JP7620710B2 - Occupant restraint system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an occupant restraint device that restrains an occupant seated in a vehicle seat.

Airbag devices are nowadays standard equipment on almost all vehicles. Airbag devices are safety devices that are activated in emergencies such as vehicle collisions, and use an airbag cushion that inflates and deploys with gas pressure to catch and protect the occupant. There are various types of airbag devices depending on the installation location and application. For example, the occupant restraint device disclosed in Patent Document 1 by the present applicant implements a side airbag device in which an airbag cushion inflates and deploys from the side of the seat to both sides of the occupant.

The occupant restraint device of Patent Document 1 is provided with a belt 140 that expands as the airbag cushion inflates and deploys. The belt 140 uses tension to restrict the movement of the airbag cushion, making it possible to improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion.

International Publication No. 2016/039160

The occupant restraint device of Patent Document 1 is able to effectively restrict the movement of the airbag cushion away from the occupant, particularly in the left-right direction, by using a belt, and is able to dramatically improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion. However, there is always a demand for improved occupant restraint performance for such occupant restraint devices. In particular, the inventors focused on the fact that different areas of the airbag cushion are required depending on the type of vehicle collision, and investigated further improvements to the technology of Patent Document 1.

In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide an occupant restraint device that can further improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion.

In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of an occupant restraint device according to the present invention is an occupant restraint device for restraining an occupant seated in a vehicle seat, the occupant restraint device comprising: a bag-shaped airbag cushion that is rolled up or folded into a predetermined storage form and stored on at least one end side in the width direction of the seat back of the seat; and an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag cushion, the airbag cushion comprising a side protection chamber that receives gas from the inflator and inflates and deploys to a position to the side of the occupant; a front protection chamber that receives gas from the side protection chamber and inflates and deploys in front of the side protection chamber; The occupant restraint device has one or more connecting ducts for transmitting gas from the side protection chamber to the front protection chamber, and an inner vent having one end in contact with at least one of the connecting ducts, and further comprises a tether whose front end is connected to the other end of the inner vent to pull the inner vent toward the side protection chamber, a tether cutter to which the rear end of the tether is connected and which cuts the tether upon receiving a predetermined signal, a determination unit that determines whether the collision is a forward collision when it detects or predicts a vehicle collision, and a transmission unit that sends a predetermined signal to the tether cutter when the determination unit determines that the collision is a forward collision.

In the above configuration, the inner vent can be opened and closed by a tether connected to the inner vent, and it is possible to control whether or not to actively inflate the front protection chamber. For example, in the event of a frontal collision, the airbag cushion is actively inflated and deployed up to the front protection chamber to fully restrain the occupant, and in the event of a collision other than a frontal collision, such as a side collision, the side protection chamber of the airbag cushion is preferentially inflated and deployed to quickly restrain the occupant. Therefore, with the above configuration, the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion can be improved depending on the type of collision.

The determination unit may further determine whether the collision is a side collision, and the transmission unit may not send a signal to the tether cutter when the determination unit determines that the collision is a side collision.

According to the above configuration, in the event of a side collision, the tether is not detached from the tether cutter and the inner vent is kept closed, making it possible to quickly inflate and deploy only the side protection chamber to restrain the occupant from the side.

The above-mentioned inner vent has one or more loops formed on the edge of the opening on the other end side through which the tether can be passed, and the opening on the other end side of the inner vent may be squeezed by the tether when the tether is connected to the tether cutter, thereby closing the inner vent.

According to the above configuration, when the tether is connected to the tether cutter, the amount of gas flowing from the inner vent to the front protective chamber can be suitably suppressed.

The above-mentioned one or more connecting ducts may be provided in multiple locations, and the multiple connecting ducts may be provided at two locations, above and below, on the front side of the side protection chamber.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to ensure the supply of gas from the side protection chamber to the front protection chamber by using multiple connecting ducts.

The occupant restraint device may further include a first outer vent provided on the main panel forming the side protection chamber, a guide panel provided on the main panel in an area covering the first outer vent and having upper and lower edges joined to the main panel, and a second outer vent provided on the guide panel at a position overlapping the first outer panel, the tether passing between the main panel and the guide panel and spanning between the inner vent and the tether cutter, and the occupant restraint device may further include a shutter panel attached to the tether and sliding along the guide panel to a position blocking the space between the first outer vent and the second outer vent when the tether detaches from the tether cutter.

In the above configuration, the shutter panel attached to the tether can control the opening and closing of each outer vent. This allows the shutter panel to close the first and second outer vents during a front collision, reducing the discharge of gas from the side protection chamber to the outside and prioritizing the supply of gas to the front protection chamber. In addition, the first and second outer vents can be opened during a side collision to discharge gas from the side protection chamber to the outside and adjust the internal pressure of the side protection chamber so that it does not become too high. Therefore, with the above configuration, the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion can be improved depending on the type of collision.

The occupant restraint device may further include a third outer vent provided on the shutter panel, the third outer vent being provided in a position overlapping the first outer vent and the second outer vent when the tether is connected to the tether cutter.

In the above configuration, by providing a third outer vent in the shutter panel, gas can be discharged from the side protection chamber to the outside when the tether is connected to the tether cutter, and the internal pressure of the side protection chamber can be adjusted so that it does not become too high. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion depending on the type of collision.

The present invention provides an occupant restraint device that can further improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state before an occupant restraint device according to the present embodiment is moved; FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating the occupant restraint device of FIG. 1 in a state after it has been moved; FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the occupant restraint device of FIG. 1 in a state after it has been moved; FIG. FIG. 4 illustrates the airbag cushion of FIG. 3( a ) placed on a flat surface. 5 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the airbag cushion of FIG. 4. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outline of the overall configuration of the occupant restraint device of FIG. 1; 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a control unit in FIG. 6B. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the inner vent in FIG. 5B. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the airbag cushion of FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the slide vent structure of FIG. 9( a ) in a state before it is moved. 9(b) is a diagram illustrating a state after the slide vent structure of FIG. 9(a) has been moved. FIG.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values shown in the embodiment are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid duplicated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an occupant restraint device 100 according to this embodiment in a state before it is activated. In Figure 1, components stored inside the seat 102, such as airbag units 108, 110, are shown in phantom lines.

In this embodiment, when the occupant 120 (see FIG. 2, etc.) is seated in the correct position on the seat 102, the direction in which the occupant 120 faces is referred to as the forward direction, the opposite direction is referred to as the rearward direction, the right hand side of the occupant 120 is referred to as the right direction, and the left hand side of the occupant 120 is referred to as the left direction. Furthermore, when the occupant 120 is seated in the correct position, the direction of the head of the occupant 120 is referred to as the upward direction, and the direction of the waist of the occupant 120 is referred to as the downward direction. In the drawings used in the following description, the front-back, left-right, up-down directions based on the above-mentioned occupant 120 are indicated as necessary by arrows F (Forward), B (Back), L (Left), R (Right), U (up), and D (down).

In addition, in the following description, the directions referred to as inside and outside refer to the side closer to the occupant 120 and the side farther from the occupant 120 in the relative positional relationship of multiple objects as seen by the occupant 120 seated in the above-mentioned normal posture.

The occupant restraint device 100 is provided with a pair of left and right airbag units 108, 110 mainly inside the seat back 104 of the seat 102. The airbag units 108, 110 are each configured to include airbag cushions 112, 114 and belt members 116, 118.

In the event of an emergency, such as when an impact occurs to the vehicle, the occupant restraint device 100 restrains an occupant 120 (see FIG. 2, etc.) seated in a seat 102 mainly by using airbag cushions 112, 114. The airbag cushions 112, 114 are bag-shaped members that can be inflated with gas, and are stored in a small, folded and compact form inside each of both ends of the seat back 104 of the seat 102 in the width direction.

The belt members 116, 118 are provided for the airbag cushions 112, 114, respectively. The belt members 116, 118 are members that support the inflated and deployed airbag cushions (see FIG. 2), and are stored from within the seat back 104 of the seat 102 to within the seat cushion 106.

2 is a top view of the occupant restraint device 100 of FIG. 1 in a state after it has been moved. The occupant 120 in FIG. 2(a) is an example of a test dummy AM50 that mimics a physique (height 175 cm, weight 78 kg) that matches 50% of the average American adult male.

In the occupant restraint device 100 of this embodiment, in the event of a vehicle collision, etc., a pair of left and right airbag cushions 112, 114 inflate and deploy from each side of the upper body of the occupant 120 seated in the seat 102 toward the front.

The airbag cushions 112, 114 are supported by belt members 116, 118, respectively, from the side opposite the occupant 120. The belt members 116, 118 bias the airbag cushions 112, 114 toward the occupant 120 and absorb the load from the occupant 120 applied to the airbag cushions 112, 114, thereby increasing the occupant restraining force of the airbag cushions 112, 114.

Figure 3 is a side view of the occupant restraint device 100 in Figure 1 in a state after it has been moved. Figure 3(a) is a side view of the occupant restraint device 100 in Figure 2 as viewed from the right side of the seat 102. Below, the airbag cushion 112 on the left side of the seat 102 will be used as an example to explain the airbag cushions 112, 114.

The airbag cushion 112 is roughly divided into a rear side protection chamber 122 and a front protection chamber 124. The side protection chamber 122 receives gas from an inflator 128 (see FIG. 5(a)) and inflates and deploys to a position to the side of the occupant 120. The front protection chamber 124 receives gas from the side protection chamber 122 and inflates and deploys in front of the side protection chamber 122 and the occupant 120.

3(b) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the side protection chamber 122 in FIG. 3(a) is preferentially inflated and deployed. The airbag cushion 112 of this embodiment can be configured to not actively inflate the front protection chamber 124 during a side collision, for example, by using a sensor (such as the front sensor 154 in FIG. 6(a)) and the control unit 150, which will be described later. That is, the airbag cushion 112 is capable of actively inflating the front protection chamber 124 during a front collision to restrain the occupant 120 from the front as well, and preferentially inflating and deploying the side protection chamber 122 during a side collision to quickly restrain the occupant 120 from the side.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the airbag cushion 112 of Figure 3(a) placed on a flat surface. In Figure 3, the airbag cushion 112 is illustrated with the panel opposite the occupant 120 (see Figure 3(a)) facing forward.

The airbag cushion 112 is formed by layering and sewing or gluing multiple base fabrics that make up its surface, or by weaving using OPW (One-Piece Woven).

In addition to the side protection chamber 122 and the front protection chamber 124, the airbag cushion 112 is provided with an upper protection chamber 126. The upper protection chamber 126 is a portion that inflates to the side of the head of the occupant 120, and is provided so as to extend in a curved manner from the upper side of the side protection chamber 122 toward the front of the vehicle.

The belt member 116 is connected to a panel on the front side of the front protection chamber 124, opposite the occupant 120. When the airbag cushion 112 is inflated and deployed (see FIG. 3(a)), the belt member 116 is stretched from the seat back 104 to the seat cushion 106.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the airbag cushion 112 in Figure 4. Inside the side protection chamber 122, an inner deflector 130 and an outer inner tube 132 are provided as members for rectifying the gas from the inflator 128.

The inflator 128 is installed inside the deflector 130, which rectifies the gas from the inflator 128 in the vertical direction. The inner tube 132 contains the deflector 130 and sends gas from three vent holes 134a to 134c toward the upper protection chamber 126 and the front protection chamber 124.

The inflator 128 is a cylinder type (cylindrical type) that is built into the rear side of the inside of the side protection chamber with its longitudinal direction facing up and down. Multiple stud bolts (not shown) protrude from the main body of the inflator 128, and the inflator 128 and airbag cushion 112 are fixed to the seat 102 (see Figure 1) by fastening the stud bolts to the frame of the seat.

Currently popular inflators include types that are filled with a gas generating agent and burn it to generate gas, types that are filled with compressed gas and supply gas without generating heat, and hybrid types that use both combustion gas and compressed gas. Any of these types can be used as the inflator 128.

The side protection chamber 122 and the front protection chamber 124 are connected by connecting ducts 136, 138. The connecting ducts 136, 138 are provided at two locations, one above and one below, on the front side of the side protection chamber 122, and send gas from the side protection chamber 122 to the front protection chamber 124. The connecting duct 136 is provided at the top of the front side of the side protection chamber 122, and the connecting duct 136 is provided in the center of the front side of the side protection chamber 122 in the vertical direction. These connecting ducts 136, 138 make it possible to ensure a smooth supply of gas from the side protection chamber 122 to the front protection chamber 124.

In this embodiment, an inner vent 140 is provided in the lower connecting duct 138. The inner vent 140 is a cylindrical member with one end 142 in contact with the connecting duct 138 and the other end 144 connected to the tether cutter 148 via a tether 146. When the inner vent 140 is pulled by the tether 146, gas does not easily flow through it, but when the tether 146 falls off the tether cutter 148, the other end 144 becomes a free end, allowing gas to flow smoothly.

The tether cutter 148 is a device that fastens the tether 146, and when it receives a signal from the control unit 150 (see FIG. 6(b)), an internal blade moves to cut the tether 146 and drop it. The tether cutter 148 is installed inside the seat 102 (see FIG. 3(a)) on the side of the side protection chamber 122 when viewed from the connecting duct 138 to which the inner vent 140 is connected.

The tether 146 is a belt-shaped member, the front end of which is connected to the other end 144 of the inner vent 140, and the rear end of which is connected to the tether cutter 148. At this time, the tether 146 is installed in a state in which the other end 144 of the inner vent 140 is pulled toward the side protection chamber 122. As a result, the opening of the other end 144 of the inner vent 140 is pulled by the tether 146 and closed.

Figure 5(b) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the tether 146 has fallen off the tether cutter 148. When the tether cutter 148 is movable, the tether 146 is cut and falls off from the tether cutter 148. When the inner vent 140 is released from its anchoring by the tether 146, the other end 144 is pushed toward the front protection chamber 124 by the gas pressure. This opens the inner vent 140 and the connecting duct 138, increasing the flow rate of gas from the connecting duct 138 to the front protection chamber 124, causing the front protection chamber 124 to rapidly inflate and deploy.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the overall configuration of the occupant restraint device 100 of Figure 1. Figure 6(a) is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the occupant restraint device 100. The control unit 150 provided in the occupant restraint device 100 is a device realized as a so-called ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

The control unit 150 is connected to a power source 152 and sensors (front sensor 154 and side sensor 156), and when it receives a collision signal from each sensor, it sends an operating signal to the inflator 128 (see Figure 5 (a)) and tether cutter 148 of the airbag unit 108, etc.

Figure 6 (b) is a block diagram illustrating the functions of the control unit 150 in Figure 6 (a). The control unit 150 includes a determination unit 158 and a transmission unit (transmission unit A 160a, transmission unit B 160b).

The determination unit 158 determines whether a collision has occurred in the vehicle and the type of the collision through the front sensor 154 and the side sensor 156. For example, when the determination unit 158 detects a collision through the front sensor 154, it determines that the collision is a front collision, and when the determination unit 158 detects a collision only through the side sensor 156, it determines that the collision is a side collision.

Each of the transmitting unit A160a and the transmitting unit B160b transmits a movable signal to the inflator 128 and the tether cutter 148 based on the determination result of the determining unit 158. For example, the transmitting unit A160a transmits a movable signal to the inflator 128 when the determining unit 158 receives a signal indicating that a collision has been detected from each sensor, regardless of whether it is the front sensor 154 or the side sensor 156.

When the determination unit 158 receives a signal from the front sensor 154 indicating that a collision has been detected, the transmission unit B 160b determines that a front collision has occurred on the vehicle and sends an operating signal to the tether cutter 148. As a result, in the event of a front collision, the front protection chamber 124 is actively inflated and deployed as shown in Figure 3(a), and in the event of a side collision, only the side protection chamber 122 is actively inflated and deployed as shown in Figure 3(b).

Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating the processing performed by the control unit 150 in Figure 6 (b). First, in step 170, the determination unit 158 (see Figure 6 (b)) determines whether or not a collision signal has been input from each sensor, regardless of whether it is the front sensor 154 or the side sensor 156. If a collision signal has been input (Yes in step 170), then in step 172 it is determined whether or not the signal is from the front sensor 154. If no collision signal has been input in step 170 (No in step 170), the system goes into a standby state.

If the signal is from the front sensor 154 (see Figure 6 (b)) (Yes in step 172), signal A is output from transmission unit A 160a in step 174, and in parallel, signal B is output from transmission unit B 160b in step 180.

The signal A output in step 174 is sent to the inflator 128, the inflator 128 is operated in step 176, and the side protection chamber 122 (see Figure 5 (b)) is deployed in step 178.

The signal B output in step 180 is sent to the tether cutter 148, the tether cutter 148 moves in step 182, and the inner vent 140 deploys in step 184.

Steps 178 and 184 result in the front protection chamber 124 being deployed in the following step 186, restraining the occupant 120 (see Figure 3(a)) from the front as well, and the process then ends.

On the other hand, if the signal is not from the front sensor 154 (see FIG. 6(b)) in step 172 (No in step 172), signal A is output from the transmitting unit A 160a in step 188, and the inflator 128 is operated in step 190. Then, in step 192, the side protection chamber (see FIG. 5(a)) is deployed, the occupant 120 (see FIG. 3(b)) is restrained from the side, and the process ends.

As described above, the determination unit 158 (see FIG. 6B) determines whether the vehicle collision is a front collision or a side collision, depending on whether a signal has arrived from the front sensor 154. The transmission unit B160b sends a signal to the tether cutter 148 when the determination unit 158 determines that the collision is a front collision. On the other hand, when the determination unit 158 determines that the collision is a side collision, the transmission unit B160b does not send a signal to the tether cutter 148. With this process, in the event of a side collision, the tether 146 is not detached from the tether cutter 148, and the inner vent 140 is kept closed to suppress the flow rate of gas into the front protection chamber 124, thereby allowing the side protection chamber 122 to be preferentially inflated and deployed to quickly restrain the occupant from the side.

In this embodiment, the inner vent 140 is opened and closed by a tether 146 connected to the inner vent 140, and the front protection chamber 124 is actively inflated or not. For example, in the event of a front collision, the airbag cushion 112 (see FIG. 3(a)) is actively inflated and deployed up to the front protection chamber 124 to fully restrain the occupant 120. In addition, in the event of a collision other than a front collision, such as a side collision, the side protection chamber 122 of the airbag cushion 112 (see FIG. 3(b)) is preferentially inflated and deployed to quickly restrain the occupant 120. In particular, in the event of a side collision, the front protection chamber 124 is softened or its deployment is delayed to prevent the occupant 120 from being pushed excessively from the front, thereby reducing the load on the arms, chest, and other parts of the occupant's body.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion 112 can be improved by selectively inflating and deploying the required areas of the airbag cushion 112 depending on the type of collision.

In the explanation of the control unit 150 with reference to FIG. 6(b), it was stated that when a signal is not received from the front sensor 154, no signal is sent from the transmission unit B160b to the tether cutter 148. However, this is not limited thereto, and the control unit 150 can also perform processing to delay the signal sent from the transmission unit B160b to the tether cutter 148 when a signal is not received from the front sensor 154. This processing also makes it possible to quickly restrain the occupant 120 by preferentially inflating and deploying the side protection chamber 122 (see FIG. 3(b)) in the event of a side collision.

5(a) and the like, a configuration in which the upper connecting duct 136 is omitted, or a configuration in which the upper connecting duct 136 is also provided with an inner vent 140, can also be implemented. In a configuration in which the upper connecting duct 136 is omitted, by providing only a connecting duct 138 equipped with an inner vent 140, it becomes possible to efficiently control the flow rate of gas into the front protection chamber 124. Similarly, a configuration in which the upper connecting duct 136 is also provided with an inner vent 140 also makes it possible to efficiently control the flow rate of gas into the front protection chamber 124.

(Modification)
Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a modified example (inner vent 200) of the inner vent 140 in Fig. 5(b). In each of the figures following Fig. 8, the same components as those already described are given the same reference numerals, and the description of the already mentioned components will be omitted. In the following description, components with the same names as those already described will have the same functions, even if they are given different reference numerals, unless otherwise specified.

Figure 8(a) is a diagram illustrating the state of the inflator 128 of the inner vent 200 (see Figure 5(a)) before it is moved. The inner vent 200 has a loop 204 through which the tether 146 passes formed on the edge of the opening 202 on the other end 144 side. Figure 8(b) is a diagram illustrating the state of the inflator 128 of the inner vent 200 when it is moved. When the inflator 128 moves and the airbag cushion 112 inflates and deploys, the tether passing through the loop 204 is pulled between the inner vent 200 and the tether cutter 148, and the opening 202 on the other end 144 side of the inner vent 200 is squeezed by the tether 146 and closed.

When the tether 146 is connected to the tether cutter 148 (see FIG. 5A), i.e., during a side collision, the inner vent 200 narrows the opening 202, thereby closing the inner vent 200 and effectively suppressing the amount of gas flowing into the front protection chamber 124. Therefore, by providing the inner vent 200, it is possible to give priority to the inflation and deployment of the side protection chamber 122.

Other possible configurations for the loop 204 include providing multiple small band-shaped loops or providing multiple slits on the edge of the opening 202 and passing the tether 146 through the slits.

Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a modified example (airbag cushion 210) of the airbag cushion 112 of Figure 4. Figure 9(a) illustrates the airbag cushion 210 from the same direction as Figure 4. The airbag cushion 210 differs in configuration from the airbag cushion 112 of Figure 4 in that it is equipped with a slide vent structure 212. The slide vent structure 212 has a tether 146 exposed to the outside from the airbag cushion 210, and this tether 146 can be used to adjust the amount of gas discharged from inside the airbag cushion 210 to the outside.

9(b) is an exploded view of the slide vent structure 212 of FIG. 9(a). The slide vent structure 212 has a first outer vent 216 provided on a main panel 214 that forms the side protection chamber 122. Two first outer vents 216 are provided in total, and the tether 146 is exposed to the outside of the airbag cushion 210 from the first outer vent 216 on one side.

A guide panel 218 is provided in an area that covers the first outer vent 216 of the main panel 214. The upper and lower edges 220a, 220b of the guide panel 218 are joined to the main panel 214, and the front and rear edges 220c, 220e are kept spaced apart from the main panel 214. A second outer vent 222 is provided at a position that overlaps the first outer vent 216 of the guide panel 218.

The tether 146 passes between the main panel 214 and the guide panel 218, enters the inside of the airbag cushion 210 through the first outer vent 216, and is stretched between the inner vent 140 (see Figure 5 (b)) and the tether cutter 148.

A shutter panel 224 is attached to the portion of the tether 146 exposed from the first outer vent 216. The shutter panel 224 is provided with a third outer vent 226. The third outer vent 226 connects the first outer vent 216 of the main panel 214 and the second outer vent 222 of the guide panel 218, allowing gas to be exhausted from inside the airbag cushion 210.

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the state of the slide vent structure 212 of Figure 9 (a) before it is moved. Figure 10 (a) is an enlarged view of the slide vent structure 212 of Figure 9 (a). The third outer vent 226 of the shutter panel 224 is provided in a position overlapping the first outer vent 216 (see Figure 9 (a)) and the second outer vent 222 when the tether 146 is connected to the tether cutter 148 (see Figure 5 (a)).

Figure 10(b) is an A-A cross-sectional view of the slide vent structure 212 in Figure 10(a). By providing a third outer vent 226 to the shutter panel 224, when the tether 146 is connected to the tether cutter 148 (see Figure 5(a)), i.e., in the event of a side collision, gas is discharged from the side protection chamber 122 to the outside, and the internal pressure of the side protection chamber 122 can be adjusted so that it does not become too high.

Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the state after the sliding vent structure 212 in Figure 9(a) has been moved. Figure 11(a) illustrates the state in which the shutter panel 224 in Figure 10(a) has moved forward. When the tether 146 detaches from the tether cutter 148, i.e., in the event of a frontal collision, the shutter panel 224 is pulled by the tether 146 and slides forward along the guide panel 218 as the other end 144 of the inner vent 140 moves into the front protection chamber 124 (see Figure 5(b)).

Figure 11(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the slide vent structure 212 in Figure 11(a). As the third outer vent 226 moves forward, the shutter panel 224 blocks the space between the first outer vent 216 and the second outer vent 222. Therefore, in the event of a frontal collision, the shutter panel 224 can suppress the emission of gas from the airbag cushion 210 (see Figure 9(a)) to the outside, and prioritize the supply of gas to the front protection chamber 124.

As described above, in the airbag cushion 210, the shutter panel 224 attached to the tether 146 makes it possible to adjust the amount of gas discharged from the airbag cushion 210 to the outside according to the type of collision, for example by opening each outer vent (first outer vent 216, etc.) in the event of a side collision and closing each outer vent in the event of a front collision. In this way, the airbag cushion 210 can also improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion 210 according to the type of collision.

The occupant restraint performance of the airbag cushion 210 can be set, for example, by changing the diameter of each outer vent such as the first outer vent 216, or by changing the shape of the front protection chamber 124. It is possible to reduce the injury value to the occupant 120 in a side collision by increasing the diameter of each outer vent to increase the amount of gas discharged, or by changing the shape of the front protection chamber 124 to a shape that can avoid the occupant 120 (see FIG. 3B, etc.) being pressed by the arm. In addition to changing the shape of the front protection chamber 124, it is also possible to adjust the pressure and timing at which the front protection chamber 124 is deployed and reduce the injury value to the occupant in a front collision by changing the diameter of the inner vent 140 (see FIG. 5B, etc.).

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings, but the above-described embodiment is a preferred example of the present invention, and other embodiments can be implemented or performed in various ways. Unless otherwise specified in the present specification, the present invention is not limited to the shape, size, configuration, etc. of the detailed parts shown in the attached drawings. Furthermore, the expressions and terms used in the present specification are for explanatory purposes, and are not limited thereto unless otherwise specified.

Therefore, it is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used in an occupant restraint device that restrains an occupant seated in a vehicle seat.

100...occupant restraint device, 102...seat, 104...seat back, 106...seat cushion, 108, 110...airbag unit, 112, 114...airbag cushion, 116, 118...belt member, 120...occupant, 122...side protection chamber, 124...front protection chamber, 126...upper protection chamber, 128...inflator, 130...deflector, 132...inner tube, 134a-134c...vent hole, 136...connecting duct, 138...connecting duct, 140...inner vent, 142...one end, 144...other end, 146...tether , 148... tether cutter, 150... control unit, 152... power source, 154... front sensor, 156... side sensor, 158... determination unit, 160a... transmission unit A, 160b... transmission unit B, 200... inner vent, 202... opening, 204... loop, 210... airbag cushion, 212... slide vent structure, 214... main panel, 216... first outer vent, 218... guide panel, 220a... upper edge, 220b... lower edge, 220c... front edge, 220d... rear edge, 222... second outer vent, 224... shutter panel, 226... third outer vent

Claims (6)

An occupant restraint device for restraining an occupant seated in a vehicle seat,
The occupant restraint device is
an airbag cushion that is bag-shaped and that is rolled or folded into a predetermined storage form and stored on at least one end side in the width direction of a seat back of the seat;
an inflator for supplying gas to the airbag cushion;
Equipped with
The airbag cushion comprises:
a side protection chamber that receives gas from the inflator and inflates and deploys to a position to the side of the occupant;
a front protection chamber that receives gas from the side protection chamber and expands and deploys forward of the side protection chamber;
one or more connecting ducts for conveying gas from the side guard chambers to the front guard chamber;
an inner vent, one end of which is in contact with at least one of the connecting ducts;
having
The occupant restraint system further comprises:
a tether having a front end connected to the other end of the inner vent and pulling the inner vent toward the side protection chamber;
a tether cutter to which the rear end of the tether is connected and which cuts the tether upon receiving a predetermined signal;
a determination unit that, when detecting or predicting a vehicle collision, determines whether the collision is a front collision;
a transmission unit that transmits the predetermined signal to the tether cutter when the determination unit determines that the collision is the front collision;
An occupant restraint device comprising: The determination unit is further capable of determining whether the collision is a side collision,
2. The passenger restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit does not send a signal to the tether cutter when the determining unit determines that the collision is a side collision. The inner vent has one or more loops formed on an edge of the opening on the other end side through which the tether passes,
3. The passenger restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the opening on the other end side of the inner vent is squeezed by the tether when the tether is connected to the tether cutter, so that the inner vent is in a closed state. The one or more connecting ducts are provided in plurality,
3. The passenger restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of connecting ducts are provided at two positions, upper and lower, on the front side of the side protection chamber. The occupant restraint device further comprises:
a first outer vent provided in a main panel forming the side protection chamber;
a guide panel provided in an area covering the first outer vent of the main panel and having upper and lower edges joined to the main panel;
a second outer vent provided on the guide panel at a position overlapping the first outer vent ;
Equipped with
The tether passes between the main panel and the guide panel and is stretched between the inner vent and the tether cutter,
The occupant restraint device further comprises:
3. An occupant restraint device as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a shutter panel attached to the tether and configured to slide along the guide panel to a position blocking the gap between the first outer vent and the second outer vent when the tether detaches from the tether cutter. The occupant restraint device further includes a third outer vent provided in the shutter panel,
6. The passenger restraint device according to claim 5, wherein the third outer vent is provided at a position overlapping the first outer vent and the second outer vent when the tether is connected to the tether cutter.

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