JP2019059434A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the assembling property of a pressure receiving plate in an airbag module. An airbag module ABM includes an airbag 40, a gas generator 30, a pressure receiving plate 60, and an airbag cover 50. At least the gas ejection part of the gas generator 30 is arranged in the airbag 40. The pressure receiving plate 60 is arranged outside the airbag 40 and is locked to the gas generator 30. The pressure receiving plate 60 receives the pressure of the expanding gas through the expanding and expanding airbag 40, and generates a reaction force toward the front. The airbag cover 50 is wrapped around a main portion of the pressure receiving plate 60 and at least a portion of the folded airbag 40 where the pressure receiving plate 60 is arranged. The airbag cover 50 is locked to the gas generator 30 at a plurality of locations different from each other in the winding direction. [Selection diagram] Fig. 6

Description

  According to the present invention, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat, the airbag is deployed and inflated on the side of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat to protect the occupant from the impact. The present invention relates to an airbag device.

  A side airbag device is widely known as a device for protecting an occupant from an impact when the vehicle is impacted by a side collision or the like from the side of a vehicle seat on which the occupant is seated. The side airbag device comprises an airbag module having an airbag and a gas generator. The air bag module is stored in a storage portion provided on the outer side of the seat back of the vehicle seat.

  According to this side air bag device, when an impact is applied from the side to a side wall portion such as a side door of a vehicle, an inflation gas is supplied from the gas generator to the air bag. The inflation gas expands and inflates the inflation gas, and the air bag jumps from the vehicle seat in a state where a part of the air bag remains in the storage portion. Thereafter, the airbag is deployed and inflated forward between the occupant and the side wall. The deployed and inflated air bag is interposed between the occupant and the side wall portion entering the vehicle interior to restrain the occupant, and mitigates a side impact transmitted to the occupant through the side wall portion.

  As one mode of the above-mentioned side air bag device, there is a thing described in patent documents 1, for example. In this side airbag device, the airbag module ABM further includes a pressure receiving plate (pressure plate) 81 shown in FIG. The pressure receiving plate 81 receives the pressure of the inflation gas through the deployed and inflated air bag 82 to generate a reaction force directed forward, and has a vertically elongated shape, and the back of the air bag 82 is formed. It is arranged on the side. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 14 shows the airbag 82 before being deployed and inflated.

  Flaps (cloth pieces) 83 are attached by sewing at a plurality of vertically spaced apart portions at the rear of the air bag 82. The pressure receiving plate 81 is assembled to the air bag module ABM by inserting the pressure receiving plate 81 into the gap between the air bag 82 and each of the flaps 83.

JP 2014-19393 A

  However, in the above-described conventional side airbag device, in order to assemble the pressure receiving plate 81 to the rear of the airbag 82 by the plurality of flaps 83, it is necessary to attach the flaps 83 at multiple locations of the airbag 82 by sewing. In addition, a complicated operation such as inserting the pressure receiving plate 81 into a narrow gap between the air bag 82 and the flaps 83 is also required. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of the assemblability of the pressure receiving plate 81.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a side air bag device capable of improving the assemblability of a pressure receiving plate in an air bag module.

  In a side airbag device that solves the above problems, an airbag module including an airbag in a folded state and a gas generator in which at least a gas ejection portion is disposed in the airbag is seated on a vehicle seat And the expansion gas is supplied from the gas generator to the air bag in response to an impact applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat. And an air bag module disposed on the outside of the air bag to be locked to the gas generator, and deployed and expanded. The air bag module includes a pressure receiving plate that receives pressure of inflation gas through the air bag to be inflated and generates a reaction force directed forward, and the air bag module is a main component of the pressure receiving plate. And an air bag cover which is covered in a state of being wound around at least a portion where the pressure receiving plate is disposed among the air bag in a folded state, and which is broken by the air bag deployed and expanded. The air bag cover is locked to the gas generator at a plurality of different points in the winding direction.

  According to the above configuration, the pressure receiving plate is disposed at the outside of the airbag in which at least the gas jet portion of the gas generator is disposed, and is locked to the gas generator. Then, the air bag cover is wound around the main portion of the pressure receiving plate and at least a portion of the folded air bag in which the pressure receiving plate is disposed. Then, the air bag cover is locked to the gas generator at a plurality of different points in the winding direction. By this locking, the air bag cover is held in a state of being wound around the main portion of the pressure receiving plate and at least a portion of the folded air bag in which the pressure receiving plate is disposed. The pressure plate between the air bag and the air bag cover is assembled to the air bag and the gas generator.

  In the side airbag device, the airbag cover has an insertion opening, and an airbag in which at least the gas ejection portion of the gas generator is disposed and at least a main portion of the pressure receiving plate are the insertion opening. And a cover portion connected to the cover body and closing the insertion port, the air bag cover being closed by the cover portion. The air bag and the pressure receiving plate are covered in a wound state, and the air bag cover is engaged with the gas generator at the cover main body and the lid in a state of closing the insertion port. It is preferable that it is stopped.

  According to the above configuration, at the time of assembling the pressure receiving plate, in the airbag cover, the lid portion connected to the cover main body is opened and the insertion port is opened. The air bag in the folded state, the portion of the gas generator including at least the gas outlet disposed in the air bag, and at least the main portion of the pressure receiving plate locked to the gas generator are inserted through the insertion port. It is housed in the cover body. By the insertion port being closed by the lid, the air bag cover is covered in a state of being wound around the air bag and the pressure receiving plate. Further, the air bag cover is locked to the gas generator at the cover body and the lid in a state of closing the insertion port. By this locking, the lid is held in the state of closing the insertion port. At least a main part of the pressure receiving plate is covered by the air bag cover together with the air bag and the gas generator, and is assembled to the air bag and the gas generator.

  In the side air bag device, the gas generator includes an elongated gas generator main body extending along an axis, and the air bag projecting from the gas generator main body in a direction orthogonal to the axis. The air bag cover includes a pressure receiving plate and mounting protrusions respectively inserted into the air bag cover, and the air bag cover has a locking hole at a position away from the portion where the mounting protrusions are inserted in the winding direction. The air bag cover is locked to the gas generator by being latched at the locking holes with respect to the air bag, the pressure receiving plate, and the mounting protrusion inserted into the air bag cover. Is preferred.

  According to the above configuration, the mounting protrusions protruding from the gas generator body are respectively inserted into the air bag, the pressure receiving plate and the air bag cover. The air bag, the pressure receiving plate and the air bag cover are locked to the gas generator by the insertion. The air bag cover is wound around a main portion of the pressure receiving plate and at least a portion of the air bag in a folded state in which the pressure receiving plate is disposed. Then, the air bag cover is hooked to the mounting protrusion at a locking hole formed at a location separated in the winding direction from the location where the mounting protrusion is inserted. By this latching, the air bag cover is locked to the gas generator at two different points in the winding direction.

  In the side air bag device, the gas generator has a long shape and is connected to a gas generator main body having the gas ejection portion at one end and the other end of the gas generator main body. And a harness disposed outside the airbag cover, the pressure receiving plate constitutes a main portion of the pressure receiving plate, and a pressure receiving main body on which the air bag cover is wound, and the pressure receiving main body It is preferable to have a hook that protrudes and is exposed to the outside of the air bag cover through a window formed in the air bag cover, and the harness is hooked.

  According to the above configuration, in a state in which the air bag cover is wound around the pressure receiving main body constituting the main part of the pressure receiving plate, the hooking portion protruding from the pressure receiving main body is outside the air bag cover through the window. Exposed. A harness connected to the end of the gas generator body opposite to the gas ejection portion and disposed outside the airbag cover is hooked on the hook portion. The harness is locked to the hooking portion to be restrained from movement and suppressed from being shaken.

Further, as described above, since the pressure receiving plate has the hooking portion, it is not necessary to separately provide a place to hook the harness.
In the side air bag device, the pressure receiving plate is preferably made of resin.

  Here, if the pressure receiving plate is formed by processing a metal material, there is a possibility that a hard protrusion called a burr is generated on the processed surface. If a pressure receiving plate having a hard burr is used, there is a concern that the air bag touched by the burr may be damaged.

  In this respect, as described above, if the pressure receiving plate is made of resin, even if burrs are generated, the burrs are not as hard as metal burrs. Therefore, the phenomenon that a burr damages an air bag does not occur easily.

  In the side air bag device, the gas generator has a long shape extending in the vertical direction, and includes a gas generator main body having the gas ejection portion at a lower end portion, and the upper end of the pressure receiving plate is the gas generation It is preferable that the lower end of the pressure receiving plate is located at the same or lower position with respect to the lower end of the gas ejection portion.

  According to the above configuration, when the inflation gas is ejected from the gas ejection portion of the gas generator main body, the air bag supplied with the inflation gas expands while releasing (folding) the folded state. At this time, the pressure of the inflation gas is received by the pressure receiving plate at a portion of the air bag having the pressure receiving plate at the rear, and a reaction force directed forward is generated. The reaction force causes the airbag to deploy and inflate more accurately toward the front.

  Here, the inflation gas is first supplied to a portion near the gas ejection portion in the air bag, and is supplied to a portion near to the gas ejection portion behind the gas ejection portion. Therefore, in order to generate a reaction force at an early stage and expand and inflate the air bag forward, it is important that the pressure receiving plate be disposed at least at a position near the gas injection portion. However, this importance is lower at a point away from the gas ejection part than at a point near the gas ejection part.

  In this respect, when the lower end of the pressure receiving plate is located at the position satisfying the above condition, the pressure receiving plate is located near the gas ejection portion at the lower end portion of the gas generator main body. Therefore, the pressure of the expansion gas jetted from the gas jet unit is received by the portion of the pressure receiving plate near the gas jet unit, and a reaction force directed forward is generated.

  On the other hand, the pressure receiving plate is not located at a position higher than the upper end of the gas generator main body. Therefore, the pressure of the expansion gas is not received by the pressure receiving plate at a position higher than the upper end of the gas generator body. However, the influence of the reaction force on the deployment and inflation of the airbag forward is small. Rather, the position of the upper end of the pressure receiving plate is lowered, the length of the pressure receiving plate is shortened, and the cost of the pressure receiving plate can be reduced.

  According to the side air bag device, it is possible to improve the assembling performance of the pressure receiving plate in the air bag module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The side view which shows the vehicle seat provided with the side airbag apparatus in one Embodiment with a passenger | crew. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In one Embodiment, the plane sectional view which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a side wall part. In one embodiment, it is a figure showing position relation of a seat for vehicles, an air bag, a passenger, and a side wall part, and a sectional view seen from the front of vehicles. In one embodiment, a partial plan sectional view showing the internal structure of the side portion on the outside of the vehicle in a seat back incorporating an air bag module. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state by which the airbag module was fastened by the side frame part in one Embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of an air bag module according to an embodiment. The partial side view which looked at the airbag module in one embodiment from the vehicle outer side. The partial side view which looked at the air bag module in one embodiment from the car inner side. The partial rear view which looked at the airbag module in one embodiment from the back. (A), (b) is a perspective view of the pressure receiving plate in one Embodiment. In one embodiment, it is a figure showing the state where a pressure receiving board was attached to the air bag in which the retainer was inserted, and the side view seen from the vehicle outside. FIG. 12 is a view showing a state in which the pressure receiving plate is attached to the air bag into which the retainer is inserted in one embodiment, and is a side view seen from the opposite side (inward side) to FIG. 11. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing explaining a mode that an inflator is mounted | worn with the retainer in an airbag and the cover part of an airbag cover is latched by a cover main body. The partial flat cross section which shows the positional relationship of the airbag in the conventional side airbag apparatus, a pressure receiving plate, and a flap.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a side airbag device for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front, and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear. Further, with the central portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle as a reference, the side closer to the central portion is referred to as the “vehicle inner side”, and the side away from the central portion is referred to as the “vehicle outer side”. In addition, it is assumed that an occupant having the same physical constitution as a dummy for a collision test is seated on the vehicle seat.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in a vehicle 10 as a vehicle, a vehicle seat 12 is disposed as a vehicle seat in the vicinity of the inner side of the side wall portion 11. Here, the side wall portion 11 refers to a vehicle constituent member disposed on the side of the vehicle 10, and mainly corresponds to a door, a pillar, and the like. For example, the side wall portion 11 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B-pillar) or the like. The side wall portion 11 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quota, and the like.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion 13 and a seat back 14. The seat cushion 13 is attached to a rail (not shown) installed on the floor of the vehicle body so as to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction. The seat back 14 is erected in an inclined state so as to be positioned rearward from the rear of the seat cushion 13 toward the upper side, and is configured to be adjustable in inclination angle. The vehicle seat 12 is disposed in the vehicle compartment with the seatback 14 facing forward. The width direction of the vehicle seat 12 disposed in this manner coincides with the vehicle width direction.

Next, the internal structure of the side portion outside the vehicle in the seat back 14 will be described.
Inside the seat back 14, a seat frame that forms the framework is disposed. As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the seat frame is disposed on an outer side portion in the seat back 14, and this portion (hereinafter referred to as "side frame portion 15") is formed by bending a metal plate or the like. It is formed by A seat pad 16 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is disposed on the front side of the seat frame including the side frame portion 15. Further, on the rear side of the seat frame, a backboard 17 formed of a synthetic resin or the like is disposed. In addition, although the seat pad 16 is coat | covered with outer_skin | epidermis, illustration of the outer_skin | epidermis is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  A storage portion 18 is provided in the vicinity of the outer side of the side frame portion 15 in the seat pad 16. The storage portion 18 is positioned to the side of the occupant P1 seated on the vehicle seat 12. An air bag module ABM, which is a main part of the side air bag device, is incorporated in the storage portion 18.

  A slit 19 extends diagonally forward and outward from the corner of the storage portion 18. A portion between the front corner portion 16c of the seat pad 16 and the slit 19 (a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) constitutes a portion 21 to be broken which is to be broken by an air bag 40 described later. ing.

  The air bag module ABM includes a gas generator 30, an air bag 40, an air bag cover 50, and a pressure receiving plate 60 as main components. Next, each of these components will be described.

<Gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 is constituted by a gas generator main body 31 which constitutes the main part thereof, and a mounting projection for mounting the gas generator main body 31 to the side frame portion 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gas generator main body 31 includes an inflator 32 and a retainer 36 covering the inflator 32, and the entire body extends in a substantially vertical direction along the axis L1. There is no. Here, as the inflator 32, a type called a pyro type is employed. The inflator 32 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas generating agent (not shown) for generating an inflation gas is accommodated therein. The gas generator body 31 has a gas injection portion 33 at its lower end. A plurality of gas injection holes 33 a for injecting expansion gas are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the gas injection part 33. In addition, a harness 34 (see FIG. 7 and the like) serving as an input wiring of an operation signal to the inflator 32 is provided at an upper end portion which is an end portion of the gas generator body 31 opposite to the gas ejection portion 33. Connected through.

  The inflator 32 is a type (hybrid type) in which the partition wall of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with high-pressure gas is broken by a gunpowder or the like instead of the pyrotype using the gas generating agent. It may be done.

  On the other hand, the retainer 36 constitutes an outer peripheral portion of the gas generator body 31. The retainer 36 functions as a diffuser for controlling the direction in which the inflation gas is jetted, and is a member having a function of fastening the inflator 32 to the side frame portion 15 together with the air bag 40 and the like. Most of the retainer 36 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. The retainer 36 is locked to the upper end of the inflator 32 by being crimped so that the upper end thereof is reduced in diameter.

  The mounting projection is constituted by a pair of bolts 37 fixed to the retainer 36. The both bolts 37 project inward in the vehicle from locations spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction of the retainer 36. The direction in which both bolts 37 project is one of the directions orthogonal to the axis L1 of the gas generator body 31.

  The gas generator main body 31 may be one in which the inflator 32 and the retainer 36 are integrated. Further, the gas generator main body 31 may be configured by only the inflator 32. In this case, the mounting protrusion (bolt 37) is directly fixed to the inflator 32.

<Airbag 40>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the airbag 40, a folding line 39 (see FIG. 1) set at the central portion in the width direction of one piece of cloth (also called base cloth, panel cloth, etc.) It is formed by folding in two, overlapping in the vehicle width direction, and combining the overlapped portions. Here, in order to distinguish the two overlapped portions of the airbag 40, the one located on the vehicle inner side is referred to as the cloth portion 41, and the one located on the vehicle outer side is referred to as the cloth portion 42.

  In the present embodiment, the cloth piece is folded in half so that the folding line 39 is located at the rear end of the airbag 40, but the folding line 39 is the other end of the airbag 40, for example, the front end The cloth piece may be folded in half so as to be positioned at the upper end, the lower end, and the like. In addition, the airbag 40 may be formed of two pieces of cloth divided along the fold line 39. Furthermore, the airbag 40 may be composed of three or more pieces of cloth.

  The airbag 40 occupies a region corresponding to a large portion of the upper body of the occupant P1, for example, a region from the waist PP to the shoulder PS, when deployed and inflated between the vehicle seat 12 and the side wall 11. It is formed in the shape and size to be obtained.

As the above-mentioned piece of cloth, a material having high strength and flexibility and which can be easily folded, for example, a woven fabric formed using polyester yarn, polyamide yarn or the like is suitable.
The above-mentioned bonding of the folded-up pieces is made at the peripheral bonding portion 43 provided at their peripheral edge. In the present embodiment, the peripheral edge joint portion 43 is formed by sewing (stitching with a sewing thread) a portion of the peripheral edge portion of the half-folded cloth other than the rear end portion and the like. In addition, the peripheral edge coupling portion 43 may be formed by means different from the above-mentioned sewing using the suture, for example, adhesion using an adhesive.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the insertion port 44 of the gas generator 30 is opened upward at the rear end portion of the airbag 40 and at the middle portion in the vertical direction (location near the upper end portion). ing. Further, bolt holes 45 for inserting the bolts 37 of the gas generator 30 are formed at two positions below the insertion port 44 in the cloth portion 41 on the inner side of the vehicle (see FIG. 6).

  Then, the gas generator main body 31 is inclined such that the gas injection portion 33 is located at the lower end portion of the inflator 32 and is located rearward as it goes to the upper portion, and the back of the airbag 40 is inserted through the insertion port 44. It is inserted in the end. The gas injection part 33 is disposed in the air bag 40. The upper end portion of the gas generator body 31 and the harness 34 are exposed to the outside of the airbag 40 (see FIG. 7 and the like).

  Each bolt 37 is inserted into the corresponding bolt hole 45 of the cloth portion 41 on the inner side of the vehicle. By this insertion, the gas generator 30 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the cloth portion 41 on the inside of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air bag 40 is made compact by folding the front side portion of the gas generator body 31. This is to make the air bag 40 suitable for storage with respect to the storage portion 18 of the seat back 14 with a limited size. As a mode of folding the airbag 40, for example, roll folding, bellows folding, etc. are suitable. Roll folding is a folding mode in which the other portion is wound around one end of the airbag 40. The bellows folding is a folding mode in which the airbag 40 is folded while alternately changing the folding direction by a constant width.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in the airbag 40, binding tapes 46 are respectively wound around the upper and lower portions of the folded portion. The airbag 40 is held in the folded state by the binding tapes 46.

<Airbag cover 50>
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the air bag cover 50 wraps the air bag 40 in a folded state, and is folded at the time of transportation of the air bag module ABM or before assembly to the storage portion 18 or the like. It is intended to prevent the shape from being broken (unfolded), and is also called a wrapping cloth, a wrapping sheet or the like. The airbag cover 50 is formed of a cloth such as a non-woven fabric. The portion (the upper end portion of the gas generator main body 31 and the harness 34) of the gas generator 30 exposed from the air bag 40 is not wrapped by the air bag cover 50 and is exposed from the air bag cover 50. ing.

  The airbag cover 50 includes a cover main body 51 and a lid 56. The cover main body 51 is a portion that constitutes the main part of the airbag cover 50, and is formed of a plurality of cloth pieces. In the cover main body 51, peripheral portions of adjacent cloth pieces are connected to each other by a bonding means such as heat welding. The upper end portion, the lower end portion, the front end portion and the like of the cover main body 51 are included in the portion where the connection is made in this manner. At the rear portion of the cover main body 51, a portion where the peripheral edge portions are not coupled is set in a part between adjacent pieces of cloth, and the insertion port 52 (see FIG. 6) is configured by this portion.

  The plurality of cloth pieces include a cloth piece 53 on the inside of the car and a cloth piece 54 on the outside of the car. In the cloth piece 53 on the inner side of the vehicle, bolt holes 55 are opened at a pair of places separated forward from the insertion port 52 and separated from each other in the vertical direction. Then, the air bag 40 in a state in which many parts of the gas generator body 31 except for the upper end portion are inserted and folded is accommodated in the cover body 51. Furthermore, a pair of bolts 37 of the gas generator 30 are inserted into corresponding bolt holes 55 in the cloth piece 53 on the inner side of the vehicle. The inserted bolts 37 are exposed to the outside of the cover main body 51.

  The lid portion 56 is integrally formed in the cover main body 51 in a state of being connected to the rear end portion of the cloth piece 54 outside the vehicle. In addition, the cover part 56 may be comprised by another member with the cover main body 51, and may be fixed to the cloth piece 54 of the vehicle outer side by fixing means, such as heat welding. The lid 56 is placed on the rear of the cover main body 51 so that the insertion opening 52 is closed. In the lid portion 56, bolt holes 57 as locking holes are opened at a pair of places separated from each other in the vertical direction. Both bolt holes 57 are located at positions away from the bolt holes 55 through which the bolts 37 are inserted in the winding direction of the air bag cover 50 described later. Then, the pair of bolts 37 exposed from the cover main body 51 is inserted into the corresponding bolt holes 57 of the lid 56 that closes the insertion port 52, whereby the lid 56 is locked to the gas generator 30. It is done. When the lid 56 closes the insertion opening 52, the lid 56 is overlapped with the rear of the cloth piece 53 inside the vehicle from the inside of the vehicle. The lid 56 is held in the state of closing the insertion port 52 by the above locking.

At the lower part of the lid 56, a window 58 consisting of a hole communicating the inside and the outside of the airbag cover 50 is opened.
The air bag cover 50 is provided with a cleavage portion (not shown) which is pressed and broken by the air bag 40 when the air bag 40 is deployed and inflated. The cleavage portion is constituted by, for example, a slit formed in the airbag cover 50.

<Pressure receiving plate 60>
As shown in FIG. 6, the pressure receiving plate 60 receives the pressure of the inflation gas through the deployed and inflated air bag 40 to generate a reaction force directed forward, and the air bag 40 in a folded state And the airbag cover 50. The pressure receiving plate 60 includes a pressure receiving main portion 61 and a hooking portion 66, and is entirely formed of a hard resin material.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and (b) and FIGS. 11 and 12, the pressure receiving main body 61 is a part that constitutes the main part of the pressure receiving plate 60, and is a part disposed in the cover main body 51. is there. The pressure receiving main body 61 includes a rear wall 62, an inner wall 63, and an outer wall 65. The rear wall portion 62 has a constant width in the vehicle width direction, and, like the gas generator 30, is inclined to be positioned on the rear side toward the top. The inner wall portion 63 protrudes diagonally upward and forward from the side edge portion of the rear wall portion 62 on the vehicle inner side. In the inner wall portion 63, bolt holes 64 are formed in a pair of places which are separated from each other in the substantially vertical direction. The outer wall portion 65 protrudes diagonally upward and forward from the side edge portion of the rear wall portion 62 on the vehicle outer side.

  The hooking portion 66 is a portion to which the harness 34 disposed outside the airbag cover 50 is hooked, and is formed at the lower portion of the rear wall portion 62. More specifically, a rectangular hole 67 is formed in the lower part of the rear wall 62. The hooking portion 66 starts from the inward edge portion 67 a of the hole 67 and extends toward the outboard edge portion 67 b. Many portions of the hooking portion 66 project rearward from the pressure receiving main body 61. The tip of the hooking portion 66 is spaced rearward from the edge 67 b of the hole 67 on the outer side of the vehicle. With such a configuration, the hooking portion 66 can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction.

  Then, the folded air bag 40 is sandwiched by the inner wall 63 and the outer wall 65 from both sides in the vehicle width direction, and the pressure receiving plate 60 is in a state where the rear wall 62 approaches or contacts the rear surface of the air bag 40. Is attached to the air bag 40 from the rear side. Further, the pressure receiving plate 60 is locked to the gas generator 30 by inserting the pair of bolts 37 inserted into the air bag 40 into the corresponding bolt holes 64 of the inner wall 63.

  When the pressure receiving plate 60 is attached to the air bag 40 and locked to the gas generator 30 as described above, the upper end 60 a of the pressure receiving plate 60 is located at a position lower than the upper end of the gas generator body 31. ing. Further, the lower end 60 b of the pressure receiving plate 60 is located at a position lower than the lower end of the gas jet portion 33 (see FIG. 5 and the like).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressure receiving main body 61, the airbag 40 and most of the gas generator main body 31 except the upper end are accommodated in the cover main body 51, and the insertion port 52 is covered. By being closed by 56, the airbag cover 50 is enclosed.

  The hooking portion 66 protruding rearward from the pressure receiving main body portion 61 is exposed to the outside of the airbag cover 50 through the window portion 58 of the lid portion 56. Then, a part of the harness 34 arranged to extend in the vertical direction on the outside (rear) of the air bag cover 50 is hooked to the hooking portion 66 and locked.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the air bag module ABM is disposed in the storage portion 18. Bolts 37 extending from the gas generator 30 and respectively inserted into the air bag 40, the pressure receiving plate 60 and the air bag cover 50 are inserted from the vehicle outer side into the side frame portion 15, and the bolts 37 The nut 38 is tightened. By this tightening, the gas generator 30, together with the air bag 40, the pressure receiving plate 60, and the air bag cover 50, is fixed to the side frame portion 15 so as to be inclined toward the upper side toward the upper side.

  The gas generator 30 may be fixed to the side frame portion 15 by a member different from the bolt 37 and the nut 38 described above. Even in this case, the gas generator 30 is fixed to the side frame portion 15 at the mounting protrusion.

  The side airbag apparatus includes an impact sensor 71 and a control device 72 shown in FIG. 1 in addition to the above-described airbag module ABM. The impact sensor 71 is formed of an acceleration sensor or the like, and detects an impact applied to the vehicle 10 from the outside through the side wall portion 11. The controller 72 controls the operation of the inflator 32 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 71.

  Furthermore, although the vehicle 10 is equipped with a seat belt device for restraining an occupant P1 seated on the vehicle seat 12, the illustration of the seat belt device is omitted in FIG.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described for each situation.
<Manufacture of airbag module ABM>
In the manufacture of the air bag module ABM, most of the gas generator 30 except the upper end of the retainer 36 is inserted into the rear end of the air bag 40 in the unfolded state through the insertion port 44. A pair of bolts 37 protruding from the retainer 36 are inserted into corresponding bolt holes 45 of the cloth portion 41 of the air bag 40 (see FIG. 5). By this insertion, the retainer 36 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the cloth portion 41 on the inner side of the vehicle. The upper end portion of the retainer 36 is exposed to the outside of the air bag 40 from the insertion port 44.

  Many parts of the air bag 40 except the inserted rear end of the retainer 36 are folded. By this folding, the airbag 40 becomes compact (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

  A pressure receiving plate 60 is attached to the folded airbag 40 from the rear side. At the time of this attachment, a pair of bolts 37 are inserted into corresponding bolt holes 64 of the pressure receiving plate 60 (see FIG. 12). At this stage, the pressure receiving plate 60 is only locked to the bolt 37 in the bolt hole 64, and the pressure receiving plate 60 may be detached from the bolt 37 and may be detached from the airbag 40.

  On the other hand, in the airbag cover 50, the lid 56 connected to the cover main body 51 is opened, and the insertion port 52 is opened (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6). The pressure receiving plate 60 is accommodated in the cover main body 51 through the insertion port 52 together with the air bag 40 and the retainer 36 (see FIG. 13A). At the time of this accommodation, the pair of bolts 37 are inserted into corresponding bolt holes 55 in the cover main body 51 (see FIG. 8). At this time, the upper end portion of the retainer 36 is exposed from the cover main body 51.

  As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the lid 56 is placed on the rear of the cover main body 51 so that the insertion opening 52 is closed. That is, the airbag cover 50 is covered in a state of being wound around the main portion (pressure receiving main body 61) of the pressure receiving plate 60 and at least a portion of the airbag 40 in a folded state in which the pressure receiving plate 60 is disposed. Be By inserting the bolt 37 into the bolt hole 57 of the lid 56, the lid 56 is locked to the retainer 36. In other words, the air bag cover 50 is locked to the gas generator 30 by the bolt holes 55 and 57 at a plurality of different points (two points of the cover main body 51 and the lid 56) different in the winding direction. In other words, the air bag cover 50 is engaged with the bolt 37 at the bolt hole 57 so that the air bag cover 50 is engaged with the gas generator 30 at two different points in the winding direction. By this locking, the air bag cover 50 is held in a state of being wound around the main portion of the pressure receiving plate 60 and at least a portion of the folded airbag 40 in which the pressure receiving plate 60 is disposed. The portion 56 is held in a state of closing the insertion port 44 (see FIG. 6). The pressure receiving main portion 61 of the pressure receiving plate 60 between the air bag 40 and the air bag cover 50 is covered by the air bag cover 50 together with the air bag 40 and most of the retainer 36 except for the upper end thereof. As a result, the air bag 40 and the retainer 36 are assembled.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the airbag cover 50 for wrapping the airbag 40 is used. Then, the insertion port 52 is closed by the lid 56, and the lid 56 is locked to the retainer 36 by hooking the bolt hole 57 of the lid 56 to the bolt 37 of the gas generator 30 in this state. The pressure receiving plate 60 can be assembled only by performing such a simple operation.

  Therefore, unlike the conventional one shown in FIG. 14, it is not necessary to attach the flaps 83 at a plurality of locations of the airbag 82 by sewing. In addition, it is not necessary to perform a complicated operation such as inserting the pressure receiving plate 81 into the narrow gap between the air bag 82 and the flaps 83. As a result, the assemblability of the pressure receiving plate 60 in the air bag module ABM is improved.

When the insertion port 52 is closed by the lid 56, the hooking portion 66 of the pressure receiving plate 60 is exposed to the outside of the airbag cover 50 through the window 58.
Here, if the pressure receiving plate 60 is formed by processing a metal material, there is a possibility that a hard protrusion called a burr is generated on the processed surface. If the pressure receiving plate 60 having a hard burr is used, there is a concern that the air bag 40 touching the burr may be damaged.

  In this respect, in the present embodiment, since the pressure receiving plate 60 is formed of a resin material, even if burrs are generated, the burrs are not as hard as metal burrs. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the burr to damage the airbag 40.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c), the inflator 32 is connected to the upper end portion and has the gas injection portion 33 at the lower end portion. Ru. When the inflator 32 is inserted to a predetermined position of the retainer 36, the upper end portion of the retainer 36 is crimped so as to reduce its diameter, whereby the inflator 32 is locked. At this time, the upper end 60a of the pressure receiving plate 60 is located below the upper end of the retainer 36, which hinders the caulking operation (see FIG. 5). The connection portion of the harness 34 with the inflator 32 is exposed to the outside of the airbag cover 50. Further, the entire harness 34 is located outside the airbag cover 50.

  The harness 34 is extended downward along the rear surface of the airbag cover 50 (lid 56). The harness 34 is hooked on the hooking portion 66 of the pressure receiving plate 60 exposed from the window 58 of the lid 56. Then, the harness 34 is locked by the hook portion 66 to be restrained in movement, and suppressed from being shaken (see FIGS. 7 to 9).

As described above, since the pressure receiving plate 60 has the hooking portion 66, it is not necessary to separately provide a place for the harness 34 to be hooked.
<When the side airbag device is not activated>
When the impact sensor 71 does not detect that an impact is applied to the side wall portion 11, the control device 72 does not output an operation signal for operating the inflator 32, and the inflation gas is not ejected. As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag 40 continues to be stored in the storage portion 18 in a folded state.

<When the side airbag device is activated>
On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 is traveling or the like, an impact equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the side wall portion 11 due to a side collision or the like. On the other hand, an activation signal for operating this is output. In response to the operation signal, the expansion gas is ejected from the gas ejection holes 33 a of the gas ejection portion 33.

  The air bag 40, which has received the supply of the inflation gas, inflates with the release (folding) of the folded state. The air bag cover 50 is pressed by the expanding air bag 40, and the cleavage portion is broken. The airbag 40 comes out of the airbag cover 50 from the broken part.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the inflation gas is ejected from the inflator 32, the pressure of the inflation gas is generated by the pressure receiving plate 60, in particular, the rear wall portion 62 at the location where the pressure receiving plate 60 is located behind the airbag 40. A reaction force is generated that is received and directed forward. The reaction force causes the airbag 40 to deploy and inflate more accurately toward the front.

  The inflation of the air bag 40 is performed with the cancellation of the folded state in the reverse order of the folded order. The seat pad 16 of the seat back 14 is pressed by the air bag 40 thus deployed and inflated, and the seat pad 16 is broken at the breakable portion 21 (see FIG. 4). The air bag 40 jumps forward from the seat back 14 through the broken portion in a state where a part of the air bag 40 is left in the storage portion 18.

  The air bag 40 to which the inflation gas is supplied also thereafter is between the side wall portion 11 and the upper body of the occupant P1 seated on the vehicle seat 12, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. Deploy and expand forward.

  The upper body (region from the waist PP to the shoulder PS) of the occupant P1 is pressed and restrained by the deployed and inflated air bag 40. As a result, the impact from the side transmitted through the side wall portion 11 is alleviated by the airbag 40 and the upper body is protected.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the inflation gas is first supplied to a portion near the gas ejection portion 33 in the airbag 40, and is supplied to the portion distant from the gas ejection portion 33 at a delay. Be done. Therefore, it is important that the pressure receiving plate 60 be disposed at least at a position near the gas injection portion 33 in order to generate a reaction force early and expand and inflate the airbag 40 forward. However, this importance is lower at a point away from the gas injection part 33 than at a point near the gas injection part 33.

  In this respect, in the present embodiment, the lower end 60b of the pressure receiving plate 60 is located at a position lower than the lower end of the gas ejection portion 33, whereby the vicinity of the gas ejection portion 33 at the lower end portion of the gas generator body 31, ie, gas The pressure receiving plate 60 is positioned not only at the same height as the ejection portion 33 but also at a height close thereto. Therefore, the pressure of the expansion gas jetted from the gas jet unit 33 is received by the portion of the pressure receiving plate 60 near the gas jet unit 33, and a reaction force directed forward is generated.

  On the other hand, the pressure receiving plate 60 is not positioned at the same height as well as the portion higher than the upper end of the gas generator main body 31. Therefore, the pressure of the expansion gas is not received by the pressure receiving plate 60 near the upper end of the gas generator body 31. However, the influence of the reaction force on the deployment and inflation of the airbag 40 forward is small. Rather, the position of the upper end 60 a of the pressure receiving plate 60 is lowered, the length in the vertical direction of the pressure receiving plate 60 is shortened, and the effect of reducing the cost of the pressure receiving plate 60 can be obtained.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented as a modification which changed this as follows.
<Regarding Storage Unit 18 of Airbag Module ABM>
The storage portion 18 may be provided in the side wall portion 11 instead of the seat back 14 of the vehicle seat 12, and the airbag module ABM may be incorporated therein.

<About the gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 may be disposed relative to the airbag 40 in a manner different from that of the above-described embodiment, provided that at least the gas jet portion 33 is disposed in the airbag 40. For example, the entire gas generator 30 may be arranged to be accommodated in the airbag 40.

The mounting protrusion may be changed to a member different from the bolt, on the condition that the gas generator body 31 can be fixed to the vehicle.
<About the airbag 40>
The air bag 40 may be expanded substantially in its entirety as in the above embodiment, but the expansion gas is not supplied and the air bag 40 partially includes a non-inflatable portion which is not expanded. It is also good.

As the airbag 40, one having an interior divided into a plurality of rooms (expansion chambers) may be used.
In the upper body of the occupant P1, the portion protected by the side airbag device may be changed to a portion different from the above embodiment. In this case, the shape and size of the airbag 40 are changed to a shape and size that can protect a target area of the upper body of the occupant P1.

<About the airbag cover 50>
The air bag cover 50 may be open at both ends in the length direction with the air pressure cover 60 and the air bag 40 covered.

  In this case, unlike the above embodiment, the air bag cover 50 does not take the form of the cover main body 51 and the lid 56. The entire air bag cover 50 is wound around the main part of the pressure receiving plate 60 and the air bag 40 in a folded state, and is locked to the gas generator 30 at a plurality of different points in the winding direction. By this locking, the air bag cover 50 is held in a wound state. The pressure receiving plate 60 between the air bag 40 and the air bag cover 50 is assembled to the air bag 40 and the gas generator 30, and the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained.

The air bag cover 50 may be locked to the gas generator 30 at three or more locations in the winding direction.
<About pressure receiving plate 60>
The pressure receiving plate 60 may be formed of a hard material different from the resin. For example, the pressure receiving plate 60 may be formed of a metal material if the problem of damage to the air bag 40 due to burrs is eliminated.

  -For example, when the retainer 36 is locked to the inflator 32 by a method other than caulking, or when the gas generator main body 31 is configured by only the inflator 32, the height of the upper end 60a of the pressure receiving plate 60 is It may be set to the same height as the upper end of the generator body 31. Also in this case, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

The height of the lower end 60 b of the pressure receiving plate 60 may be set to the same height as the lower end of the gas ejection portion 33. Also in this case, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.
The pressure receiving plate 60 may be provided at a location different from the rear wall 62 on the condition that the hooking portion 66 can hook the harness 34.

  The hooking portion 66 may be provided on a member different from the pressure receiving plate 60 among members constituting the airbag module ABM. In this case, the pressure receiving plate 60 is constituted only by the pressure receiving main body 61. The entire pressure receiving body 60 (pressure receiving main body 61) is disposed between the air bag 40 and the air bag cover 50.

<Others>
-In the vehicle in which the vehicle seat 12 is disposed in a direction in which the seatback 14 faces in a direction different from the front of the vehicle, for example, the side, the side airbag device is lateral to the vehicle seat 12 The present invention can also be applied to a side airbag apparatus of a type that protects the upper body of the occupant P1 from an impact when the impact is applied from the front-rear direction).

The vehicles to which the side airbag device is applied include various industrial vehicles as well as private vehicles.
-The above-mentioned side air bag device is applicable also to the side air bag device equipped with the seat for vehicles other than vehicles, for example, an aircraft, a ship, etc.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle (vehicle), 12 ... Vehicle seat (vehicle seat) 18, 18 ... Storage part, 30 ... Gas generator, 31 ... Gas generator main body, 33 ... Gas ejection part, 34 ... Harness, 37 ... Bolt (A) Mounting projection), 40: Air bag, 50: Air bag cover, 51: Cover body, 52: Insertion port, 56: Lid portion, 57: Bolt hole (locking hole), 58: Window portion, 60: Pressure receiving plate, 60a: upper end, 60b: lower end, 61: pressure receiving main body, 66: hooking portion, ABM: air bag module, L1: axial line, P1: occupant.

Claims (6)

An air bag module including an air bag in a folded state and a gas generator having at least a gas injection portion disposed in the air bag, provided at a side of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat The gas generator supplies inflation gas to the air bag from the gas generator in response to an impact applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat, and the air bag is directed forward on the side of the occupant. A side airbag device that is deployed and inflated,
The air bag module is disposed outside the air bag, is engaged with the gas generator, and receives pressure from the inflation gas through the air bag that expands and inflates to generate a reaction force directed forward. Equipped with a board
The air bag module is placed in a state of being wound around a main portion of the pressure receiving plate and at least a portion of the folded air bag in which the pressure receiving plate is disposed, and the air bag module is expanded and inflated. The side airbag apparatus further provided with the air bag cover broken by an air bag, and the said air bag cover is latched by the said gas generator in multiple places which mutually differ in a winding direction. The air bag cover has an insertion port, and an air bag in which at least the gas ejection portion of the gas generator is disposed and at least a main portion of the pressure receiving plate are inserted and accommodated through the insertion port. A cover body is provided, and a lid portion connected to the cover body and closing the insertion port is provided.
The air bag cover is covered in a state of being wound around the air bag and the pressure receiving plate by the insertion port being closed by the lid portion.
The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the air bag cover is locked to the gas generator at the cover main body and the lid in a state of closing the insertion port. The gas generator includes an elongated gas generator main body extending along an axis, and the air bag, the pressure receiving plate, and the air bag cover projecting from the gas generator main body in a direction orthogonal to the axis. And mounting projections respectively inserted through the
The air bag cover has a locking hole at a position separated in the winding direction from the position where the mounting protrusion is inserted.
The air bag cover is locked to the gas generator by being latched at the locking holes with respect to the air bag, the pressure receiving plate, and the mounting protrusion inserted into the air bag cover. The side airbag apparatus as described in 1 or 2. The gas generator has a long shape and is connected to a gas generator main body having the gas ejection part at one end and the other end of the gas generator main body, and the air bag cover And an externally disposed harness,
The pressure receiving plate constitutes the main part of the pressure receiving plate, and the pressure receiving main body around which the air bag cover is wound, and the air bag through the window formed in the air bag cover projecting from the pressure receiving main body. The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a hook that is exposed to the outside of the cover and on which the harness is hooked.   The side air bag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressure receiving plate is formed of a resin. The gas generator comprises a gas generator main body having an elongated shape extending in the vertical direction and having the gas ejection part at a lower end portion.
The upper end of the pressure receiving plate is located at the same or lower position than the upper end of the gas generator main body, and the lower end of the pressure receiving plate is located at the same or lower position than the lower end of the gas ejection portion. The side airbag apparatus of any one of 1-5.