JP2008247087A - Occupant restraint system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air belt capable of winding up a shoulder and a lap by using one retractor and easily fitted to an occupant, and an occupant restraint system having the air belt. <P>SOLUTION: The air belt 10 has a bag 14 inflated by introducing gas from an inflator 9, a webbing 15 arranged along the bag 14 in a tongue insertion part 12 and a mesh webbing 16. The webbing 15 comprises a non-inflation type belt webbing material. The shoulder side of the webbing 15 is stitched to the bag 14 by a first jointing part 17 comprising thread, and the lap side is stitched to the bag 14 by a second jointing part 18 comprising thread. The length B of the bag 14 from the first jointing part 17 to the second jointing part 18 is set longer than the length L of the webbing 15 from the first jointing part 17 to the second jointing part 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air belt for restraining an occupant in a vehicle such as an automobile in an emergency such as a collision, and an occupant restraint device including the air belt.

  An air belt type seat belt device in which a part of a seat belt webbing is constituted by an air belt and the air belt is inflated in an emergency of a vehicle is well known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-31439). In the seat belt device of the same number, a shoulder part and a part of the wrap part are each constituted by an inflatable bag-like belt.

  In the same issue, an inflator is installed in the buckle, and gas is supplied to the bag-like belts of the shoulder portion and the wrap portion through the tongue. The shoulder portion is wound around the shoulder portion retractor, and the wrap portion is wound around the wrap portion retractor.

  In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-31439, inflatable portions are provided in the shoulder portion and the wrap portion, respectively, but the shoulder portion and the wrap portion are not continuous, so the shoulder portion retractor and the wrap portion retractor are provided. And two retractors are required.

  Moreover, in this Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-31439, it is necessary to provide a gas distribution | circulation mechanism in a tongue, and since a tongue is bulky and heavy, it is difficult to handle it.

  Japanese Patent No. 3641672 describes an air belt in which a bag is inflatable from a shoulder belt portion to a lap belt portion through a tongue insertion portion, and a gas generator is connected to the end of the lap belt portion. In this air belt, it is described that a gas pipe made of a flexible hose is arranged in the tongue insertion portion so that gas passes through the tongue insertion portion when the bag is inflated.

In Japanese Patent No. 3641672, since the gas pipe is disposed in the tongue insertion portion, the air belt is thick even during normal times, that is, when the air belt is not inflated. In addition, it is curved near the tongue due to the gas pipe, and the air belt is difficult to fit the occupant.
JP 2003-31439 A Japanese Patent No. 3641672

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and can wind up the shoulder portion and the wrap portion with a single retractor, and has a small thickness and is easy to fit an occupant, and an occupant equipped with the inflatable belt. An object is to provide a restraining device.

  The air belt according to claim 1 includes a shoulder belt portion, a tongue insertion portion continuous with the shoulder belt portion, and a lap belt portion continuous with the tongue insertion portion, and the shoulder belt portion through the tongue insertion portion from the lap belt portion. In an inflatable belt having an inflatable bag that extends continuously to the end of the bag, an extension body extending along the bag at the tongue insertion portion, and one end side of the extension body in the extending direction of the bag A first coupling part coupled to the bag and a second coupling part coupling the other end side of the extending body in the extending direction to the bag, from the first coupling part to the second coupling part The length B of the bag is longer than the length L of the extended body from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion.

  The air belt according to claim 2 is the air belt according to claim 1, wherein the length L of the extending body from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is 300 to 800 mm, and the length from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is The length B of the bag is 1.1 to 1.5 times the length L.

  The occupant restraint device according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in claim 1 or 2, at least one end side of the bag spaced apart from the tongue insertion portion is inflatable more than other portions. To do.

  An air belt according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the air belt according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the bag is a fold line between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion in the bag longitudinal direction and the crossing direction. It is characterized by being folded along.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the air belt according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is characterized in that the bag and the extension body are covered with mesh webbing.

  An occupant restraint device according to a sixth aspect includes the air belt according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, an inflator for supplying gas to the bag of the air belt, a belt passage opening, and a tongue plate. And a tongue that the air belt is inserted through the belt passage opening, and the extending body is disposed along an inner peripheral edge of the belt passage opening opposite to the tongue plate. It is characterized by.

  An occupant restraint device according to claim 7 is the occupant restraint device according to claim 6, wherein the end of the lap belt portion of the air belt is connected to the inflator, and the end of the shoulder belt portion is provided with an emergency lock mechanism via a normal belt It is connected to a retractor.

  The occupant restraint device having an air belt of the present invention is used for occupant restraint by attaching a tongue to a buckle.

  The air belt of the present invention has no hose in the tongue insertion portion and can be bent at an acute angle near the tongue, so that the air belt fits the occupant.

  In the present invention, the length of the bag from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is longer than the length of the extension body, and this extension body is opposite to the tongue plate of the belt passage through the outer surface of the bag. Since the gas is supplied from the inflator to the bag, the tongue insertion portion of the bag expands greatly, and the gas flows smoothly through the inside.

  In the passenger | crew restraint apparatus of this invention, it is unnecessary to provide a gas distribution mechanism in a tongue, and the volume of a tongue is small and the weight is also small. One retractor is sufficient.

  In the present invention, the length L of the extending body from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is 300 to 800 mm, and the length B of the bag from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is the length. It is preferably 1.1 to 1.5 times L, particularly 1.1 to 1.25 times. When the belt is worn, the tongs move along the tongue insertion part according to the physique of the occupant. By extending the length of the extended body to 300 to 800 mm, there are various types of occupants ranging from small physique to large physique Even if the occupant uses the extension body, the extension body exists along the tongue insertion portion. Further, by setting the length B to be 1.1 to 1.5 times the length L, the tongue insertion portion is greatly expanded when the bag is expanded.

  In the present invention, the bag may be configured such that at least one end side separated from the tongue insertion portion is inflatable more than other portions. For example, the occupant's head and neck are restrained by the large expansion of the end side of the shoulder belt. Further, a large tension is generated in the shoulder belt portion, and the upper body of the occupant is restrained. When the end side of the lap belt portion is inflated, a large tension is generated in the lap belt portion and the occupant's waist is restrained.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the bag is folded back along the folding line in the bag longitudinal direction and the crossing direction between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion. By doing so, the bag is flat when not inflated, and can smoothly pass through the belt through-hole of the tongue.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a front seat of an automobile showing an occupant restraint device when an air belt is not inflated according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the seat of the passenger restraint device when the air belt is not expanded, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the seat when the air belt is expanded. 4 and 5 are sectional views along the longitudinal direction of the air belt in the vicinity of the tongue. FIG. 4 shows the bag when it is not inflated, and FIG. 5 shows the bag when it is inflated. FIG. 6 (a) is an explanatory view showing a bag, a normal belt, and an inflator, and FIG. 6 (b) is a sectional view taken along line VIb-VIb of FIG. 6 (a). FIG. 7 is an exploded view (plan view) of a bag and a webbing as an extended body.

  A retractor 4 is provided on one side of the seat 1 including the seat cushion 2 and the seat back 3. One end side of a normal belt 20 made of ordinary non-expandable webbing is connected to the retractor 4 so that it can be wound and unwound. The retractor 4 includes a spool and a spring for winding the webbing 5, and an emergency for locking the drawer of the normal belt 20 when the deceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value or the rotational angular acceleration of the spool exceeds a predetermined value. An hour lock mechanism is provided.

  The air belt 10 is connected to the other end of the normal belt 20. The air belt 10 includes a lap belt portion 11, a tongue insertion portion 12 that is continuous with the lap belt portion 11, and a shoulder belt portion 13 that is continuous with the tongue insertion portion 12. The end of the air belt 10 on the shoulder belt portion 13 side is connected to the other end of the normal belt 20. An inflator 9 is connected to the end of the air belt 10 on the lap belt portion 11 side.

  The tongue insertion portion 12 is passed through the belt passage 6 a of the tongue 6, and the tongue 6 can move along the tongue insertion portion 12. The tongue 6 has a tongue plate 6 b inserted into the buckle device 8. The belt passage 6a is formed of a substantially rectangular opening that is long in the direction orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction of the tongue plate 6b.

  The shoulder belt portion 13 is passed through the belt passage opening 7 a of the shoulder anchor 7.

  The inflator 9 is installed on the passenger compartment floor on the same side as the retractor 4 of the seat 1 or a seat frame (not shown).

  A buckle device 8 to which the tongue 6 is connected is installed on the side of the seat 1 opposite to the retractor 4.

  The air belt 10 includes a bag 14 that expands when gas is introduced from the inflator 9, a webbing 15 as an extension provided along the bag 14 in the tongue insertion portion 12, the bag 14 and the webbing 15 and mesh webbing 16 encapsulating 15.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the bag 14 is formed in a bag shape by superposing two long base fabrics 14a and 14b and stitching their side edges with sutures 14c. The bag 14 extends continuously from the end on the inflator 9 side of the air belt 10 to the end on the normal belt 20 side.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the bag 14 is widened in the vicinity of the normal belt 20 and in the vicinity of the inflator 9, and a shoulder-side balloon portion 14A and a wrap-side balloon portion 14B are formed. Yes.

  The webbing 15 is made of a non-expandable belt webbing material like the normal belt 20. The shoulder side of the webbing 15 is sewn to the bag 14 by a first coupling portion 17 made of a suture, and the wrap side is sewn to the bag 14 by a second coupling portion 18 made of a suture.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the length B of the bag 14 from the first coupling portion 17 to the second coupling portion 18 is longer than the length L of the webbing 15 from the first coupling portion 17 to the second coupling portion 18. It has been long. The length L is preferably about 300 to 800 mm, and the length B is preferably 1.1 to 1.5 times the length L, particularly 1.1 to 1.25 times.

  Since the length B of the bag 14 between the coupling portions 17 and 18 is larger than the length L of the webbing 15, the bag 14 is folded along the folding lines 19 and 19 between the coupling portions 17 and 18. The direction of the folding lines 19 and 19 is a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the bag 14. In this embodiment, the bag 14 is folded twice by two fold lines 19 and 19 so that the bag 14 is a flat and long folded body between the coupling portions 17 and 18. The webbing 15 overlaps the flat folded body of the bag 14.

  The mesh webbing 16 is made of a knitted fabric that can be stretched flexibly in the width direction but hardly stretches in the longitudinal direction. The mesh webbing 16 has a flat and long bag shape, and a bag 14 with a webbing 15 is inserted therein. The shoulders 14 of the bag 14 and the mesh webbing 16 are respectively stitched to the normal belt 20 with sutures 21. Alternatively, only the shoulder side of the mesh webbing 16 and the normal belt 20 may be sewn with the suture thread 21.

  The wrap side tips of the bag 14 and the mesh webbing 16 are connected to the inflator 9 by fastening bands 22 respectively. Note that the wrap side tips of the bag 14 and the mesh webbing 16 may be stitched together with a suture thread. Further, the bag 14 and the mesh webbing 16 may not be directly coupled to the inflator 9 but may be connected to the inflator 9 via a gas conduction member such as a tube.

  When the air belt including the bag 14, the webbing 15 and the mesh webbing 16 is inserted into the passage 6a of the tongue 6, the webbing 15 is located on the outer surface of the bag 14 on the side opposite to the tongue plate 6b of the passage 6a. It is inserted so that it may overlap with the surface facing the inner periphery.

  Next, the usage method and operation | movement of the passenger | crew restraint apparatus of this structure are demonstrated.

  When the air belt 10 is mounted, the tong 6 is grasped and the normal belt 20 is pulled out from the retractor 4 and is pulled to the front side of the upper body of the occupant to connect the tong 6 to the buckle device 8. As a result, the belt is attached as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this belt-mounted state, the lap belt portion 11 is routed along the occupant's waist, the tongue insertion portion 12 is inserted into the belt passage 6b of the tongue 6, and the shoulder belt. The portion 13 is routed along the front surface of the upper body of the occupant.

  There is no hose-like tube in the tongue insertion part 12, and the tongue insertion part 12 bends at the belt hook 6b. For this reason, the air belt 10 fits an occupant.

  In the event of a vehicle emergency, the retractor 4 is locked by the above-described locking mechanism, and the withdrawal of the normal belt 20 from the retractor 4 is prevented. Further, the inflator 9 is operated to eject gas, so that gas is supplied into the bag 14 and the bag 14 is expanded.

  In this embodiment, the webbing 15 is provided along the bag 14 in the tongue insertion part 12, and the length B of the bag 14 is made larger than the length L of the webbing 15 between the coupling parts 17 and 18. The webbing 15 is located on the opposite side of the tongue plate 6b, that is, on the inner peripheral side of the bend of the air belt 12 along the belt passage 6a. For this reason, the webbing 15 is strongly pressed against the inner peripheral edge of the belt hooking opening 6a opposite to the tongue plate 6b, but the bag 14 expands greatly as it wraps around the outside of the webbing 15. As a result, the gas passage cross-sectional area of the inflated bag 14 becomes large even in the vicinity of the tongue insertion portion 12, and the gas smoothly flows in the bag 14 from the wrap side to the shoulder side. As a result, the entire bag 14 is quickly inflated without increasing the output of the inflator 9.

  In this embodiment, the mesh webbing 16 also expands following the expansion of the bag 14.

  Since the mesh webbing 16 is formed of a knitted fabric that expands flexibly in the direction in which the width or thickness increases, the mesh webbing 16 follows the expansion of the bag 14 because the mesh webbing 16 is configured to hardly expand in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, the mesh webbing 16 becomes shorter as it expands. In particular, since the balloon portions 14A and 14B provided on the bag 14 are greatly inflated, the length of the mesh webbing 16 is shortened. As a result, the entire air belt 10 is tightened and the occupant is restrained by the seat 1. Then, the impact applied to the occupant is absorbed by the inflated bag 14. Further, the head or neck of the occupant is restrained by the shoulder side balloon portion 14A, and the occupant's waist is restrained by the wrap side balloon portion 14B.

  The above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the webbing 15 made of a non-inflatable belt webbing material similar to the normal belt 20 is used as the extending body extending along the bag 14 in the tongue insertion part 12 of the air belt 10. However, the material of the extended body is not limited to this. In the present invention, in addition to the belt webbing material, the extended body may be constituted by, for example, a thick cloth or a sheet-like resin film having a high melting point. Of course, the extending body may be made of other materials.

  In the above embodiment, the bag 14 is folded back along the two fold lines 19 between the coupling portions 17 and 18, but may be folded once or three times or more. The folded portion of the bag 14 may be bonded with a weak thread or adhesive that is cut when the bag 14 is inflated, and may be held in shape.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although balloon part 14A, 14B is provided in a part of shoulder belt part 13 and the lap belt part 11, you may provide a balloon part so that it may expand | swell over a wider range than illustration.

  In the present invention, the retractor 4 and the buckle device 8 may be provided with a pretensioner function.

1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a front seat of an automobile showing an occupant restraint device according to an embodiment. It is a front view of a seat at the time of air belt non-inflation. It is a front view of a seat at the time of air belt expansion. It is sectional drawing in alignment with the longitudinal direction in the tongue insertion part of an air belt at the time of non-expansion. It is sectional drawing which shows the time of expansion | swelling of the air belt of FIG. (A) A figure is explanatory drawing of the state which extended the bag flat, (b) A figure is sectional drawing which follows the VIb-VIb line | wire of (a) figure. It is an exploded view (plan view) of a bag of an air belt and a webbing as an extended body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 4 Retractor 6 Tongue 6a Belt passage 6b Tongue plate 7 Shoulder anchor 7a Belt passage 8 Buckle device 9 Inflator 11 Lap belt part 12 Tongue insertion part 13 Shoulder belt part 14 Bag 14A, 14B Balloon part 14a, 14b Base Cloth 14c Suture thread 15 Webbing 16 Mesh webbing 17 First coupling part 18 Second coupling part 19 Folding line 20 Normal belt 21 Suture thread 22 Tightening member

Claims (7)

A shoulder belt portion, a tongue insertion portion continuous with the shoulder belt portion, and a lap belt portion continuous with the tongue insertion portion;
In the air belt having an inflatable bag continuously extending from the lap belt portion to the shoulder belt portion through the tongue insertion portion,
An extending body extending along the bag at the tongue insertion portion;
A first coupling portion coupling one end side of the extending body in the extending direction to the bag;
A second coupling portion that couples the other end side of the extending body in the extending direction to the bag;
An air belt, wherein a length B of the bag from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is longer than a length L of the extending body from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion. In Claim 1, length L of the extension object from said 1st joint part to the 2nd joint part is 300-800 mm,
The air belt according to claim 1, wherein a length B of the bag from the first coupling portion to the second coupling portion is 1.1 to 1.5 times the length L.   3. The occupant restraint device according to claim 1, wherein at least one end side of the bag that is separated from the tongue insertion portion is inflatable more than other portions.   4. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag is folded along a folding line in a longitudinal direction and a crossing direction of the bag at a portion between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion. An air belt characterized by that.   The air belt according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bag and the extending body are covered with mesh webbing. An air belt according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An inflator for supplying gas to the bag of the air belt;
A belt through hole and a tongue plate, and a tongue through which the air belt is inserted into the belt through hole;
The said extending body is arrange | positioned along the inner periphery on the opposite side to the said tongue plate among the said belt through-holes, The passenger | crew restraint apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   7. The air belt according to claim 6, wherein the end of the lap belt portion is connected to the inflator and the end of the shoulder belt portion is connected to a retractor with an emergency lock mechanism via a normal belt. An occupant restraint system.

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