JP2005297580A - Inflator bag for occupant restraint device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inflator bag which is accommodated compact, developed in a stable shape while ensuring sufficient development stroke, and easily worked. <P>SOLUTION: A rectangular box-shaped bag body 51 having fourchette parts 54 for assuring a height provided on the peripheral side surfaces thereof is formed by forming a resin sheet or a metal sheet. Folds 55 for bending the fourchette parts inward are formed at the vertical intermediate parts of the fourchette parts 54. Triangular overlappingly folded parts 56 overlappingly folded on the folded portion of a fourchette part 54b on one side according to the folding of the fourchette part 54b on one side are formed at the end part of the fourchette part 54a on the other side holding a corner part of the rectangular box-shaped bag body 51. The rectangular box-shaped bag body 51 is folded flat by folding the fourchette parts inward through the folds 55. The rectangular box-shaped bag body 51 is formed in a sealed structure by closing a bottom surface thereof opposed to a top plate 52 by a bottom plate 53 thereof. The inflator bag 50 for an occupant restraint device is obtained thereby. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inflator bag for an occupant restraint device used for an occupant waist restraint device, an occupant leg restraint device, or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When the vehicle collides forward, the occupant tries to move forward due to inertia. When the occupant is wearing a seat belt, the forward movement of the occupant can be suppressed to a considerable degree by the restraining action of the shoulder belt and the waist belt of the seat belt, but it is not always sufficient.
[0003]
In order to prevent this occupant from moving forward, when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a forward collision or the like, the front end of the seat cushion is instantaneously raised to restrict the occupant's forward movement. Are known, for example, from JP-A-5-229378, JP-A-10-217818, British Patent GB 2357466, and the like. Further, an occupant leg restraining device for protecting a leg part of an occupant moving forward is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 8-40177 and 9-123857.
[0004]
FIG. 5 shows an example of an occupant waist restraint device disclosed in British Patent GB 2357466 as this type of occupant waist restraint device. (A) shows the state before inflating and deploying, and (b) shows the state after inflating and deploying. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a seat frame. A concave portion 1a that is recessed when viewed from above is provided at the front portion of the seat frame 1, and a metal sheet 2 is welded or bonded to the upper surface so as to cover the concave portion 1a. Etc. are pasted. In this example, the inflator bag 3 includes a metal sheet 2 and a seat frame 1, and the gas generated by the inflator 4 is filled in the internal space of the inflator bag 3.
[0005]
In a vehicle equipped with this occupant waist restraint device, the inflator 4 is actuated to send high-pressure gas into the inflator bag 3 when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a forward collision or the like. Then, the metal seat 2 constituting the inflator bag 3 is inflated and deployed, and the front seat surface of the seat cushion 6 is raised, thereby preventing the occupant M seated on the seat from moving forward.
[0006]
FIG. 6 shows an example of an occupant leg restraining device (also called a knee airbag device). (A) shows the state before inflating and deploying, and (b) shows the state after inflating and deploying. In the figure, 11 is an instrument panel, 12 is a cover panel, and 13 is an airbag module built in the back side of the cover panel 12. The airbag module 13 is equipped with an inflator bag (airbag body) 14 and an inflator 15, and the gas generated by the inflator 15 is filled in the inflator bag 14.
[0007]
In a vehicle equipped with this occupant leg restraining device, the inflator 15 operates to send high-pressure gas into the inflator bag 14 when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a forward collision or the like. Then, the inflator bag 14 is inflated and deployed to push out the cover panel 12, thereby restraining the passenger's leg N seated on the seat and mitigating the impact when the leg collides with the in-vehicle equipment.
[0008]
By the way, when the inflator bag of this kind of passenger | crew restraint apparatus is comprised as a metal single-piece part, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, two metal sheets 21 and 22 are welded (dotted line 23 shows a welding part). As shown in FIG. 8, it is configured as a bellows type having a bellows-like peripheral wall 25.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the inflator bag shown in FIG. 7 is limited in the height direction, it is difficult to secure the deployment stroke S, the shock absorption performance is inferior, and the deployment shape tends to be unstable. There was a problem. Further, the inflator bag shown in FIG. 8 has a problem that it is easy to secure the development stroke S, but it is difficult to process and the height during contraction cannot be reduced.
[0010]
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an inflator bag for an occupant restraint device that can be compactly stored, can be deployed in a stable shape while ensuring a sufficient deployment stroke, and can be easily processed. And
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the inflator bag for an occupant restraint device that is inflatable and deployable by filling with high-pressure gas and restrains the occupant by inflating and deploying, the resin sheet or the metal sheet is molded to ensure the height. Forming a square box-shaped bag body having a collar portion on the peripheral side surface, forming a fold line that folds inward at the intermediate portion in the height direction of the collar portion, and a corner portion of the square box-shaped bag body At the end of the heel part on one side that sandwiches the triangle, a triangular fold-over part that is folded over on the folded part is formed along with the folding of the ridge part on the other side, and the valley is folded at the folding line. Thus, the rectangular box-shaped bag body is folded flat, and the bottom surface facing the top plate of the rectangular box-shaped bag body is closed with a bottom plate to form a sealed structure.
[0012]
Since the inflator bag of the present invention is provided with the flange portion for securing the height on the peripheral side surface, it is possible to ensure a sufficient deployment stroke. In addition, a fold line that folds in the valley is provided on the collar for securing the height, and a triangular fold is formed at the corner, so that it can be folded flat and in a thin and compact form. Can be stored. Moreover, at the time of expansion | deployment, a broken line part can be extended stably by making uniform height. In addition, the bag body that is inflated and deployed can be configured simply by forming a crease line in the collar after molding a resin sheet or metal sheet into a square box shape, making it easier to process than the bellows type. is there.
[0013]
The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in claim 1, the bag body and the bottom plate are integrally formed.
[0014]
By integrally molding in this way, joining by welding or the like can be omitted, so that high airtightness can be ensured.
[0015]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the inflator bag according to the first or second aspect is provided in the front lower portion of the seat cushion of the vehicle, and is inflated and deployed by filling with high-pressure gas when the vehicle suddenly decelerates. It is for an occupant waist restraint device that raises the heel and thereby prevents the occupant seated on the seat from moving forward.
[0016]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the inflator bag according to the first or second aspect is disposed at a lower part of an instrument panel of a vehicle, and is inflated and deployed by filling with high-pressure gas at the time of sudden deceleration of the vehicle. It is for the passenger | crew leg part restraint apparatus which restrains.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inflator bag 50 according to the embodiment, in which (a) shows a state during contraction, (b) shows a state during deployment, and (c) shows a state when fully deployed.
[0018]
The inflator bag 50 has a sealed structure that expands and expands when filled with a high-pressure gas. The inflator bag 50 is opposed to a square box-shaped bag body 51 made of a resin sheet or a metal sheet molded body and the top plate 52 of the bag body 51. And a bottom plate 53 that closes the bottom surface. The bottom plate 53 may be integrally formed with the bag body 51, but when it is difficult to process, the bottom plate 53 may be joined to the bag body 51 later by welding or welding.
[0019]
The square box-shaped bag body 51 has a flange portion 54 for securing a height dimension on the peripheral side surface, and a bent line 55 that folds inward is formed at an intermediate portion in the height direction of the flange portion 54. Has been. In addition, in order to ensure that the flanges 54a and 54b on both sides adjacent to each other across the corners can be folded without interfering with each other even in the corners, the flanges 54a on one side sandwiching the corners At the end, a triangular overlapping fold 56 is formed that is folded over the folded portion along with the folding of the flange 54b on the other side. The triangular folded portion 56 is valley-folded at the a-line and b-line at the outer edge of the triangle shown in FIGS. (B) and (c), and is mountain-folded at the c-line on the fold line 55, It is folded over with respect to the adjacent flange 54b.
[0020]
And as shown to (a) of a figure, the inflator bag of the shrinkage | contraction state shown to (a) of a figure by folding the collar part 54 at the broken line 55, and folding the square box-shaped bag main body 51 flatly. 50 is configured. Actually, after that, for example, a gas outlet of the inflator is fitted into a small hole provided in the bottom plate 53, and the inflator is fixed to the bottom plate 53, thereby completing the airbag module.
[0021]
Since the inflator bag 50 is provided with the flange portion 54 for securing the height on the peripheral side surface, a sufficient stroke S can be secured as shown in FIG. In addition, a fold line 55 that folds inward is provided on the flange portion 54 for securing the height, and a triangular overlapping fold portion 56 is formed at the corner portion, so that it is flat as shown in FIG. It can be folded and stored in a thin and compact form. Moreover, at the time of expansion | deployment, since the part of the broken line 55 extends like FIG. (C), it can be made to expand | deploy stably to uniform height. Further, the bag body 51 to be inflated and deployed can be configured by simply forming a broken line 55 on the collar portion 54 after forming a resin sheet or a metal sheet into a square box shape. Compared to this, processing is easy, and there is an advantage that it can be provided at low cost.
[0022]
The inflator bag 50 can be used as the inflator bag of the occupant waist restraint device shown in FIG. 5 and as the inflator bag of the occupant leg restraint device shown in FIG.
[0023]
2A and 2B are perspective views showing the configuration of an inflator bag 60 according to another embodiment, wherein FIG. 2A is a front side, FIG. 2B is a rear side, and FIG. 2C is a rear side configuration diagram showing a state where the inflator is assembled. is there. FIG. 3 shows the inflator bag 60 inflated and deployed.
[0024]
In this inflator bag 60, the height of the collar portion 64 of the bag body 61 having a rectangular shape in plan view is set so that the opposite side side (FIG. 2A, the front side in FIG. 3) and the other side side [FIG. 3), and the bag body 61 is configured to expand and deploy in a trapezoidal shape when viewed from the side. Other configurations are almost the same as those in FIG. 1, 62 is a top plate, 63 is a bottom plate, 65 is a polygonal line, and 66 is a triangular fold. Depending on the height of the collar portion 64, the folding amount of the front side and the rear side (dimensions that overlap when folded) is also different, and the size of the triangular overlapping folding portion 66 is larger on the rear side than on the front side. ing.
[0025]
Also in this inflator bag 60, the same effect as that of FIG. 1 can be obtained. Further, when the inflator bag 60 is deployed, the top plate 62 is deployed in an oblique direction with respect to the bottom plate 63 as shown in FIG. 3, so that the occupant waist restraint device of FIG. By attaching to the passenger leg restraining device, high performance can be exhibited.
[0026]
When the inflator bag 60 is assembled as a module, for example, as shown in FIG. 2B, an inflator (not shown) is fitted into a recess 69 formed in the bottom plate 63, and a small hole (not shown) provided in the recess 69 is provided. The inflator is fixed to the bottom plate 63 by the bracket 68 with the gas outlet of the inflator fitted thereto. This completes the airbag module.
[0027]
Next, how to make the inflator bag will be described.
First, an example in which the bottom plates 53 and 63 are joined to the bag main bodies 51 and 61 later will be described.
[0028]
When the resin sheet is used, first, rectangular box-shaped bag bodies 51 and 61 are formed. As a method of making the rectangular box-shaped bag main bodies 51 and 61 having the top plates 52 and 62, it is possible to make the resin sheets along the inner surface of the mold by vacuum blow molding or the like. At that time, the positions of the broken lines 55 and 65 are formed in a lightly bent shape, and creases are attached. By doing so, the function as the folding lines 55 and 65 can be fulfilled at the time of folding, and the collar portions 54 and 64 can be easily folded at the positions of the folding lines 55 and 65. The broken lines 55 and 65 may be attached later by some means. After the bag main bodies 51 and 61 are formed into an inflated and deployed shape, the bag main bodies 51 and 61 are then folded and the bottom surfaces thereof are closed by welding the bottom plates 53 and 63, thereby completing the inflator bags 50 and 60 having a sealed structure. .
[0029]
On the other hand, when a metal sheet (such as an iron plate or an aluminum plate) is used, first, rectangular box-shaped bag bodies 51 and 61 are press-formed. At that time, forming the bent lines 55 and 65 into a lightly bent shape or forming the bent lines 55 and 65 later by some means is the same as the case of making the resin sheet. After the bag main bodies 51 and 61 are formed into an inflated and deployed shape, the bag main bodies 51 and 61 are then folded, and the bottom plates 53 and 63 are closed by welding or caulking, so that the inflator bags 50 and 60 having a sealed structure are sealed. Is completed.
[0030]
Next, an example of forming a one-piece type inflator bag by integrally molding the bottom plates 53 and 63 and the bag main bodies 51 and 61 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0031]
In the case of a resin sheet, a molded body 71 as shown in FIG. 4A is obtained by placing the resin sheet along the inner surface of the mold by pressure forming or vacuum forming. At that time, the position of the broken line 75 is formed in a lightly bent shape and a crease is attached. Next, as shown in (b), the molded body 71 is compressed into a folded state by a press or the like, and a flange 74 used at the time of attachment is formed on the peripheral edge of the bottom plate 73. Finally, as shown in (c). In addition, an inflator bag 70 having a sealed structure is obtained by closing the opening 76 introduced with compressed air or the like by melting it.
[0032]
Moreover, when comprising with resin, it can also produce with the method of making a PET bottle. In that case, first, a tube-shaped preform with the tip closed is made by injection molding the resin, and then the preform warmed to the softening temperature is placed in the mold, and the compressed air is put inside the preform. By introducing, blow molding is performed along the inner surface of the mold while the preform is stretched. An inflator bag having a sealed structure can be obtained by folding the molded body while folding it at the position of the broken line, and finally closing the opening into which the compressed air is introduced. The molded body in this case is not strictly a resin sheet molded, but since an actual molded product is a resin sheet-like one, it is regarded as a molded body of a resin sheet here.
[0033]
On the other hand, when making a one-piece type inflator bag with a metal sheet, first, a metal sheet is press-molded to make a container-shaped preform with a closed end. Next, the preform is placed in the mold, and an incompressible high-pressure fluid (water, oil, rubber, etc.) is introduced into the preform so that the preform is stretched along the inner surface of the mold. To bulge. Next, after removing the high-pressure fluid introduced into the interior and taking out the molded body from the bulge mold, the molded body is folded at the position of the broken line provided in the same manner as described above by using a press mold or the like. Gives expansion allowance during filling. Finally, the inflator bag having a sealed structure is obtained by closing the opening into which the high-pressure fluid is introduced by closing processing or the like.
[0034]
By producing a one-piece type inflator bag as a seamless integrally molded product in this way, the reliability against airtightness is remarkably improved and the production is easy, so that the cost can be greatly reduced.
[0035]
In the case of producing an inflator bag with a metal sheet, a container-shaped molded body was made by press-molding a thin metal plate, and the opening of the molded body was gradually drawn without using bulge processing. It is also possible to obtain an inflator bag having a sealed structure by finally performing a closing process. Also in that case, the expansion allowance at the time of gas filling can be provided by folding a molded object before performing a closing process.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the inflator bag of the first aspect of the present invention, the inflator bag can be deployed in a stable shape while ensuring a sufficient deployment stroke. Moreover, since it can be folded flat, it can be accommodated in a thin and compact form. Furthermore, the bag body that is inflated and deployed can be formed by simply forming a broken line in the collar after forming a resin sheet or a metal sheet into a square box shape, so that processing is also easy.
[0037]
According to the inflator bag of the second aspect of the present invention, since the bag body and the bottom plate are integrally formed, it is possible to omit joining by welding or the like and to ensure high airtightness.
[0038]
Therefore, as in the third and fourth aspects of the invention, by applying the inflator bag to an occupant waist restraint device or an occupant leg restraint device, the reliability and cost of the device can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inflator bag according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows a state when contracted, (b) shows a state during deployment, and (c) shows a state when fully deployed. FIG.
2A and 2B are configuration diagrams of an inflator bag according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a front perspective view, FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view, and FIG. 2C shows a state where the inflator is assembled. It is a perspective view of the back side.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an inflated and deployed state of the inflator bag.
FIGS. 4A to 4C are process diagrams (a) to (c) used for explaining a method for manufacturing the inflator bag. FIGS.
5A and 5B are configuration diagrams of a conventional occupant waist restraint device, in which FIG. 5A is a side sectional view showing a state before the inflator bag is inflated and deployed, and FIG. 5B is a side sectional view showing a state after the inflator bag is inflated and deployed.
6A and 6B are configuration diagrams of a conventional passenger leg restraining device, in which FIG. 6A is a side sectional view showing a state before the inflator bag is inflated and deployed, and FIG. 6B is a side sectional view showing a state after the inflator bag is inflated and deployed. .
FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of a conventional inflator bag.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a configuration of another conventional inflator bag.
[Explanation of symbols]
50, 60 Inflator bag 51, 61 Bag main body 52, 62 Top plate 53, 63 Bottom plate 54, 54a, 54b, 64 ridge part 55, 65 Fold line 56, 66 Triangular folding part

Claims (4)

In an inflator bag for an occupant restraint device that can be inflated and deployed by filling with high-pressure gas and restrains the occupant by inflating and deploying,
By forming a resin sheet or a metal sheet, a rectangular box-shaped bag body having a collar for securing the height is formed on the peripheral side surface, and a valley is folded inward at an intermediate portion in the height direction of the collar. A triangle that forms a fold line and is folded over at the end of the collar on one side sandwiching the corner of the square box-shaped bag body along with the folding of the collar on the other side By forming an overfolding part of the shape and folding the valley at the fold line, the box body of the square box is folded flat, and the bottom surface facing the top plate of the box body of the square box is closed with a bottom plate to form a sealed structure An inflator bag for an occupant restraint device.   The inflator bag for an occupant restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body and the bottom plate are integrally formed.   It is installed in the front lower part of the vehicle seat cushion, and expands and deploys by filling with high pressure gas when the vehicle suddenly decelerates, thereby raising the front seat surface of the seat cushion, thereby moving the occupant seated on the seat forward The inflator bag for an occupant restraint device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inflator bag is for an occupant waist restraint device to be prevented.   It is disposed at the lower part of the instrument panel of the vehicle, and is for an occupant leg restraining device that restrains a seated occupant's leg by inflating and expanding by filling with high-pressure gas at the time of sudden deceleration of the vehicle. An inflator bag for an occupant restraint device according to claim 1 or 2.

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