrument panel 4 as a mounted member (not shown). The bag device 1 is fixed by screwing or the like in a state where the front side B is slightly inclined from the upper side toward the rear side, that is, the occupant side. Further, a windshield that is a windshield that is inclined from the front lower side toward the upper rear side is disposed above the instrument panel 4.

  The airbag apparatus 1 includes a bag-shaped airbag 11 formed of a base fabric, an inflator 12 for supplying gas to the airbag 11, the airbag 11 and the inflator 12 and the like. A case body 14, a retainer plate 15, and the like.

  The case body 14 is formed in a substantially box shape, the front side B is a rectangular projecting opening 21 that is an opening, and the inside is an airbag housing portion 22 that houses the folded airbag 11. . The front side B is perpendicular to the virtual plane including the protruding port 21. Further, the protruding port 21 is normally covered with a cover body (not shown).

  Further, in the present embodiment, the inflators 12 are used as a set of two, and each inflator 12 includes a disk-shaped main body portion 12a, and an intermediate position in the height direction of the main body portion 12a. Accordingly, a square plate-like flange portion 12b is projected, and through holes as attachment holes are formed at the four corners of the flange portion 12b.

  A plurality of gas injection ports 12c are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 12a, located above the main body portion 12a, that is, above the flange portion 12b. The igniter and the medicine are housed inside the main body 12a, and the igniter burns the medicine by the electrical signal from the connector connected to the bottom, and rapidly supplies the gas from the gas injection port 12c. It has become. The inflator 12 is attached to the bottom of the case body 14 or disposed inside the case body 14 with the main body 12a provided with the gas injection port 12c being inserted inside the airbag 11. Yes. The inflators 12 have various shapes.

  The retainer plate 15 includes a retainer main body having a frame shape and mounting bolts protruding from the retainer main body.

  Further, the cover body is formed of resin so as to be integrated with or separate from the instrument panel 4, and a tear line that is thinner than other portions and easily breaks is formed in a substantially H-shaped plane.

  The airbag 11 is a so-called three-piece bag mainly formed by stitching three base fabrics into an outer shell, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a main panel 31 that is a belt-like base fabric and a pair of both sides. In combination with the side panel 32, a bag-like bulging portion 33 that is inflated and deployed by introducing gas is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 and the like, the main panel 31 is an elongated strip having a predetermined width as a whole, and includes one end edge portion 31a in the longitudinal direction and the other end edge portion 31b. Are joined at the connecting portion 34 to form an annular shape. A lid portion 35 is set in a region including one end edge portion 31a of the main panel 31. The lid portion 35 has a substantially oval shape with the longitudinal direction on both sides, that is, the width direction of the main panel 31, and a gas introduction port 36 is formed at the center of the lid portion 35. Has been. The gas introduction port 36 is, so to speak, an inflator mounting port, and a pair of circular portions 36a, 36a into which the main body portion 12a of each inflator 12 is inserted, and these circular hole portions 36a, 36a, and a connecting portion 36b having a width smaller than the diameter of the circular hole portion 36a. Further, the shape of the lid 35 is more specifically, with respect to the rectangular region, the edge 31a side cuts off the corner into an arc centered on the center of the circular hole 36a, and the edge The opposite side of 31a has a shape cut off by a part of this arc. Further, the other end edge portion 31b of the main panel 31 is cut out at a part of a circular arc having a large radius so that the central portion in the width direction is recessed. Further, holes 37 into which the mounting bolts of the retainer plate 15 are inserted are formed at four positions on the outer periphery of each hole-like portion of the gas inlet port 36, respectively. In addition, the side edge 31c on both sides of the main panel 31 in the vicinity of the lid portion 35 is formed so as to be smoothly cut out from both sides by a part of a circular arc having a large radius so that the width dimension is smaller than the other parts. A narrowed portion 31d is formed.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the two side panels 32 have the same shape as each other, except for the straight lid connection edge 32a, and a curved shape in which a plurality of circular arcs are smoothly connected. The outer edge portion 32b is provided. Each side panel 32 has a side panel upper portion 32c that faces the lid connecting edge 32a as a whole, and a lower side of the side panel upper portion 32c that is biased downward from a position facing the lid connecting edge 32a. And a side panel lower portion 32d bulging out. Further, each side panel 32 has an exhaust port 38 located in the vicinity of between the side panel upper part 32c and the side panel lower part 32d.

  Then, the side edge 31c of the main panel 31 and the outer edge portion 32b of the side panel 32 are joined together by sewing at the outer peripheral connection portion 41, and then one end of the main panel 31, that is, the end edge portion 31a of the lid portion 35 and the other end By sewing and joining at the connecting portion 34 from the portion covering the end edge portion 31b to the portion covering the side edge 31c of the lid portion 35 of the main panel 31 and the lid portion connecting edge portion 32a of the side panel 32, the gas is obtained. A bag-like airbag 11 is formed in which the width dimension is substantially constant and the height dimension mainly expands downward from the introduction port 36 toward the opposite part. Here, the three-dimensional shape when the main panel 31 is unfolded is defined by the side panel 32, and is slightly recessed inwardly at a position biased downward from a position facing the front side B of the gas inlet port 36. A front portion 31e is formed, and this front portion 31e faces the occupant when deployed.

  Here, the connecting portion 34 is formed by a so-called double chain stitch sewing line 34a in which an upper thread and a lower thread cross each other to form a seam, and the outer peripheral connecting portion 41 is a so-called double chain stitch sewing. The line 41a is combined with a sewing line 41b of a main stitch where a seam is formed independently for each stitch.

  And about the formation of each outer periphery connection part 41, as shown to Fig.7 (a), in the state which piled up the main panel 31 and the side panel 32 first, the sewing line 41b of main sewing was formed, and then, As shown in FIG. 7 (b), the overlapped portion is doubled on the side panel 32 in a state where the overlapped portion is sewn to one of the main panel 31 and the side panel 32, here the side panel 32 side. It is configured by sewing with a chain stitch sewing line 41a.

  As shown by an arrow F in FIG. 7 (c), the force applied when the airbag 11 is deployed is not the direction in which the base fabrics of the main panel 31 and the side panel 32 are peeled apart. Since a force in the shearing direction is applied to the sewing line 41a of the double ring stitch, the strength of each outer peripheral connection portion 41 is ensured.

  Further, in this sewing method, when the outer peripheral connection portion 41 is formed, the sewing work of the double chain stitch sewing line 41a requires work from the inside and outside of the bag-like airbag 11. As shown in FIG. 6, when sewing the sewing line 41a of the heavy chain stitch, it is possible to easily work with a wide opening by working with the connecting portion 34 not joined and the lid portion 35 opened. It has become.

  The main panel 31 and the side panel 32 of the airbag 11 have a plurality of patches, which are base fabrics called reinforcement cloths or flameproof cloths, and are stitched together to improve mechanical and thermal strength. It has been. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a substantially cross-shaped cross patch 44 is superimposed on the outside of the lid portion 35 of the main panel 31, and the inner side of the lid portion 35 has a shape along the shape of the main panel 31. 1 a main patch 45, a second main patch 46, 46 that surrounds the gas inlet 36, and a heat patch 48 that covers the portion of the lid 35 are overlapped. Further, on the outside of the cross patch 44 A sheet 50, which is a wrapping member that holds the shape of the folded airbag 11 and breaks when the airbag 11 is deployed, is overlaid. The patches 44, 45, 46, 46, 48 and the seat 50 are sewn to the main panel 31 by a plurality of, for example, quadruple concentric main sewing lines 51 surrounding the gas inlet 36. Of the quadruple main sewing lines 51, the outermost main sewing line 51 does not sew the heat patch 48, that is, is covered and protected by the heat patch 48.

  A third main patch 53 is overlapped on the inner side of the other end edge portion 31b of the main panel 31, and a main sewing line 54 along the sewing lines 41a and 41b of the outer peripheral connection portion 41 and the other end edge portion 31b. Is sewn to the main panel 31.

  Further, a side patch 56 is stacked on the inner side of each side panel 32 from the lid connecting edge portion 32a to the exhaust port 38 portion, and the outer side connection portion 41 and the outer edge portion of the exhaust port 38 are connected to each other. It is sewn to the side panel 32 by a heavy main sewing line 57.

  In order to clearly show the shapes of the main panel 31 and the side panel 32, these patches 44, 45, 46, 46, and 48 and the sheet 50 are not shown in the drawings and are shown by broken lines.

  The airbag 11 configured in this manner is folded into a predetermined shape with the retainer body of the retainer plate 15 disposed inside, with the mounting bolt pulled out from the hole 37, and the shape is retained by the seat 50. Is done. And while inserting the main-body part 12a which provided the gas injection port 12c of the inflator 12 in the gas introduction port 36, the attachment bolt was inserted in the through-hole of the flange part 12b, and the part around this gas introduction port 36 was inserted. With the retainer body of the retainer plate 15 pressed against the bottom of the case body 14, the airbag 11 is stored inside the airbag storage portion 22 of the case body 14. The air bag 11, the case body 14, and the inflator 12 are fastened together and fixed between the retainer main body 15a and the nut in a state in which a nut (not shown) is screwed and tightened to the mounting bolt of the retainer plate 15. Thus, the airbag device 1 is configured.

  In the airbag device 1 configured as described above, the control device operates the inflator 12 and injects gas from the inflator 12 in the event of a car collision or the like. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag 11 is inflated and deployed as the gas flows in, breaks the tear line of the cover body, protrudes from the projection port 21 to the front side B, and further moves downward with a predetermined behavior. Inflated and deployed, the front portion 31e is deployed in front of the passenger seated in the passenger seat to protect the passenger from the impact of the collision. Here, as shown by arrows C1 and C2 in FIG. 1, the airbag 11 is temporarily deployed obliquely above the occupant, then biased downward and deployed, thereby promptly moving the airbag 11 toward the front of the occupant. For this reason, a so-called moment is generated in the airbag 11, and a force for strongly pulling the base fabric is applied in the vicinity of the portion indicated by the arrow D. On the other hand, in the portion near the occupant side, that is, the lower instrument panel 4 indicated by the arrow E, the force for strongly pulling the base fabric is smaller than the portion indicated by the arrow D. And since the connection part 34 used as the weakest part of the main panel 31 was provided in the part shown by the arrow E where the force which pulls this base fabric strongly is small, the proof stress of the airbag 11 whole is improving easily.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the main panel 31 and the pair of side panels 32 are provided for the airbag 11 that is provided in the inclined instrument panel 4 and that is deployed by introducing gas from the gas inlet 36. By forming the outer shell of the bulging portion 33 with three base fabrics, a relatively free three-dimensional shape can be formed, and the deployment behavior can be easily set, and the air used in the airbag device 1 for the passenger on the passenger seat As the bag 11, preferable characteristics can be easily realized. Further, the end edges 31a and 31b of the main panel 31 are connected to each other at the connection portion 34 to form an annular shape, whereby the airtightness of the bulging portion 33 is improved, and the airbag device 1 including the airbag 11 is improved. The structure can be simplified and various forms of inflators 12 can be used, and the manufacturing cost of the airbag apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  When the airbag 11 is deployed, the airbag 11 is deployed so as to be deviated downward from the front side, and a large force is applied to a portion in the vicinity of the instrument panel 4 on the upper side of the airbag 11. Since the main panel 31 is formed of a continuous base fabric and there is no joint portion in the portion where the sapphire is applied, it can easily withstand a large force.

  On the other hand, the connecting portion 34 of the main panel 31 is provided in the vicinity of the lower instrument panel 4 on the side where the airbag 11 is not biased by a relatively large force.

  Further, when the airbag 11 is deployed, a relatively large force is applied to the portion of the front portion 31e formed to be slightly recessed, but the outer peripheral connection portion 41 that joins the main panel 31 and the side panel 32 of the airbag 11 Since the portion sewn by the sewing line 41b of the main stitch is further sewn by the sewing line 41a of the double chain stitch, the force applied when the airbag 11 is deployed can be received as a force in the shearing direction.

  Thus, the airbag 11 can improve the strength with a simple structure without increasing the strength or number of the base fabric or sewing thread for reinforcement, and the high output inflator 12 can be used. Manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, if the output of the inflator 12 is the same as the conventional one, the base fabric, the sewing thread, or the reinforcing fabric can be simplified or abolished, and it is possible to reduce the size, the weight, and the manufacturing cost.

  Furthermore, since the outer peripheral connection part 41 that joins the main panel 31 and the side panel 32 of the airbag 11 is further sewn with a sewing line 41a for double chain stitching, a portion sewn with a sewing line 41b for main sewing, Work from the inside and outside of the airbag 11 is required, but since the lid portion 35 is set in the portion provided with the gas inlet 36 to which the inflator 12 is attached, by working with the lid portion 35 opened, Work from the inside and outside can be facilitated, the workability of manufacturing the airbag 11 can be improved, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  That is, for the lid portion 35 that covers the portion where the gas introduction port 36 is provided, the upper portion of the lid portion 35 that is the side to which the most force is applied during deployment is continuously formed with a single base cloth, and the lower portion where the force is relatively difficult to be applied. By adopting a configuration in which other portions are sewn and joined together, it is possible to achieve both the effects of securing strength during deployment and improving workability during manufacturing.

  In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, for each outer peripheral connection portion 41, the portion sewn by the main stitching sewing line 41b is sewn to the side panel 32 side by the double chain stitching sewing line 41a. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a portion sewn by the sewing line 41b of the main stitch can be sewn to the main panel 31 by the sewing line 41a of the double chain stitch.

  The airbag 11 has been described as the airbag 11 for the passenger on the passenger seat that is deployed to face the passenger on the passenger seat from the instrument panel 4 that is inclined downward on the rear side. However, the airbag 11 is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can be applied to the airbag 11 in which a force that moves the bag 11 in a direction deviated from the front side B, that is, a moment is generated.

  The present invention can be applied to, for example, an airbag used in an airbag device for a passenger in a passenger seat of a vehicle.

It is a perspective view of a partial decomposition state showing one embodiment of an airbag of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the expansion | deployment state of an airbag same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cross section of an airbag same as the above. It is explanatory drawing seen from the inner surface side of the main panel which attached the patch of the airbag same as the above. It is explanatory drawing seen from the inner surface side of the side panel which attached the patch of the airbag same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing process of an airbag same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing process of an airbag same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

4 Instrument panel
11 Airbag
31 Main panel
31a One edge
31b The other edge
31c side edge
32 Side panel
33 bulge
34 Connection
35 Lid
36 Gas inlet
41 External connection

Claims (4)

An airbag including a bag-like bulging portion that is inflated and deployed by introducing gas,
A main panel having a band shape and provided with a lid portion in which a gas inlet is formed in a region including one end edge portion;
A pair of side panels;
A connecting portion that connects the end portions of the main panel to each other in an annular shape;
An airbag comprising an outer peripheral connection portion that connects both side edges of the main panel and an outer peripheral portion of the side panel. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral connection portion is formed by sewing from the inner and outer sides of the bulging portion. The bulging part is biased to one side from the front side of the gas inlet and bulges,
The airbag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting portion is disposed on the one side of the gas introduction port. The air bag is disposed and accommodated in an instrument panel that faces an occupant who is a protected object in a passenger seat of a vehicle and is inclined downward toward the rear side. The described airbag.

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