Side airbag, side airbag apparatus, and motor vehicle seat

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1(
a) and 1(b) are schematic side views illustrating an automobile seat provided with an embodiment of a side airbag apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1(a) illustrates the side airbag apparatus in an ordinary condition, and FIG. 1(b) illustrates the side airbag apparatus in an inflated condition.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an entire structure in a condition where an embodiment of the side airbag, according to the present invention, is inflated and deployed, and a partially enlarged view in the vicinity of a chamber connecting portion.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an entire structure of a sleeve provided in an inflator.

FIGS. 4(
a) and 4(b) are perspective views illustrating an entire structure of a heat cloth, wherein FIG. 4(a) illustrates a condition of a halfway of inflation and deployment of the side airbag 16, and FIG. 4(b) illustrates a condition after completion of the inflation and deployment.

FIGS. 5(
a) through 5(f) are views explaining the way how to fold back the side airbag when the same is housed in a casing.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the casing showing a condition where the folded-back side airbag is housed in the casing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1(
a) and 1(b) are schematic side views illustrating an automobile seat provided with an embodiment of the side airbag apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1(a) illustrates the side airbag apparatus in an ordinary condition and FIG. 1(b) illustrates the side airbag apparatus in an inflated condition.

In FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), an occupant 12 is seated on a seat 10. The seat 10 (motor vehicle seat) includes a seating portion 10A, and a seat back portion 10B protrude upward from the seating portion 10A. A head rest 10C is attached to a top portion of the seat back portion 10B.

The seat 10 is provided with a side airbag apparatus 14 in the seat back portion 10B for limiting a movement of an upper body of the occupant 12 in the event of the side collision, the rollover, or the like due to an accident. The side airbag apparatus 14 is provided with a side airbag 16 inflating and deploying into a space between a side wall portion of the automobile body (not shown, and is positioned at a front side of the paper surface in FIGS. 1(a) and (b)) and the occupant 12 seated on the seat 10. The side airbag apparatus 14 is also provided with, for example, a resin-made casing 18 in which the side airbag 16 is housed in a folded condition. The side airbag apparatus 14 is further provided with an inflator 20 (refer to FIG. 3 or the like described later) for supplying the gas (pressurized fluid) for inflating and deploying the side air bag 16. The inflator 20 is ignited by means of an inflator control circuit (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1(a), in a normal condition, the side airbag 16 is housed in a seat back portion 10B of the seat 10 in a condition of being folded into the casing 18. On the other hand, for example, in a side collision or the like of the automobile, the inflator 20 of the side airbag apparatus 14 is ignited by means of the inflator control circuit (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1(b), the side airbag 16 is inflated and protrudes from the seat 10 (in the present embodiment, while breaking a stitch line, not shown, in fabrics at a front surface of the seat back portion 10B and at a side surface of the seat back portion 10B facing a vehicle body side wall portion) and is deployed into a space between the vehicle body side wall portion of the automobile and the occupant 12. The side airbag 16 includes a first bag portion 16A positioned at an upper side, and a second bag portion 16B positioned at a lower side. The first bag portion 16A protects a chest portion of the occupant 12 and absorbs a impact, and the second bag portion 16B limits a movement of a waist portion of the occupant 12 in a lateral direction of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an entire structure of the side airbag 16 in an inflated and deployed condition, and showing a partially enlarged view in the vicinity of a chamber connecting portion as well.

In FIG. 2, the side airbag 16 is formed to be a bag-shaped body in which a first panel 22A and a second panel 22B (not shown in FIG. 2) formed into approximately the same shape are stitched and thereby joined along an entire periphery of an outer edge portion. A numeral 24 in FIG. 2 denotes the stitching-and-joining portion. The stitching-and-joining portions are stitched in an entirely reduplicated manner at a portion along the outer edge portion of the bag-shaped body (not always necessary to be duplicated but also a single stitch may be applicable). The first panel 22A is disposed at one side (for example, the occupant side) in a vehicle width direction, and the second panel 22B is disposed at the other side (for example, a side wall side of the automobile body) in the vehicle width direction. Incidentally, FIG. 2 is a side view from one side in the vehicle width direction, and only the first panel 22A is illustrated.

An inside of the side airbag 16 is partitioned into two chambers including a first chamber 28A formed from an upper side to a tip end side in an inflating direction (right side in FIG. 2), and a second chamber 28B formed from a base end side of the inflating direction (left side in FIG. 2) to a lower side. The first chamber 28A and the second chamber 28B are partitioned by means of a stitching-and-joining portion 24a provided toward inner periphery side. However, the first chamber 28A and the second chamber 28B are connected at a chamber connecting portion 28C provided at the base end side of the inflating direction (left side in FIG. 2). The first chamber 28A and the second chamber 28B, constructed as mentioned above, is provided in the aforementioned first bag portion 16A and a second bag portion 16B, respectively.

The chamber connecting portion 28C is located between a circular stitching portion 24b having approximately a circular shape, provided at a tip end portion of the stitching-and-joining portion 24a, and a circular stitching portion 24c having approximately a circular shape, provided at the base end side of the side airbag 16 (left side in FIG. 2). A sleeve 40 is fitted into a fitting portion 70, which is a portion where top portions of the respective circular stitching portions 24b and 24c are opposed (refer to a partially enlarged view in FIG. 2). The top portion of the circular stitching portion 24c at the fitting portion 70 side is provided to a position inside (right side, and fitting portion 70 side in FIG. 2) of a sealing member portion 30 described later.

Therefore, it is set so that an inner diameter L1 of the fitting portion 70 is approximately equal to an outer diameter L2 of the sleeve 40 (refer to the partially enlarged view in FIG. 2). Consequently, the sleeve 40 can be firmly attached to the fitting portion 70 by interference fit, and a good airtightness of a clearance between an outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 40 and an inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70 can be secured. In detailed, although a heat cloth 56, described later, intervenes between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 40 and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70, a thickness of the heat cloth 56 made of a base cloth is small, and therefore, the description is omitted here.

Further, by providing a circular stitching portion at both sides (or one side may be applicable) of the fitting portion 70 as in the present embodiment, the construction can be formed to have an inner diameter of the circular stitching portion at the top portion to be approximately identical to the outer diameter of the sleeve 40. Therefore, the friction when inserted can be reduced and an attaching property of the sleeve 40 to the fitting portion can be improved in comparison to a case where a fitting portion is formed such that both sides thereof are stitched into a straight line shape because the inner diameter thereof is approximately identical to the outer diameter of the sleeve 40 and the sleeve 40 is inserted into the fitting portion.

The sleeve 40 inserted into the fitting portion 70 is provided on the side of a convex portion 20a that discharges the gas of the inflator 20. The sleeve 40 is provided with a flowing amount distributing function for distributing the gas blown out from the convex portion 20a into the first and second chambers 28A and 28B at a predetermined flowing amount ratio (described later in detail).

In the stitching-and-joining portion 24, at a portion constituting an outer edge of the second chamber 28B (namely, a portion starting from a base end side of the chamber connecting portion 28C of the inflating direction to a tip end of the stitching-and-joining portion 24a which is provided toward an inner periphery side, while running to the downside of the side airbag 16), a sealing member portion 30 formed of an appropriate sealing material such as silicone rubber or the like is provided along the stitching-and-joining portion 24 so as to seal the stitching-and-joining portion 24. The sealing member portion 30 is provided to have a wider width than the reduplicated stitching-and-joining portions 24 so that both the stitching-and-joining portions 24 provided in the reduplicated manner can be sealed (refer to the partially enlarged view in FIG. 2). Therefore, the airtightness of the second bag portion 16B having the second chamber 28B can be improved, and the pressure in the second bag portion 16B for limiting the movement of the waist portion of the occupant 12 can be kept at relatively high pressure for relatively long time.

The side airbag 16 (in detailed, the first bag 16A) is provided with a concave portion 34 having approximately arc shape at a position in a bag outer edge portion 32 at a tip end side of the inflating direction thereof (right side in FIG. 2), corresponding to an elbow portion 12a of the occupant 12 (refer to FIG. 1). The concave potion 34 is formed so as to reduce an interference of the side airbag 16 with the elbow portion 12a of the occupant (or, the side airbag 16 does not interfere with the elbow portion 12a at all). Incidentally, the concave portion 34 is provided by stitching and joining the first and second panels 22A and 22B, previously prepared, into a bag shape so that a concave portion is formed at a corresponding position in the outer edge portion.

Incidentally, a slit (not shown) is provided in the first panel 22A for inserting the inflator 20 and the sleeve 40 into the side airbag 16. In addition, a cover portion 36 for covering the slit from one side (downside in FIG. 2), and a cover portion 38 for covering the slit from the other side (upside in FIG. 2) are respectively provided. These cover portions 36 and 38 are constructed with a part of appropriate filler cloth that is integrally provided by stitching work at a front face of the first panel 22A. The airtightness of the side airbag 16 can be improved by covering the slit with folding back the covering members 36 and 38, after inserting the inflator 20 and the sleeve 40 through the slit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an entire structure of the sleeve 40 that is provided in the inflator 20.

In FIG. 3, the sleeve 40 is a cylinder member having a squeezing portion 40a at one side (left side in FIG. 3, i.e., the second chamber 28B side) and a tongue piece portion 40b for hooking the sleeve 40 on the inflator 20 at the other side (right side in FIG. 3, i.e., first chamber 28A side). On the other hand, the inflator 20 has the convex portion 20a at one side thereof (left side in FIG. 3, i.e., the second chamber 28B side). A plurality of blowing-out holes 42 for blowing out the gas is provided in the convex portion 20a. The inflator 20 is supported by a clip 46 having a bolt 44, and the inflator 20 is fixed to the casing 18 by fastening the bolt 44 on the casing 18.

A hole 48 for the bolt 44 of the clip 46 to be inserted is provided in the tongue piece portion 40b of the sleeve 40. By the bolt 44 inserted into the hole 48, the sleeve 40 is hooked in a condition of covering one side (left side in FIG. 3, i.e., the second chamber 28B side) of the inflator 20. Incidentally, an inner diameter of the sleeve 40 is formed to be greater than an outer diameter of the inflator 20, and a clearance of a flow path (indicated by an arrow 50 in FIG. 3) where the blown out gas flows toward a first chamber 28A side is secured between an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 40 and an outer peripheral surface of the inflator 20.

Further, an opening 52 is provided in the squeezing portion 40a of the sleeve 40. A bore diameter of the opening 52 is set to a previously calculated appropriate value so as for the blown out gas of the inflator 20 to be distributed to the first chamber 28A of the first bag portion 16A and the second chamber 28B of the second bag 16B at an appropriate flowing amount ratio. This is for the first bag portion 16A and the second bag portion 16B constituting the side airbag 16 to perform a desirable deploying behavior, or for the pressures in the first bag portion 16A and the second bag portion 16B to become desirable values, respectively. Therefore, the gas blown out from the inflator 20 is controlled to a predetermined flowing amount, and supplied to the second chamber 28B side. (The flow path is indicated by an arrow 54 in FIG. 3.)

The sleeve 40 having the aforementioned construction is attached to the chamber connecting portion 28C in a condition of being covered with the heat cloth 56. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are perspective views illustrating an entire structure of the heat cloth 56, in which FIG. 4(a) illustrates a condition of a halfway of inflation and deployment of the side airbag 16, and FIG. 4(b) illustrates a condition after completion of the inflation and deployment.

In FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the heat cloth 56 is a cylindrical base cloth having an opening 58 at one side (left side in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), i.e., the second chamber 28B side), and a tongue piece portion 56a for hooking the heat cloth 56 on the inflator 20 at the other side (right side in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), i.e., the first chamber 28A side). A length of the heat cloth 56 in a cylinder axis direction is configured to be longer than that of the sleeve 40. A hole 60 for the bolt 44 of the clip 46 to be passed through is provided in the tongue piece portion 56a. By the bolt passing through the hole 60, the heat cloth 56 is hooked on one side of the inflator 20 (left side in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), i.e., the second chamber 28B side) in a condition of covering the sleeve 40.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), in a halfway of inflation and deployment of the side airbag 16, the heat cloth 56 is fully stretched by the gas blown out from the inflator 20 via the opening 52 of the sleeve 40. The gas is supplied into the second chamber 28B from the opening 58 at a tip end of one side of the heat cloth 56 as indicated by an arrow 62 in FIG. 4(a). Therefore, the high temperature gas blown out from the inflator 20 toward the chamber 28B side is suppressed to blow out from the opening 52 of the squeezing portion 40a of the sleeve 40 to a surrounding area, and directly contacts the first and second panels 22A and 22B. This avoids a deterioration of the base cloth and stitches due to the high temperature gas.

FIG. 4(
b) illustrates a condition after the inflation and deployment of the side airbag 16 are complete. In general, in light of improvement of safety, the pressure of a portion for limiting the waist portion is set to be greater than that of a portion of the chest portion of a side airbag having a plurality of portions for respectively restraining a chest portion and the waist portion of the occupant as in the present embodiment. Accordingly, it is preferable to prevent the gas from blowing back to the chest portion side from the waist portion side after completing the inflation and deployment of the airbag. In the present embodiment, the opening 52 of the sleeve 40 is shut by the heat cloth 56 folding back when the gas is trying to blow back from the second chamber 28B side to the first chamber 28A side via the chamber connecting portion 28C after the inflation and deployment of the side airbag 16 are completed, as shown in FIG. 4(b). Therefore, the gas is suppressed to blow back from the second chamber 28B to the first chamber 28A, and the pressure in the second bag portion 16B can be kept at relatively high pressure for relatively long time.

FIGS. 5(
a) through 5(f) are views explaining a way how to fold the side airbag 16 when being housed in the casing 18, described earlier. Incidentally, a condition of the side airbag 16 at the angle of the second panel 22B side is shown here.

Firstly, a so-called “inward folding” is performed in which the above-described bag outer edge portion 32 at a tip end side of the inflating direction (lower side in FIGS. 5(a) through 5(f)) is tucked into an inside in a manner so as to tuck into a space between the first panel 22A and the second panel 22B, from a condition that the side bag 16 is flatly spread (a condition shown in FIG. 5(a)). In the present embodiment, the inward folding is performed only for the first bag portion 16A. Therefore, the tip end side of the inflating direction (lower side in FIGS. 5(a) through 5(f)) of the side airbag 16 is formed to be approximately flat shape (a condition shown in FIG. 5(b)).

Then, a so-called “roll-folding” is performed in which the side airbag 16 is folded by rolling up into a roll-shape from the tip end side (lower side in FIGS. 5(a) through 5(f)) toward a base end side (upper side in FIGS. 5(a) through 5(f)) of the inflating direction of the approximately flatly shaped side airbag 16 (a condition shown in FIG. 5(c)). A diameter of the roll and the number of times of performing the roll-folding are approximately set corresponding to a size of the airbag, a size of the casing where the airbag is housed, or the like. However, in the present embodiment, for example, a first roll width is set to be 23 mm, and the number of folding is set to be three.

Next, as for the rest of the base end side of the side airbag 16 in the inflating direction (upper side in FIGS. 5(a) through 5(f)), a so-called “accordion-fold” is performed in which the rest of the base end side of the side airbag 16 is folded in an accordion-like manner by alternatively performing a mountain-fold and a valley-fold. Therefore, the side airbag 16 is folded into a rod-shape (a condition shown in FIG. 5(d)). Thereafter, the rod-shaped side airbag 16 is folded toward one side (lower side in the drawing here) so as to reduce a size in a length direction (a condition shown in FIG. 5(e)), and further, the folded-back portion is entirely folded toward the other side (upside in the drawing here) (a condition shown in FIG. 5(f)). In this condition, the side airbag 16 is housed in the casing 18.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a case 18 in a condition where the side airbag 16 being folded in a manner as described above is housed in the casing 18.

As shown in FIG. 6, by the bolt 44, provided in the above-described clip 46, fastened to the casing 18, the inflator 20 is fixed to the casing 18. Further, an end portion of the base end side of the inflating direction of the side airbag 16 (upside in FIG. 6) is fixed by being sandwiched between the clip 46 and the casing 18. Furthermore, as described above, the side airbag 16 is folded into the accordion-like folding (the part denoted by a numeral 64 in the drawing) at the base end side in the inflating direction, folded into the roll-folding (the part denoted by a numeral 66 in the drawing) at the tip end side in the inflating direction (lower side in FIG. 6), and folded into the inward-folding (the part denoted by a numeral 68 in the drawing) at the tip end in the inflating direction. The side airbag 16 is housed in the casing 18 in the thus described condition.

In the automobile where the side airbag apparatus 14 having the construction described above is mounted, various types of sensors are provided for detecting the occurrence (or prediction for the occurrence) of the collision (including the side collision or the like) of the automobile or the rollover thereof. Moreover, in the event of an emergency of the side collision or the like, these sensors detect the emergency, and an inflator control circuit starts up an initiator of an inflator 12 based on a signal from these sensors. Therefore, the inflator 20 is started and the gas for inflating the airbag is blown out. The side airbag 16 is inflated and deployed in a space between the side wall portion of the automobile body and the occupant 12.

According to the side airbag apparatus 14 of the present embodiment having a construction and performing an operation explained above, a below mentioned advantage is obtained.

In the present embodiment, the side airbag 16 is configured to have such a shape that the interference of the side airbag 16 with the elbow portion 12a of the occupant 12 is reduced during inflation and deployment of the side airbag 16 by providing the concave potion 34 at the position of the bag outer edge portion 32 at a tip end side in the inflating direction of the side airbag 16, corresponding to the elbow portion 12a of the occupant 12. Therefore, when the side airbag 16 is inflated and deployed in a space between the side wall portion of the vehicle body and the occupant 12, the tip end portion in the inflating direction of the side airbag 16 can is prevented from interference by the elbow portion 12a of the occupant 12. As a result, the blocking of the deployment of the side airbag 16 can is avoided, and the deploying property can be improved.

Further, since the present embodiment is constructed to form the concave portion 34 at the bag outer edge portion 32, as described earlier, the base cloth (the first panel 22A and the second panel 22B) for forming the side airbag 16 is prepared into a shape corresponding thereto. Therefore, the side airbag 16 can be manufactured without adding a particular process such as a stitching work or the like performed thereafter. Accordingly, an extra stitching process is not required in comparison to a construction in which, for example, a concave portion or a non-inflating portion, having a smaller thickness than other portion, formed by stitching a periphery of the portion on an inner periphery side relative to the bag outer edge portion, prevents the interference of the airbag with the elbow portion. This results in improvement of the productivity of the airbag.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, specifically, the side airbag 16 is housed in the casing 18 in a condition that the base end side in the inflating direction of the side airbag 16 is folded into the accordion-like shape, and the tip end side in the inflating direction thereof is folded into the roll-shape.

In general, there are tendencies that a deploying speed is relatively fast when an airbag is folded into an accordion-like shape and housed. It is also said that an airbag effectively avoids the interference from the obstacle when an airbag is folded into a roll-shape and housed.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the deploying speed of the side airbag 16 can be enhanced, because the airbag is folded into the shape at the base end side of the inflating direction where the possibility of being interfered by the obstacle such as an arm of the occupant 12 or the like is slim. Further, the influence of the obstacle can be avoided, because the side airbag 16 is folded into the roll-shape at the tip end side of the inflating direction where there is a possibility that the obstacle such as the arm of the occupant 12 or the like exists. As a result, since both the improvements of the deploying speed and the suppression of the interference by obstacle can be achieved, the deploying property of the side airbag 16 can be further improved.

Moreover, the present invention is specifically constructed such that an inside of the side airbag 16 is partitioned into the first chamber 28A and the second chamber 28B, and therefore the side airbag 16 is constructed with the first bag portion 16A for limiting a movement of the chest portion of the occupant 12, and the second bag portion 16B for limiting a movement of the waist portion of the occupant 12. Therefore, a body of the occupant 12 can be protected in the chest portion and the waist portion respectively in the event of the side collision of the automobile, the rollover of the vehicle or the like, and safety can be improved.

Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, although the shape of the concave portion 34, provided at the bag outer edge portion 32 of the side airbag 16, is configured to be the approximately arc shape, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be configured to have a polygonal shape, such as, for example, a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, or the like. Further, the side airbag 16 may not have the concave portion but may be formed to have a simple notched portion. Basically, it is sufficient if the bag outer edge portion 32 at the tip end side in the inflating direction of the side airbag 16 is formed to avoid interference from the elbow portion 12a of the occupant 12 at the time of inflation and deployment.

Further, although the side airbag in which the inside of the airbag is constructed with two bag portions by being partitioned into two chambers is illustrated above as an example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described. For example, the present invention may be applied to a side airbag constructed as a single bag in which an inside of the bag is not partitioned, or a side airbag constructed with three or more bag portions in which an inside of the airbag is partitioned into three or more chambers.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, although the side airbag 16 is constructed by stitching and joining the first panel 22A and the second panel 22B, the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiment. For example, the side airbag 16 may be constructed by joining the first panel 22A and the second panel 22B with other joining devices such as, hollow weave or the like.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, although a case in which the present invention is applied to a so-called seat-mount type side airbag apparatus that is mounted in the seat back 10B of the seat 10 is illustrated as an example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described type. The present invention may be applied to, for example, a so-called door-mount type side airbag apparatus that is mounted on an automobile door.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-161747 filed on Jun. 12, 2006 is incorporated herein as a reference.

While the invention has been explained with reference to the specific embodiments of the invention, the explanation is illustrative and the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Side airbag, side airbag apparatus, and motor vehicle seat

Information

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CPC

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Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (1)