JPH0995200A - Occupant protection device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely protect an occupant when applied by a fixed high load while favorably maintaining appearance quality, and simplify the construction. SOLUTION: A cushioning body 28 made of a foaming body and provided with a gas inflow part 36 expanding the rear part 28A by letting jet gas from an inflator 22 flow in is fixed to a base member 18, faced to the opening face of the opening part 16 of an instrument panel 12 so as to be almost flush with it, and further the cushioning body 28 is almost tightly received in a bag 40 provided with a loosening part 46 and fixed with the base member 18. Consequently, usually a bag rear part 40A functions as a design face, and at being applied by a high load, the rear part 28A of the cushioning body 28 is expanded by inflow of gas, so as to protect the knee of an occupant. In addition, fixing between the bag rear part 40A and the rear part 28A of the cushioning body 28 becomes unnecessary so as to simplify the construction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device for protecting an occupant when a high load acts on a predetermined portion of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various types of vehicle occupant protection devices (to be exact, vehicle occupant protection auxiliary devices), but in recent years, gas is ejected from an inflator when a predetermined high load is applied. An airbag device that absorbs energy at the time of contact with an occupant by inflating the bag by the gas pressure is widely used.

As this type of airbag device, an airbag device for a driver's seat, which is currently mounted on a steering wheel, and an instrument panel (hereinafter, simply abbreviated as "instrument panel") are disposed on the passenger side. Airbag devices for passenger seats that have been installed have become mainstream, but recently, application of other airbag devices has been considered. For example, it is disposed in a seat back or the like, and is disposed in a headrest or an airbag device for a side collision in which a bag is interposed between the body side portion of an occupant and a side door when a high load is applied to the vehicle side portion. When a high load is applied to the rear part of the vehicle, an airbag device for a rear-end collision in which a bag is interposed between the occupant's head and headrest, and a high load effect on the front part of the vehicle, which is arranged under the instrument panel At times, knee protector-like airbag devices for protecting the knees of occupants are being studied, and some of them have been put to practical use.

In the following, a conventional technique will be described by taking an airbag device used as a knee protector as an example.

FIG. 5 shows an airbag device 100 of this type.
The horizontal cross-section structure of is shown. As shown in this figure, a substantially rectangular opening 104 is formed in the lower portion of the instrument panel 102 on the driver's seat side. This opening 10
Inside the case 4, a substantially box-shaped case 106 is arranged. The case 106 is fixed to the body component member by a fixing means (not shown). At the center of the bottom portion 106A of the case 106, a bulging portion 106B that is provided along the case height direction (generally the vehicle vertical direction) and bulges toward the vehicle front side is integrally formed. The bulging portion 106B has a semicircular cross section. A columnar inflator 108 that ejects gas toward the vehicle rear side when a high load is applied to the vehicle front portion is installed in the bulging portion 106B.

The rear end portions of the both side portions 106C of the case 106 are located inside the opening 104 of the instrument panel 102, and the opening located on the rear end side of the case 106 also functions as a part of the instrument panel 102. It is releasably closed by a substantially rectangular flat panel 110. A bag 112 folded in the vehicle front-rear direction is housed between the panel 110 and the bottom portion 106A of the case 106.

More specifically, the bag 112 is provided with an opening 114 of a predetermined shape at a portion on the vehicle front side thereof.
A narrow contact plate 116 is applied to the surface of the peripheral portion of the opening 114 on the vehicle rear side.
6 and the bottom portion 106A of the case 106 are fastened by rivets 118. As a result, the peripheral portion of the opening 114 of the bag 112 is fixed in a state of being sandwiched between the bottom portion 106A of the case 106 and the backing plate 116.
Further, the contact plate 120 is also applied to the surface of the bag 112 on the vehicle rear side of the vehicle rear side, and in this state, the contact plate 120 and the panel 110 are rivets 122.
Has been concluded by As a result, the portion of the bag 112 on the vehicle rear side is fixed while being sandwiched between the panel 110 and the contact plate 120.

With the above structure, when a predetermined high load is applied to the front portion of the vehicle, the inflator 108 is activated and gas is ejected toward the rear side of the vehicle. Therefore, the bag 112 is inflated by the gas ejected from the inflator 108, and the panel 110 is moved to the vehicle rear side. As a result, the knee of the occupant that has moved inertially contacts the panel 110, elastically supports the knee by the panel 110 and the bag 112, absorbs energy, and further reduces the amount of inertial movement of the knee forward of the vehicle. Reduce.

Here, in a general air bag device, in order to store and hold the folded bag in a base member such as a case or a plate, the opening of the case is closed by an expandable air bag door (lid) ( (A structure used in passenger side airbag devices, side impact airbag devices), or a thin wall portion for breaking to make the plate substantially box-shaped and deployable is covered with a wheel pad provided on the surface. (Structure adopted in the airbag device for the driver's seat) and the like are often adopted. The surface of the airbag door constitutes a design surface together with the surface of the instrument panel, and the surface of the wheel pad itself constitutes a design surface.

However, the airbag device 100 described above is used.
In this case, since the protection target is the occupant's knee, the protection range may be very narrow. For this reason, it is not always possible to "deploy" like airbag doors and wheel pads.
From the viewpoint of facilitating production, etc.,
Rather, it is preferable to adopt a configuration that does not "deploy". Therefore, in the above configuration, by fixing the panel 110, which also functions as a part of the instrument panel 102, to the bag 112, while maintaining good appearance quality under normal conditions, the panel 110 can be used together with the bag 112 during high load operation. It is configured to move to the rear side of the vehicle.

However, if the above configuration is adopted, the following new problems will occur. That is, in the case of the above configuration, a plurality of contact plates 120 and a plurality of rivets 1
Since the portion of the bag 112 on the vehicle rear side needs to be fixed to the panel 110 using 22, the number of parts is increased. Therefore, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and the assembling work becomes complicated.

To supplement this point, when the panel 110 described above is made of a soft material, the uneven shape of the bag 112 in the folded state appears on the surface of the panel 110, and the appearance quality of the instrument panel 102 including the panel 110 is improved. It may decrease. Therefore, the panel 110 has a two-layer structure of a hard material layer arranged on the side of the bag 112 and a soft material layer arranged on the side of the vehicle interior for absorbing energy, thereby maintaining both appearance quality and occupant protection performance. It may be possible to adopt a method of However, if this configuration is adopted, the number of parts is further increased, and the above-mentioned problems such as complicated structure and complicated assembling work are promoted.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention is capable of reliably protecting an occupant when a predetermined high load is applied while maintaining good appearance quality, and further simplification of the structure. The aim is to obtain a protective device.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle occupant protection device, which is arranged near a seating space for an occupant, has a predetermined strength, and is fixed to the base member. , An inflator that ejects gas when a high load acts on a predetermined portion of a vehicle, a bag whose open end side is fixed to a base member, and a surface on the passenger seating space side that is housed in the bag as a design surface or The bag surface located on the side of the occupant seating space is configured as a design forming surface for making the design surface, and the end portion on the base member side is further fixed to the peripheral portion of the inflator of the base member so that the gas from the inflator And a buffer for inflating a portion including the surface on the passenger seating space side by the inflow to the passenger seating space side.

A vehicle occupant protection system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection system according to the first aspect of the invention, in which the bag is surrounded by the bag in a substantially close manner and a predetermined slack margin is provided in the bag. It is characterized in that it has a slack portion.

A vehicle occupant protection system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection system according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the cushioning body is made of foam having a predetermined hardness and a predetermined wall thickness. , Is characterized.

A vehicle occupant protection system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle occupant protection system according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which gas from an inflator is introduced into the cushioning body to seat the occupant. A gas inflow portion for applying an inflation gas pressure to a portion including a surface on the space side, a first inflow portion formed along a surface direction of the surface on the passenger seating space side,
It is characterized in that it is configured to include a second inflow portion that is provided substantially orthogonal to the inflow portion and that connects the approximately central portion of the first inflow portion and the inflator surrounding space.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a normal state, the surface of the shock absorber on the passenger seating space side functions as a design surface or the bag surface positioned on the surface on the passenger seating space side. It functions as a design forming surface to be a design surface. Therefore, it is possible to maintain good appearance quality.

On the other hand, when a high load acts on a predetermined portion of the vehicle, gas is ejected from the inflator. Therefore, the gas ejected from the inflator flows into the cushioning body, and the portion of the cushioning body including the surface on the passenger seating space side is inflated to the passenger seating space side. As a result, the occupant's knee, for example, comes into contact with the expanded cushioning body, and the contact load at this time is absorbed by the cushioning body. As a result, the occupant can be reliably protected when a predetermined high load is applied.

Further, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned cushioning body is housed in a bag whose open end side is fixed to the base member, and the inflator in the base member has an end portion on the base member side of the cushioning body. Since it is fixed to the peripheral portion, it is not necessary to fix the cushioning body and the bag to each other as in the conventional structure. Therefore, the number of parts for fixing can be reduced, and the structure can be simplified and the assembling work can be simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the cushioning body is surrounded by the bag substantially tightly and the slack portion having a predetermined slacking margin is provided in the bag, the expansion amount of the cushioning body is larger than that of the bag. Length of slack (that is, slack margin)
Is limited to In other words, the looseness of the bag functions as a strap that has been frequently used in the conventional airbag device for the driver's seat. Therefore, by adjusting the setting of the slack margin of the slack portion, it is possible to adjust the expansion amount of the cushioning body that affects the energy absorption performance.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the buffer body is made of foam having a predetermined hardness and a predetermined wall thickness, the amount of gas required for expansion can be adjusted by adjusting the hardness and the wall thickness. Can be reduced. Furthermore, by adjusting the gas pressure of the gas ejected from the inflator and the hardness and wall thickness of the buffer, the buffer can be expanded easily and appropriately.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the gas inflow portion for injecting the gas from the inflator into the buffer body and exerting the inflation gas pressure on the portion including the surface on the occupant seating space side is provided with the gas inflow portion. A first inflow portion formed along the surface direction of the surface on the seating space side, a substantially central portion of the first inflow portion and the inflator surrounding space which are provided substantially orthogonal to the first inflow portion. The second inflow portion communicating with the first inflow portion, which is formed along the surface of the buffer body on the passenger seating space side after the gas ejected from the inflator flows in from the second inflow portion. Is flowed into. Therefore, a uniform gas pressure can be applied to a portion of the shock absorber including the surface on the passenger seating space side, and the portion of the shock absorber can be uniformly expanded to the passenger seating space side. Therefore, the energy absorption performance can be improved.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the knee protecting airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment.
Further, FIG. 1 shows a horizontal sectional structure of the knee airbag device 10 in plan view. As shown in these drawings, a substantially rectangular opening 1 is formed in the lower portion of the instrument panel 12 on the driver side (below the installation site of the key cylinder 14).
6 is formed, and an airbag device 10 for knee protection is arranged so as to face the opening 16.

The knee-protecting airbag device 10 is provided with a base member 18 having a predetermined strength, which is arranged on the rear side of the opening 16 in the instrument panel 12 (on the front side of the vehicle). The base member 18 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and a vehicle body side structural member (for example,
It is fixed to a high strength member such as a pipe-shaped instrument panel reinforcement arranged with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction via a not-shown stay or the like. Further, a bulging portion 18A having a substantially semicircular cross section that bulges toward the vehicle front side is formed in the center portion in the width direction of the base member 18,
A columnar inflator 22 is fixed to a surface of the bulging portion 18A on the vehicle rear side (on the side of the occupant seating space of the driver's seat) via a supporting member 20 having an arc-shaped cross section.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inflator 22 is formed in a columnar shape whose longitudinal direction is the height direction of the base member 18 (vertical direction of the vehicle), and a plurality of gas ejection ports are provided on the rear end side of the peripheral wall thereof. 24 are formed at equal intervals along the axis. Further, a known mechanical ignition type sensor (acceleration sensor) is arranged at the lower end of the inflator 22.

The sensor 26 is, for example, a ball that inertially moves when a predetermined high load is applied to the front part of the vehicle (during rapid deceleration of the vehicle), and a drive shaft (trigger shaft) that is swung by the inertial movement of the ball. ), A firing pin locked to the drive shaft and biased by a spring, and a bias pin that pushes the drive shaft with a biasing force to push the ball in the direction opposite to the inertial movement direction. Is configured as. In addition, the inflator 22 includes a sensor 26 as an example.
Detects a high load action state, the detonator pierced by the firing pin, the transfer agent that propagates the flame of this detonator, and the flame transferred through the transfer agent burns to generate gas. Gas generating agent, a coolant for cooling, a filter for removing debris of the gas generating agent after combustion,
Is configured as a main component. Although the above-described configuration example is a mechanical ignition type, the configuration is not limited to this, and an electric ignition type configuration may be adopted. It is also possible to use a gas cylinder type inflator in which a high-pressure gas is enclosed without using a gas generating agent.

On the vehicle rear side of the above-mentioned base member 18, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped cushioning member 28 is arranged.
The buffer 28 is made of a foam having a predetermined hardness (specifically, polyurethane sponge or the like). In addition, the thickness of the buffer body 28 in the vehicle front-rear direction is determined by the base member 1
The thickness from the surface of the vehicle rear side 8 to the opening surface of the opening 16 of the instrument panel 12 is set substantially. Further, the rear end surface 28B (the rear end surface 2) in the rear portion 28A of the buffer body 28 is
8B corresponds to the "passenger seating space side surface" in claim 1)
Is a flat surface that is substantially flush with the design surface 12A of the instrument panel 12. Therefore, the buffer body 2 in the present embodiment
The rear end surface 28B of No. 8 corresponds to the "design forming surface" in claim 1.

Further, inside the above-mentioned buffer 28,
A gas inflow portion 34, which is composed of the first inflow portion 30 and the second inflow portion 32 and has a substantially T-shape in a sectional view, is formed.
The first inflow portion 30 is formed along the surface direction of the rear end surface 28B of the buffer body 28, and both side portions in the width direction are closed ends, while both side portions in the up-down direction are open ends.
The second inflow portion 32 is formed orthogonally to the first inflow portion 30, and connects the central portion of the first inflow portion 30 and the space on the gas ejection port 24 side of the inflator 22. . It should be noted that both vertical portions of the first inflow portion 30 are also open ends. However, the configuration is not limited to the above, and a configuration may be adopted in which the upper and lower ends of the gas inflow portion 34 including the first inflow portion 30 and the second inflow portion 32 are used as closed ends to completely surround the inflator 22.

Further, a concave portion 36 for surrounding the inflator 22 excluding the upper and lower ends is formed in the central portion of the buffer member 28 on the base member 18 side. Then, at a portion of the cushioning body 28 near the concave portion 36, the neighboring portion is fixed to the base member 18 by a rivet 38.

The above-mentioned cushion 28 is covered with a bag 40 shown in FIG. Bag 40
The bag rear portion 40A is formed in a substantially box-like shape capable of covering the cushioning body 28 and is in close contact with the rear end surface 28B of the cushioning body 28.
And four bag side portions 40B extending from the peripheral portion of the bag rear portion 40A toward the vehicle front side. The seams of the adjacent bag side portions 40B are made airtight by a connecting means such as stitching.

Further, a plurality of insertion holes 42 are formed in the end portion 40B 'on the opening end side of the bag side portion 40B, and the insertion hole 42 is formed on the back surface of the end portion 40B' on the opening end side.
In order to reinforce the surroundings, a narrow pad plate 44 is fixed in advance. Further, each bag side portion 40B is folded back at the position shown by the broken line and temporarily fixed by a suture thread (not shown). Hereinafter, this folded back portion (a portion between adjacent broken lines) is referred to as a "slack portion 46". The base member 18 and the backing plate 44 are fastened together by the rivets 48 in a state where the cushioning body 28 is accommodated in the bag 40 having the above configuration. Thereby, the end portion 40 of the bag 40 on the opening end side
B'is fixed in a state of being sandwiched between the contact plate 44 and the base member 18. In addition, when the bag 40 is fixed to the base member 18, the surface of the bag rear portion 40A is flush with the design surface of the instrument panel 12.

Further, in the present embodiment, as the material of the above-mentioned bag 40, a synthetic leather material having excellent airtightness and heat resistance is used. This is the rear end face 28 of the buffer body 28.
The surface of the bag rear portion 40A that is in close contact with B is attached to the instrument panel 1
This is to function as a design surface that is in line with the design surface of 2 or as a design surface for attaching an accent.
For example, when the surface of the bag rear portion 40A is used as the former design surface, a synthetic leather material, a cloth material, a synthetic resin material or the like having the same appearance configuration as that of the design surface of the instrument panel 12 such as color, so-called grain pattern, etc. can be used. used.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. During normal times when a high load equal to or greater than a predetermined value does not act on the front portion of the vehicle, the sensor 26 does not detect a high load acting state.
Does not work either. Therefore, the bag rear portion 40A of the bag 40, which is in close contact with the rear end surface 28B of the cushioning body 28, is exposed to the inside of the vehicle compartment and serves as a design surface for aligning the gauge with the instrument panel 12 or for providing an accent.

From this state, when a predetermined high load is applied to the front portion of the vehicle, the sensor 26 detects the high load acting state, and the inflator 22 operates. Therefore, gas is ejected from the gas ejection port 24 of the inflator 22. Here, the gas ejection surface of the inflator 22 is the buffer 2
8 and the bag 40 are airtight, so that the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 24 is in the second portion of the gas inflow portion 34.
It flows in from the inflow part 32 and further flows into the first inflow part 30. Therefore, the first inflow portion 30 of the buffer body 28 expands, and a high tension is applied to the bag side portion 40B. Therefore, the suture thread that sews the slack portion 46 of the bag 40 and the bag side portion 40B is cut, and the slack portion 46 is extended, and as shown in FIG. It is inflated to the passenger seating space side. As a result, the knee of the occupant abuts on the rear portion 28A of the inflated cushioning body 28, and the abutment load at this time is absorbed by the cushioning body 28. As a result, the knees of the occupant can be reliably protected when a predetermined high load is applied to the front portion of the vehicle.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the rear end surface 28B is substantially positioned on the opening surface of the opening portion 16 of the instrument panel 12 in the normal state, and the gas flows into the rear portion 28A due to the inflow of gas when a high load is applied.
The cushion 28 for swelling the passenger to the seating space side is provided with the bag 40.
Since it is configured to be housed in the inside of the container substantially tightly, the following effects can be obtained.

First, the buffer member 28 is housed in the bag 40 in which the end portion 40B 'on the opening end side is fixed to the base member 18, and the rivet is provided in the buffer member 28 near the recess 36. At 38, the vicinity portion is attached to the base member 1
Since it is fixed to 8, the buffer 28
It is not necessary to fix the bag and the bag 40 to each other independently. Therefore, the number of parts for fixing can be reduced, and the structure can be simplified and the assembling work can be simplified. Regarding this point, in the present embodiment as well, since the total number of fixed parts is four (see FIG. 1) in cross section, when compared with the conventional structure,
There may be a view that the number of fixed parts does not change, only the selection of fixed parts is different. However, the number of parts is small because the patch plate 120 used in the conventional structure is not necessary even if simply viewed. Further, according to the present embodiment, by extending the end portion 40B ′ on the opening end side of the bag 40 to the inflator 22 side, the buffer body 28, the end portion 40B ′ on the opening end side, and the base are formed using only the rivet 38. Since it is possible to fasten the member 18 together, it is inevitable that the number of parts can be further reduced and the structure can be simplified in consideration of this point.

Second, the buffer 28 is provided with the gas inflow portion 34, and the inflator 2 is operated when a predetermined high load is applied to the front portion of the vehicle.
By injecting the gas ejected from No. 2 into the gas inflow portion 34, the rear portion 28A of the cushioning body 28 is inflated to the passenger seating space side, so the knee of the occupant who has made inertial movement is inflated. It can be elastically supported by the buffer body 28. As a result, the contact load when the occupant's knee abuts can be effectively absorbed, and the occupant's knee can be reliably protected when a predetermined high load acts on the front part of the vehicle. In particular, since the key cylinder 14 is arranged on the driver's seat side of the instrument panel 12, from the viewpoint of avoiding the knees of the occupant from abutting the vicinity of the lower portion where the key cylinder 14 is arranged, the embodiment of the present embodiment is described. Key cylinder 1
It is a useful means to protect the knees of the occupant by disposing the airbag device 10 for protecting the knees under the knees 4.

Thirdly, in a normal state, the bag rear portion 40A closely attached to the rear end surface 28B of the cushioning body 28 is exposed to the inside of the vehicle compartment, and the bag rear portion 40A is used to align or accent the instrument panel 12. It becomes a design side.
Therefore, good appearance quality can be maintained.

Generally speaking, according to the airbag device 10 for knee protection according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably protect the occupant when a predetermined high load is applied while maintaining a good appearance quality. It can be said that the structure can be simplified.

Next, some other effects of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the bag 40 is provided with the slack portion 46 having a predetermined slack margin, and the expansion of the slack portion 46 limits the expansion amount of the rear portion 28A of the cushioning body 28. Depending on the setting, the expansion amount of the rear portion 28A of the buffer body 28 can be arbitrarily adjusted. In other words, the slack portion 46 of the bag 40 can function as a strap that has been frequently used in a conventional airbag device for a driver's seat. Therefore, by adjusting the setting of the slack margin of the slack portion 46, it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the expansion amount of the rear portion 28A of the buffer body 28 that affects the energy absorption performance.

Further, in this embodiment, since the buffer 28 is made of foam, the amount of gas required for expansion can be reduced by adjusting the hardness and wall thickness of the buffer 28. Further, by adjusting the gas pressure of the gas ejected from the inflator 22 and the hardness and thickness of the buffer body 28, the buffer body 28 can be easily and properly expanded.

Further, in this embodiment, the gas inflow portion 34 for inflating the rear portion 28A of the buffer 28 is formed with the first inflow portion 30 formed along the surface direction of the rear end surface 28B.
Since it is configured to include the second inflow portion 32 that is provided substantially orthogonal to the first inflow portion 30 and that connects the substantially central portion of the first inflow portion 30 and the surrounding space of the inflator 22, the buffer is provided. A uniform gas pressure can be applied to the rear portion 28A of the body 28. Therefore, the rear portion 28A of the cushioning body 28 can be uniformly expanded toward the passenger seating space. Therefore, the energy absorption performance can be improved.

In this embodiment, the rear end surface 28B of the buffer 28 is designed so that the actual design surface is the bag rear portion 40A.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rear portion 40A of the bag may be made of a transparent material and the rear end surface 28B of the cushioning body 28 itself may be used as a direct design surface.

Further, in the present embodiment, the shock absorber 28 is fixed to the base member 18 by the rivet 38, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the key member is projected from the base member 18, and the shock absorber 28 is attached to the key member. You may take the structure etc. which lock.

Further, in the present embodiment, the slack portion 46 of the bag 40 is sewn to the bag side portion 40B with the suture thread, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the slack portion 46 may be formed by using a double-sided tape or an adhesive. May be temporarily fixed to the bag side portion 40B, or the slack portion 46 may be temporarily fixed to the base member 18 by using a shearing pin or the like that shears with a load of a predetermined value or more.

Further, in the present embodiment, the second inflow portion 32 for allowing the gas to flow into the first inflow portion 30 is provided at one place.
Not limited to this, it is possible to adopt various configurations such as radially providing the second inflow portions 32 at a plurality of locations.

Further, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the airbag device 10 for knee protection described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and when a predetermined high load acts on the vehicle side portion (side door). The present invention may be applied to an airbag device for side collision for protecting the upper body side part of an occupant (in this case, the thinned airbag device having the above-mentioned configuration may be installed in the door trim. The airbag device for rear-end collision for protecting the occupant's head when a predetermined high load is applied to the rear part of the vehicle (in this case, the thinned airbag device having the above-described configuration or the like is provided in the headrest. Good).

[0050]

As described above, the vehicle occupant protection device according to the present invention can reliably protect the occupant when a predetermined high load is applied while maintaining good appearance quality, and has a simple structure. It has an excellent effect that it can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an airbag device for knee protection according to the present embodiment.

2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a state in which the airbag device shown in FIG. 1 is operated.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the bag used in the present embodiment alone.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a state in which the airbag device for knee protection shown in FIG. 1 is attached to an instrument panel.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of an airbag device for protecting a knee according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of Codes] 10 knee protection airbag device (vehicle occupant protection device) 18 base member 22 inflator 28 cushioning body 28A rear part (a part including a face on the occupant seating space side) 28B rear end face (passenger seating space side) Surface 30 30 first inflow portion 32 second inflow portion 34 gas inflow portion 40 bag 40A bag rear portion (bag surface located on the surface of the passenger seating space side) 46 slack portion

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A base member arranged near a seating space for an occupant and having a predetermined strength, an inflator fixed to the base member and injecting gas when a high load acts on a predetermined portion of a vehicle, and a base member. A bag whose open end side is fixed to the bag, and a design in which the surface of the occupant seating space side that is housed in the bag is the design surface or the bag surface located on the occupant seating space side surface is the design surface. The base member side end portion is fixed to the inflator surrounding portion of the base member, and a portion including the passenger seating space side surface is inflated to the passenger seating space side by the inflow of gas from the inflator. A vehicle occupant protection device comprising: a shock absorber. 2. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning body is surrounded by the bag in a substantially close manner, and a slack portion having a predetermined slacking margin is provided in the bag. . 3. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning body is made of foam having a predetermined hardness and a predetermined thickness. 4. A gas inflow portion for causing a gas from an inflator to flow into the cushioning body and exerting an inflation gas pressure on a portion including a surface of the passenger seating space side is a surface direction of the surface of the passenger seating space side. A first inflow portion formed along the first inflow portion, and the first inflow portion being provided substantially orthogonal to the first inflow portion.
The vehicle occupant protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second inflow portion that communicates a substantially central portion of the inflow portion with a space around the inflator.