JP7380624B2 - Occupant protection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an occupant protection device that includes an airbag that is attached to a headrest near the upper end of a backrest of a vehicle seat and inflates to protect the head of an occupant seated on the seat.

Conventionally, this type of occupant protection device is attached to a headrest near the upper end of the backrest of a vehicle seat to prevent whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision (rear-end collision) of a vehicle. The vehicle was configured to include an airbag that inflates to protect the head of the vehicle (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-270403

However, in conventional occupant protection devices, the airbag is installed on the headrest near the upper end of the backrest and inflates by letting air flow in to protect the occupant's groin area. Since the source of the airbag is not clear, and it is also unclear when air is supplied to the airbag, the airbag is configured to inflate smoothly and protect the occupant's head in the event of a vehicle collision. There was a problem with doing that.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an occupant protection device that can receive and protect the head of an occupant by a smoothly inflated airbag in the event of a vehicle collision.

The occupant protection device according to the present invention includes an airbag that is attached to a headrest near the upper end of the backrest of a vehicle seat and inflates to protect the head of an occupant seated on the seat. A protective device,
the airbag arranged on the front side of the headrest;
a gas cylinder storing inflation gas for inflating the airbag;
an opening mechanism having a sensor for detecting a collision of a vehicle, opening the gas cylinder upon detection of the collision by the sensor, and having an outlet through which inflation gas can flow out from the opened gas cylinder;
a gas supply pipe communicating with the outlet of the opening mechanism and the inlet of inflation gas of the airbag;
It is characterized by being configured with the following.

In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, after being attached to the headrest near the upper end of the seat back of the vehicle, if the vehicle has a rear collision (if the vehicle is rear-ended), the sensor detects the collision and opens the When the mechanism is activated, the opening mechanism opens the gas cylinder, so that the inflation gas of the gas cylinder flows into the airbag from the outlet of the opening mechanism, through the gas supply pipe and the inlet. That is, the airbag inflates on the front side of the headrest by appropriately allowing inflation gas to flow in according to the timing at the time of a vehicle collision. Therefore, even if the occupant's head moves forward immediately after a rear collision and then moves backward due to reaction, it is smoothly received and protected by the inflated airbag.

Therefore, in the occupant protection device according to the present invention, in the event of a vehicle collision, the occupant's head can be received and protected by the smoothly inflated airbag.

In the occupant protection device according to the present invention, the headrest may include:
a headrest body capable of receiving the rear side of the occupant's head and having the airbag disposed on the front side;
Legs protruding downward from the lower surface of the headrest main body and inserted into and held by the upper surface of the backrest portion;
configured with
The gas cylinder and the opening mechanism are housed in a case disposed between the lower surface of the headrest main body and the upper surface of the backrest portion,
It is preferable that the case is provided with an insertion hole through which the leg portion of the headrest is inserted, and the leg portion is inserted into the insertion hole and disposed between the headrest main body and the backrest portion.

In such a configuration, the gas cylinder and the opening mechanism, which are the main components of the occupant protection device, are housed in a case, and the case is attached between the headrest body and the backrest, and the gas cylinder and opening mechanism are connected via the gas supply pipe. By arranging an airbag having an inlet that communicates with an outlet of the opening mechanism on the front side of the headrest body, the occupant protection device can be easily attached to the headrest of the seat. Therefore, the occupant protection device of the present invention can be easily attached to an existing vehicle seat as a retrofit.

Further, in the occupant protection device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the sensor is a mechanical collision detection sensor.

With such a configuration, there is no need to use an electric collision detection sensor that requires a separate power source such as a battery, and the occupant protection device can have a simple configuration.

1 is a schematic side view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment when the occupant protection device is in operation. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the components of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment. It is a figure explaining the time of operation of the opening mechanism in the passenger protection device of an embodiment.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an occupant protection device 20 according to the embodiment is attached to a headrest 16 near an upper end 13 of a backrest portion 12 of a seat 10 of a vehicle. It will be installed.

The seat 10 includes a seat part 11 on which an occupant M sits, and a backrest part 12 extending upward from the rear end of the seat part 11, and a headrest 16 is provided on the upper end 13 side of the backrest part 12. The headrest 16 includes a headrest main body 17 that receives the head H of the occupant M on the front surface 17a side, and an assembly hole 15 that extends downward from the lower surface 17b of the headrest main body 17 and is inserted into an assembly hole 15 that is open in the upper surface 14 of the backrest portion 12. It is configured to include two legs 18 (L, R) that are held. Two leg portions 18L and 18R are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction near both left and right sides of the lower surface 17b of the headrest main body 17.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment includes an airbag 62, a gas cylinder 30 storing inflation gas G for inflating the airbag 62, and an opening mechanism 37 that opens the gas cylinder 30 when the gas cylinder 30 is opened; a gas supply pipe 66 that connects the opening mechanism 37 and the airbag 62 to supply inflation gas G to the airbag 62; and a gas supply pipe 66 that connects the gas cylinder 30 and the opening mechanism 37. It is configured to include a case 22 for housing.

The case 22 is made of synthetic resin or the like, and has a substantially rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall 23 and a ceiling wall 24 that face each other at the top and bottom, and a substantially square cylindrical shape that connects the outer peripheral edges of the bottom wall 23 and the ceiling wall 24 to each other. It has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a peripheral wall 25. The ceiling wall 24 is removably attached to the peripheral wall 25. The case 22 is disposed with the legs 18 (L, R) inserted between the upper surface 14 of the backrest portion 12 and the lower surface 17b of the headrest main body 17. The bottom wall 23 and the ceiling wall 24 have insertion holes 26 through which the legs 18L and 18R are inserted. The case 22 is disposed between the lower surface 17b of the headrest body 17 and the upper surface 14 of the backrest portion 12, with the legs 18L and 18R inserted therethrough, with the gas cylinder 30 and opening mechanism 37 housed therein.

Note that an opening 25a is formed in the peripheral wall 25 so that an outlet 60 of the opening mechanism 37, which will be described later, protrudes.

The airbag 62 includes a bag-like main body 63 formed from a woven fabric such as polyester and having a substantially rectangular (substantially square) plate shape, and a bag-like main body 63 disposed at one of the four corners of the main body 63. It is configured to include an inlet 64 for causing inflation gas G to flow therein. The airbag 62 is arranged in a flattened state on the front surface 17a of the headrest main body 17, and is covered with a cover 71 that encloses the headrest main body 17.

This cover 71 is formed from a single piece of cloth whose longitudinal direction runs along the front-rear direction, and has hook-and-loop fasteners attached to both longitudinal ends 72 and 73 that are removably connected to each other when the airbag 62 is inflated. An insertion hole 74 through which the legs 18L and 18R of the headrest 16 are inserted is provided on the end 73 side that wraps around the rear surface 17c of the headrest main body 17. The hook-and-loop fastener 76 is constructed by attaching engaging parts 76a and 76b, each consisting of a pair of mutually corresponding loop side parts and a hook side part, to end parts 72 and 73, respectively. When engaged, the ends 72 and 73 can be detachably coupled to each other when the airbag 62 is inflated. Further, the upper edge 63a side of the main body 63 of the airbag 62 is joined to the cover 71 by stitching.

When installing the airbag 62 on the headrest 16, first, the ends 72 and 73 of the cover 71 to which the flattened airbag 62 is connected are separated from each other, and the main body 63 of the airbag 62 is placed on the backrest. While applying the headrest 16 removed from the headrest 12 to the front surface 17a side of the headrest main body 17, wrap the headrest main body 17 with the cover 71, and use the hook-and-loop fastener 76 to connect the ends 72 and 73 to the lower surface 17b side of the headrest main body 17. Combine with . In addition, when wrapping the headrest main body 17, the leg parts 18L and 18R are inserted into the insertion holes 74 and 74 on the end part 73 side. Then, by inserting the legs 18L and 18R into the assembly holes 15 of the backrest 12, the headrest 16 can be assembled to the upper end 13 side of the backrest 12 with the airbag 62 attached to the headrest main body 17. As a result, the airbag 62 can be disposed in the headrest 16.

The gas supply pipe 66 is made of flexible rubber or the like, and is connected to the base using clamps 68 and 69 so as to communicate the outflow port 60 of the opening mechanism 37 and the inflow port 64 of the airbag 62. 66a is connected to the outlet 60, and the tip 66b is connected to the inlet 64.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gas cylinder 30 is made of metal and has a cylindrical main body 31 filled with an inflation gas G made of carbon dioxide or the like. The discharge port 32 has a small diameter on the distal end side. The discharge port portion 32 is a portion that is coupled to a mounting port portion 59 of an outflow port portion 58, which will be described later, of the opening mechanism 37, and a male threaded portion 32a corresponding to a female threaded portion 59a of the mounting port portion 59 is provided on the outer circumferential side of the discharge port portion 32. It is formed. Further, the tip of the discharge port 32 is closed by a sealing plate 32b so that the inflation gas G sealed in the gas cylinder 30 does not leak out. However, the sealing plate 32b is configured to form an opening 32c and discharge the inflation gas G when an opening pin portion 53 of an opening member 49 (described later) of the opening mechanism 37 is inserted.

The gas cylinder 30 is held in the case 22 by a bracket 34 connected to the case 22 while being connected to the attachment port 59 . Then, the gas cylinder 30 can be removed from the attachment port 59 by removing the bracket 34 and removing the male threaded part 32a from the female threaded part 59a, and the used gas cylinder 30 can be replaced with a new gas cylinder 30.

The opening mechanism 37 has a collision detection sensor 39 that detects a collision of the vehicle, and when the sensor 39 detects a collision, opens the gas cylinder 30 and directs the inflation gas G from the opened gas cylinder 30 to the airbag 62 side. It is configured to have an outlet 60 that allows supply.

The outlet 60 is disposed in an outlet 58 having an attachment port 59 that is connected to the outlet 32 of the gas cylinder 30 . The outlet portion 58 is housed and fixed in the case 22, and includes a cylindrical outlet 60 protruding from an opening 25a provided in the peripheral wall 25 of the case 22. A base portion 66a of the tube 66 is fastened using a clamp 68.

The collision detection sensor 39 is a mechanical type that detects a collision by the movement of a weight 40, and detects the collision when the seat 10 or the case 22 moves forward during a rear collision of the vehicle (when the vehicle is rear-ended). The weight 40 remains in that position due to inertial force and moves backward relative to the case 22, and the drive mechanism section 42 converts this movement into an operation for opening the gas cylinder 30. In the embodiment, the driving force for operating the opening member 49 that opens the gas cylinder 30 is the biasing force of the coil spring 55.

The drive mechanism section 42 includes a coil spring 55, an actuating piece 44, and an opening member 49, and further includes guides 46, 47 that guide movement of the actuating piece 44, and a shaft 56 that pivotally supports the opening member 49. It is composed of The weight 40, the coil spring 55, the actuating piece 44, and the spring seat 50 and the locking portion 51 of the opening member 49 are housed and held in the housing 38, and the housing 38 includes the weight 40, the coil spring 55, the actuating piece 44, and the opening. The spring seat 50 and the locking portion 51 of the member 49 are housed and held together with the outlet portion 58 in the case 22 and fixed therein.

The actuating piece 44 moves the weight 40 when the weight 40 moves from the initial position P0 to the movement position P1 due to a rear collision of the vehicle (actually, when moving backward relative to the case 22 moving forward). A catch seat 44a that receives the moving weight 40 on the front surface 44aa, a locking piece 44b extending forward from the right edge of the catch seat 44a, and a locking piece 44b extending forward from the left edge of the catch seat 44a. It has an inverted U-shape when viewed from above. The locking piece portion 44b and the supporting piece portion 44c are guided in forward and backward movement by guides 46 and 47 fixed to the housing 38. The tip 44ba of the locking piece 44b locks the locking claw portion 51a of the locking portion 51 of the opening member 49.

The opening member 49 is arranged so that the locking part 51 side and the opening pin part 53 side can swing around a rotating shaft part 52 on which a shaft 56 supported by the housing 38 is arranged. A concave spring seat 50 is disposed between the rotating shaft portion 52 and the locking portion 51, and a tip 55a of a spring 55 is in contact with the spring seat 50, and the biasing force of the spring 55 is applied to the spring seat 50. As a result, the opening member 49 is biased clockwise in a plan view. The locking portion 51 has a tip 51a facing rearward, and the tip 51a is locked to the tip 44ba of the locking piece 44b of the actuation piece 44.

The opening pin portion 53 is inserted into the outlet portion 58, and has a tapered tip 53a that projects to the left.

In this opening mechanism 37, the weight 40 of the collision detection sensor 39 moves rearward with respect to the case 22 at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle, from the initial position P0 to the movement position P1 where it abuts the receiving seat 44a of the actuating piece 44. Moving. Then, the actuating piece 44 receives the pressing force of the weight 40, is guided by the guides 46 and 47, moves rearward, and connects the tip 44ba of the locking piece 44b to the locking part 51 of the opening member 49. The locking claw portion 51a is released from the locked state by shifting the locking claw portion 51a to the rear side. Therefore, under the urging force of the spring 55, the opening member 49 rotates clockwise about the shaft 56, and the tip 53a of the opening pin portion 53 is inserted into the sealing plate 32b of the gas cylinder 30. , an opening 32c is formed in the sealing plate 32b. As a result, the inflation gas G sealed in the gas cylinder 30 passes through the opening 32c, is discharged from the discharge port 32 to the outlet 58 of the opening mechanism 37, and then the gas G is discharged from the outlet 60 of the outlet 58. The airbag 62 flows into the airbag 62 through the supply pipe 66, and the hook-and-loop fastener 76 that connects the ends 72 and 73 of the cover 71 is disengaged, and the airbag 62 is released from the front surface of the headrest body 17. It will expand on the 17a side.

In the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment, when assembling, first, the male threaded part 32a of the discharge port 32 of the gas cylinder 30 is inserted into the female threaded part of the attachment port 59 of the outlet part 58 of the opening mechanism 37 fixed to the case 22. 59a, and the gas cylinder 30 is attached and fixed to the bottom wall 23 of the case 22 using the bracket 34. Next, with the weight 40 placed at the initial position P0, the open ceiling wall 24 of the case 22 is attached to the peripheral wall 25, and the backrest portion is inserted into the insertion hole 26 between the ceiling wall 24 and the bottom wall 23 of the case 22. The legs 18L and 18R protruding from the headrest main body 17 that was removed from the headrest 12 are inserted, and while the case 22 is placed on the upper surface 14 of the backrest 12, the legs 18L and 18R are inserted into the headrest 12. When the headrest 16 is inserted into the assembly hole 15 and assembled to the upper end 13 of the backrest 12, the case 22 that houses the gas cylinder 30 and the opening mechanism 37 is separated from the lower surface 17b of the headrest main body 17 and the upper surface 14 of the backrest 12. It will be attached and fixed to the seat 10 while being arranged between. In addition, on the airbag 62 side, the cover 71 is wrapped around the headrest main body 17 while the legs 18L and 18R are inserted into the insertion holes 74, and the hook-and-loop fasteners 76 are engaged to connect the ends 72 and 73 to each other. If this is done, the main body 63 of the airbag 62 that has been coupled to the cover 71 can be placed on the front surface 17a of the headrest main body 17 in advance.

Therefore, when the case 22 is attached and fixed to the seat 10, the main body 63 of the airbag 62 is already arranged on the front surface 17a side of the headrest main body 17, and the opening mechanism 37 protruding from the peripheral wall 25 of the case 22 is already disposed on the front side 17a of the headrest main body 17. By connecting the gas supply pipe 66 to the outflow port 60 and the inflow port 64 of the airbag 62 using clamps 68 and 69, the occupant protection device 20 can be attached to the headrest 16 of the seat 10.

In the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment, after being attached to the headrest 16 near the upper end 13 of the backrest portion 12 of the seat 10 of the vehicle, if the vehicle has a rear collision (if the vehicle is rear-ended), the collision detection sensor 39 detects the collision. Since the collision is detected and the opening mechanism 37 is activated, and the opening mechanism 37 opens the gas cylinder 30, the inflation gas G of the gas cylinder 30 is transferred from the outlet 60 of the opening mechanism 37 to the gas supply pipe 66 and the inlet. 64 and into the main body 63 of the airbag 62.

More specifically, as described above, when the vehicle is subjected to a rear-end collision with an impact force greater than a predetermined value, the weight 40 of the collision detection sensor 39 moves backward with respect to the case 22, and is activated from the initial position P0. The piece 44 moves to a moving position P1 where it comes into contact with the receiving seat 44a. Then, the actuating piece 44 pushed by the weight 40 is guided by the guides 46 and 47, moves rearward, and locks the tip 44ba of the locking piece 44b with the locking part 51 of the opening member 49. The locking state of the locking claw portion 51a is released by shifting the claw portion 51a to the rear side (see A and B in FIG. 5). As a result, the opening member 49 rotates clockwise about the shaft 56 under the urging force of the spring 55, and the tip 53a of the opening pin portion 53 is inserted into the sealing plate 32b of the gas cylinder 30. Then, an opening 32c is formed in the sealing plate 32b. Therefore, the inflation gas G sealed in the gas cylinder 30 is discharged from the discharge port 32 to the outlet 58 of the opening mechanism 37 through the opening 32c, and then gas is supplied from the outlet 60 of the outlet 58. The airbag 62 flows into the main body 63 of the airbag 62 through the pipe 66, and the hook-and-loop fastener 76 that connects the end portions 72 and 73 of the cover 71 to each other is released, and the airbag 62 releases the hook-and-loop fastener 76 that connects the end portions 72 and 73 of the cover 71 to each other. (See FIG. 3).

As described above, in the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment, the airbag 62 inflates on the front surface 17a side of the headrest 16 by appropriately allowing the inflation gas G to flow in according to the timing of the vehicle collision. Therefore, even if the head H of the occupant M moves forward immediately after a rear collision and then moves backward due to the reaction, the head H of the occupant M is smoothly received and protected by the inflated airbag 62 (see Fig. 3). .

Therefore, in the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment, the head H of the occupant M can be received and protected by the inflated airbag 62 smoothly in the event of a vehicle collision.

Further, in the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment, the headrest 16 is capable of receiving the rear side of the head H of the occupant M, and includes a headrest main body 17 in which an airbag 62 is disposed on the front side 17a, and a headrest main body 17 that can receive the rear side of the head H of the occupant M. It is configured to include leg portions 18L and 18R that protrude downward from the lower surface 17b and are inserted into and held by the upper surface 14 of the backrest portion 12. The gas cylinder 30 and the opening mechanism 37 are housed in a case 22 disposed between the lower surface 17b of the headrest main body 17 and the upper surface 14 of the backrest portion 12, and the case 22 is connected to the leg portions 18L of the headrest 16, The leg parts 18L and 18R are inserted between the headrest main body 17 and the backrest part 12, and are disposed between the headrest main body 17 and the backrest part 12.

Therefore, in the embodiment, the gas cylinder 30 and the opening mechanism 37, which are the main components of the occupant protection device 20, are housed in the case 22, and the case 22 is attached between the headrest main body 17 and the backrest part 12. If the airbag 62 having the inlet 64 communicating with the outlet 60 of the opening mechanism 37 via the gas supply pipe 66 is disposed on the front surface 17a side of the headrest body 17, the occupant protection device 20 can be easily installed. can be attached to the headrest 16 of the seat 10. As a result, the occupant protection device 20 of the embodiment can be easily attached to the existing vehicle seat 10 as a retrofit.

Further, in the embodiment, the sensor 39 that detects a collision is a mechanical collision detection sensor 39 that uses a weight 40.

Therefore, in the embodiment, there is no need to use an electric collision detection sensor that requires a separate power source such as a battery, and the occupant protection device 20 can have a simple configuration.

In the embodiment, the collision detection sensor 39 using the weight 40 is used, but a collision detection sensor using an acceleration sensor using a battery or the like may be used in the present invention.

Further, the mechanism for opening the gas cylinder 30 may also be configured to open the sealing plate 32b using a fuse. In this case, the fuse may be operated electrically, or mechanically operated by inserting a hammer or the like using a spring to ignite the gunpowder inside.

10...Seat, 12...Backrest portion, 13...Upper end, 14...Top surface, 16...Headrest, 17...Headrest body, 17a...Front surface, 17b...Bottom surface, 18(L, R)...Legs,
20... Occupant protection device, 22... Case, 26... (leg) insertion hole, 30... Gas cylinder, 32b... Sealing plate, 32c... Opening, 37... Opening mechanism, 39... Collision detection sensor, 40... Weight, 49 ...Opening member, 53...Opening pin part, 55...(driving source/biasing means) spring, 58... Outlet part, 60... Outlet, 62... Air bag, 64... Inlet, 66... Gas supply pipe,
G...Inflation gas, M...Crew, H...Head.

Claims (2)

An occupant protection device comprising an airbag that is attached to a headrest near the upper end of a backrest of a vehicle seat and inflates to protect the head of an occupant seated on the seat,
the airbag arranged on the front side of the headrest;
a gas cylinder storing inflation gas for inflating the airbag;
an opening mechanism having a sensor for detecting a collision of a vehicle, opening the gas cylinder upon detection of the collision by the sensor, and having an outlet through which inflation gas can flow out from the opened gas cylinder;
a gas supply pipe communicating with the outlet of the opening mechanism and the inlet of inflation gas of the airbag;
It is configured with
The headrest is
a headrest body capable of receiving the rear side of the occupant's head and having the airbag disposed on the front side;
Legs protruding downward from the lower surface of the headrest main body and inserted into and held by the upper surface of the backrest portion;
configured with
The gas cylinder and the opening mechanism are housed in a case disposed between the lower surface of the headrest main body and the upper surface of the backrest portion,
The case is characterized in that the case is provided with an insertion hole through which the leg portion of the headrest is inserted, and the leg portion is inserted into the insertion hole and is disposed between the headrest main body and the backrest portion. Occupant protection equipment. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a mechanical collision detection sensor.

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