CN118574753A - Safety airbag device for driver's seat - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a driver's seat airbag device that can suppress the damage to the driver with a simple structure. The airbag cushion (108) of the vehicle airbag device (100) includes: a rear panel (122) located on the steering wheel (106) side; a front panel (120) located on the driver (104) side and restraining the driver (166); and a side panel (124) connecting the edge of the rear panel (122) and the edge of the front panel (120) to form the side of the airbag cushion (108). The front panel (120) includes an annular annular panel (138) and fan-shaped fan-shaped panels (140), (142), and the arc portion (146) of the fan-shaped panels (140), (142) is connected to the inner peripheral portion of the annular panel (138). The airbag cushion (108) further includes an internal tether (144) that pulls the sector panel (140) toward the rear panel (122) side inside the airbag cushion (108).

Description

Driver's airbag device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a safety airbag device for a driver's seat arranged on a vehicle steering wheel.

Background Art

Currently, almost all vehicles have a standard driver's airbag on their steering wheels. The airbag cushion of the driver's airbag is housed in the center hub of the steering wheel, and the expansion pressure ruptures the resin cover and expands in front of the occupant.

The above-mentioned airbag cushion needs to restrain the occupant more efficiently. The inventors of the present application focused on the fact that the rotation of the occupant's head easily puts a burden on the body due to the human body structure, and developed an airbag cushion that can restrain the occupant's head effectively while suppressing the rotation of the occupant's head.

For example, it has been found that when an oblique collision occurs, that is, a collision occurs in a direction oblique to the traveling direction, the occupant enters the airbag cushion obliquely and the head is easily rotated. In view of this, as disclosed in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, the present applicant discloses a technology for forming a recess 114 in the center of the occupant side of the airbag cushion 104 using an internal tether 116.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-37382.

Summary of the invention

Problem to be solved by the invention

In the technique of Patent Document 1, components such as a central base fabric 118 and three internal tethers 116 are used to form the recess 114. In addition to this technique, a technique for forming a recess equivalent to the recess 114 with a simpler component structure is currently being developed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driver's seat airbag device capable of suppressing the injury value to the driver with a simple structure.

Means used to solve problems

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the representative structure of the driver's seat airbag device involved in the present invention is that it includes: an inflator installed in the vehicle steering wheel, and an airbag cushion housed in the steering wheel together with the inflator and receiving gas from the inflator to expand and unfold toward the driver, characterized in that the airbag cushion includes: a rear panel, which is located on the steering wheel side; a front panel, which is located on the driver's side and restrains the driver; a side panel, which connects the edge of the rear panel and the edge of the front panel to constitute the side of the airbag cushion, the front panel includes: an annular annular panel, and, one or more fan-shaped fan-shaped panels, the arc portion of the fan-shaped panel is connected to the inner peripheral portion of the annular panel, and the airbag cushion also includes an internal tether, which pulls the fan-shaped panel toward the rear panel side inside the airbag cushion.

According to the above structure, by pulling the sector panel through the internal tether, a conical recess can be efficiently formed in the center of the front panel. When the driver enters the oblique front due to an oblique collision, the recess can suppress the rotation of the head compared to the case where the driver is restrained by a simple plane. Therefore, according to the above structure, the driver can be restrained while further reducing the damage value to the driver.

In addition, according to the above structure, the recess can be formed with a simple structure using the fan-shaped panel and the internal tether. Therefore, the use of materials such as the panel can be reduced through the above structure, and the cost can be reduced by lightweighting and improving the material yield. In addition, the airbag cushion can be folded more compactly for storage.

The one or more fan-shaped panels may be provided in plurality, and the straight line portions of the plurality of fan-shaped panels may be connected to each other.

By using the above-mentioned one or more fan-shaped panels, a conical recess can be efficiently formed.

One end of the internal tether may be connected to a portion of a central corner of one or more sector-shaped panels.

According to the above structure, by pulling the central corner portion of the sector-shaped panel with the internal tether, the conical recess can be efficiently formed.

The internal tether mentioned above may be formed integrally with the sector panel.

The sector panel can also be efficiently pulled toward the rear panel according to the above-mentioned internal tether.

The side panel may be in the shape of an annular sector, that is, it has a larger arc on the front panel side.

By forming the side portion of the airbag cushion with the side panel, it is possible to suppress unnecessary expansion and realize the airbag cushion in a shape in which the diameter gradually expands toward the driver.

The side panel may be a combination of a plurality of sub-panels.

The side portion of the airbag cushion may also be appropriately formed by joining the plurality of sub-panels described above.

The inner peripheral portion of the annular panel has a size in the up-down direction greater than a size in the left-right direction.

According to the above structure, a vertically long recess can be formed in the center of the front panel. Through the recess, various drivers of different physiques can be restrained and the rotation of their heads can be suppressed.

The above-mentioned drivers include adult males with larger physiques and adult females with smaller physiques, and the vertical dimension of the inner peripheral part is preferably at least larger than the vertical distance from the center of gravity of the head of a larger adult male sitting in a normal posture on the driver's seat to the center of gravity of the head of a smaller adult female.

According to the above structure, the longitudinal recessed portion in the center of the front panel can restrain the heads of drivers of various physiques, such as the head of a large adult male and the head of a small adult female.

Preferably, a portion of the inflator is inserted into the airbag cushion from the rear panel, a portion of which has a prescribed gas outlet, and the airbag cushion further includes a straightening cloth connected to the rear panel and covering a portion of the inflator, the straightening cloth having an opening below a portion of the inflator.

By using the above-mentioned rectifying cloth, the gas supplied from the inflator can flow downward through the opening and the airbag cushion can be expanded from the lower side. Therefore, the airbag cushion is deployed toward the abdomen of the occupant from an early stage, quickly enters between the steering wheel and the abdomen of the occupant, and can start initial restraint from the abdomen.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driver's seat airbag device that can suppress the injury level to the driver with a simple structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a driver-seat airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the airbag cushion of FIG. 1( b ) when inflated and deployed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating each panel constituting the airbag cushion of FIG. 2( a ).

Fig. 4 is an A-A cross-sectional view of the airbag cushion of Fig. 1(b).

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the airbag cushion of FIG. 1( b ) restrains a driver when an oblique collision occurs.

FIG. 6 is a modified example of the rear panel and the side panels illustrated in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the airbag device of FIG. 1( b ).

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the airbag cushion of FIG. 7( a ) restrains the driver when an oblique collision occurs.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the internal structure of the airbag cushion of FIG. 7( b ).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, other specific values, etc. shown in the embodiments are only examples for facilitating understanding of the invention and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In addition, in this specification and the accompanying drawings, for elements having substantially the same function and structure, repeated descriptions are omitted by assigning the same symbols, and illustrations of elements that are not directly related to the present invention are omitted.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a driver's seat airbag device (hereinafter referred to as airbag device 100) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1(a) is a diagram illustrating a state before activation of the airbag device 100. As shown in Fig. 1(a), the airbag device 100 is implemented as a front airbag for a driver's seat 102 on the left side of the front row in a left-hand drive vehicle.

In the present embodiment, when the driver 166 (refer to FIG. 5( a)) is seated in the driver's seat 102 in a normal posture, the direction facing the driver 166 is referred to as the front, the opposite direction is referred to as the rear, and the coordinate axis is referred to as the front-rear direction. In addition, when the driver 166 is seated in the driver's seat 102 in a normal posture, the right side of the driver 166 is referred to as the right direction, the left side of the driver 166 is referred to as the left direction, and the coordinate axis is referred to as the left-right direction. In addition, when the driver 166 is seated in a normal posture, the direction of the driver's 166's head is referred to as the top, the direction of the driver's 166's waist is referred to as the bottom, and the coordinate axis is referred to as the up-down direction.

In the following, in the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, arrows F (Forward), B (Back), L (Left), R (Right), U (up), and D (down) are used to indicate the front, back, left, right, up, and down directions based on the above-mentioned driver 166 as needed.

The airbag device 100 of FIG. 1(a) is mounted on the steering wheel 106. When an emergency occurs such as a collision of the vehicle, the driver 166 sitting in the driver's seat 102 is restrained by the airbag cushion 108 (see FIG. 1(b)), see FIG. 5(a) etc. The airbag cushion 108 is a bag-shaped component that can be expanded by gas, and is formed into a smaller storage form by rolling or folding, and is accommodated in the storage portion 110 in the center of the steering wheel 106 together with the inflator 112 (see FIG. 2(a)).

The housing portion 110 is provided at the center of the rim 114 of the steering wheel 106, and its surface is covered by a cover 111. The cover 111 is provided with a groove-shaped tear line or the like inside, and is designed to tear when the airbag cushion 108 (see FIG. 1(b) ) is inflated and deployed.

Fig. 1(b) is a diagram illustrating a state after the airbag device 100 is activated. The airbag cushion 104 ruptures the cover 111 (see Fig. 1(a)) due to the expansion pressure of the gas from the inflator 112 (see Fig. 2(a)), and expands into a bag shape toward the driver 166 on the driver's seat 102 to restrain the upper body and head of the driver 166 who wants to move forward.

The airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed in a circular shape when viewed from the driver's seat side, and a concave portion 126 is formed at the center thereof. The airbag cushion 108 is formed by overlapping and sewing or bonding a plurality of base fabrics constituting the surface thereof.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the airbag cushion 108 of Fig. 1(b) when inflated and deployed. Fig. 2(a) is a view showing the airbag cushion 108 of Fig. 1(b) as viewed from slightly above the left side in the vehicle width direction. In Fig. 2(a), a part of the panel constituting the airbag cushion 108 is cut away to expose the inflator 112 inside.

The airbag cushion 108 of this embodiment is expanded and deployed along the shape of a truncated cone. The airbag cushion 108 is formed by a plurality of panels, including a front panel 120 located on the driver's side, a rear panel 122 located on the steering wheel 106 side (see FIG. 1(a)), and a side panel 124 connecting the front panel 120 and the rear panel 122 to form the side portion of the airbag cushion 108. A recess 126 is formed in the center of the front panel 120. The side panel 124 is provided with an exhaust hole 128a for exhausting gas.

The inflator 112 is a gas generating device, and is fixed to the bottom of the housing portion 110. The inflator 112 is activated by an impact detection signal sent from a sensor (not shown) and supplies gas to the airbag cushion 108. The inflator 112 is disc-shaped and includes a cylindrical main body 130, a gas ejection hole 132 provided on the side of the main body 130, and a flange 134 provided on the outer periphery of the main body 130.

The inflator 112 is provided with a plurality of studs 136. The studs 136 pass through the rear panel 122 of the airbag cushion 108 and are fastened to the bottom of the housing portion 110 of the steering wheel 106 (see FIG. 1(a)). By fastening the studs 136, the airbag cushion 108 is also fixed inside the housing portion 110.

Inflators that are currently in common use include a type that generates gas by filling a gas generating agent and burning it, a type that supplies gas by filling compressed gas without generating heat, or a hybrid type that utilizes both combustion gas and compressed gas. The inflator 112 may be any type of inflator.

Fig. 2(b) is a diagram showing an example of the recessed portion 126 through the side panel 124 and the like of Fig. 2(a). In the airbag cushion 108 of the present embodiment, a conical recessed portion 126 is formed at the center of the front panel 120 on the driver's side.

The front panel 120 is composed of an outer annular panel 138 and two inner left and right fan-shaped panels 140, 142. The recess 126 is formed by pulling the fan-shaped panels 140, 142 toward the rear panel 122 using an internal tether 144. As shown in FIG. 5 described later, the recess 126 is used to suppress the rotation of the head 168 of the driver 166 (see FIG. 5(a)) when restraining the occupant.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating each panel constituting the airbag cushion 108 of Fig. 2(a). Fig. 3 illustrates a state where each panel is deployed on a flat surface.

Fig. 3(a) is a diagram illustrating the annular panel 138 of Fig. 2(a). The annular panel 138 is an annular panel forming the outer peripheral side of the front panel 120. The annular panel 138 forms an occupant restraint surface together with the sector panels 140 and 142 (see Fig. 2(a)) to restrain the driver 166 when the airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed.

FIG3( b) is a diagram illustrating the fan-shaped panel 140 of FIG2( b). Since the fan-shaped panels 140 and 142 have the same results, the fan-shaped panel 140 will be used as a representative example. The fan-shaped panel 140 is fan-shaped, the arc portion 146 is connected to the inner peripheral portion 148 of the annular panel 138, and the straight portions 150 and 152 are connected to the straight portions of the other fan-shaped panels 142.

In this embodiment, two sector panels 140 and 142 are used to form the conical recess 126. In addition, as another embodiment, the conical recess 126 may be formed by one sector panel having a larger area, or may be formed by three or more sector panels.

The internal tether 144 is formed integrally with the sector panel 140. The internal tether 144 is a belt-shaped portion that pulls the sector panel 140 toward the rear panel 122 inside the airbag cushion 108. The internal tether 144 overlaps with the internal tethers of other sector panels 142 and engages with each other.

One end 144a of the internal tether 144 is connected to the portion of the central corner 154 of the fan-shaped panel 140, and the other end 144b is connected to the periphery of the fixing area 156 (refer to FIG. 3(c)) of the rear panel 122. With this structure, the internal tether 144 can pull the portion of the central corner 154 of the fan-shaped panel 140 toward the rear panel 122 to efficiently form the conical recess 126.

As another embodiment, the other end 144b of the internal tether 144 may be appropriately connected to the inflator 112, a retainer (not shown) for fixing the inflator 112, and a vehicle side portion of the airbag cushion 108 such as the bottom of the housing portion 110 (see FIG. 1(a)).

Fig. 3(c) is a diagram showing the rear panel 122 of Fig. 2(a). The rear panel 122 is circular and forms a reaction surface when the airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed, and the reaction surface receives the reaction force from the steering wheel 106 (refer to Fig. 1(a)). Since the airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed in a truncated cone shape deployed toward the driver, the rear panel 122 has a structure with a smaller diameter than the annular panel 138 (refer to Fig. 3(a)).

The fixing region 156 is formed at the center of the rear panel 122 , and is a region in which the inflator 112 (see FIG. 2( a ) ) is inserted and fixed to the housing portion 110 .

Fig. 3(d) is a diagram showing an example of the side panel 124 of Fig. 2(a). The side panel 124 has a ring-shaped sector structure. The side panel 124 is provided with two exhaust holes 128a and 128b.

Of the two arcs 158 and 160 of the side panel 124, the arc 158 on the larger diameter side is sewn to the outer peripheral portion 174 of the annular panel 138 forming the edge of the front panel 120, and the arc 160 on the smaller diameter side is sewn to the edge of the rear panel 122. The two ends 162 and 164 of the side panel 124 are sewn together. The annular fan-shaped side panel 124 connects the edge of the rear panel 122 and the edge of the front panel 120 to form the side of the airbag cushion 108, thereby suppressing unnecessary expansion and realizing the airbag cushion 108 with a shape whose diameter gradually expands toward the driver 166 (refer to Figure 5 (a)).

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag cushion 108 at A-A in Fig. 1(b). The dimension L1 from one end 144a to the other end 144b of the internal tether 144 is formed such that when the airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed, a tension force is generated between the fan-shaped panels 140, 142 and the rear panel 122, and the fan-shaped panels 140, 142 are pulled toward the rear panel 122. According to this structure, a conical recess 126 whose apex is pulled toward the rear panel 122 by the internal tether 144 can be formed.

In addition, the internal tether 144 is not limited to a structure formed integrally with the fan-shaped panel 140, but can also be formed as a separate component and then connected to the fan-shaped panel 140. Either structure can pull the fan-shaped panel 140 toward the rear panel 122 side.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the airbag cushion 108 of Fig. 1(b) restrains the driver 166 when an oblique collision occurs. The diagrams in Fig. 5 correspond to the A-A cross-sectional view of the airbag cushion 108 in Fig. 4 and illustrate the airbag cushion 108 and the driver 166 as viewed from above the vehicle.

Fig. 5(a) is a diagram illustrating a state immediately after the airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed. As shown in Fig. 5(a), when the vehicle is impacted by an oblique collision, the airbag cushion 108 is inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle with respect to the driver's seat 102 (see Fig. 1(b)).

Fig. 5(b) is a diagram illustrating a state where the driver 166 in Fig. 5(a) moves forward of the vehicle. Due to inertia during an oblique collision, the driver 166 may move obliquely forward to the left side in the vehicle width direction from the state shown in Fig. 5(a).

Fig. 5(c) is a diagram illustrating a state where the driver 166 in Fig. 5(b) moves further to the front of the vehicle. The driver 166 moving obliquely forward contacts the circular panel 138 with his left shoulder, for example, and contacts the fan-shaped panel 142 of the recess 126 from the left side of his head 168.

Compared to the conventional single front panel 120 deployed in a flat shape, the front panel 120 with the recessed portion 126 can restrain the head 168 from the oblique front by the fan-shaped panel 142 while suppressing the tension near the annular panel 138. Thus, the airbag cushion 108 can minimize the rotation 172 of the head 168 of the driver 166 relative to the shoulder 170 and restrain the movement of the head 168 together with the movement of the shoulder 172.

As described above, the airbag cushion 108 not only restrains the occupant in a normal collision, but also significantly reduces or eliminates the rotation 172 of the driver's 166 head 168 in an oblique collision. By reducing the angular velocity of the head 168, the damage to the driver 166 caused by the rotation 172 of the head 168 can be suppressed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the conical recess 126 can be efficiently formed in the center of the front panel 120 by pulling the sector panels 140 and 142 through the internal tether 144. According to the recess 126, when the driver 104 enters obliquely forward due to an oblique collision, etc., the rotation 172 of the head 168 can be suppressed compared to the case where the driver 104 is restrained by a simple plane. Therefore, according to the above structure, the driver 104 can be restrained with a further reduced injury value.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the recess 126 can be formed with a simple structure using the fan-shaped panels 140, 142 and the internal tether 144. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the amount of material used such as the panel can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced by reducing the weight and improving the material yield rate. In addition, the airbag cushion 108 can be folded more compactly for storage.

In addition, in the description of the above reference FIG. 5( c ), a clockwise rotation 172 is cited as an example of the rotation occurring in the head 168. However, depending on the emergency situation, for example, the driver 166 may also move diagonally forward to the right side in the vehicle width direction, and the head 168 may rotate counterclockwise around the neck when viewed from above. Even in the case of this counterclockwise rotation, the airbag cushion 108 of the present embodiment can reduce or eliminate the rotation of the head 168 and reduce the angular velocity of the head 168 by using the recess 126. Thus, the airbag cushion 108 of the present embodiment can provide the same effect to the driver 166 who moves in any direction in the vehicle width direction.

(Variation Example)

Hereinafter, a modification of each component of the airbag device 100 will be described. In each modification shown in the following FIGS. 6 to 9 , the same components as the components already described are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Furthermore, components having the same names as the components already described have the same functions even if, for example, different reference numerals are assigned to them, unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 6 is a modified example of the rear panel 122 and the side panel 124 illustrated in FIG. 3 . FIG. 6( a) is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the rear panel 180. The rear panel 180 is formed in a quadrangular shape. The rear panel 180 of such a structure can also be used as a reaction force surface that receives a reaction force from the steering wheel 106 (see FIG. 1( a) ) when the airbag cushion 108 (see FIG. 1( b) ) is inflated and deployed.

Fig. 6(b) is a diagram illustrating a side panel (sub-panels 182, 184) according to a modified example. The sub-panels 182, 184 have a trapezoidal shape, and are connected to serve as a side panel.

For example, in the sub-panel 182, the long side 186 corresponding to the bottom surface of the trapezoid can be sewn to the outer peripheral portion of the annular panel 138 (see FIG. 3 (a)), and the short side 188 corresponding to the top can be sewn to the edge of the rear panel 180 (see FIG. 6 (a)). And by connecting the side edges 190, 192 with the side edges of other sub-panels 184, the side portion of the airbag cushion 108 can also be appropriately formed by these multiple sub-panels 180, 184.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a modified example (airbag device 200) of the airbag device 100 of Fig. 1(b). Fig. 7(a) corresponds to Fig. 1(b) and illustrates the airbag device 200 as viewed from the driver's seat 102 side.

The annular panel 206 used in the airbag cushion 202 of the airbag device 200 has an inner peripheral portion 208 whose vertical dimension W1 is set larger than the horizontal dimension W2 (W1>W2). Therefore, a vertically long recess 210 is formed in the center of the front panel 204 of the airbag cushion 202.

Fig. 7(b) is a B-B cross-sectional view of the airbag cushion 202 of Fig. 7(a). Fig. 7(b) illustrates two drivers 212 and 214.

The driver 212 example includes human dummies for automobile frontal collision tests, namely the AM50 dummy and the AM95 dummy of the Hybrid III, and the Thor dummy. The AM50 dummy is a human dummies designed to imitate the average physique of an adult male in the United States, with a height of 175cm, a sitting height of 88cm, and a weight of about 78kg. The AM95 dummy is a human dummies designed to imitate the larger physique of an adult male in the United States, with a height of 183cm, a sitting height of 94cm, and a weight of about 101kg. The Thor dummy is a human dummies developed as a successor to the Hybrid III dummy, and is only modeled after a male of average physique. These human dummies are made based on the standards of the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

The driver 214 is assumed to be AF05 of the above-mentioned Hybrid III dummy. AF05 is a human dummy modeled after a smaller female, with a height of 145 cm, a seat height of 79 cm, and a weight of approximately 45 kg.

The dimension W1 in the vertical direction of the inner peripheral portion 208 of the airbag cushion 202 of the present embodiment is larger than the distance D1 in the vertical direction from the center of gravity P1 of the head of a large adult male driver 212 sitting in a normal posture on the driver's seat 102 (refer to FIG1(b)) to the center of gravity P2 of the head of a small adult female driver 214 (W1>D1).

According to the airbag cushion 202, the longitudinal recess 210 in the center of the front panel 204 can be utilized to accommodate the heads of drivers of various physiques, such as the head of a larger adult male driver 212 or the head of a smaller adult female driver 214, within the range of the recess 210 for restraint.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the airbag cushion 202 of Fig. 7(a) restrains the driver 212 when an oblique collision occurs. The diagrams in Fig. 8 correspond to the C-C cross-sectional view of the airbag cushion 202 in Fig. 7(a) and illustrate the airbag cushion 202 and the driver 212 as viewed from above the vehicle.

Fig. 8(a) is a diagram illustrating a state immediately after the airbag cushion 202 is inflated and deployed. As shown in Fig. 8(a), when the vehicle is impacted by an oblique collision, the airbag cushion 202 is inflated and deployed toward the front of the vehicle with respect to the driver's seat 106 (see Fig. 1(b)).

In this embodiment, the left-right dimension W2 of the inner peripheral portion 208 of the annular panel 206 is set to be at least slightly wider than the head of the driver 212, thereby allowing the recess 210 to restrain the head of the driver 212 even when the driver 212 enters obliquely forward.

Fig. 8(b) is a diagram illustrating a state where the driver 212 in Fig. 8(a) enters the airbag cushion 202. The driver 212 moves obliquely forward and contacts the annular panel 206 with, for example, the right shoulder 216, while contacting the sector panel 140 of the recess 210 from the right side of the head.

Compared to a conventional single front panel that is deployed in a planar shape, the front panel 204 that forms the recess 210 can also restrain the head of the driver 212 from the oblique front using the fan-shaped panels 140 and 142 while suppressing the tension near the annular panel 206. Thus, the airbag cushion 202 can also minimize the rotation 218 of the driver's 212 head relative to the shoulder and restrain the movement of the head together with the movement of the shoulder.

As described above, the airbag cushion 202 can significantly reduce or eliminate the rotation 218 of the driver's 212 head in both normal collisions and oblique collisions, and suppress the damage to the driver 212 caused by the rotation 218 of the head by reducing the angular velocity of the head. In particular, the airbag cushion 202 can restrain the heads of drivers of various physiques, such as the head of a large adult male driver 212 or the head of a small adult female driver 214, by using the longitudinal recess 210 in the center of the front panel.

In this embodiment, the fan-shaped panels 140 and 142 can also be pulled by the internal tether 144, thereby efficiently forming a conical recess 210 in the center of the front panel 204. Therefore, as with the airbag cushion of FIG. 5, the recess 210 can be formed with a simple structure using the fan-shaped panels 140 and 142 and the internal tether 144, thereby achieving low cost and more compact storage.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the internal structure of the airbag cushion 202 of Fig. 7(b). Fig. 9(a) illustrates the internal structure through each panel of the airbag cushion 202 of Fig. 7(b). The airbag cushion 202 has a rectifying cloth 360 as a new internal structure.

The flow straightening cloth 360 is a component that guides the gas of the inflator 112 (see FIG. 8(a)) in a specific direction, and is connected to the rear panel 122 inside the airbag cushion 202, and covers the portion having the gas ejection hole 132 (see FIG. 2(a)) of the inserted inflator 112. The flow straightening cloth 360 has an opening 364 for exhausting gas below the inflator 112, and also has small-diameter exhaust ports 366a and 366b for exhausting gas on the side, see FIG. 9(c).

Fig. 9(b) is a side view showing the rectifying cloth 360 of Fig. 9(a). The rectifying cloth 360 is sewn into a bag shape, and the lower edge thereof is opened to form an opening 364.

Fig. 9(c) illustrates a state where the stitching of the rectifying cloth 360 of Fig. 9(b) is untied and spread out on a flat surface. The rectifying cloth 360 is provided with an insertion port 368 at the center for inserting a portion of the inflator 112 (see Fig. 2(a)), and is fixed to the inner side of the receiving portion 110 (see Fig. 1(a)) together with the rear panel 122 through the stud 136 of the inflator 112.

The exhaust ports 366a and 366b are provided at two positions on the left and right sides and supply gas to the vicinity of the center of the airbag cushion. The opening 364 is formed to have a larger diameter than the exhaust ports 366a and 266b and is set to have a larger gas flow rate than the exhaust ports 366a and 266b.

The gas supplied from the inflator 112 (see FIG. 2( a) ) is supplied to the lower portion 202b of the airbag cushion 202 (see FIG. 9( a) ) rather than the upper portion 202a through the opening 364. As a result, the airbag cushion 202 is deployed early from the lower portion 202b side toward the abdomen of the driver.

According to the above structure, the airbag cushion 202 can make the lower part 202b enter between the steering wheel 106 (refer to Figure 7(b)) and the abdomen of the driver 212, 214 at an early stage, and at the same time, begin to initially restrain the abdomen of the driver 212, 214, and stabilize the overall posture by clamping the lower part 202b between the steering wheel 106 and the abdomen.

In particular, a short adult female driver 214 (see FIG. 7( b) ) often moves the driver's seat 102 further forward than usual and drives close to the steering wheel 106. Even in this case, the airbag cushion 202 can be inflated and deployed early using the fairing cloth 360 to protect the driver's 214 abdomen from contacting the rim of the steering wheel 106.

The flow straightening cloth 360 may be implemented simultaneously with the internal tether 144. In this case, the internal tether 144 is preferably provided at a position that does not hinder the flow of gas from the opening 364 of the flow straightening cloth 360 and the exhaust ports 366a and 366b.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is clear that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can think of various variations or modifications within the scope of the claims, which of course also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the airbag device of the present invention is applied to an automobile has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to aircraft, ships, and the like other than automobiles, and the same operational effects may be obtained.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention can be used in a vehicle airbag device mounted on a vehicle steering wheel.

Explanation of symbols

100…airbag device, 102…driver's seat, 106…steering wheel, 108…airbag cushion, 110…housing portion, 111…cover, 112…inflator, 114…rim, 120…front panel, 122…rear panel, 124…side panel, 126…recess, 128a, 128b…exhaust hole, 130…main body, 132…gas outlet, 134…flange, 136…stud, 138…ring panel, 140, 142…sector panel, 144…internal tether, 144a…one end, 144b…other end, 146…arc portion, 148…inner peripheral portion, 150, 152…straight portion, 154…center angle, 156…fixing area, 158…arc, 160…arc, 162 , 164…two ends, 166…driver, 168…head, 170…shoulder, 172…rotation, 174…peripheral part, 180…rear panel, 182, 184…sub-panel, 186…long side, 188…short side, 190, 192…side, L1…size, 200…airbag device, 202…airbag cushion, 202a…upper part, 202b…lower part, 204…front panel, 206…ring panel, 208…inner peripheral part, 201…recess, 212, 214…driver, 216…right shoulder, 218…rotation, D1…distance, P1, P2…center of gravity of head, W1, W2…size, 360…rectifier cloth, 364…opening, 366a, 366b…exhaust port, 368…insertion port.

Claims (9)

1. An airbag device for a driver's seat, comprising: an inflator mounted in a steering wheel of the vehicle; and an airbag cushion housed in the steering wheel together with the inflator and receiving gas from the inflator to inflate and expand toward a driver, characterized in that,

The airbag cushion comprises:

a rear panel located on the steering wheel side;

A front panel that is located on the driver side and that restrains a driver; and

A side panel connecting an edge of the rear panel and an edge of the front panel to constitute a side portion of the airbag cushion,

The front panel includes:

an annular panel of annular shape; and

1 Or more sector-shaped sector panels whose circular arc portions are connected to an inner peripheral portion of the annular panel,

The airbag cushion also includes an internal tether that pulls the sector panel toward the rear panel side within the airbag cushion.

2. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to claim 1, wherein,

The 1 or more sector panels are provided in plurality,

The straight portions of the plurality of sector panels are connected to each other.

3. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to claim 2, wherein,

One end of the inner tether is connected to a portion of the center corner of the 1 or more sector panels.

4. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to claim 3, wherein,

The internal tether is integrally formed with the sector panel.

5. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

The side panels are ring-shaped in a sector, i.e. have a larger circular arc at the front panel side.

6. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

The side panel is a state of being combined by a plurality of sub-panels.

7. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

The dimension in the up-down direction of the inner peripheral portion of the annular panel is larger than the dimension in the left-right direction.

8. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to claim 7, wherein,

The driver comprises a larger adult male and a smaller adult female, and

The dimension of the inner peripheral portion in the up-down direction is at least greater than the distance in the up-down direction from the center of gravity of the head of the large adult male seated on the driver's seat in the normal posture to the center of gravity of the head of the small adult female.

9. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat according to claim 7, wherein,

A portion of the inflator, in which a prescribed gas discharge port is formed, is inserted from the rear panel into the airbag cushion,

The airbag cushion further includes a rectification cloth connected to the rear panel and covering a portion of the inflator,

The rectification cloth has an opening portion below a part of the inflator.