JP6537168B2 - Outside air bag - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an external air bag, and more particularly to an external air bag deployed so as to extend upward along a front pillar.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a person to be protected such as a pedestrian collides with a car, an external airbag for protecting the person to be protected from the impact of the collision is used. Generally, an exterior air bag is folded and stored in a car and is deployed by injecting a deployment gas into the interior. When the deployed outside air bag receives the person to be protected, the collision energy of the person to be protected can be absorbed by being deformed according to the pressure from the person to be protected.
As an air bag for vehicles exterior, what is unfolded along a front pillar rigidly formed, for example in a car is put into practical use. Here, the front pillars are formed to extend along the side edges of the windshield, and there is a need for an external airbag that can be deployed so as to reliably cover the front pillars without being displaced from the front pillars.

  Therefore, as a technology for developing the front pillar so as to reliably cover it, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a first airbag that expands so as to cover the vicinity of the center of the cowl top and front pillars on both sides of the first airbag. There is proposed a protection device for a pedestrian or the like provided with a second airbag that inflates so as to cover the above. In this protection apparatus for pedestrians and the like, the first airbag first starts to inflate, and the second airbag inflates upward along the front pillar while being in contact with the first airbag that is inflated. Can be guided by the first airbag and inflated along the front pillar.

JP 2005-153851 A

  However, in the protection device for pedestrians and the like of Patent Document 1, the second airbag maintains its deployed position even after the second airbag deployed along the front pillar receives the protection target, and the front side of the front pillar is maintained. As a result, the view of the driver driving the car may be obstructed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an outside air bag that secures the driver's visibility after receiving a person to be protected.

An airbag for an external vehicle according to the present invention is an airbag deployed so as to extend upward from the lower end side of the front pillar along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the vehicle. The body, and a displacing portion for displacing the tip side of the air bag body to the outside of the front pillar after the air bag body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the air bag body to the side of the vehicle ; The displacement portion has a fragile portion provided on the outer side in the vicinity of the root portion of the airbag body, and bends the deployed airbag body from the fragile portion to bias the distal end side of the airbag body to the side. It is a thing.

In addition, the fragile portion is formed to extend in the diagonal direction to the outer portion in the vicinity of the root portion of the airbag body, and twists the airbag body from the fragile portion as the internal pressure of the deployed airbag body decreases. Can be deformed and bent.
In addition, it is preferable to further include a pressure reducing vent hole provided in the air bag body for reducing the internal pressure of the expanded air bag body.

An airbag for an external vehicle according to the present invention is an airbag deployed so as to extend upward from the lower end side of the front pillar along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the vehicle. The body, and a displacing portion for displacing the tip side of the air bag body to the outside of the front pillar after the air bag body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the air bag body to the side of the vehicle; The displacement portion has a biasing vent hole provided on the inner side in the vicinity of the tip portion of the airbag main body, and the air bag is injected by injecting the development gas in the deployed airbag main body from the biasing vent hole it is intended to urge the distal end side of the body to the side.

An airbag for an external vehicle according to the present invention is an airbag deployed so as to extend upward from the lower end side of the front pillar along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the vehicle. The body, and a displacing portion for displacing the tip side of the air bag body to the outside of the front pillar after the air bag body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the air bag body to the side of the vehicle; The displacing portion has an expanded portion which vertically forms the inner portion of the airbag body in comparison with the outer portion, and the expanded portion is expanded in response to the injection of the deployment gas into the airbag body, thereby the airbag it is intended to urge the distal end side of the body to the side.

An airbag for an external vehicle according to the present invention is an airbag deployed so as to extend upward from the lower end side of the front pillar along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the vehicle. The body, and a displacing portion for displacing the tip side of the air bag body to the outside of the front pillar after the air bag body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the air bag body to the side of the vehicle; in which further comprises a support portion to maintain the shape of the air bag body when the displacement airbag body by increasing at least one of the stiffness of the outer portion and inner portion of the airbag body.

  According to the present invention, the tip end side of the air bag body is displaced to the outside of the front pillar after the air bag body is deployed by the displacement portion urging the air bag body to the side of the vehicle. It becomes possible to provide an outside air bag that secures the driver's visibility after receiving.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the structure of the airbag apparatus provided with the airbag for vehicles exterior which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that an airbag main body displaces so that it may fall to the side of a front pillar. FIG. 6 is a view showing the main part of an air bag for the exterior of a vehicle according to a modification of the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the airbag for vehicles exteriors concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the airbag for vehicles exteriors concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the airbag for vehicles exteriors concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of an air bag for the exterior of a car according to a modification of the fourth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the airbag for vehicles exterior which concerns on the modification of Embodiment 1-4. It is a figure which shows the airbag for vehicles exteriors which concerns on the other modification of Embodiment 1-4.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the structure of an air bag apparatus provided with an outside air bag according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The airbag apparatus includes an outboard airbag 1 deployed outside the automobile M, an accommodating portion 2 for accommodating the outboard airbag 1, and an inflator 3 disposed in the accommodating portion 2.
Here, the automobile M has a pair of front pillars P arranged along the side edges of the windshield W and a front projecting from the vicinity of the lower edge of the windshield W and covering the front of the automobile M A hood H is arranged.

The automotive airbag 1 includes a pair of airbag bodies 4 deployed on the front side of the pair of front pillars P, a fragile portion 5 provided in the vicinity of the root portion of the airbag body 4, and the vicinity of the tip end portion of the airbag body 4 And a pressure reducing vent hole 6 disposed in
The air bag body 4 is developed so as to cover from the lower end Pa to the upper end Pb of the pair of front pillars P, and the root portion is fixed to the accommodating portion 2. When the airbag body 4 is exposed from the housing portion 2, the airbag body 4 is expanded so as to extend upward from the lower end Pa side of the front pillar P along the front pillar P.

The fragile portion 5 is formed by partially weakening the outer side portion of the airbag main body 4, and the expanded airbag main body 4 is bent to the side of the automobile M with the passage of time to make the airbag main body Bias the tip side of 4 sideways. The fragile portion 5 can be provided, for example, by thinning the base fabric of the outer side portion of the airbag body 4, forming a recess in the outer side portion, and changing the fiber direction of the base fabric of the outer side portion.
The pressure reducing vent hole 6 is for reducing the internal pressure of the air bag body 4 and is opened when the internal pressure reaches a predetermined pressure to release the development gas in the air bag body 4 to the outside.

The housing portion 2 is disposed below the rear edge of the front hood H of the automobile M, and houses the vehicle exterior airbag 1 in a folded state.
The inflator 3 is connected to the root of the air bag body 4 and injects a deployment gas into the air bag body 4. The inflation gas is injected from the inflator 3 to deploy the air bag body 4 out of the vehicle through the gap between the rear edge of the front hood H and the lower edge of the windshield W.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
First, when a person to be protected such as a pedestrian or a driver of a bicycle approaches the front of the car M, a collision detection unit (not shown) mounted on the car M detects the person to be protected. As the collision detection unit, for example, one that irradiates and detects a laser to a person to be protected, and one that detects based on an image obtained from a camera can be used.
If it is determined that the person to be protected collides with the vehicle M based on the detection information obtained from the collision detection unit, the gas developed from the inflator 3 in the airbag main body 4 of the vehicle exterior airbag 1 housed in the housing portion 2 Is injected.

As a result, the airbag body 4 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle through the gap between the rear edge of the front hood H and the lower edge of the windshield W, and as shown in FIG. To extend upward along the front pillar P. As shown in FIG. At this time, since the pressure of the deployment gas injected from the inflator 3 into the airbag body 4 is very large, the airbag body 4 is deployed along the front pillar P regardless of the presence of the fragile portion 5.
As a result, the person to be protected who has collided with the automobile M and is blown toward the front pillar P can be received by the airbag body 4.

  Here, if the airbag main body 4 maintains the posture as it is and stays at the front side of the front pillar P after receiving the person to be protected, the view of the driver D who drives the automobile M is interrupted and a secondary collision is caused. There is a risk of The front side of the front pillar P also stops when the injection of the deployment gas from the inflator 3 is stopped and the deployment gas in the airbag body 4 is released to the outside from the depressurizing vent hole 6 or the like and the airbag body 4 is contracted. When the airbag body 4 is contracted, the driver D's view may be blocked.

Therefore, after the person to be protected is received by the air bag body 4, for example, the internal pressure of the air bag body 4 decreases with the passage of time, so that the air bag body 4 faces the vehicle M from the fragile portion 5. The distal end side of the air bag body 4 is bent sideways and bent toward the side. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the airbag body 4 is displaced so that the tip end side of the fragile portion 5 falls to the side of the front pillar P. At this time, by providing the vent hole 6 for depressurization in the air bag body 4, it is possible to release the development gas in the air bag body 4 and rapidly reduce the internal pressure of the air bag body 4. Can be quickly bent from the fragile portion 5.
Thus, by displacing the front end side of the airbag main body 4, the front of the driver D who drives the automobile M can be largely opened, and the visibility of the driver D can be secured. Thus, the driver D can safely take measures such as stopping the vehicle M, and can prevent a secondary collision.

  According to the present embodiment, the deployed airbag body 4 is bent from the fragile portion 5 to bias the tip end side of the airbag body 4 to the side of the automobile M, so the tip end side of the airbag body 4 is the front It can be displaced to the outside of the pillar P to ensure the visibility of the driver D.

  In the first embodiment, it is preferable to provide a bending promoting portion that promotes the bending of the air bag body 4 from the fragile portion 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a concave portion is formed as the fragile portion 5 on the outer side portion of the airbag main body 4, and the airbag main body 4 is bent so as to close the concave portion. Then, the tether 7 is disposed inside the airbag body 4 so as to intersect the fragile portion 5, and both ends of the tether 7 are fixed to the airbag body 4 to hold the bent state of the airbag body 4. .

  Thus, the airbag main body 4 in which the bent state is maintained is accommodated in the accommodation portion 2. When the expansion gas is injected from the inflator 3 into the air bag body 4 at the time of expansion, the injection pressure of the expansion gas is very large, so the air bag body 4 is straightly extended from the bent state and the front pillar P is Are deployed along the. Then, after receiving the person to be protected, the air bag body 4 is quickly bent to the outside of the front pillar P by urging from the tether 7 as the internal pressure decreases. As described above, by biasing the air bag main body 4 in the bending direction, the bending of the air bag main body 4 can be promoted, and the air bag main body 4 can be reliably bent after deployment.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, the fragile portion 5 only needs to be able to bend the airbag main body 4, and the formation direction thereof is not limited.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the fragile portion 21 can be formed so as to extend in an oblique direction around the outer portion in the vicinity of the root portion of the airbag main body 4. When the air bag main body 4 in which the fragile portion 21 is formed is expanded, the air bag main body 4 is deformed so as to be twisted, for example, as the internal pressure of the air bag main body 4 decreases. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the air bag main body 4 is reduced in outer diameter at the fragile portion 21 and is bent from the weakened portion 21 to the outside of the front pillar P.
The fragile portion 21 can be formed, for example, by changing the fiber direction of the base fabric of the airbag main body 4 with respect to the portion other than the fragile portion 21.

  According to the present embodiment, the deployed airbag body 4 is bent from the fragile portion 21 to bias the tip end side of the airbag body 4 to the side of the automobile M, so the tip end side of the airbag body 4 is front It can be displaced to the outside of the pillar P to ensure the visibility of the driver D.

Third Embodiment
In the first and second embodiments, the fragile portion in which the air bag main body 4 is bent is provided in the air bag main body 4, but the air bag main body 4 is biased to the side of the automobile M by the air bag main body 4. It is only necessary to provide a displacement portion for displacing the front end side of the airbag main body 4 to the outside of the front pillar P after being deployed, and is not limited to the fragile portion.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the biasing vent hole 31 can be provided on the inner side in the vicinity of the tip end of the airbag main body 4. When the internal pressure of the deployed air bag body 4 reaches a predetermined value, the biasing vent hole 31 is opened, and the deployment gas in the airbag body 4 is jetted from the biasing vent hole 31. Since the deployment gas is injected from the biasing vent hole 31 toward the inside of the automobile M, the distal end side of the airbag main body 4 can be biased laterally.
According to the present embodiment, the deployment gas in the air bag body 4 is sprayed from the biasing vent hole 31 provided on the inner side of the air bag body 4, so the front end side of the air bag body 4 is the front pillar P It can be displaced outward to secure the view of the driver D.
The biasing vent hole 31 may be provided in the airbag body together with the fragile portions in the first and second embodiments, and the fragile portion may be provided on the outer side of the airbag body and biased on the inner side of the airbag body. A vent hole 31 can be provided.

Fourth Embodiment
In the first to third embodiments, the air bag body 4 has a support portion that maintains the shape of the air bag body 4 when the air bag body 4 is displaced by increasing the rigidity of at least one of the outer side portion and the inner side portion. Is preferred.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the air bag main body 41 can be disposed instead of the air bag main body 4 of the first embodiment. The air bag main body 41 has a support portion 44 formed by forming the outer side portion 42 and the inner side portion 43 thicker than the front portion for receiving the person to be protected, etc. The rigidity of the part 43 can be enhanced.

  As a result, when the air bag body 41 is bent from the fragile portion 5, the support portion 44 supports the air bag body 41 from the outer side portion 42 and the inner side portion 43 even if the internal pressure of the air bag body 41 decreases. The air bag main body 41 can be bent in a state where is maintained. Therefore, the entire airbag main body 41 can be displaced to the outside of the front pillar P, and a part of the airbag main body 41 can be prevented from staying on the front side of the front pillar P to ensure the driver D's visibility. It can be secured. In addition, since the rigidity on the front side of the air bag body 41 is not enhanced, the person to be protected can be safely received.

  When the support portion 44 is provided on only one of the outer side portion 42 and the inner side portion 43 of the airbag body 41, the support portion 44 is provided on the outer side portion 42 of the airbag body 41 provided with the fragile portion 5. Is preferred. When the biasing vent hole is provided in the inner portion 43 of the airbag body as in the third embodiment, it is preferable to provide the support portion 44 in the inner portion 43 of the airbag body. That is, it is preferable to provide the support portion 44 on the same side as the displacement portion that displaces the air bag body to the outside of the front pillar P.

  Further, the support portion is only required to increase the rigidity of the side portion of the airbag main body 41, and is not limited to the side portion having a large thickness. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when joining the base cloth 45 on the front side of the airbag body 41 and the base cloth 46 on the rear side, The support portion 47 can be formed by folding and joining. When such an air bag main body 41 is expanded, as shown in FIG. 7B, the support portion 47 can be arranged to support the outer side portion 42 and the inner side portion 43 of the air bag main body 41 from the inside. The airbag body 41 can be bent in a state in which the shape is maintained. The support portion 47 is not disposed on the entire outer side portion 42 and the inner side portion 43 of the airbag main body 41, but is disposed only at the central portion, thereby suppressing an increase in the rigidity on the front side of the airbag main body 41. It is possible to take the person being protected more safely.

  According to the present embodiment, the airbag main body 41 can be displaced to the outside of the front pillar P in a state in which the shape is maintained by supporting the side portion of the airbag main body 41 by the support portion. The field of view of D can be ensured.

In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the air bag main body is displaced to the outside of the front pillar P by providing the fragile portion or the biasing vent hole in the air bag main body. It is only necessary to displace the front end side of the air bag main body to the outside of the front pillar P after the air bag main body is deployed by urging the body, and the present invention is not limited to these displacement portions.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the expanded portion 51 can be provided on the inner side of the airbag main body 4 while removing the fragile portion 5 in the first embodiment. In the upper half of the air bag body 4, the expanded portion 51 has a bellows structure on the inner side, so that the inner side of the air bag body 4 is vertically longer than the outer side. When the inflation gas is injected from the inflator 3 into the air bag body 4 provided with such an expanding portion 51 and expanded, the air bag body 4 is once expanded along the front pillar P. Then, after the user to be protected is received by the deployed air bag main body 4, the expansion gas is further injected into the air bag main body 4 from the inflator 3 to extend the bellows structure of the expanded portion 51, and the air bag main body The tip of 4 is biased to the side. Thus, according to the injection of the deployment gas into the air bag body 4 by arranging the expanded portion 51 in the inner side portion of the air bag body 4 and forming the length in the vertical direction longer than the outer side portion. As a result, the extension portion 51 is extended and the tip end side of the airbag main body 4 can be biased to the side. Thereby, the tip end side of the airbag main body 4 can be displaced to the outside of the front pillar P, and the visibility of the driver D can be secured.

  The extension portion 51 is not limited to the bellows structure as long as the length in the vertical direction of the inner portion of the airbag main body 4 can be formed longer than that of the outer portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the expansion portion 51 can be formed so as to cause slack in the inner side of the airbag main body 4.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle outside air bag, 2 accommodating part, 3 inflator, 4, 41 pair of air bag main body, 42 outer side of air bag main body, 43 inner side of air bag main body, 5, 21 weak part, 6 vent hole for pressure reduction, Reference Signs List 7 tether, 31 vent hole for urging, 44, 47 supporting portion, 45 front side base cloth, 46 rear side base cloth, 51 extension, M car, W front glass, P pair of front pillars, Pa front Lower end of pillar, upper end of Pb front pillar, H front hood, D driver.

Claims (6)

An air bag body that extends from the lower end side of the front pillar to the upper side along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the automobile;
And a displacement portion for displacing the tip end side of the airbag main body to the outside of the front pillar after the airbag main body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the airbag main body to the side of the automobile. Equipped with
The displacement portion has a fragile portion provided on the outer side in the vicinity of the root portion of the airbag body, and the expanded airbag body is bent from the fragile portion to make the tip end side of the airbag body side An air bag for the outside of the vehicle that urges you . The fragile portion is formed to extend in the diagonal direction in the outer portion in the vicinity of the root portion of the airbag body, and the airbag body is removed from the fragile portion as the internal pressure of the deployed airbag body decreases. The air bag according to claim 1 , wherein the air bag is deformed to be twisted and bent. Wherein provided on the airbag body, outside air bag according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising a vacuum vent hole to reduce the internal pressure of the airbag body is expanded. An air bag body that extends from the lower end side of the front pillar to the upper side along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the automobile;
And a displacement portion for displacing the tip end side of the airbag main body to the outside of the front pillar after the airbag main body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the airbag main body to the side of the automobile. Equipped with
The displacing portion has a biasing vent hole provided in an inner portion in the vicinity of a tip end portion of the airbag main body, and jets a deployed gas in the deployed airbag main body from the biasing vent hole An external air bag for biasing the front end side of the air bag main body sideward . An air bag body that extends from the lower end side of the front pillar to the upper side along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the automobile;
And a displacement portion for displacing the tip end side of the airbag main body to the outside of the front pillar after the airbag main body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the airbag main body to the side of the automobile. Equipped with
The displacing portion has an extending portion which vertically forms an inner portion of the air bag main body in comparison with an outer portion, and the expanding portion extends in response to the injection of the developing gas into the air bag main body. An external air bag for urging the distal end side of the air bag body laterally . An air bag body that extends from the lower end side of the front pillar to the upper side along the front pillar on the front side of the front pillar disposed along the side edge of the windshield of the automobile;
And a displacement portion for displacing the tip end side of the airbag main body to the outside of the front pillar after the airbag main body is deployed along the front pillar by urging the airbag main body to the side of the automobile. Equipped with
The vehicle-use airbag further includes a support that maintains the shape of the airbag body when the rigidity of at least one of the outer side portion and the inner side portion of the airbag body is increased to displace the airbag body .