JP2005104176A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag device capable of reducing a production cost by eliminating sewing work by a sewing thread in order to reduce an aperture area of an insertion hole of an inflater. <P>SOLUTION: The insertion hole 17d into which the inflater 19 and a retainer 20 are inserted is formed on an end of a housing part 17c formed on a base end of an air bag 17. A tab 32 is integrally formed on a peripheral end of the insertion hole 17d with the usage of a base cloth 17a, and a lead-out hole 32a for leading out a male connector 27 formed on the inflater 19 is formed on the tab 32. A fitting hole 32b on the tab 32 is fitted with a second bolt 29 attached on the retainer 20 and protruded outside from a taking out hole 17 formed on the housing part 17c, and the tab 32 in a state of shielding the insertion hole 17d is fitted and held. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag that inflates and deploys in the vicinity of an occupant seated in a seat disposed in a room inside the vehicle body when an impact of a predetermined level or more is applied to the body of the vehicle, and an inner side of a base end portion of the airbag And a cylinder type inflator for inflating and deploying the airbag.

  In recent years, as this type of airbag device, there is a side airbag device embedded in a side portion on the vehicle outer side of a backrest portion connected to a seating portion of a vehicle seat. In the side airbag device, the airbag is inflated and deployed between the side portion of the body from the side portion of the backrest portion toward the front in the traveling direction, that is, between the side door and the occupant when the vehicle collides.

A base end portion of the airbag is provided with a housing portion for housing the inflator and an insertion port for inserting the inflator from the outside into the housing portion. Then, after the inflator is accommodated in the accommodating portion, in order to suppress excessive exhaust from the insertion opening when the airbag is deployed, the insertion opening is sewn with a sewing thread to reduce the opening area. Has been. (See Patent Document 1)
JP 9-86326 A

However, the conventional side airbag device has a problem that the manufacturing cost increases because it is necessary to perform the troublesome closing and sewing operation of the insertion port with a sewing thread in a separate process.
The present invention eliminates the problems associated with the prior art described above, eliminates the sewing work with the sewing thread for reducing the opening area of the insertion opening of the inflator, and can reduce the manufacturing cost. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention according to claim 1 expands in the vicinity of an occupant seated in a seat disposed in a room inside the body when an impact of a predetermined level or more is applied to the body of the vehicle. An airbag device comprising: an airbag to be deployed; and a cylinder-type inflator that is accommodated in the airbag and that inflates and deploys the airbag; and accommodation for accommodating the inflator at a base end portion of the airbag Provided with an insertion opening for inserting an inflator at the end of the accommodating portion, and an attachment member provided on the inflator and attached to the body side is projected to the outside from an extraction hole formed in the accommodating portion. A tongue piece for shielding the insertion port is provided at the periphery of the insertion port, and a harness connected to the inflator is led out to the tongue piece. The provided Deana, and gist in that a locking means for locking the shield position tongue piece between said tongue attachment member or the housing part.

The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in the airbag device according to claim 1, a reinforcing sewing thread is sewn in an annular shape on the periphery of the outlet hole of the tongue piece.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the airbag device according to the first or second aspect, a male connector for connecting a female connector or a male connector provided in a harness to an end of the inflator on the insertion opening side. Alternatively, a female connector is provided, and the inside diameter of the outlet hole of the tongue piece is smaller than the outside diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the male connector or the female connector.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the air bag device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner diameter dimension of the outlet hole of the tongue piece is smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator. And

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the inner diameter dimension of the outlet hole of the tongue piece is smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the undercut portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator. 2 is the gist.

The gist of the invention described in claim 6 is that, in the airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the tongue piece is formed integrally with a fabric forming the airbag.
The invention according to claim 7 is the airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tongue piece is formed integrally with a fabric that reinforces the housing portion of the inflator. To do.

  According to the present invention, after inserting the cylinder-type inflator into the inside of the housing portion from the insertion port of the housing portion provided at the base end portion of the airbag, the tongue piece is closed so as to block the insertion port and the end surface of the inflator. The tip portion of the tongue piece is folded and locked to the outer surface of the mounting member or the accommodating portion by the locking means. For this reason, the troublesome operation | work which closes the said insertion port with a sewing thread and sews becomes unnecessary, and can reduce manufacturing cost.

Below, one Embodiment which actualized this invention to the side airbag apparatus is described based on FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a side surface of a vehicle seat, and FIG. 2 shows an enlarged front view of an airbag device. As shown in FIG. 1, a seat 12 on which a passenger P is seated is mounted on the bottom 11 of the vehicle body. The seat 12 is mounted on the bottom 11 of the body through a front / rear position adjustment mechanism 13 so that the position of the vehicle in the traveling direction can be adjusted, and a backrest mounted on the rear end of the seat 14. Part 15. A side airbag device 16 is attached to the backrest 15.

Next, the side airbag device 16 embedded in the backrest 15 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the side airbag device 16 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of base fabrics 17a and 17b made of, for example, a woven fabric such as nylon (the base fabric 17a on the front side in FIG. 2 and the base fabric 17b on the back side). ) And the airbag 17 formed in a bag shape by sewing with the sewing thread 18 and the storage portion 17c formed integrally with the base end portion (the left side in FIG. 2) of the airbag 17. And an inflator 19 functioning as a gas generation source. Further, the side airbag device 16 includes a retainer 20 for attaching the airbag 17 and the inflator 19 to predetermined positions in the backrest portion 15. The airbag 17, the inflator 19, and the retainer 20 are accommodated in a case 21 provided in the backrest portion 15 of the vehicle seat 12 shown in FIG. The case 21 is embedded and fixed at an end of the backrest 15 on the side door (not shown) side.

  The side door (not shown) is provided with a sensor (not shown) that detects an impact applied to the door from the side of the vehicle. This sensor is connected to the inflator 19 via a control circuit (not shown).

  The airbag 17 that is inflated and deployed in the shape of a side surface shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is accommodated in the case 21 together with the inflator 19 and the retainer 20 in a folded state. The airbag 17 is inflated and deployed toward the front in the vehicle traveling direction with respect to a space formed between the occupant P sitting on the seat 12 and the side door.

  The base end portions of the two base fabrics 17a and 17b constituting the airbag 17 are integrally connected to each other as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and this base end portion accommodates the inflator 19 and the retainer 20. It is part 17c. An insertion port 17d for accommodating the inflator 19 in the accommodating portion 17c from below to above is provided at the lower end of the accommodating portion 17c. A reinforcing cloth 22 is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the accommodating portion 17c. An edge of the reinforcing cloth 22 on the base cloth 17a side is sewn to the base cloth 17a by a sewing thread 23, and an edge of the base cloth 17b side is It is sewn to the base fabric 17b by the sewing thread 23.

  The inflator 19 is accommodated in the retainer 20 as shown in FIGS. The inflator 19 includes a gas injection port 25 at an upper end portion, and a male connector 27 for connecting a female connector 26a provided on the harness 26 to the lower end portion.

The retainer 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape by an iron plate. With the inflator 19 accommodated therein as shown in FIG. 3, a caulking cut-and-raised piece 20 a provided in the retainer 20 is caulked on the outer peripheral surface of the inflator 19. The inflator 19 is held at a predetermined position by being attached. First and second bolts 28 and 29 as mounting members are penetrated through the retainer 20 at upper and lower portions so as to protrude from the inside to the outside, and both bolts are connected to the retainer 20 by welding. In the state where the inflator 19 and the retainer 20 are accommodated on the base cloth 17b side of the accommodating portion 17c, there are two upper and lower take-out holes 17e and 17e for projecting the first and second bolts 28 and 29 to the outside. Is formed. The first and second bolts 28 and 29 are passed through holes provided in the bottom plate of the case 21 embedded in the backrest portion 15, and the case 21 is connected to the bolts 28 and 29 with respect to a frame (not shown) in the backrest portion 15. The nut 31 is screwed and fixed at a predetermined position. (See Figure 4)
The gas injected from the injection port 25 of the inflator 19 is supplied to the inside of the airbag 17 as shown by the broken arrow in FIG. 2 so that the airbag 17 is inflated and deployed.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the accommodating portion 17c of the airbag 17 upside down. A tongue piece 32 is formed integrally with one base cloth 17a forming the airbag 17 at the periphery of the insertion port 17d provided at the end of the housing portion 17c. The tongue piece 32 is formed with a lead-out hole 32a for leading the male connector 27 of the inflator 19 to the outside. A sewing thread 33 for preventing unwinding is sewn in an annular shape on the tongue piece 32 so as to surround the lead-out hole 32a, and the peripheral edge of the lead-out hole 32a is reinforced. The sewing operation of the sewing thread 33 is performed at the same time as the sewing operation of the reinforcing cloth 22. An inner diameter dimension d1 of the outlet hole 32a of the tongue piece 32 is set to be substantially the same as an outer diameter dimension d2 of the male connector 27. A locking hole 32 b that can penetrate the second bolt 29 is formed in a portion near the tip of the tongue piece 32.

  Accordingly, when the tongue piece 32 in FIG. 5 is displaced toward the second bolt 29 with its base end as the center, the male connector 27 is led out from the lead-out hole 32a as shown in FIG. 17d is shielded. The locking hole 32b of the tongue piece 32 is locked to the second bolt 29 as shown in FIG. 6, and the tip end portion of the tongue piece 32 is locked and held at a predetermined position along the outer peripheral surface of the accommodating portion 17c.

In this embodiment, the second bolt 29 and the locking hole 32b constitute locking means for locking the tongue piece 32 in a state where the insertion port 17d is shielded to the second bolt 29.
The insertion opening 17d is not completely shielded by the tongue piece 32, and a slight gap S is formed as shown in FIG. The gap S is preferably as small as possible, but it can also function as a vent hole for releasing gas to the outside after the airbag 17 is inflated and deployed. If the gap S is insufficient, a vent hole provided separately in the airbag 17 is used.

  In the side airbag device 16 configured as described above, an operation signal is output to the inflator 19 via the control circuit when a predetermined or higher impact is detected by a sensor provided on a side door (not shown). Then, the inflator 19 instantaneously ejects gas into the airbag 17 based on this operation signal. With this gas, the airbag 17 is instantly inflated and deployed toward the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is sandwiched between the side door and the occupant P to protect the occupant P. Note that the gas in the inflated airbag 17 is discharged to the outside through the gap S that functions as a vent hole, and the airbag 17 is reduced.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the side airbag device 16, the insertion port 17d for inserting the inflator 19 and the retainer 20 is provided at one end of the housing portion 17c, and the inflator 19 and the retainer 20 are inserted into the housing portion 17c. The insertion port 17d is shielded by the tongue 32. Further, the locking hole 32b of the tongue piece 32 is locked to the second bolt 29 so that the insertion port 17d is blocked by the tongue piece 32. For this reason, it is said that the sewing work of the reinforcing cloth 22 of the accommodating portion 17c, the sewing work by the sewing thread 18 on the outer periphery of the airbag 17, and the insertion port 17d of the accommodating portion 17c are closed and sewn with the sewing thread. Of the three sewing operations, the last troublesome closing sewing operation can be omitted, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  (2) In the side airbag device 16, the male connector 27 of the inflator 19 is arranged on the insertion port 17 d side, and a lead-out hole 32 a for leading the male connector 27 is provided in the tongue piece 32. The inner peripheral edge of the lead-out hole 32 a is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the male connector 27. For this reason, the harness 26 can be connected to the male connector 27 after the tongue piece 32 is held at the shielding position, and the harness 26 can be easily routed.

  (3) According to the side airbag device 16, the locking hole 32b is formed at the tip of the tongue piece 32, and the tongue piece 32 is locked to the bolt 29 by the locking hole 32b. For this reason, the tongue piece 32 can be locked using the bolt 29 which is a member for mounting the inflator 19, and the number of dedicated parts of the locking means can be reduced to facilitate manufacture, thereby reducing the cost. Can be planned.

(4) In this side airbag device 16, since the sewing thread 33 is sewn in a circle-returned manner on the peripheral edge of the outlet hole 32a, the peripheral edge can be prevented from being unraveled and the strength of the outlet hole 32a can be increased.
(5) In this side airbag device 16, since the tongue piece 32 is integrally formed on the base fabric 17a forming the airbag 17, the tongue piece 32 can be easily manufactured and the cost can be reduced.

(Modification)
Each of the above embodiments may be modified as follows.
As shown in FIG. 7, the inner diameter dimension of the outlet hole 32 a may be equal to or smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the inflator 19 so that the inner peripheral edge of the outlet hole 32 a of the tongue piece 32 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator 19. . In this other example, the inner periphery of the sewing thread 33 and the outlet hole 32a is tightened with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the inflator 19 by utilizing the elasticity of the sewing thread 33 and the elasticity of the fabric itself forming the inner periphery of the outlet hole 32a. It is desirable to be fitted in a state. In this case, the tongue piece 32 can be reliably engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator 19.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the inner diameter dimension of the lead-out hole 32a may be made equal to or smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the undercut portion 19a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inflator 19 at the stage of the manufacturing process. In this case, after the inner peripheral edge of the lead-out hole 32a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the inflator 19 in the tightened state described above, the inner peripheral edge of the lead-out hole 32a is further fitted in the tightened state to the undercut portion 19a. Since the sewing thread 33 is dropped into the undercut portion 19a, the tongue piece 32 can be reliably engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator 19.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the inflator 19 may be accommodated upside down in the accommodating portion 17 c, and the female connector 26 a provided on the harness 26 may be connected to the upper male connector 27.

  In FIG. 5, the inner diameter dimension d1 of the lead-out hole 32a is made smaller than the outer diameter dimension d2 of the male connector 27, and the lead-out hole 32a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the male connector 27 with the sewing thread 33 in a tightened state. You may do it. In this case, the tongue piece 32 can be reliably engaged with the male connector 27.

  Alternatively, the inner diameter dimension d1 of the lead-out hole 32a may be larger than the outer diameter dimension d2 of the male connector 27, and the sewing thread 33 may be brought into contact with an intermediate position in the radial direction of the end face of the inflator 19.

-Although not shown, instead of the bolts 28 and 29, attachment members such as engagement pins or caulking pins may be used.
Although not shown, instead of the locking hole 32b of the tongue piece 32, a string portion as a locking means may be formed at the distal end portion of the tongue piece 32, and this string portion may be wound around the bolt 29 and bonded. . Further, a locking hook may be provided on the tongue piece 32 so as to be locked to the outer peripheral surface of the accommodating portion 17c. Furthermore, you may change to another latching means latched by one touch, without using a sewing thread.

  -You may form the tongue piece 32 integrally with the fabric which forms the reinforcement cloth 22 of the accommodating part 17c of an inflator. Moreover, you may form integrally with the fabric which forms the base fabric 17a (17b) and the reinforcement fabric 22. FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the male connector 27 is arranged on the insertion port 17d side, but it may be arranged on the opposite side so that the harness 26 is led out from the lead-out hole 32a provided in the tongue piece 32. .

  -The male and female of the female connector 26a and the male connector 27 may be reversed. When the female connector is provided on the inflator 19 side, a guide cylinder that guides the inner peripheral edge of the lead-out hole 32a of the tongue piece 32 so that the male connector is not caught by the male connector when the harness 26 side is connected. It is desirable that the inner peripheral edge of the guide hole 32a be engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the guide tube.

In the above embodiment, the case 21 may be omitted as long as the air bag 17 is suitably accommodated and inflated and deployed.
In the above embodiment, the airbag 17 for protecting the occupant's waist and chest is embodied as an airbag 17 for protecting the shoulder in addition to the waist and chest, or the waist, chest, shoulder. You may embody in the airbag for protecting a part and a head.

  Other than the side airbag device, for example, it is provided in the lower portion of the backrest portion 15 of the seat 12, and is embodied in an airbag device that protects the knee of the passenger seated on the rear seat, or has a cylinder type inflator 19 It may be embodied in other airbag devices.

1 is a side view of a seat and an inflated and deployed airbag showing an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a side airbag device. The front view of an airbag apparatus. Sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. Sectional drawing along the BB line of FIG. The perspective view which expands and shows the principal part of an airbag apparatus. The perspective view which expands and shows the principal part of an airbag apparatus. The partial expanded sectional view which shows another example of this invention. The partial expanded sectional view which shows another example of this invention. The front view of the airbag apparatus which shows another example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  P: occupant, d1: inner diameter dimension, d2: outer diameter dimension, 12: seat, 17 ... airbag, 17c: housing portion, 17d ... insertion port, 17e ... take-out hole, 33 ... sewing thread, 19 ... inflator, 19a ... Undercut part, 26 ... harness, 27 ... male connector, 32 ... tongue piece, 32a ... lead-out hole.

Claims (7)

An airbag that inflates and deploys in the vicinity of an occupant seated on a seat disposed in a room inside the vehicle body when an impact exceeding a predetermined level is applied to the vehicle body, and the airbag that is accommodated in the airbag and inflates. In an airbag device comprising a cylinder-type inflator for deployment,
A housing portion for housing the inflator is provided at a base end portion of the airbag, an insertion port for inserting the inflator is provided at an end portion of the housing portion, provided in the inflator, and attached to the body side A mounting member is protruded to the outside from an extraction hole formed in the housing portion, and a tongue piece for shielding the insertion port is provided at a peripheral edge of the insertion port, and a harness connected to the inflator is externally connected to the tongue piece. An airbag device comprising a lead-out hole for leading out and a locking means for locking the tongue in a shielding position between the tongue and the mounting member or the accommodating portion. . The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing sewing thread is sewn in an annular shape around a periphery of the outlet hole of the tongue piece. A male connector or a female connector for connecting a female connector or a male connector provided in a harness is provided at an end of the inflator on the insertion port side, and an inner diameter dimension of the outlet hole of the tongue piece is the male connector or The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag device is smaller than an outer diameter of an outer peripheral surface of the female connector. The airbag apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inner diameter dimension of the outlet hole of the tongue piece is smaller than an outer diameter dimension of an outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator. The airbag apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inner diameter dimension of the outlet hole of the tongue piece is smaller than an outer diameter dimension of an undercut portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the main body of the inflator. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tongue piece is formed integrally with a fabric forming an airbag. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tongue piece is formed integrally with a fabric that reinforces a housing portion of the inflator.

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