JP7223344B2 - passenger airbag - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is folded and stored in a storage portion provided in an instrument panel disposed in front of an occupant seated in a front passenger seat, and is configured to protrude toward the rear side of the vehicle by allowing inflation gas to flow into the interior. The present invention relates to an airbag for a front passenger seat configured to be inflated and capable of protecting an occupant.

Conventionally, passenger seat airbags have been formed on the rear side of the passenger airbag so as to extend substantially in the vertical direction. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, some airbags have a configuration in which the completed inflation shape has a substantially cylindrical shape with a hollow portion formed so as to penetrate substantially along the left-right direction (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-34558 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-222331

In the passenger-side airbag described in Patent Document 1, the restraint recess is pulled forward by a tether disposed inside the airbag, thereby stabilizing the shape of the recess toward the front when inflation is completed. It had been. However, such a configuration could not be applied to the type of airbag having a hollow portion in the intermediate portion described in Patent Document 2, because the thickness dimension is limited, making it difficult to arrange the tether.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and even in the case of an airbag of the type having a hollow portion in the middle portion, a restraining recess provided on the rear surface side enables the occupant's head to be accurately restrained. The object is to provide an airbag.

A front passenger airbag according to the present invention is folded and stored in a storage portion provided on an instrument panel disposed in front of an occupant seated on a front passenger seat, and is supplied with inflation gas to the rear side of the vehicle. A passenger seat airbag configured to inflate so as to protrude toward and protect an occupant,
An occupant protection bag made of a flexible sheet body, which has a mounting part attached to the storage part side on the front end side when inflation is completed, and an occupant protection that can protect the occupant on the rear end side when inflation is completed. In addition, a hollow portion is formed in an intermediate portion between the mounting portion and the occupant protection portion so as to penetrate substantially along the left-right direction and is surrounded by the expansion portion. It is composed of
The occupant protection part is formed on the rear surface side at the completion of inflation so as to substantially extend in the vertical direction, and is provided with a restraint recess for allowing the head of the occupant moving forward to enter and restrain it. and the tip of the concave portion of the constraining concave portion is connected to the inner peripheral surface side of the hollow portion.

In the front-passenger-side airbag of the present invention, the occupant protection section is separated from the mounting section side by interposing the hollow section in a cross section substantially along the front-rear direction when inflation is completed, so that the occupant protection section is separated from the mounting section side and is independent in the left-right direction. The restraining recess formed in the occupant protection portion is configured so that the tip of the recess is directly connected to the inner peripheral surface side of the hollow portion. It is Therefore, it is possible to stably maintain the concave shape of the restraint recess at the time of completion of inflation, and the restraint recess secures the depth of the recess necessary for allowing the occupant's head to enter and restrain it. be able to. Furthermore, in the front passenger seat airbag of the present invention, even if the peripheral portion of the restraint recess into which the occupant's head is inserted and restrained bottoms out, is provided with a cavity surrounded by an expansion part, and the tip of the recess of the constraining recess is connected to the inner peripheral surface of this cavity, so that it is about to bottom out. The inner peripheral surface is in a state in which tension is generated to act when the airbag is inflated, and when the airbag enters the hollow portion in this state, a constant reaction force can be secured, and the occupant's head is cushioned. You can accept it gracefully. As a result, even with a configuration having a hollow portion, the head of the occupant moving forward can be smoothly protected by entering the restraining concave portion when the front passenger airbag is completely inflated. .

Therefore, in the front passenger seat airbag of the present invention, even if the airbag is of a type having a hollow portion in the middle portion, it is possible to accurately restrain the occupant's head by the restraining concave portion provided on the rear surface side.

Further, in the front passenger seat airbag of the present invention, between the mounting portion arranged on the front end side when inflation is completed and the occupant protection portion arranged on the rear end side when inflation is completed, the Since a cavity is provided that runs substantially along the length of the tube, it is possible to reduce the volume of the region that is actually inflated by inflating the gas, compared to a configuration that does not have a cavity. , the size of the inflator to be used can be reduced, and the entire device mounted on the vehicle can be made compact.

Further, in the passenger-side airbag of the present invention, the occupant protecting portion is arranged such that the upper end side and the lower end side when the inflation is completed are arranged so as to extend forward, respectively, and the upper and lower inflation portions around the hollow portion are arranged. supported by the upper support expansion part and the lower support expansion part that constitute the part;
It is preferable that the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion are communicated with each other by a communication expansion portion forming the front side of the hollow portion.

With such a configuration of the passenger airbag, the upper end side and the lower end side are moved forward by the occupant protection portion supported by the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion extending forward. An occupant can be received, and the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion are configured to communicate with each other through a communication expansion portion forming the front side of the hollow portion. In other words, since the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion are connected via the communication expansion portion, it is possible to prevent the front end sides from approaching or separating from each other, thereby protecting the occupant. The part can be supported accurately. Therefore, even with a configuration in which the hollow portion is provided in the intermediate portion, the occupant moving forward can be stably restrained by the occupant protection portion.

Furthermore, in the passenger airbag configured as described above, the upper supporting inflation portion includes an upper supporting surface portion disposed on the front end side and supported by the windshield disposed above the instrument panel when inflation is completed, and a lower support surface portion, which is arranged on the front end side and supported by the instrument panel when inflation is completed, is arranged on the lower support expansion portion, the upper support expansion portion and the lower side The front end side of the support expansion portion can be stably supported by the member on the vehicle body side, and the occupant moving forward can be more stably restrained by the occupant protection portion, which is preferable.

Furthermore, in the passenger-side airbag configured as described above, if the hollow portion is formed by opening in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the left and right sides when inflation is completed, the occupant protection portion can The plate is arranged substantially along the vertical direction, and the communication expansion portion that connects the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion is also arranged substantially along the vertical direction so as to substantially follow the occupant protection portion. can be arranged as a shape. Therefore, when inflation is completed, the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion can stably restrict the front end sides of the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion from approaching or separating from each other. As a result, the upper end side and the lower end side of the occupant protection portion can be more stably supported, which is preferable. In addition, the occupant protection portion at the time of completion of inflation can be stably arranged with a wide width in the vertical direction.

1 is a perspective view of a state in which an airbag used in an airbag device for a front passenger's seat according to an embodiment of the present invention is inflated by itself, as viewed obliquely from the rear left; FIG. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the airbag of FIG. 1; 2 is a plan view of the airbag of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 1 along the front-rear direction on the left-right center side; FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag of FIG. 1 along the left-right direction at the front-rear central side; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the front-rear direction of the airbag of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a portion of a restraining concave portion in the airbag of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a portion of a partition wall in the airbag of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a base fabric forming the airbag of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the rest of the base fabric that constitutes the airbag of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an occupant-side panel substrate and an occupant-side panel in the base fabric constituting the airbag of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the airbag has completed inflation in the airbag device for a passenger's seat according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the airbag has completed inflation in the passenger-side airbag device of the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the airbag has completed inflation in the airbag device for a front passenger seat of the embodiment, and is a schematic view that receives the head of an occupant moving obliquely forward.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the front passenger seat airbag (hereinafter abbreviated as "airbag") 15 of the embodiment is mounted on the instrument panel (hereinafter "instrument panel") in front of the occupant MP seated on the passenger seat PS. (abbreviated as )) is used in a top-mount type airbag device M for a front passenger's seat, which is disposed inside the upper surface 2 of 1. In the embodiments, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions correspond to the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions of the vehicle unless otherwise specified.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the passenger seat airbag device M of the embodiment accommodates and holds an airbag 15, an inflator 8 for supplying inflation gas to the airbag 15, and the airbag 15 and the inflator 8. It has a case 12 as a housing part, a retainer 9 for attaching an airbag 15 and an inflator 8 to the case 12, and an airbag cover 6 for covering the folded airbag 15. - 特許庁The airbag cover 6 has a door (not shown) that can be opened when the airbag 15 is deployed and inflated. Also, in the embodiment, the inflator 8 is configured to be activated during a frontal collision, an oblique collision, and an offset collision of the vehicle.

1 to 6, the airbag 15 is formed in a shape of a bag made of a flexible sheet body, and has a shape of a substantially rectangular cylinder whose inflated shape is substantially aligned in the horizontal direction as shown in FIGS. It is In the embodiment, the airbag 15 is configured such that the shape of the completed inflation is approximately bilaterally symmetrical. Specifically, the airbag 15 includes an occupant protection portion 40 arranged on the rear end side when inflation is completed and capable of protecting the occupant MP, and a vehicle body side inflatable portion arranged in front of the occupant protection portion 40 . a portion 16; The vehicle body side expansion part 16 has a mounting part 17 that is arranged on the front end side when expansion is completed and is attached to the case 12 as a storage part, and an upper surface side and a lower surface side when expansion is completed. and a communication expansion portion 27 that communicates the front ends 21a and 24a of the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24. there is Further, the airbag 15 is formed so as to penetrate substantially along the left-right direction, and has a hollow portion 50 surrounded by an inflatable portion. In the embodiment, the hollow portion 50 is surrounded by the communication expansion portion 27 , the upper support expansion portion 21 , the lower support expansion portion 24 , and the occupant protection portion 40 . That is, the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 constitute upper and lower expansion portions around the hollow portion 50 , and the communication expansion portion 27 constitutes the front side of the hollow portion 50 . Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the hollow portion 50 is formed to have a substantially rectangular opening when viewed from the left and right sides. In the case of the embodiment, the hollow portion 50 is formed with an opening in a substantially trapezoidal shape that widens toward the front.

The attachment portion 17 has a plate-like shape with its longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the left-right direction, and the upper end 17a side thereof communicates with the upper end 27a side of the communicating inflatable portion 27. It is configured so as to be inclined forward and downward in a state of being held down (see FIGS. 2 and 4). In the mounting portion 17, in the region of the lower wall portion 17e disposed on the side of the lower end 17b, there is an inflow opening 18 which opens in a substantially circular shape so as to allow the inflating gas to flow therein, and whose periphery is attached to the case 12. , are formed (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The bolts (not shown) of the retainer 9 are inserted through the periphery of the inflow opening 18, and a plurality of bolts (not shown) for attaching the periphery of the inflow opening 18 to the bottom wall portion (not shown) of the case 12 are provided. In this case, four mounting holes 19 are formed. 12 to 14, when the airbag 15 is completely inflated, the mounting portion 17 has a lower end 17b side area disposed inside the case 12. are set smaller than the other parts (see FIG. 6), and the front, rear, left, and right width dimensions are set to dimensions that can be arranged inside the case 12 . In the case of the embodiment, the upper end 17a side of the mounting portion 17 is supported by the windshield 4 when the expansion is completed (see FIG. 12).

The communication expansion portion 27 has a plate-like shape with its longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the left-right direction. , and the lower end 27b thereof are communicated with the front end 24a of the lower support expansion portion 24. As shown in FIG. That is, the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 communicate with each other via the communication expansion portion 27 . The communication expansion portion 27 is arranged substantially along the vertical direction so as to substantially follow the occupant protection portion 40 when viewed from the left and right sides when inflation is completed (see FIG. 2). In the case of the embodiment, the communicating expansion portion 27 has a narrow width at the upper end 27a side that communicates with the mounting portion 17 and the upper support expansion portion 21, and widens in the left and right direction toward the lower end 27b side that communicates with the lower support expansion portion 24. The lower front side (the lower end side of the front wall portion 27c) at the time of completion of inflation is supported by the instrument panel 1 (see FIG. 12). 4 and 6, the rear wall portion 27d of the communicating expansion portion 27 constitutes the inner peripheral surface 50a of the hollow portion 50. As shown in FIGS.

The upper support expansion portion 21 has a substantially plate-like shape in which the upper support expansion portion 21 completes expansion in the lateral direction, and the front end 21 a thereof communicates with the upper end 27 a of the communication expansion portion 27 and the upper end 17 a of the mounting portion 17 . , the rear end 21b side thereof is communicated with the upper end 40a of the occupant protection portion 40. As shown in FIG. The upper supporting inflatable portion 21 is configured to be substantially perpendicular to the communicating inflatable portion 27 and substantially along the front-rear direction when viewed from the left and right sides when inflation is completed (FIG. 2). reference). As shown in FIG. 3 , the upper support expansion portion 21 has a narrow front end 21 a side that communicates with the mounting portion 17 and the upper support expansion portion 21 , and a rear end 21 b that communicates with the occupant protection portion 40 . It is configured so that the side part is wide. The upper support expansion portion 21 is configured such that the upper surface side of the front portion (the front end side of the upper wall portion 21c) upon completion of expansion is supported by being brought into contact with the windshield 4 disposed above the instrument panel 1. (see FIG. 12). That is, the upper support expansion part 21 is configured to have an upper support surface part 22 supported by the windshield 4 on the front upper surface side (front end 21a side) when the expansion is completed (see FIG. 4). In the upper support expansion portion 21, the lower wall portion 21d constitutes the inner peripheral surface 50a of the hollow portion 50 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

In the embodiment, the front end 21a side of the upper support expansion portion 21 and the upper end 27a side of the communication expansion portion 27 are partitioned by the partition wall portion 30 . The partition wall portion 30 is joined along its entire periphery to a wall portion forming a boundary portion between the upper support expansion portion 21 and the communication expansion portion 27 (see FIGS. 4 and 8). Two circular communication holes 31 are provided in the partition wall 30 side by side in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 1, 3, 5, and 8). The expansion part 27 is connected. The partition wall portion 30 and the communication hole 31 suppress excessive outflow of the inflation gas flowing in through the attachment portion 17 to the upper support inflation portion 21 side, 24 side) so that it can stably flow out. In the case of the embodiment, the peripheral portion of the partition wall portion 30, which is the boundary portion between the upper supporting inflation portion 21 and the communicating inflation portion 27, comes into contact with the windshield 4 when the airbag 15 completes inflation. (See FIG. 12).

The lower support expansion part 24 has a substantially plate-like shape with its longitudinal direction aligned in the left-right direction. It is configured to communicate with the lower end 40 b of the portion 40 . When viewed from the left and right sides when inflation is completed, the lower support expansion portion 24 is substantially perpendicular to the communication expansion portion 27 and substantially along the upper support expansion portion 21 in the front-rear direction. It is a configuration that is arranged at the same time (see FIG. 2). The lower support expansion portion 24 has a substantially rectangular plate shape with substantially the same width dimension in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the lower support expansion portion 24 is formed slightly inclined with respect to the upper support expansion portion 21 so that the rear end 24b side is slightly closer to the upper support expansion portion 21 . In addition, the lower support expansion portion 24 is supported by contacting the instrument panel 1 at the front lower surface side (on the front end 24a side, specifically near the intersection with the communication expansion portion 27) when expansion is completed. (See FIG. 12). That is, the lower support expansion portion 24 is configured to have a lower support surface portion 25 supported by the instrument panel 1 on the front end 24a side when the expansion is completed (see FIGS. 4 and 12). In the lower support expansion portion 24, the upper wall portion 24c constitutes the inner peripheral surface 50a of the hollow portion 50 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). In addition, the left wall portion 24e and the right wall portion 24f of the lower support inflation portion 24 are provided with two substantially circular vent holes 35 for exhausting excess inflation gas that has flowed thereinto. are formed one by one (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4).

The occupant protection part 40 has a shape at the time of completion of inflation on the side of the occupant MP, which is the rear end side at the time of completion of inflation, so as to be substantially orthogonal to the upper support inflation part 21 and the lower support inflation part 24 in the vertical direction. The upper end 40a side is communicated with the rear end 21b of the upper support expansion portion 21, and the lower end 40b side is communicated with the rear end 24b of the lower support expansion portion 24. Specifically, the occupant protection part 40 has a substantially rectangular shape with substantially the same width dimension on the vertical side. When the airbag 15 is fully inflated, the upper end 40a of the occupant protection portion 40 is supported by the upper support inflation portion 21 extending forward so as to be substantially orthogonal to the occupant protection portion 40 when viewed from the left and right sides. The lower end 40b side is supported by the lower support expansion portion 24 extending forward so as to be substantially orthogonal to the occupant protection portion 40 when viewed from the left and right sides. In the occupant protection portion 40, the front wall portion 40c constitutes the inner peripheral surface 50a of the hollow portion 50 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). 1, 3, 4, and 6, the occupant protection part 40 is arranged on the left and right sides of the center region 42 and is arranged with respect to the center region 42, as shown in FIGS. Protrusion regions 43L and 43R that protrude rearward and outward are provided. The center region 42 is formed of a region covering substantially the entire upper and lower portions of the left and right center portions of the occupant protection portion 40, and the protruding regions 43L and 43R are the left and right edge sides of the occupant protection portion 40, that is, the center. It is formed on both the left and right sides of the side region 42 over substantially the entire upper and lower regions of the occupant protection portion 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). In the case of the embodiment, the protruding regions 43L and 43R include an outer wall portion 43a formed continuously from the left wall portion 40e or the right wall portion 40f of the occupant protection portion 40, and an inner wall portion 43b disposed on the central side region 42 side. , and is configured by connecting peripheral edges 43c and 43d of the outer wall portion 43a and the inner wall portion 43b (see FIGS. 1 and 6).

In the embodiment, the rear wall portion 42a of the central region 42 of the occupant protection portion 40 (the portion of the rear wall portion 40d of the occupant protection portion 40 on the center side in the left-right direction) is adapted to prevent the occupant from moving forward in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. A restraint surface 45 for frontal collision that can receive and protect the head MH of the MP is formed, and the inner wall portions 43b of the projecting regions 43L and 43R move obliquely forward in the event of an oblique collision or an offset collision of the vehicle. Oblique collision restraint surfaces 46L and 46R that receive and protect the head MH of the MP are configured. The oblique collision restraint surfaces 46L, 46R (inner wall portion 43b) are arranged in the front-rear direction so that the rear end sides are positioned outward in the left and right directions when the airbag 15 is fully inflated and viewed from the up-down direction. It is formed so as to be slanted (see FIG. 6).

Further, the rear side of the occupant protection portion 40, in the case of the embodiment, the boundary portion between the center side region 42 and each projecting region 43L, 43R 47L, 47R for allowing the head MH of the occupant MP to enter and be restrained (see FIGS. 4, 6, 7). Each of the restraint recesses 47L and 47R extends substantially along the vertical direction and is formed over substantially the entire upper and lower areas of the occupant protection section 40, as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the restraint recesses 47L and 47R are configured such that the rear end 47b side is opened and recessed forward like a pocket. The constraining concave portions 47L and 47R connect the upper edges, the lower edges, and the front edges of the generally rectangular outer wall 47c and the inner wall 47d, which are widened vertically when viewed from the left-right direction, respectively. By sewing (sewing), the rear end 47b side is opened to form a substantially pocket shape (see FIGS. 4, 6 and 7). The constraining concave portions 47L and 47R are configured such that the tips of the concave portions (front ends 47a) are connected to the inner peripheral surface 50a side of the hollow portion 50. It is sewn (connected) to the front wall portion 40c (body portion 76 of the inner peripheral panel portion 75) of the occupant protection portion 40 forming the surface 50a at the joint portion 48 using a suture thread. (see Figure 6). When the airbag 15 is completely inflated, the restraint recesses 47L and 47R are arranged in such a manner that the outer wall 47c and the inner wall 47d are in contact with each other over substantially the entire area, and the opening of the rear end 47b side is restrained from opening. , substantially along the front-rear direction (see FIG. 6). The restraint recesses 47L and 47R are for allowing the head MH of the occupant MP moving obliquely forward to enter and protect them. The thickness is set to be substantially the same as the thickness of the central region 42 at the time of completion of expansion in (see FIG. 6), and is set to a dimension that allows the region in front of the head MH of the occupant MP to enter.

In the airbag 15 of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the communication inflation portion 27, the upper support inflation portion 21, and the lower support inflation portion 24 have tethers 55, 56, and 57 for thickness regulation inside. By arranging them, the expansion completion shape is made into a substantially plate shape. In the communication expansion portion 27, the tether 55 is formed in a belt shape substantially along the vertical direction, and connects the front wall portion 27c and the rear wall portion 27d in the region on the side of the upper end 27a branched from the attachment portion 17. are arranged as follows. In the upper support inflation portion 21, the tether 56 is formed in a band shape substantially along the front-rear direction, and is disposed so as to connect the upper wall portion 21c and the lower wall portion 21d at the front-rear intermediate portion. In the lower support inflation portion 24, the tether 57 is formed in a belt shape substantially along the front-rear direction, and is disposed so as to connect the upper wall portion 24c and the lower wall portion 24d at the front-rear intermediate portion. More specifically, the tethers 56 and 57 arranged in the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 are configured so that the thickness dimension can be widely regulated in the front-rear direction, and the length dimension is adjusted to the length dimension of the communication expansion portion. 27 is set larger than the tether 55 (see FIG. 4). Each of the tethers 55, 56, 57 is arranged side by side at two locations on the left-right direction side. A tether is not provided in the area of the occupant protection portion 40, but as shown in FIGS. The restraining recesses 47L and 47R function similarly to tethers, regulate the separation distance between the front wall portion 40c and the rear wall portion 40d, and make the shape of the occupant protection portion 40 after expansion into a plate shape.

The airbag 15 is formed into a bag shape by connecting corresponding edges of a plurality of panels (substrates) having a predetermined shape and made of flexible sheet bodies. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the panel portion constituting the airbag 15 includes an outer peripheral panel portion 60, an inner peripheral panel portion 75, and side wall panel portions 80L and 80R. ing.

The outer peripheral panel portion 60 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface side of the airbag 15 when the inflation is completed. , provided. The peripheral wall panel 61 has an upper panel 62 and a lower panel 63 .

The upper panel 62 constitutes the upper wall portion 21c of the upper supporting expansion portion 21, and as shown in FIG. 9, has a substantially rectangular outer shape with a slightly narrower width at the front end side. . The lower panel 63 constitutes the front wall portion 17c, the lower wall portion 17e, and the rear wall portion 17d of the mounting portion 17, and the lower wall portion 24d of the lower support expansion portion 24, as shown in FIG. In addition, the area forming the mounting portion 17 near the front upper edge 63a side is formed into a substantially strip shape with a narrow width. Both the upper panel 62 and the lower panel 63 are symmetrical.

The occupant side panel 65 constitutes the rear wall portion 40d arranged on the occupant MP side in the occupant protection portion 40. 46L, 46R) to the rear wall portion 42a (front collision restraint surface 45) of the central region 42 via the restraint recesses 47L, 47R. Specifically, the occupant-side panel 65 is composed of the occupant-side panel base material 68 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A. The occupant-side panel base material 68 includes protruding region forming portions 73L and 73R forming the inner wall portions 43b of the protruding regions 43L and 43R, recess forming portions 70L and 70R forming the restraining recess portions 47L and 47R, and a central portion. The central side region forming portion 69 forming the rear wall portion 42a of the side region 42 is arranged side by side in a substantially strip shape. Each of the recessed portions 70L and 70R has outer wall portions 71L and 71R and inner wall portions 72L and 72R that form the outer wall 47c and the inner wall 47d of the restraint recesses 47L and 47R. 71L, 71R and inner wall forming portions 72L, 72R are connected at the front end side by connecting the rear end side to the center side region forming portion 69 or the projecting region forming portions 73L, 73R. The outer wall constituent portions 71L and 71R and the inner wall constituent portions 72L and 72R are folded in half so that the outer wall constituent portions 71L and 71R and the inner wall constituent portions 72L and 72R are overlapped with each other, and the peripheral edges 71a and 72a are joined to each other to form the restraining concave portions 47L and 70R. 47R can be formed (see FIG. 11B). Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the occupant-side panel 65 is constructed by forming restraint concave portions 47L and 47R in the occupant-side panel base material 68. As shown in FIG. Both the occupant-side panel base material 68 and the occupant-side panel 65 are symmetrical.

In the occupant-side panel 65, the central region forming portion 69 has a substantially rectangular shape that is wide in the vertical direction, and is arranged adjacent to the central region forming portion 69 via the restraint recesses 47L and 47R. Each of the projecting region forming portions 73L and 73R has a substantially trapezoidal shape that expands slightly vertically toward the outer edge 73c side away from the central region forming portion 69, respectively. In other words, the vertical width of the central region forming portion 69 is set smaller than the vertical width of the projecting region forming portions 73L and 73R on the outer edge 73c side. The protruding area forming portions 73L and 73R are configured such that the upper edge 73a and the lower edge 73b are inclined toward the center side area forming portion 69 so as to approach each other. In the case of the embodiment, the occupant side panel 65 is also symmetrical on the vertical side.

The inner peripheral panel portion 75 is arranged on the inner peripheral surface side of the airbag 15 when inflation is completed, and as shown in FIG. Partition wall forming portions 77U and 77R forming the wall portion 30 are provided. The inner peripheral panel portion 75 is composed of a symmetrical belt-like body. A main body portion 76 of the inner peripheral panel portion 75 includes a lower wall portion 21d of the upper support expansion portion 21, a front wall portion 40c of the occupant protection portion 40, an upper wall portion 24c of the lower support expansion portion 24, and a communication expansion portion. 27 and a rear wall portion 27d. That is, the body portion 76 of the inner peripheral panel portion 75 constitutes the inner peripheral surface 50 a of the hollow portion 50 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the side wall panel portions 80L and 80R are a pair of left and right side walls constituting the left and right side surfaces of the airbag 15 when inflation is completed. Approximately rectangular mounting portion forming portions 82L and 82R extending from the front upper end sides of the portions 81L and 81R are provided. The side wall forming portion 81L of the side wall panel portion 80L constitutes the upper support expansion portion 21, the lower support expansion portion 24, the communication expansion portion 27, and the left wall portions 21e, 24e, 27e, and 40e of the occupant protection portion 40. The side wall forming portion 81R of the portion 80R constitutes the upper support expansion portion 21, the lower support expansion portion 24, the communication expansion portion 27, and the right wall portions 21f, 24f, 27f, and 40f of the occupant protection portion 40. FIG. Mounting portion forming portions 82L and 82R of the side wall panel portions 80L and 80R respectively constitute a left wall portion 17f and a right wall portion 17g of the mounting portion 17. As shown in FIG.

In the embodiment, the outer peripheral panel portion 60 (the upper panel 62, the lower panel 63, the occupant side panel base material 68) constituting the airbag 15, the inner peripheral panel portion 75, the side wall panel portions 80L and 80R, and the tether 55 , 56 and 57 are each formed of a flexible woven fabric made of polyester thread, polyamide thread, or the like.

4 to 10, the airbag 15 of the embodiment includes an upper panel 62, a lower panel 63, an occupant-side panel 65 (occupant-side panel base material 68), and an inner peripheral panel in the outer peripheral panel portion 60. The portion 75 and the corresponding edges of the side wall panel portions 80L and 80R are sewn (bonded) to each other with sutures to form a bag shape.

Specifically, the front edge 62a of the upper panel 62 is joined to the front upper edge 63a of the lower panel 63 and the front edges 77a of the partition wall forming portions 77U and 77D of the inner peripheral panel portion 75 . The rear edge 62b of the upper panel 62 is joined to the upper edge 65a of the occupant side panel 65 (the upper edge 69a of the central side area forming portion 69 and the upper edges 73a of the projecting area forming portions 73L and 73R). The left edge 62c of the upper panel 62 is joined to the upper edge 81aa (part of the outer peripheral edge 81a) of the side wall forming portion 81L in the side wall panel portion 80L, and the right edge 62d of the upper panel 62 is joined to the side wall forming portion of the side wall panel portion 80R. It is combined with the upper edge 81aa (part of the outer peripheral edge 81a) of the portion 81R. The rear edge 63b of the lower panel 63 is joined to the lower edge 65b of the occupant side panel 65 (the lower edge 69b of the central area forming portion 69 and the lower edges 73b of the projecting area forming portions 73L and 73R). The left edge 63c of the lower panel 63 includes a front edge 82a, a lower edge 82c, and a rear edge 82b of the mounting portion forming portion 82L in the side wall panel portion 80L, and a front edge 81ac and a lower edge 81ac of the side wall forming portion 81L in the side wall panel portion 80L. The right edge 63d of the lower panel 63 is connected to the edge 81ab (a part of the outer peripheral edge 81a), and similarly the front edge 82a, the lower edge 82c and the rear edge 82b of the mounting portion forming portion 82R and the side wall panel portion. The front edge 81ac and the lower edge 81ab (a part of the outer peripheral edge 81a) of the side wall forming portion 81R at 80R are connected. A left edge 65c and a right edge 65d of the occupant side panel 65 (outer edges 73c of the protruding area forming portions 73L and 73R) are respectively formed by rear edges 81ad (outer peripheral edges 81a) of the side wall forming portions 81L and 81R in the side wall panel portions 80L and 80R. part of the A left edge 76a and a right edge 76b of the body portion 76 of the inner peripheral panel portion 75 are coupled to inner peripheral edges 81b of the side wall forming portions 81L and 81R of the side wall panel portions 80L and 80R, respectively. The partition wall forming portions 77U and 77D of the inner peripheral panel portion 75 are connected to each other at the rear edge 77b, and the left edge 77c and the right edge 77d are overlapped with each other. It is coupled to the region on the front upper end side of the side wall forming portions 81L, 81R in the panel portions 80L, 80R (see FIG. 8).

In the passenger seat airbag device M of this embodiment, the airbag 15 with the retainer 9 housed therein is folded so as to be housed in the case 12 and wrapped in a breakable wrapping sheet (not shown). The inflator 8 is connected to the case 12 together with the periphery of the inflow opening 18 of the airbag 15 using the retainer 9, and then the folded airbag 15 and the inflator 8 are connected. can be mounted on the vehicle by connecting the case 12 holding the airbag cover 6 to the airbag cover 6 formed on the instrument panel 1 mounted on the vehicle.

In the passenger seat airbag device M of the embodiment, when the vehicle is mounted in a vehicle, the inflator 8 is activated in the event of a frontal collision, an oblique collision, or an offset collision of the vehicle, and the airbag 15 is installed inside the vehicle. Inflation gas is introduced to inflate the case 12, and the inflation is completed as shown in FIGS.

In the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the occupant protection part 40 is positioned on the mounting part 17 side (in the case of the embodiment, It is separated from the attachment portion 17 and the communication expansion portion 27) and expands independently into a substantially plate shape substantially along the left-right direction. , the front end 47a of the recess is directly connected to the inner peripheral surface 50a side of the hollow portion 50 (in the case of the embodiment, the front wall portion 40c of the occupant protection portion 40). Therefore, it is possible to stably maintain the recessed shape of the restraint recesses 47L, 47R at the time of completion of inflation. The depth of the dent can be secured. Furthermore, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, even if the peripheral portions of the restraint recesses 47L and 47R into which the head MH of the occupant MP is allowed to enter and restrain are bottomed out, the occupant protection portion A hollow portion 50 surrounded by an expansion portion is provided in front of 40, and the tips of the concave portions (front ends 47a) of the restraining recesses 47L and 47R are connected to the inner peripheral surface 50a side of the hollow portion 50. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface 50a of the airbag 15, which is about to bottom out, is in a state of tension acting when the airbag 15 is inflated. Therefore, a constant reaction force can be secured, and the head MH of the occupant MP can be received with good cushioning properties. As a result, even with the configuration including the hollow portion 50, the head MH of the occupant MP moving forward is allowed to enter the restraint recesses 47L and 47R when the airbag 15 completes inflation, and is smoothly protected. can do.

Therefore, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, even if the airbag 15 is of the type having the hollow portion 50 in the intermediate portion, the restraint recesses 47L and 47R provided on the rear side can properly restrain the head MH of the occupant MP. .

In addition, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, between the mounting portion 17 arranged on the front end side when inflation is completed and the occupant protection portion 40 arranged on the rear end side when inflation is completed, Since the hollow portion 50 is provided so as to pass through substantially along the length of the hollow portion, the volume of the region to be inflated by actually flowing the inflation gas into the interior can be reduced compared to the case where the hollow portion is not provided. The size of the inflator 8 to be used can be reduced, and the entire device mounted on the vehicle can be made compact.

Further, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the upper end 40a side and the lower end 40b side are moved forward by the occupant protection portion 40 supported by the upper support inflation portion 21 and the lower support inflation portion 24 extending forward. The upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 are configured to communicate with each other through a communication expansion portion 27 forming the front side of the hollow portion 50. In other words, since the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 are connected via the communication passage portion 27, it is possible to bring the front ends 21a and 24a closer to each other or separate them from each other. This can be suppressed, and the occupant protection part 40 can be properly supported. Therefore, the occupant MP moving forward can be stably restrained by the occupant protection portion 40 even in the configuration in which the hollow portion 50 is provided in the intermediate portion. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion may be directly communicated with each other on the front end side without being communicated with each other through the communication expansion portion. The shape of the opening may be substantially triangular), and furthermore, a configuration may be adopted in which the upper support expansion portion and the lower support expansion portion that support the upper end side and the lower end side of the occupant protection portion are not provided.

Furthermore, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the upper supporting inflation portion 21 forms an upper supporting surface portion 22 which is arranged on the front end 21a side and supported by the windshield 4 arranged above the instrument panel 1 when inflation is completed. The lower support expansion part 24 is provided with a lower support surface part 25 arranged on the front end 24a side and supported by the instrument panel 1 when the expansion is completed. Therefore, when the inflation is completed, the front ends 21a and 24a of the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 can be stably supported by members on the vehicle body side, and the occupant MP moving forward can be supported by the occupant. The protective portion 40 allows more stable restraint. In particular, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the upper end 17a side of the mounting portion 17 is also supported by the windshield 4 so as to continue from the front end 21a side (upper support surface portion 22) of the upper support inflatable portion 21. The lower front side of the communication expansion portion 27 (the lower end side of the front wall portion 27c) is also supported by the instrument panel 1 so as to continue from the front end 24a side of the side support expansion portion 24 (lower support surface portion 25). Therefore, when the expansion is completed, the instrument panel 1 and the windshield 4 can be brought into contact with each other over a wide area and supported. If such a point is not taken into account, the airbag should be configured so that the front end sides of the upper support inflation portion and the lower support inflation portion are not supported by the vehicle body member when the inflation is completed. You may

Furthermore, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the hollow portion 50 is formed to open in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the left and right sides when inflation is completed. is arranged substantially along the vertical direction, and the communication expansion portion 27 for communicating the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 is also arranged vertically so as to be substantially along the occupant protection portion 40. can be arranged in a plate-like shape substantially along the Therefore, when the inflation is completed, the upper support expansion portion 21 and the lower support expansion portion 24 can stably restrict the front ends 21a and 24a from approaching or separating from each other. and the lower support expansion portion 24, the upper end 40a side and the lower end 40b side of the occupant protection portion 40 can be more stably supported. In addition, the occupant protection part 40 at the time of completion of inflation can be stably arranged with a wide width in the vertical direction. If such a point is not taken into consideration, the airbag may be configured such that the opening shape of the hollow portion is triangular, circular, or polygonal.

In particular, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the upper support inflation portion 21 and the lower support inflation portion 24 are arranged substantially along the vertical direction when the inflation completed shape is viewed from the left and right sides to protect the occupant. It is arranged substantially along the front-rear direction so as to be substantially perpendicular to the portion 40 and the communicating expansion portion 27 . That is, in the airbag 15 of the embodiment, the upper supporting inflation portion 21 and the lower supporting inflation portion 24 are arranged substantially along the approach direction of the head MH of the occupant MP (see FIG. 12). ), when the occupant protection part 40 that receives the head MH (upper body) of the occupant MP is pushed forward, it buckles, stabilizing the kinetic energy of the occupant moving forward. can be absorbed by

In the airbag 15 of the embodiment, in the occupant protection portion 40, the region between the restraint recesses 47L and 47R (the rear wall portion 42a of the central region 42) serves as the front collision restraint surface 45, and is positioned forward in the event of a front collision. It is configured to receive and protect the occupant MP moving toward (see FIG. 13). Projection regions 43L and 43R are arranged so as to protrude. The inner wall portions 43b in the protruding regions 43L and 43R constitute oblique collision restraint surfaces 46L and 46R capable of receiving and protecting the head MH of the occupant MP moving obliquely forward. Therefore, in the event of an oblique collision or an offset collision of the vehicle, the head MH of the occupant MP moving obliquely forward is received by the oblique collision restraint surfaces 46L and 46R while being received by the restraint recesses 47L and 47R. The head MH of the occupant MP can be appropriately protected (see FIG. 14).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Instrument panel (instrument panel), 4... Windshield, 8... Inflator, 12... Case (storage part), 15... Air bag, 16... Body side expansion part, 17... Mounting part, 21... Upper support expansion part, 24 Lower support expansion portion 26 Communication expansion portion 40 Occupant protection portion 40a Upper end 40b Lower end 47L, 47R Restriction concave portion 47a Front end (tip) 50 Hollow portion 50a Inner peripheral surface, MP: occupant, PS: front passenger's seat, M: front passenger's seat airbag device.

Claims (4)

It is folded and stored in a storage portion provided in an instrument panel disposed in front of an occupant seated in the front passenger seat, and is inflated so as to protrude toward the rear side of the vehicle by introducing inflation gas thereinto. A front passenger airbag configured to protect an occupant,
As a bag made of a flexible sheet body, it has a mounting part attached to the storage part side on the front end side when inflation is completed, and can protect the occupant on the rear end side when inflation is completed. An occupant protection portion is provided, and a cavity is formed in an intermediate portion between the mounting portion and the occupant protection portion so as to penetrate substantially along the left-right direction and is surrounded by an inflatable portion. is configured to have a part,
The occupant protection part is formed on the rear surface side when the inflation is completed so as to substantially extend in the vertical direction, and has a restraint recess for allowing the head of the occupant moving forward to enter and restrain it, An airbag for a front passenger's seat, wherein an airbag for a front passenger's seat is configured so that an end of a concave portion of the constraining concave portion is connected to an inner peripheral surface side of the hollow portion. The occupant protection part is arranged so that the upper end side and the lower end side thereof when the inflation is completed are arranged so as to extend forward, respectively, and constitute upper and lower inflation parts around the hollow part. supported by the side support bulge and
2. The front passenger seat air system according to claim 1, wherein said upper support expansion portion and said lower support expansion portion are communicated with each other by a communication expansion portion forming a front side of said hollow portion. bag. an upper support surface portion disposed on the front end side of the upper support inflation portion and supported by a windshield disposed above the instrument panel when the upper support inflation portion is fully inflated;
3. The front passenger seat according to claim 2, wherein the lower support expansion part includes a lower support surface part arranged on a front end side and supported by the instrument panel when expansion is completed. for airbags. 4. The front passenger seat airbag according to claim 2, wherein the cavity is formed to have a substantially rectangular opening when viewed from the left and right sides when the inflation is completed.

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