JPH09240406A - Air bag - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag which can set its inflating condition according to the seating position, the physique, and the like of an occupant. SOLUTION: An air bag 16 is formed of plural bag form air bag parts 17 and 18 laminated in the up and down direction, allowable to make a gas for inflation flow in from inflator members 24 and 25 respectively. The air bag parts 17 and 18 are jointed each other in the up and down direction, in order to inflate without separating each other in the up and down direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag which is used in an occupant restraint device provided in a vehicle for protecting an occupant and inflates at a predetermined time.

[0002]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag capable of setting an inflated state in accordance with the seating position and physique of an occupant.

[0003]

An airbag according to the present invention is an airbag that is inflated by inflating an inflating gas from an inflator, wherein the inflating gas from the inflator can flow into each of the airbags in a vertical direction. It is formed of a plurality of bag-shaped airbag portions that are laminated on each other, and the airbag portions are joined to each other in the vertical direction so that they can be inflated without being separated from each other in the vertical direction. And

[0004]

The airbag according to the present invention, when inflated,
The plurality of airbag portions arranged in the vertical direction without being separated from each other are inflated.

Therefore, for example, it is possible to change the output of the inflator so that the internal pressure of the lower airbag section becomes higher than the internal pressure of the upper airbag section, or each airbag section has a different internal pressure. It is possible to shift the operating time of each inflator supplying the inflation gas so that the lower airbag section is inflated before the upper airbag section, or vice versa.

With such a setting, for example, even an occupant having a large physique and sitting at a position away from the folded airbag can properly place the airbag portion on the lower side in the vicinity of the abdomen and chest, where the weight is heavy. Therefore, the upper body of the occupant can be properly restrained.

Therefore, in the airbag according to the present invention, the inflated state can be set in accordance with the seating position and the physique of the occupant, and the occupant can be restrained appropriately.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The airbag 16 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an instrument panel 1 in front of a passenger seat of a vehicle.
And is used for the occupant restraint device 7 including the controller 8, the collision sensor 9, the distance sensor 10, the weight sensor 11, the case 13, the inflator 23, and the control valves 27 and 28. ing.

The airbag 16 is composed of two bag-like upper and lower airbag portions 17 and 18 each having a substantially rectangular tube shape. The peripheral wall 17a. The portions of 18a that are in contact with each other in the vertical direction are sewn together and joined. Also,
In order to allow the inflation gas from the inflator 23 to flow into each of the airbag portions 17 and 18, the inlet port 17b
18b is provided. And each inflow port 17b-1
A plurality of mounting holes 17c and 18c used when the airbag 16 is held in the case 13 are formed on the peripheral edge of the 8b.

The attachment of the airbag 16 to the case 13 will be described. Retainers 20 and 21 made of a square annular sheet metal having bolts 20a and 21a that can be inserted into the attachment holes 17c and 18c, and the bolts 20a and 21a. 21a and a nut 14 that can be screwed together are used. Bolts 20a and 21a are inserted into the mounting holes 17c and 18c, respectively, and the retainers 20 and 21 are housed in the airbag portions 17 and 18, respectively. After folding the airbag portions 17 and 18, the bolts 20a and 21a are inserted into the through holes 13e of the case 13 and the nuts 14 are fastened, so that the airbag 16 is closed.
Can be attached to.

The inflator 23 has two cylinder type inflator members 24 with the same gas discharge amount.
.25, each inflator member 24.25
Is equipped with a small amount of explosive that explodes in a fuze, and is also equipped with a chemical that ignites by the combustion of explosive and discharges an inert gas such as nitrogen gas as a gas for inflating the airbag 16. Furthermore, each inflator member 24
Flow rate control valves 27 and 28 capable of electrically controlling the valve open state are connected to 25, and are configured to be able to release a part of the inflation gas to the atmosphere as appropriate. Inflator member 24
Is for inflating the upper airbag portion 17, and the inflator member 25 is for inflating the lower airbag portion 18. Further, 24a and 25a are gas discharge ports of the respective inflator members 24 and 25.

The case 13 is made of sheet metal and has a bottomed box shape. The case 13 has an airbag storage portion 13a capable of storing the folded airbag 16 and each inflator member 24.
Inflator storage section 13b-1 capable of storing and holding 25
3c, and is comprised. And the storage unit 13
A stepped surface 13d provided with the above-described mounting hole 13e is formed at a boundary portion between a and the storage portions 13b and 13c.
The case 13 includes a bracket (not shown) connected to the vehicle frame, and the case 16 and the airbag 16 and the inflator 23 are attached and fixed to the vehicle frame by using the bracket. Becomes

The collision sensor 9 is arranged in the front portion of the vehicle or the like, and is composed of a known strain gauge type / Piazo type accelerometer. The collision sensor 9 always causes the controller 8 to input an electric signal of acceleration after the engine is started.

The distance sensor 10 is arranged at the peripheral portion of the cover 1a of the instrument panel 1 and can measure the distance L0 between the occupant M and the folded airbag 16.
It is composed of known optical sensors and ultrasonic sensors that utilize light and ultrasonic waves. The distance sensor 10 is operated by the controller 8 every predetermined time (for example, every 0.1 seconds), and outputs an electric signal corresponding to the distance L0 to the controller 8.

The weight sensor 11 includes a seat 3 on which an occupant M sits.
It is arranged on the seat portion 3a and is composed of a load cell, a piezoelectric element and the like using a strain gauge capable of measuring the weight of the occupant M. The weight sensor 11 is also operated by the controller 8 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 0.1 second), and outputs an electric signal according to the weight of the occupant sitting on the seat 3a to the controller 8.

The controller 8 is composed of a microcomputer and the like, is arranged at a predetermined position of the vehicle, and has an inflator member 24, 25, a flow control valve 27,
28, collision sensor 9, distance sensor 10, weight sensor 11
Is electrically connected to Then, the electric signal from the collision sensor 9 is subjected to calculation processing, the collision of the vehicle is detected based on the degree of acceleration, and the electric signal from the distance sensor 10 is input to the passenger M from the folded airbag 16.
To the inflator 23 by detecting an electric signal from the weight sensor 11 to detect whether the weight of the occupant M is large, medium or small. It will output a signal.

Specifically, the controller 8 outputs an electric signal to each of the fuzes so as to operate each of the inflator members 24 and 25 in response to the detection of the vehicle collision by the collision sensor 9, and the occupant M and Depending on the large / medium / small distance L0 with the folded airbag 16 and the large / medium / small weight of the occupant M, each airbag portion 17 /
The flow rate control valves 27 and 28 are controlled so that the internal pressure of 18 becomes the state shown in Table 1 below. It should be noted that the control of the flow control valves 27 and 28 of the controller 8 is always performed by determining whether the electric signals from the distance sensor 10 and the weight sensor 11 are large, medium, or small if they are input. ing.

[0019]

[Table 1]

In the embodiment, the distance L0 is large, medium, and small, and 600 mm or more is large, 200 mm or less is small, and the interval is medium. Large, medium, and small weights are 70 kg or more as large, 50 kg or less as small, and the range between them is medium.

Further, the large, medium and small internal pressures of the air bag parts 17 and 18 are performed by adjusting the amount of expansion gas released from the flow control valves 27 and 28 to the atmosphere. The flow control valves 27 and 28 are fully closed, the small flow control valves 27 and 28 are half open, and the middle is the flow control valves 27 and 28 are 1/4 open.

In the occupant restraint system 7 of this embodiment, as described above, the controller 8 first determines the collision of the vehicle based on the electric signal from the collision sensor 9 during the collision. At that time, the controller 8 inputs the latest electric signals from the distance sensor 10 and the weight sensor 11, and determines whether the distance L0 between the occupant M and the folded airbag 16 is large / medium / small, and the weight of the occupant M. The flow rate control valves 27 and 28 are controlled so that the internal pressures of the upper and lower airbag members 17 and 18 are already in the states shown in Table 1 by determining whether the flow rate control valves 27 and 28 are large or medium. Then, an operation signal is output to the inflator members 24 and 25.

As a result, the upper and lower airbag members 17 and 18
Means that the cover 1a of the inflator 1 is opened and the inflator 1 is inflated at a predetermined internal pressure. For example, in the case of an occupant M having a large physique and sitting at a position away from the folded airbag 16, the lower airbag is The internal pressure of the portion 18 can be made higher than the internal pressure of the upper airbag portion 17, and the lower abdomen portion 18 can be accurately restrained in the vicinity of the abdomen and chest, which are heavy, and the upper body of the large-sized occupant M can be accurately restrained. Will be able to be restrained.

On the contrary, in the case of the occupant M having a small physique and sitting near the folded airbag 16, both the internal pressures of the upper and lower airbag portions 17 and 18 can be reduced. The upper half of the occupant M such as a small infant can be restrained appropriately.

Of course, since the airbag 16 is joined to the airbag portions 17 and 18 without being separated from each other in the vertical direction, even if the occupant M is restrained, they are not separated and the occupant M is not hindered. Can be restrained.

Therefore, in the airbag 16 of the embodiment, the internal pressures of the upper and lower airbag portions 17 and 18 can be set according to the seating position and the physique of the occupant M, and the occupant M can be restrained appropriately. It will be possible.

In the airbag 16 of the embodiment, the two airbag portions 17 and 18 are arranged at the upper and lower sides, but an inflator member corresponding to the number of each airbag portion may be used. The bag may be composed of three or more airbag parts.

Further, in the air bag 16 of the embodiment, the case where the air bag 16 is used in the occupant restraint device 7 for adjusting the internal pressure of the upper and lower air bag parts 17 and 18 has been described.
And the inflator section 24 for inflating the upper and lower airbag sections 17 and 18 by changing the control of the controller 8
The occupant M may be restrained by adjusting the operation time of 25.

That is, the controller 8 calculates and processes the electric signal from the collision sensor 9, and according to the degree of acceleration,
While detecting a vehicle collision, an electric signal from the distance sensor 10 is input to detect whether the distance L0 from the folded airbag 16 to the occupant M is large, medium or small.
The electric signal from the weight sensor 11 is input to detect whether the weight of the occupant M is large, medium or small, and the inflator member 24.
25, an electric signal for gas discharge is output with a time difference.

More specifically, the controller 8 outputs an electric signal to each of the fuzes when the collision sensor 9 detects the collision of the vehicle, and the distance L0 between the occupant M and the folded airbag 16 is large. The respective inflator members 24 and 25 are operated in the states shown in the following Table 2 in accordance with medium / small and large / medium / small weight of the occupant M.

[0031]

[Table 2]

The distance L0 is large / medium / small and the weight is large.
Medium and small are the same as those described above, and the inflator member 24
・ For 25, the output is about the same, but in the early stage, 5 ms from the reference time
It operates earlier and the slower operates 5 ms later than the reference time.

In such an occupant restraint system 30, at the time of a collision, the controller 8 first determines the collision of the vehicle based on the electric signal from the collision sensor 9. At that time, the controller 8 inputs the latest electric signal from the distance sensor 10 and the weight sensor 11, and the distance L0 between the occupant M and the folded airbag 16 is already large, medium, and small. Since it is determined that the weight of the occupant M is large / medium / small, a time difference as shown in Table 2 is provided for the inflator members 24 and 25, and the operation signal is output.

As a result, the upper and lower airbag members 17 and 18
Is inflated with a desired time lag, and for example, the airbag 16 having a large physique and folded
In the case of the occupant M sitting at a position far away from the vehicle, it is possible to delay the start of inflation of the lower airbag portion 18 and the start of inflation of the upper airbag portion 17, both of which are lighter than the heavier abdomen and chest area. The head side, which is easy to move, can be properly restrained by the upper airbag portion 17, and the upper half of the large occupant M can be restrained appropriately.

On the contrary, in the case of the occupant M having a small size and sitting near the folded airbag 16, it is possible to accelerate the start of inflation of the upper and lower airbag portions 17, 18. This makes it possible to properly restrain the upper body of the occupant M, such as a small infant, which is lightweight and easy to move.

The upper and lower airbag parts 17 as described above are
The upper and lower airbag parts 17 and 18 may be controlled by combining the control of inflating the .18 with a time lag and the above-described internal pressure adjustment of the upper and lower airbag parts 17 and 18.

Further, in the embodiment, the case where the airbag 16 is formed by mutually sewing the bag-shaped airbag members 17 and 18 together is shown. However, the airbag 3 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a partition wall 38 is provided inside one bag-shaped bag body 37.
May be provided to form the two upper and lower airbag members 39 and 40.

Further, like an airbag 46 shown in FIG. 4, a base cloth 48 forming an upper airbag portion 47 is sewn around the outer periphery of a bag body 50 forming a bag-shaped lower airbag portion 49. The airbag portions 47 and 49 may be formed on the upper and lower sides. Of course, in this case, the vertical positional relationship may be reversed.

Furthermore, as the inflator to be supplied to each airbag portion, one inflator 43 may be used as shown in FIG. This inflator 4
In No. 3, the diffuser 44 that restricts the flow of the expansion gas is arranged around the inflator 43, and the expansion gas discharged from the gas discharge port 43a of the inflator 43 is provided in the diffuser 44.
The upper and lower airbag parts 3 can be set by setting the arrangement position of b and the opening area.
It is configured to adjust the internal pressure of 9.40. That is, the expansion gas having a low pressure flows through the inflow port 39a which is arranged at a position distant from the gas discharge port 43a or communicates with the gas flow hole 44a having a small opening area, and the gas flow hole 44b opposite to the gas flow hole 44b. Inflow port 40a communicating with
A high-pressure expansion gas will flow through this.

Further, in the case of using one inflator, as shown in FIG. 4, the inflating gas supplied from the inflator 53 is guided to the gas supply pipe 54 which branches depending on the number of the airbag parts, and the gas is supplied. The pressure of the gas flowing through the inflow ports 47a and 49a may be adjusted by adjusting the flow dividing valve 55 provided in the supply pipe 54. This shunt valve 55
When the control is performed by the controller 8 described in the embodiment, the internal pressures of the upper and lower airbag parts 47 and 49 can be easily adjusted.

Further, in each of the embodiments, the passenger's seat airbag 16.3 used in the instrument panel 1 is used.
6 and 46 have been described, the present invention may be applied to an airbag provided in a steering wheel or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an occupant restraint system in which an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention is used.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a mode of use of the airbag of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a usage aspect of another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a mode of use of yet another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 16.36.46 ... airbag, 17.39.47 ... upper airbag part, 18.40.49 ... lower airbag part, 23.43.53 ... inflator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An airbag that inflates by inflating an inflation gas from an inflator, wherein the inflation gas from the inflator is allowed to flow in a plurality of vertically stacked bag-shaped airbag portions. And an air bag part, wherein the air bag parts are joined to each other in the vertical direction so that the air bag parts can be inflated in the vertical direction without being separated from each other.