JP2003034210A - Head protection airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To reduce the loss of cabin space due to an inflator. An opening portion (40A) of a gas introduction path (40) of an airbag bag (34) is connected to a front mounting leg (42A) of a roof rail (42) by a pipe (41). ing. That is, the front mounting leg 42 </ b> A of the roof rail 42 to the vehicle body is a gas supply unit to the airbag body 34. Therefore, when the inflator 32 operates,
The gas ejected from the inflator 32 is supplied into the airbag bag body 34 through the pipe 41.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head protection airbag apparatus, and more particularly to a head protection airbag apparatus having an airbag bag body inflating and expanding like a curtain in the vehicle front-rear direction in a vehicle compartment side portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of a head protection airbag device having an airbag bag body which is inflated and expanded like a curtain in a vehicle front-rear direction on a side portion of a vehicle, JP-A-2000-3384 is known.
There is No. 7 publication.

As shown in FIG. 10, in such a head protection airbag device, an axis is provided above the front inflation chamber 100A and the rear inflation chamber 100B of the airbag body 100 along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. A gas for inflating an air bag body is supplied from an inflator 106 provided in a lower portion 104A of a front pillar 104 into a gas passage 102 extending in a shape. There is also a head protection airbag device in which the inflator 106 is arranged above the roof side rail 108 or the C pillar 110.

[0004]

However, in such a head protection airbag device, since the inflator 106 is arranged around the vehicle interior inside the vehicle body, it is necessary to arrange the inflator 106 inside the vehicle interior. It's a loss of space. Particularly, when the inflator 106 is arranged above the roof side rail 108 or the C pillar 110, the roof side rail 108 or the C pillar 110 is provided.
There is a problem in that there is a restriction on the handling of the wire harness to be wired on the upper part of the vehicle, restrictions on the arrangement of the assist grip and the sunroof, loss of head clearance for the occupant, etc.

In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a head protection airbag device capable of reducing the loss of the vehicle interior space due to the inflator.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head protection airbag apparatus mounted on a vehicle having a roof rail on a roof, wherein at least a part of an inflator of the airbag apparatus is provided inside the roof rail. Is provided.

Therefore, since at least a part of the inflator in the airbag device is arranged in the roof rail arranged on the roof of the vehicle, it is necessary to dispose at least a part of the inflator in the vicinity of the passenger compartment inside the vehicle body. Disappear. As a result, the loss of the vehicle interior space due to the inflator can be reduced. Therefore, the vehicle interior space can be effectively utilized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the first aspect, a part of the outer shell of the roof rail also serves as a part of the outer shell of the inflator. And

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in claim 1,
Since a part of the outer shell of the roof rail also serves as a part of the outer shell of the inflator, it is not necessary to separately provide a part of the outer shell of the inflator, so that the weight can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag apparatus according to the second aspect, the general portion of the roof rail has a first closed cross section in which the inflator is arranged, and the first closed cross section. A substantially hollow second closed cross section formed along the closed cross section.

Therefore, in addition to the contents described in claim 2,
The first closed cross section in which the inflator is arranged and the substantially hollow second closed cross section formed along the first closed cross section increase the cross sectional area of the roof rail, and the strength of the roof rail can be secured.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the third aspect, the second closed cross section is formed on the vehicle upper side of the first closed cross section. Characterize.

Therefore, in addition to the contents of claim 3,
Since the substantially hollow second closed cross-section is formed on the vehicle upper side of the first closed cross-section, at least the inflator arranged in the first closed cross-section is loaded even when a load is placed on the roof rail. It is possible to reduce the influence of the load input that partially acts.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the roof rail has a mounting leg to a vehicle body, and a gas supply portion to the airbag body. Is characterized in that.

Therefore, in addition to the contents according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the roof rail which is a gas supply portion to the airbag bag body according to a desired deployment performance and deployment shape of the airbag bag body. It is possible to freely set the mounting legs to the vehicle body in, and since the mounting legs to the vehicle body on the roof rail also serve as the gas supply portion to the airbag body, it is not necessary to separately provide a gas supply portion, so that the weight can be reduced. .

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a head protection airbag device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the figure, the arrow FR indicates the vehicle front direction, the arrow UP indicates the vehicle upward direction, and the arrow IN indicates the vehicle width inner direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body side portions of the vehicle on which the head protection airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted are arranged with the vehicle vertical direction as a longitudinal direction.
Pillar (front pillar) part 14, B pillar (center pillar) part 16, C pillar (quarter pillar) part 18, D
It is configured to include a plurality of pillar portions such as the pillar portion 20 and a roof side rail portion 22 that is arranged on the roof side of the vehicle with the vehicle front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction.
Further, a front seat 24 and a rear seat 26 are arranged in the vehicle compartment.

Further, the head protection airbag device 10 includes a control unit 28 provided near the position where the console box is arranged, and an airbag sensor 30 for detecting a predetermined high load acting state on the vehicle body side portion. And an inflator 32 that ejects gas when actuated, and an airbag bag 34 that is inflated and deployed by the gas ejected from the inflator 32 as main components.

The airbag sensor 30 is disposed, for example, near the lower end of the B pillar 16 and near the lower end of the C pillar 18, and detects a predetermined high load acting state on the side of the vehicle body. A detection signal is output to the control unit 28. A center airbag sensor (not shown) is also provided in the control unit 28. Further, in the control unit 28, a rollover sensor (not shown) for detecting the rollover state of the vehicle is also arranged.

The air bag body 34 is folded into a long shape, and the A pillar portion 14 and the roof side rail portion 22 are provided.
It is stored (stored) along. Therefore, the airbag bag body 34 is arranged up to a position beyond the C pillar portion 18 while straddling the B pillar portion 16.

A gas introduction path 40 is provided at the upper edge of the air bag body 34 and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the roof side rail portion 22 and has an opening 40A at the upper center of the vehicle front-rear direction. There is. In addition, the gas introduction path 40
The opening portion 40A is connected to the front mounting leg 42A of the roof rail 42 by a pipe 41, and the inflator 32 is disposed inside the roof rail 42. That is, the roof rail 42 is used as the front mounting leg 4 for the vehicle body.
2A serves as a gas supply unit for the airbag bag 34. Therefore, when the inflator 32 operates, the gas ejected from the inflator 32 is supplied into the gas introducing passage 40 of the airbag bag 34 through the pipe 41.

As shown in FIG. 4, the roof rail 42 is disposed on the roof 43A of the vehicle body 43, and
The general portion 42C located between the front mounting leg 42A and the rear mounting leg 42B has a double-closed cross-section structure.

As shown in FIG. 2, a lower portion of the general portion 42C of the roof rail 42 has a first closed cross section 44 in which the inflator 32 is arranged, and an upper portion of the general portion 42C of the roof rail 42 has a first portion. A second hollow substantially closed cross section 46 is formed along the closed cross section 44. That is,
In the present embodiment, the roof rail 4 is provided in the first closed section 44.
An inflator 32 having a structure different from that of the second inflator 32 is incorporated, and a second closed cross section 46 is formed on the vehicle upper side of the first closed cross section 44.

The inflator 32 has a well-known structure, and when the ignition device 32B is electrically ignited by a signal from the cord 32A, the gas heating agent 32C is burned and the inner shell 32D of the inflator 32 is compressed. Gas 32
It is designed to expand E. Further, since the pin 32F moves to the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2 and the partition wall 32G bursts, the expanded gas passes through the inside of the inner pipe 32H as shown by the arrow W in FIG. It is designed to be ejected into the closed cross section 44 of No. 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape of the roof rail 42 as viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction is a triangular shape having an inclined surface 42D on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. A partition wall 42E for partitioning the closed cross-section 46 is formed at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air bag body 34.
The front seat bag portion 5 provided corresponding to the front seat 24
2 and a rear seat bag portion 5 provided corresponding to the rear seat 26
4 and 4 are provided separately in the front and rear. The front bag portion 52 is provided with a front seat inflating portion 56 corresponding to the protection area of the occupant seated in the front seat 24, and the rear seat bag portion 54 is seated in the rear seat 26. An inflating portion 58 for the rear seat is provided corresponding to the protection area of. Front seat inflatable part 5
6. The rear seat inflating section 58 is configured by arranging a plurality of inflating chambers 60, 62 having the vehicle up-down direction as a longitudinal direction adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction. In addition, each expansion chamber 6
The upper ends of 0 and 62 communicate with the gas introduction passage 40.

Further, the airbag 34 is provided with a B-pillar portion cut portion 64 corresponding to the B-pillar portion 16 and a C-pillar portion cut portion 66 corresponding to the C-pillar portion 18. Is provided. Therefore, the air bag body 34 and the B pillar portion 16 and the C pillar portion 18 are not superposed at all or slightly superposed in a side view. Since the B-pillar portion cut portion 64 is formed, the front seat inflating portion 56 and the rear seat inflating portion 58 are separated into the front and rear as described above, and the front seat inflating portion 56 is formed.
In this case, it is arranged on the front side of the B-pillar portion cut portion 64, and on the rear seat inflating portion 58, it is arranged on the rear side of the B-pillar portion cut portion 64.

The lower end of the front end of the air bag body 34 having the above structure and the intermediate portion of the A-pillar portion 14 are connected to each other by a long front strap 68. Similarly, the rear lower end portion of the airbag bag 34 and the D pillar portion 20.
The upper vicinity of the above is connected to each other by a long rear strap 70.

The air bag body 34 having the above structure is
At the time of storage, the gas introduction path 40 is folded in a small number such as a half fold, and the front seat bag portion 52 and the rear seat bag portion 54 are also folded.
Is folded in a bellows or rolled, and is folded in a long shape as a whole.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

When a predetermined high load is applied to the side of the vehicle body, this state is detected by the airbag sensor 30 or the rollover sensor and output to the control unit 28. Therefore, the control unit 28 supplies an operating current to the inflator 32, and a predetermined amount of gas is ejected from the inflator 32. Inflator 3
The gas ejected from No. 2 passes through the first closed cross section 44 of the roof rail 42 and the inside of the pipe 41, and after flowing into the gas introduction passage 40 provided on the upper edge side of the airbag bag 34,
The air flows into the plurality of expansion chambers 60 forming the front seat inflating portion 56 of the front seat bag portion 52 and the plurality of expansion chambers 62 forming the rear seat inflating portion 58 of the rear seat bag portion 54, respectively. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the airbag bag body 34 is deployed below the roof side rail portion 22 in a curtain shape. As a result, the head of the occupant seated on the front seat 24 is protected by the front seat inflating section 56, and the head of the passenger seated on the rear seat 26 is protected by the rear seat inflating section 58.
Protected by.

Here, in the case of the head protection airbag apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since the inflator 32 is arranged in the roof rail 42 arranged on the roof 43A of the vehicle 43, the inflator 32 is mounted on the vehicle body. It is not necessary to dispose around the interior passenger compartment. As a result, the inflator 3
Since the loss of the vehicle interior space due to 2 can be reduced, the vehicle interior space can be effectively utilized. In addition, there are no restrictions on the handling of the wire harness wired above the roof side rails or the pillars, restrictions on the placement of the assist grip and the sunroof, and loss of head clearance for the occupant.

Further, in this embodiment, the roof rail 42
The first closed cross section 44 and the second substantially closed hollow cross section 46 formed along the first closed cross section 44 increase the cross sectional area of the roof rail 42. Therefore, the strength of the roof rail 42 can be secured. Furthermore,
The substantially hollow second closed section 46 has a first closed section 44.
Since it is formed on the vehicle upper side, it is possible to reduce the influence of the load input acting on the inflator 32 arranged in the first closed cross section 44 even when a load is placed on the roof rail 42.

Further, in the present embodiment, the front mounting leg 42A of the roof rail 42, which is a gas supply portion for the airbag bag 34, to the vehicle body, depending on the desired deployment performance and deployment shape of the airbag bag 34. Since the front mounting leg 42A of the roof rail 42 to the vehicle body also serves as a gas supply portion for the airbag bag 34, it is not necessary to separately provide a gas supply portion, and thus the weight can be reduced.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various other embodiments within the scope of the present invention. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that

For example, in the above embodiment, FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the inflator 32 having a structure different from that of the roof rail 42 is provided inside the first closed cross section 44 of the roof rail 42. Instead, as shown in FIGS. The outer shell 44A of the first closed cross section 44 may also serve as a part of the outer shell 32D of the inflator 32. In this case,
Since it is not necessary to separately provide the entire outer shell 32D of the inflator 32, the weight can be reduced.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape of the roof rail 42 viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction is a triangular shape with the inclined surface 42D on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The cross-sectional shape viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, another structure such as a columnar inflator 32 may be arranged at the center of a roof rail 42 having a circular cross-section. good.

Further, in the above embodiment, one inflator 32 is provided in the roof rail 42 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, but as shown in FIG. 8, two or more inflators are provided in the roof rail 42. 32 may be provided. Further, the cord 32A of the inflator 32 may be wired within the second closed cross section 46 of the roof rail 42.

Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the front mounting leg 42A of the roof rail 42 is used as the gas supply portion for the airbag bag body 34, but the gas for the airbag bag body 34 of the roof rail 42 is supplied. The supply section
The front mounting leg 42A is not limited to the front mounting leg 42A, and as shown in FIG.
2F may be used as a gas supply unit for the airbag bag 34. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the roof rail 4
Both the front side mounting leg 42A and the rear side mounting leg 42B in 2 may be used as a gas supply portion to the airbag bag 34.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, the roof rail 42
The front mounting leg 42A, the rear mounting leg 42B, and the front-rear center mounting leg 42F may be used as the gas supply unit for the airbag bag 34.

Further, in the above embodiment, the inflator 3 is used.
Although the whole 2 is arranged in the roof rail 42, instead of this, a part of the inflator 32, for example, the compressed gas 32E.
It is also possible to have a structure in which only the portion filled with is disposed in the roof rail 42.

Further, by using one inflator, as shown in FIG. 9 (A), the center mounting leg 42F in the front-rear direction of the roof rail 42 may be used as a gas supply portion for the air bag body 34. Further, using one inflator, as shown in FIG. 9 (B), both the front mounting leg 42A and the rear mounting leg 42B of the roof rail 42 may be used as a gas supply unit for the airbag bag 34. . Further, by using one inflator, as shown in FIG. 9C, the front mounting leg 42 of the roof rail 42 is mounted.
A, the rear mounting leg 42B, and the front-rear center mounting leg 42F may be used as a gas supply unit for the airbag bag 34. Furthermore, by using two inflators, as shown in FIG.
A, the rear mounting leg 42B, and the front-rear center mounting leg 42F may be used as a gas supply unit for the airbag bag 34.

The head protection airbag device of the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle having three or more rows of seats.

[0044]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a head protection airbag device mounted on a vehicle having a roof rail on the roof, at least a part of the inflator of the airbag device is disposed in the roof rail. It has an excellent effect that the loss of the vehicle interior space due to the inflator can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag apparatus according to the first aspect, a part of the outer shell of the roof rail also serves as a part of the outer shell of the inflator. In addition to the effect described in (1), it has an excellent effect that the weight can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag apparatus according to the second aspect, the general portion of the roof rail has a first closed cross section in which an inflator is arranged, and the first closed cross section. And a second substantially closed hollow cross section, which is formed along with, and has an excellent effect that the strength of the roof rail can be secured in addition to the effect described in claim 2.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to the third aspect, the second closed cross section is:
Since the inflator is formed on the upper side of the vehicle in the first closed section, in addition to the effect according to claim 3, the inflator arranged in the first closed section even when a load is placed on the roof rail. It has an excellent effect that it is possible to reduce the influence of the load input acting on at least a part of the above.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the head protection airbag device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the roof rail has a mounting leg to the vehicle body which is a gas supply portion to the airbag body. Therefore, in addition to the effect according to any one of claims 1 to 4, it is possible to freely set the gas supply unit to the airbag bag, and it is not necessary to separately provide the gas supply unit, so that the weight can be reduced. It has an excellent effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an operating state of a head protection airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention together with an outer appearance of a vehicle interior.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the head protection airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a vehicle to which the head protection airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a head protection airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a head protection airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a head protection airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9A to 9C are schematic side views showing a head protection airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a head protection airbag device according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Head protection airbag device 14 A pillar (front pillar) part 16 B pillar (center pillar) section 18 C pillar (quarter pillar) section 20 D pillar section 32 inflator 32D inflator shell 34 Airbag bag 40 gas introduction path 41 pipes 42 Roof rail 42A Roof rail front mounting leg (gas supply part) 42B Roof rail rear mounting leg 42C Roof rail general part 42F Roof rail center mounting leg 44 First closed cross section 44A First shell outer shell 46 Second closed section

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A head protection airbag apparatus mounted on a vehicle having a roof rail on a roof, wherein at least a part of an inflator of the airbag apparatus is arranged in the roof rail. Bag device. 2. The head protection airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the outer shell of the roof rail also serves as a part of the outer shell of the inflator. 3. The general portion of the roof rail has a first closed cross section in which the inflator is arranged, and a substantially hollow second closed cross section formed along the first closed cross section. The head protection airbag device according to claim 2, wherein 4. The second closed cross section is formed on the vehicle upper side of the first closed cross section.
The head protection airbag device described. 5. The head protection airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the roof rail has a mounting leg to a vehicle body which is a gas supply section to the airbag body.