JP6380161B2 - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat, the airbag body is deployed and inflated on the side of the passenger seated on the vehicle seat to The present invention relates to a side airbag device to be protected.

  When an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat due to a side collision or the like, a side airbag device including an airbag and an inflator is provided as a device for protecting an occupant seated on the vehicle seat. It is valid. As one form of this side airbag device, an airbag is known that includes an airbag body that constitutes an outer shell portion thereof, and a lateral partition portion that is installed inside the airbag body (for example, , See Patent Document 1). In this side airbag device, the lateral partition section divides the interior of the airbag body into an upper expansion chamber above the lateral partition section and a lower expansion chamber below the lateral partition section.

  When an impact is applied from the side to the vehicle body side, for example, a side door, the inflation gas is supplied from the inflator to the upper expansion chamber, and more expansion gas is lower than the expansion chamber. Supplied to the expansion chamber. The upper expansion chamber expands and expands between a portion above the occupant's waist and a body side portion that enters the vehicle interior side. Further, the lower expansion chamber expands and expands at a higher internal pressure than the upper expansion chamber between the occupant's lower back portion and the body side portion. Therefore, the waist part having higher impact resistance than the chest part is pressed by the lower expansion chamber inflated with a high internal pressure. In addition, the chest part having a lower impact resistance than the waist part is pressed by the upper expansion chamber expanded with an internal pressure lower than that of the lower expansion chamber. As a result, the waist and chest are restrained by the lower expansion chamber and the upper expansion chamber that are inflated with a pressure distribution in accordance with the impact resistance described above, and the impact from the side transmitted to the occupant through the body side portion is reduced.

JP 2011-126497 A

  By the way, in the side airbag device, it is important to protect the occupant from impact that the amount of energy absorbed by the airbag is large. For this purpose, it is effective that the internal pressures of the upper and lower expansion chambers are high and that each expansion chamber expands greatly in the width direction of the vehicle seat (the expansion thickness is large).

  In this regard, according to the side airbag device described in Patent Document 1, the lower inflation chamber is deployed and inflated with an internal pressure higher than that of the upper inflation chamber as described above, so that the amount of energy absorption is secured, and the waist portion Can be effectively protected from impact. However, since the upper expansion chamber expands and expands with an internal pressure lower than that of the lower expansion chamber, it is difficult to obtain the effect of the lower expansion chamber. Moreover, the expansion thickness of the upper expansion chamber in the width direction of the vehicle seat is regulated by the lateral partition portion. Therefore, there is room for improvement in increasing the amount of energy absorbed by the upper expansion chamber and improving the protection performance of the chest.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The objective is to provide the side airbag apparatus which can further improve the performance which protects a passenger | crew's chest.

  A side airbag device that solves the above problem is deployed and inflated on the side of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat by inflation gas supplied from an inflator in response to an impact applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat. An airbag main body that restrains the passenger, and at least a part of the airbag main body includes an upper expansion chamber above the horizontal partition section and a lower side than the horizontal partition section by the horizontal partition section. The upper expansion chamber is inflated on the side of the upper part of the occupant's waist, and the lower expansion chamber is on the side of the occupant's waist and is more than the upper expansion chamber. In the upper expansion chamber, a portion of the upper expansion chamber that expands at the side of at least a part of the chest has a longitudinal length that is shorter than the circumferential length in the longitudinal direction of the portion. And with the expansion of the upper expansion chamber A sheet-like inflatable thickness restricting portion that is in a state of being tensioned in a direction is installed, and the inflatable thickness restricting portion is located at the portion in the width direction of the vehicle seat when the airbag body completes inflating. The expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper expansion chamber is regulated so that the expansion thickness of the upper expansion chamber is larger than the expansion thickness of the lower expansion chamber.

  According to the above configuration, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat, the inflation gas is supplied from the inflator to the upper expansion chamber and the lower expansion chamber. The upper expansion chamber expands and expands on the side of the upper part (including the chest) of the occupant's waist, and the lower expansion chamber expands and expands on the side of the occupant's waist with higher internal pressure than the upper expansion chamber. To do.

  Therefore, the waist part having higher impact resistance than the chest part is pressed by the lower expansion chamber inflated with a high internal pressure. In addition, the chest part having a lower impact resistance than the waist part is pressed by the upper expansion chamber expanded with an internal pressure lower than that of the lower expansion chamber. As a result, the waist and the chest are restrained by the lower expansion chamber and the upper expansion chamber which are expanded with a pressure distribution in accordance with the impact resistance, and the impact from the side transmitted to the occupant is reduced.

  By the way, the expansion thickness of the upper expansion chamber in the width direction of the vehicle seat is regulated by the horizontal partition portion. However, with the expansion and expansion of the upper expansion chamber, the expansion thickness regulating portion is tensioned in the front-rear direction on at least a part of the chest of the occupant. The front / rear length of the expansion thickness regulating portion is shorter than the circumferential length in the front / rear direction of a portion of the upper expansion chamber that expands at least partially on the side of the chest. Therefore, the expansion thickness of the upper expansion chamber is regulated in the front-rear direction by the expansion thickness regulating portion. The upper expansion chamber tends to expand in the width direction of the vehicle seat whose expansion thickness is not regulated by the expansion thickness regulating portion. When the airbag main body has been inflated, the inflated thickness of the upper inflating chamber at the portion in the width direction of the vehicle seat is greater than the inflated thickness of the lower inflating chamber.

  Therefore, although the above-mentioned part of the upper expansion chamber expands and expands at an internal pressure lower than that of the lower expansion chamber, it expands greatly in the width direction of the vehicle seat (the expansion thickness in the same width direction is large). As a result, the amount of energy absorbed by the above parts increases, and the performance of protecting the chest increases.

  In the side airbag device, a larger amount of inflation gas from the inflator is supplied to the lower inflation chamber than to the upper inflation chamber, and the lateral partition is supplied from the inflator to the lower inflation chamber. It is preferable that a check valve is provided for restricting the expansion gas flowing into the upper expansion chamber from flowing out into the upper expansion chamber.

  According to the above configuration, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat, a larger amount of inflation gas is supplied from the inflator to the lower expansion chamber than to the upper expansion chamber in response to the impact. The check valve prevents the expansion gas supplied from the inflator and flowing into the lower expansion chamber from flowing out (back flow) into the upper expansion chamber. Therefore, the internal pressure in the lower expansion chamber is higher than the internal pressure in the upper expansion chamber.

  In the side airbag device, the upper expansion chamber is located on the rear side of the vertical partition portion by a vertical partition portion having a communication portion, and is supplied with an expansion gas from the inflator. And an upper front expansion chamber that is located on the front side of the vertical partition and is supplied with an expansion gas via the communication portion, and the expansion thickness regulating portion is disposed in the upper rear expansion chamber. It is preferably constructed.

  According to the above configuration, in the upper expansion chamber, the expansion gas from the inflator is first supplied to the upper rear expansion chamber. The inflation gas expands and expands the upper rear expansion chamber on the side of the rear half of the upper portion of the occupant's waist.

  Here, since the upper expansion chamber is divided into the upper rear expansion chamber and the upper front expansion chamber by the vertical partition portion, the volume of the upper rear expansion chamber is the upper expansion chamber when the upper expansion chamber is not divided. Is smaller than the volume of. Therefore, the internal pressure of the upper rear expansion chamber starts rising earlier than when the upper expansion chamber is not partitioned, and becomes higher. Accordingly, the rear half of the upper part of the occupant's waist is quickly restrained and protected by the upper rear expansion chamber.

  In addition, with the expansion and expansion of the upper rear expansion chamber, the expansion thickness regulating portion is tensioned in the front-rear direction on the side of the rear half of the occupant's chest, and the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper rear expansion chamber is expanded. It is regulated by the thickness regulation part. The upper rear expansion chamber expands in the width direction of the vehicle seat whose expansion thickness is not regulated by the expansion thickness regulating portion. When the airbag main body is completely inflated, the expansion thickness of the upper rear expansion chamber at the above-described portion in the width direction of the vehicle seat (the portion inflating on the side of the rear half of the chest) is the expansion thickness of the lower expansion chamber. Bigger than.

Therefore, the amount of energy absorbed by the above-mentioned part of the upper rear expansion chamber is increased, and the performance of protecting the rear half of the chest is enhanced.
In the above-described side airbag device, the upper part of the vertical partition part is configured by an inclined part that is inclined so as to be positioned forwardly toward the upper side, and a rear part of the upper rear expansion chamber is located behind the inclined part. It is preferable that the expansion thickness restricting portion is disposed at a position lower than the inclined portion in the upper rear expansion chamber.

According to the above configuration, of the upper rear expansion chamber, the rear portion of the inclined portion at the upper part of the vertical partition portion restrains the shoulder portion by expanding on the side of the shoulder portion of the occupant, and the shoulder portion from the impact. Protect.
Here, the gap between the occupant seated on the vehicle seat and the vehicle component located on the side of the vehicle seat is narrower than other portions, for example, the chest, at the shoulder of the occupant. Therefore, in expanding and inflating the upper rear expansion chamber even in such a narrow space, the upper rear expansion chamber is formed to have a small expansion thickness in the width direction of the vehicle seat on the side of the occupant's shoulder. It is desirable to inflate.

  In this regard, the expansion thickness restricting portion is disposed at a position lower than the inclined portion in the upper rear expansion chamber. Therefore, the upper rear expansion chamber expands with a large expansion thickness in the width direction of the vehicle seat at a position lower than the shoulder portion of the occupant (side of the rear half of the chest). The upper rear expansion chamber expands with a small expansion thickness in the width direction of the vehicle seat on the side of the shoulder portion of the occupant. Therefore, while improving the performance of protecting the rear half of the chest by the upper rear expansion chamber, it is possible to expand and expand the rear expansion chamber in the narrow gap between the shoulder portion of the occupant and the vehicle component.

  In the side airbag device, the airbag main body is formed by joining peripheral portions of a pair of main body cloth portions overlapped in the width direction of the vehicle seat, and the expansion thickness regulating portion is It is preferable that the front edge part and the rear edge part are coupled to the main body cloth part.

  According to said structure, when an expansion thickness control part will be in the tension | tensile_strength state in the front-back direction with expansion | deployment and expansion | swelling of an upper expansion chamber, it will be controlled that an upper expansion chamber expand | swells further in the front-back direction. Moreover, the part pinched | interposed by the location where the front edge part of the expansion | swelling thickness control part was couple | bonded and the location where the rear edge part was couple | bonded among main body cloth parts expand | swells to the width direction outer side of the vehicle seat. Due to this expansion, the expansion thickness of the above-described portion of the upper expansion chamber in the width direction of the vehicle seat (the portion that expands at the side of at least a part of the chest) becomes larger than the expansion thickness of the lower expansion chamber.

The said side airbag apparatus WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said expansion | swelling thickness control part is provided for every said main body cloth part.
As described above, the inflated thickness restricting portion is provided for each pair of body cloth portions that form the airbag main body and are overlapped in the width direction of the vehicle seat, so that the occupant in the upper inflating chamber. The inflated thickness of the part that inflates at least a part of the side of the chest increases to both sides in the same direction. Therefore, the portion of the upper expansion chamber expands more in the width direction of the vehicle seat than when the expansion thickness regulating portion is provided only on one of the main body cloth portions. The expansion thickness of the upper expansion chamber at the above portion in the same direction becomes larger.

  In the side airbag device, the airbag main body is fixed to the vehicle at a rear end portion of the airbag main body, and a rear edge portion of the expansion thickness regulating portion is fixed to the vehicle of the airbag main body. It is preferable to be coupled to the main body cloth portion at a location close to the location.

  According to said structure, if an upper expansion chamber expand | deploys and expand | swells, an expansion | swelling thickness control part will be strained in the front-back direction in connection with it. The rear edge portion of the inflated thickness regulating portion is coupled to the main body cloth portion at a location that is close to a location where the airbag main body is fixed to the vehicle. In other words, the rear edge portion of the inflated thickness regulating portion is fixed to the vehicle via the rear end portion of the airbag body. On the other hand, the front edge portion of the inflated thickness regulating portion is coupled to the main body fabric portion at a location away from the location where the airbag body is fixed to the vehicle. Therefore, the forward expansion and expansion of the upper expansion chamber are restricted by the expansion thickness restricting portion that is tensioned in the front-rear direction as described above.

  Therefore, even if there is an obstacle in front of the place where the airbag main body is fixed to the vehicle, when the airbag main body is deployed and inflated, it is suppressed that the obstacle is strongly pressed.

  In the above-described side airbag device, a sheet-like lower inflation thickness regulating portion that is tensioned in the front-rear direction along with the inflation of the lower inflation chamber is installed inside the lower inflation chamber, and the lower inflation thickness It is preferable that the regulating portion has a longitudinal length shorter than a circumferential length in a longitudinal direction of a portion where the lower inflation thickness regulating portion is installed in the lower expansion chamber.

  According to said structure, the expansion | swelling thickness of the lower expansion chamber in the width direction of a vehicle seat is controlled by a horizontal division part. However, with the expansion and expansion of the lower expansion chamber, the lower expansion thickness regulating portion is in a tensioned state in the front-rear direction on the side of the occupant's waist. The front-rear length of the lower expansion thickness regulating portion is shorter than the circumferential length in the front-rear direction of the portion of the lower expansion chamber where the lower expansion thickness restriction portion is installed. Therefore, the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the lower expansion chamber is regulated by the lower expansion thickness regulating portion. The lower expansion chamber tends to expand in the width direction of the vehicle seat whose expansion thickness is not regulated by the lower expansion thickness regulating portion. When the airbag main body is completely inflated, the inflated thickness of the lower inflating chamber at the above-mentioned portion in the width direction of the vehicle seat is larger than that in the case where the inflating thickness regulating portion is not provided. Accordingly, the amount of energy absorbed by the above-described portion of the lower expansion chamber is increased, and the performance of protecting the waist is enhanced.

  According to the said side airbag apparatus, the performance which protects a passenger | crew's chest can further be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment actualized in the side airbag apparatus for vehicles, and is a side view which shows the vehicle seat provided with the same apparatus with the passenger | crew. In 1st Embodiment, the plane sectional view which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a body side part. In 1st Embodiment, the front sectional view which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a body side part. In the first embodiment, a partial plan sectional view showing an internal structure of a side portion on the vehicle outer side in a seat back in which an airbag module is incorporated. In 1st Embodiment, the side view which shows the airbag module by which the airbag main body was made into the non-expanded deployment state. 6-6 sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. In 1st Embodiment, the exploded perspective view shown in the state which expand | deployed each structural member of the airbag, respectively. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of the airbag module of FIG. 5 together with an occupant and a vehicle seat. In 1st Embodiment, the partial expanded view which shows the structure of the fold line vicinity of an airbag main body among the airbag expand | deployed planarly. In 1st Embodiment, process drawing explaining the 1st process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor. Process drawing explaining the 2nd process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in 1st Embodiment. (A) is process drawing explaining the 3rd process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in 1st Embodiment, (b) is the 13b-13b sectional view taken on the line in FIG. 13 (a). Process drawing explaining the 4th process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in a 1st embodiment. Process drawing explaining the 4th process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in a 1st embodiment. Process drawing explaining the 5th process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in 1st Embodiment. (A) is process drawing explaining the 6th process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in 1st Embodiment, (b) is the 17b-17b sectional view taken on the line in FIG. 17 (a). (A) is process drawing explaining the 7th process among the manufacturing processes of a module precursor in 1st Embodiment, (b) is the 18b-18b sectional view taken on the line in Fig.18 (a). (A) is the 19a-19a sectional view taken on the line in FIG. 5, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the internal state of the airbag lower part when the horizontal division part in FIG. The partial cross-sectional view which shows the state which the airbag main body of FIG. 4 left the part in the seat back, protruded from the vehicle seat, and was expand | deployed and expanded. In 1st Embodiment, the general | schematic plane sectional view which shows the state by which the expansion thickness of the front-back direction of the upper expansion chamber was controlled by the expansion thickness control part. The side view which shows 2nd Embodiment actualized in the side airbag apparatus for vehicles, and shows the airbag module by which the airbag main body was made into the non-expanded deployment state. In 2nd Embodiment, the general | schematic plane sectional view which shows the state by which the expansion thickness of the front-back direction of the upper rear expansion chamber was controlled by the expansion thickness control part. FIG. 23 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of the airbag module of FIG. 22 together with an occupant and a vehicle seat. In 2nd Embodiment, front sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a body side part. In 3rd Embodiment embodied in the side airbag apparatus for vehicles, the schematic plane sectional view which shows the state by which the expansion thickness of the front-back direction of the lower expansion chamber was controlled by the lower expansion thickness control part. In 3rd Embodiment, the side view which shows the airbag module by which the airbag main body was made into the non-expanded deployment state with a passenger | crew and a vehicle seat.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodied in a vehicle side airbag device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front, and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear. In addition, with the central portion in the vehicle width direction (vehicle width direction) as a reference, the side approaching the central portion is referred to as “vehicle inside”, and the side away from the central portion is referred to as “vehicle outside”. Further, it is assumed that an adult having a standard physique is seated on the vehicle seat in a predetermined posture (regular posture) as an occupant.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in a vehicle 10 as a vehicle, a vehicle seat 12 is arranged as a vehicle seat in the vicinity of the inside of the body side portion 11. Here, the body side part 11 refers to a vehicle constituent member arranged on the side part of the vehicle 10, and mainly corresponds to a door, a pillar, and the like. For example, the body side part 11 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B pillar), or the like. The body side portion 11 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quarter, and the like.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion 13 and a seat back 14 that is configured to stand up from the rear side of the seat cushion 13 and to adjust an inclination angle. The vehicle seat 12 is disposed in the passenger compartment with the seat back 14 facing forward. The width direction of the vehicle seat 12 arranged in this way matches the vehicle width direction.

Next, the internal structure of the side portion on the vehicle outer side in the seat back 14 will be described.
Inside the seat back 14, a seat frame forming the skeleton is arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the seat frame is disposed on the vehicle outer side portion in the seat back 14, and this portion (hereinafter referred to as “side frame portion 15”) is formed by bending a metal plate or the like. Is formed by. A seat pad 16 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is disposed on the front side of the seat frame including the side frame portion 15. A hard backboard 17 made of synthetic resin or the like is disposed on the rear side of the seat frame. Although the seat pad 16 is covered with a skin, the skin is not shown in FIG. The same applies to FIG. 20 described later.

  In the seat pad 16, a storage portion 18 is provided in the vicinity of the vehicle exterior side of the side frame portion 15. An air bag module AM that forms the main part of the side air bag device is incorporated in the storage portion 18.

  A slit 19 extends from the corner of the storage portion 18 diagonally forward and toward the vehicle exterior. A portion sandwiched between the corner 16c on the front side of the seat pad 16 and the slit 19 (a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) constitutes a planned breaking portion 21 to be broken by the airbag 40 described later. ing.

The airbag module AM includes a gas generator 30 and an airbag 40 as main components. Next, each of these structural members will be described.
<Gas generator 30>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the gas generator 30 includes an inflator 31 and a retainer 32 that covers the inflator 31. Here, a type called a pyrotype is adopted as the inflator 31. The inflator 31 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates an expansion gas is accommodated therein. The inflator 31 has a gas ejection part (not shown) at its lower end. In addition, a harness (not shown) serving as an input wiring for an operation signal to the inflator 31 is connected to the upper end portion of the inflator 31.

  As the inflator 31, instead of the pyro type using the gas generating agent, a type (hybrid type) in which a partition wall of a high pressure gas cylinder filled with a high pressure gas is broken with an explosive or the like to eject an expansion gas is used. May be.

  On the other hand, the retainer 32 is a member having a function of fastening the inflator 31 to the side frame portion 15 together with the airbag 40 while functioning as a diffuser that controls the direction in which the inflation gas is ejected. Most of the retainer 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. A plurality of bolts 33 are fixed to the retainer 32 as locking members for attaching the retainer 32 to the side frame portion 15. The gas generator 30 may be one in which an inflator 31 and a retainer 32 are integrated.

<Airbag 40>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the outer shell portion of the airbag 40 is constituted by an airbag body 41.

<Airbag body 41>
FIG. 5 shows the airbag module AM in a state where the airbag body 41 is deployed in a planar shape without being filled with an inflation gas (hereinafter referred to as “non-inflated and deployed state”). FIG. 8 shows the components of the airbag 40 including the airbag body 41 in a deployed state. Further, FIG. 9 shows the airbag module AM in which the airbag main body 41 of FIG. 5 is cut at the center in the vehicle width direction together with the vehicle seat 12 and the occupant P in order to show the internal structure of the airbag module AM. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 8, and 9, the airbag main body 41 has a single piece of cloth (also referred to as a base cloth or a panel cloth) forward along a fold line 42 set at the center portion thereof. It is formed by folding in half and overlapping in the vehicle width direction, and joining the overlapped portions into a bag shape. Here, in order to distinguish the two overlapping parts of the airbag main body 41, the one located on the inner side of the vehicle is referred to as a main body cloth portion 43, and the one located on the outer side of the vehicle is referred to as a main body cloth portion 44. To do.

  In the first embodiment, the cloth piece is folded in two so that the fold line 42 is positioned at the rear end of the airbag body 41. However, the fold line 42 has other ends such as a front end and an upper end. The cloth piece may be folded in two so as to be positioned at the lower end or the like. The airbag body 41 may be composed of two pieces of cloth divided along the fold line 42. In this case, the airbag main body 41 is formed by superimposing two pieces of cloth in the vehicle width direction and joining both pieces so as to form a bag. Furthermore, at least one of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 may be composed of two or more pieces of cloth.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the airbag main body 41, the outer shapes of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are in a line-symmetric relationship with each other with the folding line 42 as the axis of symmetry. When the airbag main body 41 is deployed and inflated between the vehicle seat 12 and the body side part 11, each of the main body cloth parts 43 and 44 has a large portion of the upper body of the occupant P (from the chest PT to the waist PP). It is formed in a shape and size that can occupy a region corresponding to the (part).

  As the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, a woven cloth formed using a material having high strength and flexibility and can be easily folded, for example, polyester yarn, polyamide yarn or the like is suitable. .

  The main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are coupled to each other at a peripheral joint portion 45 provided at the peripheral portion thereof. In the first embodiment, most of the peripheral edge coupling portion 45 sews (sews with a sewing thread) a portion of the peripheral edge portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 excluding the rear end portion (the vicinity of the folding line 42). It is formed by doing. This also applies to the lateral coupling portions 64 and 65, the front coupling portion 68, the rear coupling portion 69, the vertical coupling portions 81, 91, 92, 111, and 112, the surrounding coupling portion 86, and the side edge coupling portions 102 to 104, which will be described later. It is the same.

  Regarding the above-described sewing, in FIGS. 5 and 9 to 18, the sewing portion is represented by three line types. The same applies to FIGS. 22 and 24 used to explain the second embodiment. The same applies to FIG. 27 used for describing the third embodiment. The first line type is a line in which a certain length of thick lines are intermittently arranged and represents a state in which the sewing thread is viewed from the side (see the peripheral joint 45 in FIG. 5). . The second line type is a line in which fine lines of a certain length (longer than a general broken line) are intermittently arranged, which is located at the back of a piece of cloth, for example, and is directly visible. The state of the sewing thread that is not (hidden) is shown (see the lower horizontal coupling portion 65 and the like in FIG. 5). The third line type is a line expressed by arranging points at regular intervals, which indicates a cross section of the sewing thread along a cross section passing through the sewing portion (see the peripheral joint 45 in FIG. 9).

  In addition, the periphery coupling | bond part 45 may be formed by the means different from the sewing using the said sewing thread, for example, adhesion | attachment using an adhesive agent. This also applies to the lateral coupling portions 64 and 65, the front coupling portion 68, the rear coupling portion 69, the vertical coupling portions 81, 91, 92, 111, and 112, the surrounding coupling portion 86, and the side edge coupling portions 102 to 104, which will be described later. It is the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the space between both the body cloth portions 43 and 44 and surrounded by the peripheral edge coupling portion 45 and the fold line 42 becomes an inflatable portion 46 that expands and inflates with the inflating gas. ing.

  A slit 47 extending in a direction orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the folding line 42 is formed in the upper rear end of the airbag body 41 folded in half (see FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 6, the upper portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 above the slit 47 are inwardly folded portions 48 that are inserted in a state of being folded inwardly of the other portions. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the upper end portion of the inner folding portion 48 is joined to the other portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by the above-described peripheral edge joining portion 45 by co-sewing. Further, the slit 47 is opened along with the formation of the inwardly-folded portion 48, and the insertion port 49 of the gas generator 30 is formed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, bolts for inserting bolts 33 (see FIG. 4) of the gas generator 30 into a plurality of locations (two locations) below the slit 47 in the main body cloth portion 43 on the inside of the vehicle. A hole 51 is formed.

  The inside of the inflating part 46 is divided into two by a horizontal partitioning part 60. The horizontal partition 60 has the same configuration as that generally called a tether, and is disposed between the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44.

<Horizontal partition 60>
As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 19 (a), the transverse partition 60 is a fold line 61 in which one piece of cloth made of the same material as that of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is set at the center portion thereof. Are folded forward and overlapped in the vehicle width direction, and the overlapped portion is laid between the lower portions of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44. Note that the horizontal partition 60 may be composed of two pieces of cloth divided along the fold line 61. In order to distinguish the two overlapped portions of the horizontal partition 60, the portion located inside the vehicle is referred to as a constituent fabric portion 62, and the portion located outside the vehicle is referred to as a constituent fabric portion 63.

  The constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 in the horizontally divided portion 60 folded in half have bulging portions 62a and 63a that bulge downward at the rear portion of the fabric portion 62 and 63. The transverse section 60 folded in half is arranged between the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 with the fold line 61 matched with the fold line 42 of the airbag main body 41. The constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 of the laterally-folded horizontal partition portion 60 are coupled to the corresponding main body fabric portions 43 and 44 by lateral coupling portions 64 provided along the peripheral edge on the upper side thereof. Both the constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 are coupled to each other by a lateral coupling portion 65 provided along the lower peripheral edge portion thereof. Further, the front end portions of the two constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 of the transverse section 60 folded in half are joined to the front end portions of the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 by the above-mentioned peripheral joint portion 45 by co-sewing.

  In the inflating portion 46, the lower portion of the lateral partition portion 60 constitutes a lower inflating chamber 72 that expands and inflates on the side of the waist portion PP of the occupant P. An upper expansion chamber 73 is formed which expands and expands on the side of the upper portion (including the chest PT) from the waist PP.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the horizontal partition 60 is provided with a communication portion 66 and a check valve 67.
<Communication portion 66 and check valve 67>
The communication part 66 is for communicating the upper expansion chamber 73 and the lower expansion chamber 72. The lower horizontal coupling portion 65 of the folded-up horizontal section 60 is released at the rear portions of the constituent fabric portions 62 and 63. In other words, in the portion straddling the folding line 61, the lateral coupling portion 65 that couples the two constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 is not provided. Thus, the communication part 66 is comprised by the location where the coupling | bonding was cancelled | released which is a part in which the horizontal coupling part 65 is not provided.

  The check valve 67 is a valve that controls the flow of the expansion gas in the communication portion 66, and allows the flow (inflow) of the expansion gas from the upper expansion chamber 73 to the lower expansion chamber 72. Regulate distribution (outflow).

  The front peripheral portions of the bulging portions 62a and 63a in the transverse section 60 folded in half are connected to each other by a front connecting portion 68 provided along the peripheral portions. The front coupling portion 68 is inclined so as to become lower toward the front side, and the rear end portion thereof is connected to the rear end portion of the horizontal coupling portion 65.

  The rear portions of the bulging portions 62a and 63a in the folded-in transverse section 60 are coupled to each other by a rear coupling portion 69 that extends in an inclined state so as to become lower toward the front side. Further, the rear portions of the bulging portions 62a and 63a with respect to the rear coupling portion 69 are coupled to the rear lower end portions of the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 by the above-described peripheral coupling portion 45 by co-sewing.

  In each of the bulging portions 62 a and 63 a, the portion sandwiched between the front coupling portion 68 and the rear coupling portion 69 constitutes a valve body portion 71 of the check valve 67. The check valve 67 allows the expansion gas to flow when one of the valve body portions 71 is separated from the other. The operation mode of the check valve 67 at this time is referred to as “valve opening”. In addition, the check valve 67 regulates the flow of the expansion gas when the two valve body portions 71 are in contact with each other at least in part. The operation mode of the check valve 67 at this time is referred to as “valve closing”. Note that the check valve 67 may be formed of a member different from the horizontal partition 60.

An inner tube 80 is disposed below the insertion port 49 in the rear part of the airbag body 41 in a non-inflated and deployed state.
<Inner tube 80>
The inner tube 80 is for distributing the expansion gas ejected from the gas ejection section below the inflator 31 so as to be supplied more to the lower expansion chamber 72 than to the upper expansion chamber 73.

  As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the inner tube 80 combines a single piece of cloth formed in a rectangular shape with the same material as the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 to the airbag main body 41 and the horizontal partition portion 60. It is formed by doing. A silicone resin may be coated on the inner surface of the inner tube 80. The inner tube 80 is coupled to the airbag body 41 and the horizontal partition 60 by a pair of vertical coupling portions 81 provided so as to extend in the vertical direction on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the inner tube 80 in a deployed state. Has been made. One of the vertical coupling portions 81 couples the inner tube 80 to the body cloth portion 43 and the constituent fabric portion 62 inside the vehicle, and the other connects the inner tube 80 to the body cloth portion 44 and the constitution fabric portion 63 outside the vehicle. Are connected. The inner tube 80 may be composed of a plurality of cloth pieces.

  As shown in FIG. 9, most of the gas generator 30 has a posture extending substantially in the vertical direction and is accommodated in the rear end portion of the airbag body 41 in a non-inflated and deployed state. The upper end portion of the gas generator 30 is exposed to the outside of the airbag body 41 through the insertion port 49. The lower part of the gas generator 30 is inserted between a portion of the inner tube 80 sandwiched between the two longitudinal coupling portions 81 and the airbag main body 41. Note that the lower portion of the gas generator 30 may be inserted between the inner tube 80 and the horizontal partition 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the bolt 33 of the retainer 32 is inserted into the bolt hole 51 of the main body cloth portion 43, so that the gas generator 30 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the airbag main body 41. Has been. In this state, the gas ejection portion located at the lower portion of the gas generator 30 is close to the lateral coupling portion 64 at the rear end portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 and above the lateral partition portion 60.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the airbag main body 41 is provided with an exhaust hole (also referred to as a vent hole) 85 for discharging the inflation gas.
<Exhaust hole 85>
The exhaust hole 85 is provided in the front lower portion of the lower expansion chamber 72. The peripheral joint portion 45 is formed with a pair of terminal portions 45a that are separated from each other by releasing the joint of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at the front lower end portion. The airbag main body 41 is provided with a surrounding coupling portion 86 that couples the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 in a state of surrounding each terminal portion 45a. A portion between the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 and sandwiched by the two surrounding joint portions 86 does not have a function of connecting the peripheral edge portions of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44. This portion serves as an exhaust hole 85 for communicating the inside and the outside of the lower expansion chamber 72 and discharging the expansion gas in the lower expansion chamber 72 to the outside.

Note that an exhaust hole (not shown) for discharging the expansion gas in the upper expansion chamber 73 is also provided at the front end portion of the upper expansion chamber 73.
In the upper expansion chamber 73, an expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper expansion chamber 73 is regulated inside a portion of the occupant P that expands at least partially on the side of the chest part PT. A pair of expansion thickness restricting portions 90 for increasing the temperature are installed.

<Expanded thickness regulating portion 90>
Each inflated thickness restricting portion 90 is a rectangular piece made of a sheet-like material similar to that of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, and at least one of the chest PT among the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 of the airbag main body 41. It is formed by bonding to the part which becomes the side of the part. As shown in FIG. 21, each inflatable thickness restricting portion 90 has a front-rear circumferential length L2U of a portion of each main body fabric portion 43, 44 that inflates at least a part of the side of the chest PT. A short one having a length L1U is used.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, each expansion thickness restricting portion 90 is arranged at a location above the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 and away from the inner tube 80.
Each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a pair of vertical coupling portions 91 provided so as to extend substantially vertically in the front edge portion and the rear edge portion of the expansion thickness regulating portion 90. , 92. The front vertical coupling portion 91 couples the front edge portion of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 to the front edge portion of the corresponding main body cloth portion 43, 44. Further, the rear longitudinal coupling portion 92 couples the rear edge portion of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 slightly ahead of the slit 47. In other words, the rear edge portion of each inflatable thickness regulating portion 90 is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a location close to a fixing location of the airbag main body 41 with respect to the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15). Yes. As described above, the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 for each of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is installed between two portions separated in the front-rear direction in the portion constituting the upper expansion chamber 73 of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44. ing. The region sandwiched between the front and rear longitudinal coupling portions 91 and 92 of each of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is slack.

  As described above, the front-rear length L1U of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is shorter than the front-rear circumferential length L2U of the portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 that expands at the side of at least a part of the chest portion PT of the occupant P. Therefore, each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 regulates the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by being in a tension state with the expansion of the upper expansion chamber 73. As shown in FIG. 21, due to this restriction, the expansion thickness TU in the vehicle width direction of the upper expansion chamber 73 becomes larger than the expansion thickness T0U in the case where the expansion thickness restriction portion 90 is not provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 and 3, the increase amount ΔTU (= TU−T0U) of the expansion thickness increases as the difference between the circumferential length L2U and the longitudinal length L1U increases. In the first embodiment, the difference is set so that the expansion thickness TU is larger than the expansion thickness TL of the lower expansion chamber 72 when the airbag body 41 completes the expansion.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the airbag module AM having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. In this manufacturing, the airbag module AM is manufactured at two different manufacturing bases (a first manufacturing base and a second manufacturing base).

  At the first manufacturing base, as shown in FIG. 18A, an air bag module (hereinafter referred to as “module precursor AM ′”) in an intermediate form for distribution, in which a retainer 32 is disposed in an air bag body 41, is provided. Manufactured. At this stage, the inflator 31 is not inserted into the retainer 32. The module precursor AM ′ is transported from the first manufacturing base to the second manufacturing base. In the second manufacturing base, the inflator 31 is inserted and locked in the retainer 32 in the module precursor AM ′.

Here, an operation mainly performed when the module precursor AM ′ is manufactured at the first manufacturing site will be described.
<First step>
As shown in FIG. 11, in the first step, the airbag body 41 and the lateral partition 60 are both deployed. As the airbag main body 41, one in which the slit 47, the bolt hole 51, etc. are formed in advance may be used.

  With the fold line 61 aligned with the fold line 42, the horizontal partition 60 is superimposed on the lower portion of the airbag body 41. The horizontal partition portion 60 is sewn to the airbag body 41 along the upper peripheral edge portion thereof, so that the horizontal coupling portion 64 is provided.

The slit 47, the bolt hole 51, and the like may be formed in the airbag body 41 after the lateral coupling portion 64 is provided.
<Second step>
As shown in FIG. 12, in the second step, the horizontal partition 60 and the airbag body 41 are both deployed. Further, the inner tube 80 and the pair of expansion thickness regulating portions 90 are respectively deployed.

  The inner tube 80 is overlaid on the folding lines 42 and 61 so as to straddle the airbag body 41 and the horizontal partition 60. The inner tube 80 is sewn to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 and the lateral partition portion 60 along both side edges in the left-right direction, so that a pair of vertical coupling portions 81 is provided. The inner tube 80 is in a state of being coupled to the airbag main body 41 and the horizontal partition 60 by both vertical coupling portions 81.

  Further, in the second step, the respective expansion thickness restricting portions 90 are superposed on the upper portions of the main body fabric portions 43 and 44, away from the inner tube 80 and slightly away from the slit 47. Of the left and right edge portions of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90, the edge portion on the side close to the slit 47 is stitched to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, thereby providing the longitudinal coupling portion 92. Each expansion thickness restricting portion 90 is connected to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by the vertical connecting portion 92.

<Third step>
In the third step, the left and right edges of the airbag body 41 in the deployed state are brought close to the fold line 42 as shown in FIG. In connection with this, each main body cloth part 43 and 44 is slackened (refer FIG.13 (b)). Then, the left and right edge portions of the airbag main body 41 are overlapped with the corresponding edge portions of the respective inflated thickness regulating portions 90. In this state, each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is stitched to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 along the edge portion, so that the longitudinal coupling portion 91 is provided. Each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is connected to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by the vertical connecting portion 91 in addition to the vertical connecting portion 92.

<4th process>
In the fourth step, as shown in FIG. 14, the lower portions of the main body cloth portions 43, 44 than the horizontal coupling portion 64 and both vertical coupling portions 81 are folded upward and outward (in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 14). . By this folding, at least the lower peripheral edge of the horizontal partition 60 is exposed.

  Subsequently, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 15, the airbag body 41 is folded in two along the fold line 42. Along with this, both constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 of the horizontal partition 60 are overlapped with each other.

  In this state, the lower peripheral edge portions of the constituent fabric portions 62 and 63 are stitched together, whereby the lower lateral coupling portion 65 and the communication portion 66 are formed. In the bulging portions 62a and 63a, the peripheral portions on the side far from the fold lines 42 and 61 are stitched together to form the front coupling portion 68, and the peripheral portions on the side close to the fold lines 42 and 61 are stitched together. Thus, the rear coupling portion 69 is formed. By forming the front coupling portion 68 and the rear coupling portion 69, a check valve 67 having a pair of valve body portions 71 is formed in the horizontal partition portion 60.

<5th process>
As shown in FIG. 16, in the fifth step, the lower portions of both the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 that have been folded back are eliminated. At this time, each inflated thickness regulating part 90 regulates the movement in the front-rear direction of the main body cloth parts 43 and 44 in the airbag main body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state. A part (upper part) corresponding to the expansion thickness regulating part 90 of each main body cloth part 43, 44 is in a sagging state (see FIG. 13B), and the front end part of the above part (upper part) of the main body cloth parts 43, 44 As shown in FIG. 16, it has an irregular shape.

In addition, the upper portion of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 above the slit 47 is inserted in a state of being bent inwardly of the other portions, so that an inner folding portion 48 is formed.
In this state, the peripheral edge portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are stitched together at two locations which are the lower end portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, thereby providing a pair of surrounding joint portions 86. In this manner, the exhaust hole 85 is formed at a location between the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 and sandwiched by the adjacent surrounding joint portions 86.

  Subsequently, the lower peripheral edge portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are stitched together to form a part of the peripheral edge coupling portion 45. At this time, the peripheral coupling portion 45 is surrounded and the coupling is released in the coupling portion 86, so that a pair of terminal portions 45a separated from each other is formed.

<6th process>
At the stage after the fifth step, as described above, the portion (upper part) corresponding to the expansion thickness restricting portion 90 of each of the main body cloth portions 43, 44 is slackened. It is difficult to sew the front end portion and the upper end portion, which are unstitched portions, in a flat shape.

  Therefore, in the sixth step, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the rear end portions of the two main body fabric portions 43 and 44 in the airbag main body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state are placed inside the other portions. It is inserted in a folded state. At this time, the slack portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are pulled rearward and become nearly flat. The apparent front-rear dimension of the airbag body 41 is once reduced.

  Subsequently, the front peripheral portions of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are sewn together, and the upper left peripheral portions of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are sewn together. A part of the peripheral joint 45 is formed.

In the stage after the sixth step, the latter half of the upper end portions of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are not stitched. The inside and outside of both main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are communicated with each other through the unsewn portion.
<Seventh step>
In the seventh step, as shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (b), the rear end portions of the two main body fabric portions 43 and 44 that are folded inwardly in the other portions are pulled out rearward. .

  A retainer 32 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 18 (a) passes through the unstitched portions of the upper end portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, and the rear end portion between the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 (in the airbag main body 41). Inserted into.

  The upper end portion of the retainer 32 is exposed to the outside of the airbag body 41 through the insertion port 49, and the lower portion of the retainer 32 is inserted between the inner tube 80 and the airbag body 41. The bolt 33 of the retainer 32 is inserted into the bolt hole 51 of the main body cloth portion 43. Then, as shown by a solid line and a broken line in FIG. 18A, the retainer 32 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the airbag body 41.

Thereafter, the upper peripheral portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are stitched together, so that the remaining portion of the peripheral joint portion 45 is formed.
In this way, a module precursor AM ′ in which the retainer 32 is disposed in the airbag 40 is obtained.

The module precursor AM ′ is transported to the second manufacturing base in a compact form by folding the airbag body 41.
In the second manufacturing base, the inflator 31 is inserted into the retainer 32 in the module precursor AM ′. The inflator 31 is locked to the retainer 32 by caulking the retainer 32 to the inflator 31. The airbag module AM can be obtained in a compact form (hereinafter referred to as “storage form”) that can be easily stored in the storage part 18 (see FIG. 4) having a limited size in the seat back 14.

  When the airbag module AM is assembled to the vehicle seat 12, the airbag module AM is accommodated in the accommodating portion 18, as shown in FIG. A bolt 33 extending from the gas generator 30 and inserted into the bolt hole 51 of the main body cloth portion 43 is inserted into the side frame portion 15, and the nut 34 is fastened to the inserted bolt 33. By this tightening, the gas generator 30 is attached to the side frame portion 15 together with the airbag body 41. In this way, the gas generator 30 is fixed to the vehicle 10 through the side frame portion 15. This operation may be performed at the second manufacturing site or may be performed at another site.

  Note that the gas generator 30 may be attached to the side frame portion 15 by a member different from the bolt 33 and the nut 34 described above. Further, the inflator 31 may be directly attached to the side frame portion 15 without using the retainer 32.

  The side airbag device includes an impact sensor 95 and a control device 96 shown in FIG. 1 in addition to the airbag module AM described above. The impact sensor 95 is composed of an acceleration sensor or the like, and is provided on the body side portion 11 of the vehicle 10 and detects an impact applied to the body side portion 11 from the outside. The control device 96 controls the operation of the inflator 31 based on the detection signal of the impact sensor 95.

  Further, the vehicle interior is equipped with a seat belt device for restraining the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 to the vehicle seat 12, but this seat belt device is shown in FIGS. Is omitted.

The side airbag device of the first embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the side airbag device will be described.
In the side airbag device, when the impact sensor 95 does not detect that an impact has been applied to the body side portion 11 from the side, the operation signal for operating the inflator 31 is not output from the control device 96. The expansion gas is not ejected. The airbag body 41 continues to be stored in the storage portion 18 in the storage form.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 is traveling, an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the body side portion 11 due to a side collision or the like, and when this is detected by the impact sensor 95, the inflator is controlled from the control device 96 based on the detection signal. The operation signal for operating this is output to 31. In response to this operation signal, the expansion gas is ejected from the gas ejection portion of the inflator 31. The ejected expansion gas is distributed by the inner tube 80 into an upward direction and a downward direction. There is more inflation gas distributed and going downwards than inflation gas going upwards. The expansion gas distributed upward is supplied from the upper end of the inner tube 80 to the upper expansion chamber 73. The expansion gas increases the internal pressure of the upper expansion chamber 73, and the expansion chamber 73 starts to expand.

  Further, the expansion gas distributed downward is supplied to the check valve 67 from the lower end of the inner tube 80. During the period in which the expansion gas is being supplied to the check valve 67, a force is generated in both valve body portions 71 to make the valve body portions 71 cylindrical. Therefore, the expansion gas flows between the communication portion 66 and both valve body portions 71 and flows into the lower expansion chamber 72. The internal pressure of the lower expansion chamber 72 rises due to the expansion gas, and the lower expansion chamber 72 starts to expand.

  As the supply of the expansion gas from the inflator 31 continues, the internal pressures of the upper expansion chamber 73 and the lower expansion chamber 72 increase. However, since the expansion gas is supplied to the lower expansion chamber 72 more than the upper expansion chamber 73, the internal pressure of the lower expansion chamber 72 becomes higher than the internal pressure of the upper expansion chamber 73. As the upper expansion chamber 73 and the lower expansion chamber 72 expand, the lateral partition 60 is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction.

  Each expansion of the upper expansion chamber 73 and the lower expansion chamber 72 is performed with the cancellation of the folded state in the reverse order of the folded order. This is because the part of the airbag 40 that is folded later restricts the cancellation of the folded state of the folded part. The seat pad 16 of the seat back 14 is pressed by the airbag 40 that is deployed and inflated in this manner, and is broken at the planned breaking portion 21 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 20, the airbag main body 41 jumps forward from the seat back 14 through the broken portion, with a part of the airbag main body 41 remaining in the storage portion 18.

  After that, the airbag 40 to which the inflation gas is supplied is, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 2 and 3, between the body side portion 11 and the upper half of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12. Develop it while eliminating the folded state. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper expansion chamber 73 is deployed and inflated on the side of the upper part (including the chest part PT) of the occupant P from the waist part PP. Further, the lower expansion chamber 72 expands and expands on the side of the waist portion PP of the occupant P with an internal pressure higher than that of the upper expansion chamber 73.

  Therefore, the waist PP having higher impact resistance than the chest PT is pressed by the lower expansion chamber 72 expanded by a high internal pressure. Further, the chest PT having a lower impact resistance than the waist PP is pressed by the upper expansion chamber 73 that has been expanded with an internal pressure lower than that of the lower expansion chamber 72. As a result, the lumbar portion PP and the chest portion PT are restrained by the lower expansion chamber 72 and the upper expansion chamber 73 that are expanded with a pressure distribution in accordance with the impact resistance. The impact from the side transmitted through the body side part 11 is relieved by the lower expansion chamber 72 and the upper expansion chamber 73, and the waist part PP and the chest part PT are protected.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 19 (b), the transverse section 60 pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction is in a tensioned state. Due to the tensioned transverse section 60, the expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction of the lower expansion chamber 72 and the upper expansion chamber 73 is regulated.

  However, with the expansion and expansion of the upper expansion chamber 73, as shown in FIG. 21, the pair of expansion thickness restricting portions 90 are tensioned in the front-rear direction on the side of the chest PT of the occupant P. The front-rear length L1U of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is shorter than the front-rear circumferential length L2U of the portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 that expands at least partially on the side of the chest PT in the occupant P as described above.

  Moreover, the rear edge portion of each inflatable thickness regulating portion 90 is the rear end portion of the airbag main body 41 and is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a location close to a fixing location with respect to the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15). Has been. In other words, the rear edge portion of each inflated thickness regulating portion 90 is fixed to the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15) via the rear end portion of the airbag main body 41. On the other hand, the front edge part of each expansion | swelling thickness control part 90 is couple | bonded with the main body cloth parts 43 and 44 in the location away from the said fixed location to the front.

  Therefore, the forward expansion and expansion of the upper expansion chamber 73 are regulated by the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 that is tensioned in the front-rear direction as described above. In this way, the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper expansion chamber 73 is regulated.

  Further, in the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, the portion sandwiched between the location where the front edge portion of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is joined and the location where the rear edge portion is joined is the respective expansion thickness regulating portion 90. Due to this, the expansion is attempted in the vehicle width direction where the expansion thickness is not regulated. When the airbag main body 41 has been inflated due to this expansion, the expansion thickness TU of the above-described portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 in the vehicle width direction (the portion expanding on the side of the chest PT) is the expansion thickness TL of the lower expansion chamber 72. It becomes larger than (FIG. 3).

  In particular, in the first embodiment in which the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is provided for each of the pair of main body cloth portions 43 and 44, the vehicle width direction of the portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 that expands to the side of the chest PT of the occupant P. The expansion thickness TU increases to both sides in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 expands in the vehicle width direction more than when the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is provided only on one of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44. The expansion thickness TU of the upper expansion chamber 73 at the above portion in the vehicle width direction becomes larger.

  As a result, the above-described portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 expands and expands with an internal pressure lower than that of the lower expansion chamber 72, but greatly expands in the vehicle width direction (the expansion thickness TU in the vehicle width direction is large). It becomes possible to absorb the energy.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 9, when the ejection of the expansion gas from the inflator 31 stops and the expansion gas in the lower expansion chamber 72 tends to flow toward the upper expansion chamber 73, The valve body parts 71 are pressed by receiving a high pressure in the lower expansion chamber 72 and come into contact with each other. The check valve 67 is closed, and the expansion gas in the lower expansion chamber 72 is restricted from flowing out (backflow) into the upper expansion chamber 73 through the valve body portions 71 and the communication portion 66 in order. The Therefore, the internal pressure of the lower expansion chamber 72, which has been increased to an appropriate internal pressure (internal pressure higher than the upper expansion chamber 73) for protecting the occupant's P waist portion PP, is prevented from being reduced due to the backflow.

  Further, surplus inflation gas in the lower inflation chamber 72 is discharged to the front lower side of the airbag 40 through the exhaust hole 85. Further, excess inflation gas in the upper inflation chamber 73 is discharged to the front of the airbag 40 through an exhaust hole (not shown). By these discharges, when the occupant P is restrained by the airbag 40, the internal pressures of the lower expansion chamber 72 and the upper expansion chamber 73 are reduced, and the occupant P is pressed with an appropriate pressing force.

According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the first embodiment, the airbag main body 41 is partitioned into an upper inflation chamber 73 and a lower inflation chamber 72 by a lateral partition 60, and the upper inflation chamber 73 is on the side of the upper portion of the occupant P waist portion PP. It is assumed that the airbag 40 is inflated at the side, and the lower inflation chamber 72 is inflated on the side of the waist portion PP of the occupant P with an internal pressure higher than that of the upper inflation chamber 73 (FIG. 9).

  The upper expansion chamber 73 has a front / rear length L1U shorter than a circumferential length L2U in the front / rear direction of the portion inside the portion that expands at least a part of the chest PT in the occupant P, and the upper expansion chamber A sheet-like expansion thickness regulating portion 90 that is in a tension state with the expansion of 73 is installed. When the airbag main body 41 has been inflated by the inflatable thickness regulating portion 90, the above-mentioned portion is set so that the inflated thickness TU of the upper inflating chamber 73 in the vehicle width direction is larger than the inflated thickness TL of the lower inflating chamber 72. The expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper expansion chamber 73 is regulated (FIGS. 3 and 21).

  For this reason, a portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 that expands in the lateral direction of at least a portion of the chest PT of the occupant P is greatly expanded in the vehicle width direction, thereby increasing the amount of energy absorbed by the expansion chamber 73 and increasing the amount of the chest PT. It is possible to further enhance the performance of protecting the.

  (2) The expansion thickness of the upper expansion chamber 73 in the vehicle width direction can be increased by increasing the capacity of the expansion portion 46 of the airbag main body 41, that is, by increasing the size of the expansion portion 46. It is possible to enhance the performance of the expansion chamber 73 protecting the chest PT of the occupant P. However, in this case, a large airbag body 41 is used. Further, a large inflator 31 that ejects a large amount of inflation gas is used. Therefore, the weight of the airbag module AM increases, which is not desirable in terms of weight reduction of the vehicle or the like.

  In this regard, in the first embodiment, the above-mentioned portion in the vehicle width direction (inflates on the side of the chest PT only by adding the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 without changing the capacity of the expansion portion 46 of the airbag body 41. The expansion thickness TU of the upper expansion chamber 73 at the region) is increased (FIG. 21).

  Therefore, it is not necessary to use a large one as the airbag body 41 or a large one as the inflator 31, and to improve the performance for protecting the chest PT without increasing the weight of the airbag module AM. An effect can be obtained.

  (3) Supply more expansion gas from the inflator 31 to the lower expansion chamber 72 than to the upper expansion chamber 73. The horizontal partition 60 is provided with a check valve 67 that regulates the flow of the expansion gas supplied from the inflator 31 and flowing into the lower expansion chamber 72 into the upper expansion chamber 73 (FIGS. 7 and 9).

Therefore, in the airbag 40 assumed in (1) above, the internal pressure of the lower expansion chamber 72 can be made higher than the internal pressure of the upper expansion chamber 73.
(4) The airbag body 41 is formed by joining the peripheral edge portions of the pair of main body cloth portions 43 and 44 overlapped in the vehicle width direction by the peripheral edge connecting portion 45. The expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at the front edge portion and the rear edge portion (FIG. 21).

  Therefore, in the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, the portion sandwiched between the portion where the front edge portion of the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is joined and the portion where the rear edge portion is joined is expanded outward in the vehicle width direction. Thus, it is possible to increase the expansion thickness TU of the portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 in the vehicle width direction (the portion expanding on the side of the chest PT).

(5) The expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is coupled to the airbag main body 41 with respect to each of the pair of main body cloth portions 43 and 44 (FIG. 21).
For this reason, the portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 that expands to the side of the chest PT is expanded in the vehicle width direction more than when the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is provided only on one of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 (expansion). The thickness TU can be increased).

  (6) The rear edge portion of each inflated thickness regulating portion 90 is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a location close to the fixing location of the airbag main body 41 to the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15) (see FIG. 21).

  Therefore, the forward expansion and expansion of the upper expansion chamber 73 can be regulated by the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 that is tensioned in the front-rear direction. As a result, even if there is an obstacle in front of the storage portion 18, it is possible to suppress the obstacle from being strongly pressed by the upper expansion chamber 73.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment embodied in a vehicle side airbag device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the second embodiment, a vertical partition 100 is provided in the expansion portion 46 in addition to the horizontal partition 60. The vertical partition 100 has the same configuration as that called a tether, like the horizontal partition 60.

<Vertical compartment 100>
As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the vertical partition 100 is for partitioning the upper expansion chamber 73 into two front and rear parts, and a pair of cloth pieces made of the same material as the main body cloth portions 43 and 44. 101. The upper part of each piece of cloth 101 is constituted by an inclined part 101a that is inclined so as to be positioned forward as it goes upward. Both cloth pieces 101 are coupled to each other by a side edge coupling portion 102 provided along a side edge on the rear side.

  The upper end portion of the inclined portion 101a of each cloth piece 101 is coupled to the front upper end portions of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by the above-described peripheral edge coupling portion 45 by co-sewing. The lower part of each cloth piece 101 is overlaid on both constituent cloth parts 62 and 63 of the transverse partition part 60. The lower end portion of each cloth piece 101 is connected to both constituent cloth portions 62 and 63 by joint stitching by the lower lateral connecting portion 65 described above.

  Each cloth piece 101 is connected to the main body cloth parts 43 and 44 by a side edge connecting part 103 provided along the front side edge part at a place where it does not overlap with both of the constituent cloth parts 62 and 63. Each cloth piece 101 is coupled only to the component cloth parts 62 and 63 by the side edge coupling part 104 provided on the lower side of the side edge coupling part 103 at a portion overlapping the both component cloth parts 62 and 63. ing.

  A portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 on the rear side of the vertical partition 100 constitutes an upper rear expansion chamber 74. The gas generator 30 is disposed at the rear end portion in the upper rear expansion chamber 74. The upper rear expansion chamber 74 is supplied with the inflation gas from the inflator 31 and expands and expands on the side of the rear half of the chest PT and the side of the shoulder PS in the upper half of the occupant P. Of the upper rear expansion chamber 74, the portion that expands to the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P is the rear portion of the inclined portion 101a.

  Further, in the upper expansion chamber 73, a portion of the front side of the vertical partition portion 100 is supplied with inflation gas via the upper rear expansion chamber 74 and the vertical partition portion 100, and among the upper half of the passenger P, the first half of the chest PT. An upper front expansion chamber 75 that expands and expands on the side of the portion is configured. The upper rear expansion chamber 74 and the upper front expansion chamber 75 are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction via the vertical partition portion 100.

  The vertical partition 100 is provided with a communication portion 105 that allows the upper rear expansion chamber 74 and the upper front expansion chamber 75 to communicate with each other. In the second embodiment, one hole is formed for each piece of cloth 101 as the communication portion 105.

  A plurality of communication portions 105 may be provided for each piece of cloth 101. Further, the communication part 105 may be provided only on one of the two cloth pieces 101. In addition, when the vertical partition unit 100 is formed by folding one piece of cloth along the fold line, the communication unit 105 may be provided on the fold line of the vertical partition unit 100. In this case, the communication part 105 may be provided only in one place, and may be provided in several places.

  In addition, the front end portion of the upper front expansion chamber 75 has the same structure as the exhaust hole 85 provided in the front lower portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 and discharges the expansion gas in the front front expansion chamber 75. The exhaust hole 85 is provided.

  Each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is disposed at a location above the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 and away from the inner tube 80. The front edge portion of each expansion thickness regulating portion 90 is coupled to at least one of the vertical partition portion 100 and the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by the vertical coupling portion 91 in the vicinity of the side edge coupling portion 103 of the vertical partition portion 100. ing.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the rear edge portion of each inflated thickness regulating portion 90 is slightly forward of the slit 47 by the vertical coupling portion 92, that is, the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15) of the airbag main body 41. Is connected to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a location close to the fixed location. As described above, the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 for each of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is installed between two portions separated in the front-rear direction in the portion constituting the upper rear expansion chamber 74 of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44. Has been. The region sandwiched between the vertical coupling portions 91 and 92 in each of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is slack.

Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
In the side airbag device of the second embodiment, when an impact is applied to the body side portion 11 from the side of the vehicle seat 12 and the inflation gas is ejected from the inflator 31, the inflation gas is , Distributed upward and downward. The expansion gas distributed upward is supplied to the upper rear expansion chamber 74 from the upper end of the inner tube 80. By this inflation gas, the upper rear expansion chamber 74 is expanded and expanded on the side of the shoulder PS of the occupant P and on the side of the rear half of the chest PT.

  As the upper rear expansion chamber 74 expands, the expansion gas in the upper rear expansion chamber 74 flows out to the upper front expansion chamber 75 through the communication portion 105, and the upper front expansion chamber 75 expands after the upper rear expansion chamber 74. To start. The upper front expansion chamber 75 whose internal pressure is lower than that of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 expands and expands on the side of the front half of the chest PT having lower impact resistance than the shoulder PS and the rear half of the chest PT.

  Here, since the upper expansion chamber 73 is partitioned into the upper rear expansion chamber 74 and the upper front expansion chamber 75 by the vertical partition portion 100, the upper expansion chamber 73 is not partitioned in the volume of the upper rear expansion chamber 74. In addition, the volume of the expansion chamber 73 is smaller. Therefore, the internal pressure of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 starts to rise faster than when the upper expansion chamber 73 is not partitioned, and becomes higher. Accordingly, the rear half of the upper portion of the occupant P from the waist PP is quickly restrained and protected by the upper rear expansion chamber 74.

  Further, with the expansion and expansion of the upper rear expansion chamber 74, the pair of expansion thickness regulating portions 90 are in tension in the front-rear direction on the side of the rear half of the chest PT of the occupant P. The expansion and expansion of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 forward, and the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 are regulated by the two expansion thickness regulating portions 90 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  The upper rear expansion chamber 74 expands in the vehicle width direction in which the expansion thickness is not regulated by the both expansion thickness regulating portions 90. When the airbag body 41 completes the inflation, the inflated thickness TU (see FIG. 23) in the vehicle width direction at the portion of the upper rear inflation chamber 74 that inflates to the side of the rear half of the chest PT is inflated downward. It becomes larger than the expansion thickness TL of the chamber 72 (see FIG. 25). Therefore, the amount of energy absorbed by the above portion of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 is increased, and the performance of protecting the rear half of the chest PT is enhanced.

  Further, in the upper rear expansion chamber 74, the rear portion of the upper portion of the vertical partition 100 is inclined to the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P to restrain the shoulder portion PS, and the shoulder from the impact. The part PS is protected.

  Here, the gap between the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 and the body side portion 11 is narrower than other portions, for example, the chest PT, in the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P (see FIG. 25). Therefore, when the upper rear expansion chamber 74 is expanded and expanded even in such a narrow space, the upper rear expansion chamber 74 is expanded with a small expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction on the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P. It is desirable.

  In this regard, in the second embodiment, the both expansion thickness restricting portions 90 are disposed at a position lower than the inclined portion 101a in the upper rear expansion chamber 74. Therefore, the upper rear expansion chamber 74 expands with a large expansion thickness TU in the vehicle width direction at a position lower than the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P (side of the rear half of the chest PT). The upper rear expansion chamber 74 expands with a small expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction on the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the same effects as the above (1) to (6), the following effects can be obtained.
(7) The upper expansion chamber 73 is supplied with the upper rear expansion chamber 74 to which the expansion gas from the inflator 31 is supplied and the expansion gas via the communication portion 105 by the vertical partition 100 having the communication portion 105. The upper expansion chamber 75 is partitioned. And the expansion | swelling thickness control part 90 is constructed in the upper rear expansion chamber 74 (FIG. 23, FIG. 24).

Therefore, the amount of energy absorbed by the portion of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 that expands to the side of the second half of the chest PT can be increased, and the performance of protecting the second half of the chest PT can be enhanced.
(8) The upper part of the vertical partition part 100 is configured by an inclined part 101a that is inclined so as to be positioned forward as it goes upward, and the rear part of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 from the inclined part 101a is the shoulder part PS of the occupant P. Inflate at the side of the. And the expansion thickness control part 90 is arrange | positioned in the location lower than the inclination part 101a among the upper back expansion chambers 74 (FIG. 22, FIG. 24).

  Therefore, while improving the performance of protecting the rear half of the chest PT of the occupant P by the upper rear expansion chamber 74, the upper rear expansion chamber 74 is deployed in a narrow gap between the shoulder PS of the occupant P and the body side portion 11. And can be inflated.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment embodied in a vehicle side airbag device will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG.

  In the third embodiment, in addition to the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 in the upper expansion chamber 73, a pair of lower expansion thickness regulating portions 110 are provided in the lower expansion chamber 72. Both the lower expansion thickness restricting portions 110 are for restricting the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the lower expansion chamber 72 that expands on the side of the waist portion PP of the occupant P, thereby increasing the expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction.

  The lower expansion thickness regulating portions 110 are formed by applying a piece of cloth formed in a rectangular shape with a sheet-like material similar to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 to a portion constituting the lower expansion chamber 72 in the main body cloth portions 43 and 44. It is formed by erection.

  As shown in FIG. 26, each lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 has a longitudinal length that is longer than the circumferential length L2L in the front-rear direction of the portion of the main body cloth portions 43, 44 where the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 is installed. A short one of L1L is used.

As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, each lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110 is disposed below the main body cloth portions 43 and 44.
Each lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110 is connected to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 by a pair of vertical connecting portions 111 and 112. Each vertical coupling portion 111 is provided so as to extend substantially in the vertical direction at the front edge portion of the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110, and the front edge portion is coupled to the front portions of the corresponding main body cloth portions 43 and 44. ing. Each vertical coupling portion 112 is provided so as to extend substantially in the vertical direction at the rear edge portion of the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110, and the rear edge portion is coupled to the rear portions of the corresponding main body cloth portions 43 and 44. Yes. In other words, the rear edge portion of each lower inflation thickness restricting portion 110 is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a location close to a fixing location of the airbag main body 41 with respect to the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15). Yes. In this way, the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 for each main body cloth portion 43, 44 is installed between two portions separated in the front-rear direction in the portion constituting the lower expansion chamber 72 of the main body cloth portions 43, 44. Has been. The region sandwiched between the front and rear longitudinal coupling portions 111 and 112 of each of the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 is slack.

  As described above, since the longitudinal length L1L of each lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110 is shorter than the circumferential length L2L of the lower expansion chamber 72, each lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110 is in a tension state as the lower expansion chamber 72 expands. Thus, the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 is regulated. As a result of this restriction, as shown in FIG. 26, the expansion thickness TL in the vehicle width direction of the lower expansion chamber 72 is larger than the expansion thickness T0L in the case where there is no restriction by the lower expansion thickness restriction portion 110.

  The increase amount ΔTL (= TL−T0L) of the expansion thickness increases as the difference between the circumferential length L2L and the longitudinal length L1L increases. In the third embodiment, when the airbag body 41 completes the expansion, the above difference is set so that the expansion thickness TL of the lower expansion chamber 72 is smaller than the expansion thickness TU (see FIG. 21) of the upper expansion chamber 73. Has been.

  Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. For this reason, the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In FIG. 27, the inner tube 80 and the exhaust hole 85 are not shown.

  In the side airbag device of the third embodiment having the above-described configuration, the lateral partition 60 is pulled to both sides in the vehicle width direction as the upper expansion chamber 73 and the lower expansion chamber 72 are inflated. When the horizontal partition 60 is in a tension state, the expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction of the lower expansion chamber 72 and the upper expansion chamber 73 is regulated.

  However, with the expansion and expansion of the lower expansion chamber 72, both the lower expansion thickness restricting portions 110 are tensioned in the front-rear direction on the side of the waist portion PP of the occupant P. The front / rear length L1L of each lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 is shorter than the circumferential length L2L in the front / rear direction of the portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 where the lower expansion thickness regulation portion 110 is installed.

  In addition, the rear edge portion of each lower inflation thickness regulating portion 110 is coupled to the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 at a location close to a location where the airbag body 41 is fixed to the vehicle 10 (side frame portion 15). On the other hand, the front edge part of each lower expansion | swelling thickness control part 110 is couple | bonded with the main body cloth parts 43 and 44 in the location away from the said fixed location to the front.

  Therefore, the forward expansion and expansion of the lower expansion chamber 72 are regulated by the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 that is tensioned in the front-rear direction as described above. In this way, the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the lower expansion chamber 72 is regulated.

  Moreover, the site | part sandwiched by the location where the front edge part of each lower expansion | swelling thickness control part 110 was couple | bonded and the location where the rear edge part was couple | bonded among main body cloth parts 43 and 44 is a lower expansion thickness regulation part. 110, the expansion thickness is not restricted by the vehicle width direction. When the airbag body 41 completes the expansion, the lower expansion thickness TL is within a range in which the expansion thickness TL at the above-described portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 is not larger than the expansion thickness TU (see FIG. 21) of the upper expansion chamber 73. It becomes larger than the expansion thickness T0L when the restricting portion 110 is not provided.

  Also in 3rd Embodiment, the lower expansion | swelling thickness control part 110 is provided for every pair of main body cloth parts 43 and 44 similarly to 1st Embodiment. Therefore, in the lower expansion chamber 72, the expansion thickness TL of the portion where the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 is installed increases to both sides in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 expands more in the vehicle width direction than when the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 is provided only on one of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44. The expansion thickness TL of the lower expansion chamber 72 at the above portion in the vehicle width direction becomes larger. As a result, the amount of energy absorbed by the portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 is further increased.

Therefore, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the same effects as the above (1) to (6), the following effects can be obtained.
(9) A sheet-like lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110 that is in a state of being tensioned in the front-rear direction as the lower expansion chamber 72 expands inside the lower expansion chamber 72 that expands and expands on the side of the waist portion PP of the occupant P. Is installed. As the lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110, the front / rear length L1L is shorter than the circumferential length L2L in the front / rear direction of the portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 where the lower expansion thickness restricting portion 110 is installed (FIG. 26). FIG. 27).

  Therefore, by enlarging the portion of the lower expansion chamber 72 where the lower expansion thickness regulating portion 110 is installed in the vehicle width direction, the amount of energy absorbed by the lower expansion chamber 72 is further increased, and the waist PP is protected. The performance can be further enhanced.

In addition, said each embodiment can also be implemented as a modification which changed this as follows.
<About the inflating portion 46>
The airbag main body 41 may be substantially composed of the inflating portion 46 as in the above embodiments, but the non-inflating portion that does not inflate without being supplied with the inflating gas is used as a part. You may have.

<Inner tube 80>
The shape of the inner tube 80 can be changed within a range that satisfies the following conditions.
Condition 1: at least the gas ejection part of the inflator 31 is surrounded.

Condition 2: extending substantially in the vertical direction and straddling the upper expansion chamber 73 (upper rear expansion chamber 74) and the lower expansion chamber 72.
Therefore, for example, the inner tube 80 may surround the entire inflator 31.

<Regarding Expansion Thickness Restriction 90 and Lower Expansion Thickness Restriction 110>
-At least one of the expansion thickness regulation part 90 and the lower expansion thickness regulation part 110 may be constructed only on one of the pair of main body cloth parts 43 and 44.

  In each of the first and second embodiments, the expansion thickness regulating portion 90 may be provided in a portion of the upper expansion chamber 73 that expands at a part of the chest PT of the occupant P. You may provide in the site | part which expands by the side of the whole PT.

<About the storage unit 18 of the airbag module AM>
-The storage part 18 may be provided in the body side part 11 instead of the seat back 14 of the vehicle seat 12, and the airbag module AM may be incorporated therein.

<Others>
-In 2nd Embodiment, the pressure regulation valve which adjusts each internal pressure of the upper rear expansion chamber 74 and the upper front expansion chamber 75 by adjusting the opening degree of the communication part 105 may be provided.

  In this case, as the pressure regulating valve, for example, before the occupant P is restrained by the upper rear expansion chamber 74 or at the initial stage of supplying the expansion gas to the upper rear expansion chamber 74, the upper rear expansion chamber 74 is moved to the upper front expansion chamber 75. Those that restrict the flow of the expansion gas may be used. Furthermore, the pressure regulating valve may be configured to release the flow restriction in accordance with an external force applied when the occupant P is restrained by the upper rear expansion chamber 74 or in response to an increase in internal pressure in the upper rear expansion chamber 74. .

  The side airbag device is configured such that in a vehicle in which the vehicle seat 12 is arranged in a posture in which the seat back 14 is different from the front of the vehicle, for example, in a sideward direction, The present invention can also be applied to a side airbag device of a type that protects the occupant P from the impact when an impact is applied from the front and rear direction.

-Vehicles to which the side airbag device is applied include not only private vehicles but also various industrial vehicles.
The side airbag device can be applied to a side airbag device that is mounted on a vehicle other than a vehicle, such as an aircraft or a ship, and protects an occupant seated on the vehicle seat from an impact.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle (vehicle), 12 ... Vehicle seat (vehicle seat), 31 ... Inflator, 41 ... Airbag main body, 43, 44 ... Main body cloth part, 60 ... Horizontal partition part, 66, 105 ... Communication part, 67 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Check valve, 72 ... Lower expansion chamber, 73 ... Upper expansion chamber, 74 ... Upper rear expansion chamber, 75 ... Upper front expansion chamber, 90 ... Expansion thickness control part, 100 ... Vertical division part, 101a ... Inclination part, 110 ... lower inflated thickness restricting part, L1L, L1U ... longitudinal length, L2L, L2U ... circumferential length, P ... occupant, PP ... waist, PS ... shoulder, PT ... chest, T0L, TL, T0U, TU ... inflated thickness.

Claims (8)

An airbag body that restrains the occupant by deploying and inflating on the side of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat by an inflation gas supplied from an inflator in response to an impact applied to the vehicle from the side of the vehicle seat Prepared,
At least a part of the airbag body is partitioned by the horizontal partition into an upper expansion chamber above the horizontal partition and a lower expansion chamber below the horizontal partition,
The upper expansion chamber expands on the side of the upper portion of the occupant's waist, and the lower expansion chamber expands on the side of the occupant's waist with an internal pressure higher than that of the upper expansion chamber. ,
Of the upper expansion chamber, a portion that expands at a side of at least a part of the chest of the occupant has a longitudinal length shorter than the circumferential length of the same portion in the front-rear direction, and the expansion of the upper expansion chamber A sheet-like expansion thickness regulating part that is in a state of being tensioned in the front-rear direction is installed,
The inflated thickness restricting portion is configured so that when the airbag body completes inflating, the inflated thickness of the upper inflating chamber at the portion in the width direction of the vehicle seat is larger than the inflated thickness of the lower inflating chamber. A side airbag device for regulating the expansion thickness in the front-rear direction of the upper expansion chamber. More expansion gas from the inflator is supplied to the lower expansion chamber than to the upper expansion chamber,
2. The side air according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal partition portion is provided with a check valve that regulates outflow of the expansion gas supplied from the inflator and flowing into the lower expansion chamber to the upper expansion chamber. Bag device. The upper expansion chamber is located on the rear side of the vertical partition portion by a vertical partition portion having a communication portion, and from the upper rear expansion chamber to which the expansion gas from the inflator is supplied. Is also divided into an upper front expansion chamber which is located on the front side and to which expansion gas is supplied via the communication portion,
The side airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the expansion thickness regulating portion is installed in the upper rear expansion chamber. The upper part of the vertical section is composed of an inclined part that is inclined so as to be located forward as it goes upward.
Of the upper rear expansion chamber, the rear portion of the inclined portion is inflated on the side of the shoulder portion of the occupant,
The side airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the expansion thickness regulating portion is disposed at a position lower than the inclined portion in the upper rear expansion chamber. The airbag main body is formed by joining the peripheral edge portions of a pair of main body cloth portions overlapped in the width direction of the vehicle seat,
The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the expansion thickness regulating portion is coupled to the main body fabric portion at a front edge portion and a rear edge portion thereof.   The side airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the inflated thickness regulating portion is provided for each main body cloth portion. The airbag body is fixed to the vehicle at the rear end of the airbag body,
7. The side airbag device according to claim 5, wherein a rear edge portion of the inflated thickness regulating portion is coupled to the main body cloth portion at a location close to a location where the airbag body is fixed to the vehicle. Inside the lower expansion chamber, a sheet-like lower expansion thickness regulating portion that is tensioned in the front-rear direction with the expansion of the lower expansion chamber is installed.
The said lower expansion | swelling thickness control part has any front-back length shorter than the circumferential length of the front-back direction of the site | part in which the said lower expansion | swelling thickness control part was constructed among the said lower expansion chambers. The side airbag device according to item.