Occupant restraint device

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

In the present invention, a folded airbag is arranged along the upper edge of the door opening of the vehicle body, and the airbag is inflated by a high-pressure gas generated by an inflater when the vehicle collides, along the inner surface of the side portion of the vehicle interior. The present invention relates to an inflatable curtain device that expands in a curtain shape.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Such an inflatable curtain device is known, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-166988.

【0003】

The airbag of the inflatable curtain device described in the above publication includes a plurality of cells arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and the diameter of the cell located immediately after the center pillar is set to be larger than the diameter of the other cells. There is. Therefore, when the head of the occupant sitting on the front seat presses the airbag to the outside of the vehicle body, the cell having a large diameter is caught on the rear surface of the center pillar and is prevented from moving forward, and the air on the front side of the center pillar is prevented. The tension of the bag is maintained and the restraint performance of the occupant sitting on the front seat is enhanced.

【0004】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The occupant restraint performance required for inflatable curtain airbags is highest in the part corresponding to the rigid pillars and relatively low in the part corresponding to the door glass, so the airbag cell located near the pillars. Needs to be inflated quickly. However, in the above-mentioned conventional one, since the diameter (volume) of the cell located immediately after the pillar is set to be large, the expansion of the cell having a large diameter may be delayed as compared with other cells, and the occupant restraint performance may be deteriorated. There is.

【0005】

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable the expansion speed to be arbitrarily controlled according to the magnitude of the occupant restraint performance required for each part of the airbag of the inflatable curtain device. To do.

【0006】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention described in claim 1, a folded airbag is arranged along the upper edge of the door opening of the vehicle body, and a high-pressure gas that generates an inflatable when the vehicle collides. In an inflatable curtain device that inflates an airbag and deploys it in a curtain shape along the inner surface of the side of the passenger compartment, the airbag is inflated by high-pressure gas along a plurality of cells and the base end of the cells. It is composed of a high-pressure gas supply passage that is provided to guide high-pressure gas from the inflator and a through hole that supplies high-pressure gas to each cell from the high-pressure gas supply passage, and the opening area of the through hole is set at the position of each cell. An inflatable curtain device is proposed, which is characterized by being made different accordingly.

【0007】

According to the above configuration, the airbag is composed of a plurality of expandable cells, a high pressure gas supply passage for guiding the high pressure gas from the inflator, and a through hole for supplying the high pressure gas to each cell from the high pressure gas supply passage. At the same time, since the opening area of the through hole was made different according to the position of each cell, the expansion timing of each cell supplied from the inflator via the high pressure gas supply passage and the through hole was changed according to the opening area of the through hole. It can be controlled arbitrarily to improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag.

【0008】

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the opening area of the through hole corresponding to the cell adjacent to the pillar of the vehicle body is set, and the opening area of the through hole corresponding to the other cell is set. An inflatable curtain device characterized by being set larger than is proposed.

【0009】

According to the above configuration, since the opening area of the through hole corresponding to the cell adjacent to the pillar of the vehicle body is set to be large, the cell adjacent to the pillar, which requires high occupant restraint performance, is preferentially expanded to ensure the expansion. Can restrain the occupants.

【0010】

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the pipe material having a through hole is housed inside the airbag to form the high pressure gas supply passage. An inflatable curtain device is proposed.

【0011】

According to the above configuration, since the pipe material having the through hole is housed inside the airbag to form the high pressure gas supply passage, the opening area of the through hole is precisely controlled and the expansion timing of each cell is stabilized. Can be made to.

【0012】

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, an inflatable curtain device characterized in that the base cloth of the airbag is combined to form the high pressure gas supply passage is proposed. To.

【0013】

According to the above configuration, since the base cloth of the airbag is combined to form the high pressure gas supply passage, not only a special member for forming the high pressure gas supply passage is not required, but also the occupant in the high pressure gas supply passage. The impact can be minimized when the body is buffered.

【0014】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

【0015】

1 to 13 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an interior of an automobile, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which an airbag of an inflatable curtain is deployed. Corresponding figure, Fig. 3 is a three-part enlarged view of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of line 4-4 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is 6 of Fig. 1. -6-line enlarged cross-section, Fig. 7 is a 7-part enlarged cross-section of Fig. 3, Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-section of 8-8 of Fig. 3, Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable curtain, and Fig. 10 is an airbag folding. Explanatory drawing of the action at the time, FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the action at the time of deploying the airbag, FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 for explaining the action at the time of deploying the airbag, and FIG. 13 is a diagram at the time of deploying the airbag. It is a figure corresponding to the said FIG. 6 explaining the operation.

【0016】

As shown in FIG. 1, a door opening 14 to which the front door 13 is attached is formed between the front pillar 11 and the center pillar 12 on the side surface of the vehicle body, and a door to which the rear door 16 is attached between the center pillar 12 and the rear pillar 15 is formed. The opening 17 is formed. The roof side rail 18 (see FIG. 4) extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body so as to connect the upper end of the front pillar 11 and the upper end of the rear pillar 15 separates the upper edges of the door openings 14, 17 of the front door 13 and the rear door 16. An inflatable curtain device C is provided along the roof side rail 18. The inflatable curtain device C is provided on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body with substantially the same structure, and the inflatable curtain device C provided on the right side of the vehicle body will be described below as a representative example.

【0017】

As shown in FIG. 2, when an acceleration exceeding a predetermined value is detected at the time of a side collision or rollover of the vehicle, the door glass of the inner side surface of the vehicle body, that is, the front pillar 11, the center pillar 12, the rear pillar 15, and the front door 13 is detected. 13₁And the door glass 16 of the rear door 16₁The airbag 21 of the inflatable curtain device C expands downward from the upper edges of the door openings 14, 17 in a curtain shape so as to block between the front seat 19 and the occupant sitting on the rear seat 20.

【0018】

As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag 21 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is a sewn 27 made by double-layering the first base cloth 25 and the second base cloth 26 having substantially the same shape, and the second base cloth 26. The first base cloth 25, which is slightly larger than the first base cloth 25, has a non-expanding portion 21 at its front end.₁As a result, it slightly protrudes from the front edge of the second base cloth 26. The shapes of the first base cloth 25 and the second base cloth 26 are arbitrary, and the shapes of the first and second base cloths 25 and 26 may be the same.

【0019】

Nine cells 29a to 29i, one first high-pressure gas supply passage 30, and one first high-pressure gas supply port 31 are formed on the front side portion of the airbag 21 by sewing 28. The first high-pressure gas supply port 31 opens to the rear of the vehicle body at the base end (upper end) of the airbag 21, from which the first high-pressure gas supply passage 30 is located in front of the vehicle body along the base end of the airbag 21. Extends to. The first high-pressure gas supply passage 30 communicates with the upper end of each of the nine cells 29a to 29i through the nine through holes 32a to 32i, and the lower end of each cell 29a to 29i extending downward from the communication is closed. ing.

【0020】

Further, in the rear portion of the airbag 21, four cells 29j to 29m, one second high pressure gas supply passage 34, and one second high pressure gas supply port 35 are formed by sewing 33. .. The second high-pressure gas supply port 35 opens to the front of the vehicle body at the base end (upper end) of the airbag 21, and the second high-pressure gas supply passage 34 extends from there to the rear of the vehicle body along the base end of the airbag 21. Extends to. The second high-pressure gas supply passage 34 communicates with the upper end of each of the four cells 29j to 29m through four through holes 32j to 32m, and the lower end of each cell 29j to 29m extending downward from the communication is closed. ing.

【0021】

The nine cells 29a to 29i on the front side form the first cell group 36 that communicates with each other, and the four cells 29j to 29m on the rear side form the second cell group 37 that communicates with each other. As is clear from FIG. 8, these cells 29a to 29m expand in a circular cross section under the supply of high pressure gas and exert a buffering action to protect the occupant from the secondary collision. Cells 29a to 29m are not formed between the first high-pressure gas supply port 31 that supplies high-pressure gas to the first cell group 36 and the second high-pressure gas supply port 35 that supplies high-pressure gas to the second cell group 37. Non-inflating part 21 of airbag 21₂Facing each other at predetermined intervals above.

【0022】

In this way, the first and second high-pressure gas supply passages 30, 34 and through holes 32a to 32m for supplying high-pressure gas to the cells 29a to 29m of the airbag 21 are provided with the first base cloth 25 and the second cloth of the airbag 21. Since it is constructed by sewing the base cloth 26, special members for forming the first and second high-pressure gas supply passages 30, 34 and through holes 32a to 32m are not required, which contributes to the reduction of the number of parts and the weight. can do. Instead of joining the first base cloth 25 and the second base cloth 26 by sewing 27,28,33, it is also possible to bond them by adhesion or welding.

【0023】

Six mounting holes 21a to 21f are formed along the base end of the airbag 21. The frontmost mounting hole 21a is a non-expanding portion 21 extending forward of the first cell group 36.₁The next three mounting holes 21b to 21d are formed above the first cell group 36, and the next one mounting hole 21e is the non-expanding portion 21 of the airbag 21.₂The rearmost mounting hole 21f is formed above the second cell group 37.

【0024】

In the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the inflated cells 29a to 29i of the first cell group 36 on the front side expand from the upper part of the front pillar 11 to the rear part of the center pillar 12 and restrain the occupant sitting on the front seat 19. In addition, cells 29j to 29m of the second cell group 37 on the rear side of the expansion expand from the central part of the rear door 16 to the central part of the rear pillar 15 and restrain the occupant sitting on the rear seat 20. At this time, the non-expanding portion 21 of the airbag 21₂Is located at the front of the rear door 16 where the occupants sitting on the rear seat 20 are less likely to interfere.

【0025】

Of the nine cells 29a to 29i in the first cell group 36, the passage cross-sectional areas of the four cells 29f to 29i located near the center pillar 12 are the passage cross-sectional areas of the other cells 29a to 29i. It is set to be larger than the passage cross-sectional area of the through holes 32a to 32e of the five cells 29a to 29e. In addition, among the four cells 29j to 29m through holes 37j to 37m in the second cell group 37, the passage cross-sectional areas of the two cells 29l and 29m through holes 37l and 37m located near the rear pillar 15 are other. It is set larger than the passage cross-sectional area of the two cells 29j and 29k and the cells 37j and 37k.

【0026】

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the inflator 41 that inflates the airbag 21 by burning the propellant is a substantially cylindrical member, and the high pressure gas ejection portion 41 is located near one end thereof.₁Is formed. The inflator 41 has a plurality of support protrusions 42 projecting on the inner surface of the inflator case 42 having both ends open.₁Supported through ... Funnel-shaped diffusers 43 and 44, which form a part of the inflator case 42, are fixed to both ends of the inflator 41, respectively, and the opening area of the high-pressure gas outlet 59 formed at the tip of the diffuser 43 located on the front side. Is set larger than the opening area of the high pressure gas outlet 60 formed at the tip of the diffuser 44 located on the rear side.

【0027】

The front end of the inflator case 42 provided with the front diffuser 43 is fitted inside the first high pressure gas supply port 31 of the first cell group 36 of the airbag 21 and fixed by the band 45, and the rear diffuser 44 is provided. The rear end of the inflator case 42 provided with the above is fitted inside the second high-pressure gas supply port 35 of the second cell group 37 of the airbag 21 and fixed by the band 46. Therefore, the inflator 41 and the inflator case 42 for accommodating the inflator 41 are the non-inflating portions 21 of the airbag 21.₂It is located above the above, between the 1st and 2nd high pressure gas supply ports 31, 35 of the 1st and 2nd cell groups 36 and 37.

【0028】

In this way, since the high pressure gas is supplied from the common inflator 41 to the first and second cell groups 36 and 37, when two inflators are provided corresponding to the first and second cell groups 36 and 37, respectively. In comparison, the number of parts, assembly man-hours, weight and cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the inflator case 42 is arranged between the first cell group 36 and the second cell group 37 of the airbag 21, the possibility that the occupant's body interferes with the inflator 41 can be reduced.

【0029】

The roof side rail 18 is formed by welding the outer member 47, the inner member 48, and the center member 49 to form a closed cross section, and the roof 50 connected to the roof side rail 18 is formed by welding the outer member 51 and the inner member 52. .. A weather strip 53 that can come into contact with the rear door 16 is provided at the lower end of the roof side rail 18. The edge of the synthetic resin roof garnish 54 arranged along the lower surface of the roof 50 is locked to the edge of the weather strip 53 protruding from the lower end of the roof side rail 18 toward the passenger compartment. The lower surface of the roof garnish 54 facing the vehicle interior is covered with a skin material 55, and the skin material 55 wraps around from the lower surface side to the upper surface side at the edge of the roof garnish 54. As a result, it is possible to prevent the edge of the synthetic resin roof garnish 54 from cracking and scattering when an impact is applied.

【0030】

Incidentally, the edge of the skin material 55 above the roof garnish 54 instead of performing the processing for Wrapping the surface, or tension the sheet for preventing scattering near the edge of the roof garnish 54, facilities a coating for preventing scattering After that, the same effect can be obtained by covering only the lower surface of the roof garnish 54 with the skin material 55.

【0031】

A mounting bracket 56 is fitted to the center of the inflator case 42 containing the inflator 41, and a pair of flanges 56 thereof.₁,56₁It is fastened to the upper part of the inner member 48 of the roof side rail 18 with two bolts 57 and 57 penetrating the roof side rail 18. At this time, the non-expanding portion 21 of the airbag 21₂The mounting hole 21e located at the upper part of the roof and the airbag holder 61, which will be described later, are fastened together with the inner member 48 of the roof side rail 18 with the lower bolt 57.

【0032】

As is clear from FIG. 9, the folded airbag 21 is housed inside the airbag cover 58 made of non-woven fabric. The airbag cover 58 is made by forming a rectangular piece of cloth into a tubular shape and sewing it along the lower edge, and the slit 58 that easily breaks on the side surface facing the roof side rail 18.₁... is formed in a perforated pattern. Further, the attachment portions 21a to 21f protruding from the upper end of the airbag 21 and the first and second high pressure gas supply ports 31, 35 form an opening 58 formed on the upper surface of the airbag cover 58.₂It passes through ... and protrudes upward.

【0033】

As is clear from FIGS. 5 and 9, the synthetic resin airbag holder 61, which is the base for supporting the folded airbag 21 on the roof side rail 18, is the lower part of the inner member 48 of the roof side rail 18. It is installed along. The airbag holder 61 is divided into a plurality of pieces along the longitudinal direction of the folded airbag 21, and in the embodiment, the portion corresponding to the first cell group 36 of the airbag 21 and the second cell group of the airbag 21 It is divided into two parts corresponding to 37.

【0034】

The airbag holder 61 has a main body 61 having an "E" -shaped cross section.₁A thin hinge portion 61 in the portion corresponding to the mounting portions 21b, 21c, 21d, 21f of the airbag 21.₂Support arm 61 that can be opened and closed via₃Are formed integrally. Support arm 61₃With the airbag closed, the airbag 21 wrapped in the airbag cover 58 supports the arm 61.₃And body 61₁It is sandwiched between and held, and the main body 61₁And support arm 61₃Flange 61 provided in each₄,61₅It is fastened to the inner member 48 of the roof side rail 18 with a bolt 62 penetrating the roof side rail 18. At this time, the mounting holes 21b, 21c, 21d, 21f of the airbag 21 protruding from the airbag cover are jointly tightened with the bolt 62. The non-expanding part 21 of the airbag 21₂Main body 61 corresponding to the mounting hole 21e located above₁And support arm 61₃Flange 61₄,61₅Only are fastened together with another bolt 57 (see FIG. 4) that secures the mounting bracket 56 of the inflator 41.

【0035】

Also, the support arm 61 of the airbag holder 61₃Flange 61 provided at the tip of₅Is the main body 61₁Flange 61 provided in₄The folded airbag 21 is elastically fitted to the main body 61 of the airbag holder 61.₁And support arm 61₃Both flanges 61 while being held between₄,61₅By elastically fitting the airbags, the airbag holder 61 and the airbag 21 can be temporarily fixed integrally to improve the efficiency of the fixing work to the roof side rail 18.

【0036】

In this way, the support arm 61 of the airbag holder 61 is used by using the bolt 62 (57) that fixes the airbag holder 61 to the roof side rail 18.₃Since the mounting holes 21b to 21f of the airbag 21 are fastened together, the number of bolts 62 (57) can be minimized and the number of parts and the assembly man-hours can be reduced. Moreover, the support arm 61 that supports the airbag 21 along the airbag holder 61.₃Is integrally formed with the airbag holder 61, so that it is not necessary to provide a special member for supporting the airbag 21 to the airbag holder 61, which can contribute to a reduction in the number of parts.

【0037】

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the front pillar 11 that supports the end portion of the windshield 63 is formed by welding the outer member 64, the inner member 65, and the center member 66 to form a closed cross section, and is formed at the rear end. The weather strip 53 is attached, and the front pillar garnish 67 is attached so as to cover the inner member 65. Non-expandable portion 21 of the airbag 21 protruding from the airbag cover 58₁Is fastened to the inner member 65 of the front pillar 11 with a bolt 68 penetrating the mounting hole 21a formed therein.

【0038】

A large number of plate-shaped ribs 69 ... as energy absorbing members are integrally formed on the inner surface of the front pillar garnish 67 facing the rear of the airbag 21 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. A passage 70 is formed between the inner member 65 of the front pillar 11 and the rib 69 ..., with one end facing the airbag 21 and the other end facing the weather strip 53. Surface 69 of rib 69 ... facing passage 70₁... is composed of a smooth curved surface without protrusions.

【0039】

The airbag 21 is folded according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (c). In these figures, the white circles indicate the base end portion (upper end portion) of the airbag 21, and the black circles indicate the tip end portion (lower end portion) of the airbag 21. First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the lower half of the airbag 21 is folded inside the vehicle body and overlapped with the inner surface of the upper half of the vehicle body. At this time, the upper half and the lower half of the airbag 21 folded in half may be partially temporarily fixed with an adhesive that is easily peeled off, or may be partially temporarily fixed with a thread that is easily broken. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the folded airbag 21 is folded in a zigzag direction in the vertical direction to reduce the height, and finally folded into the shape shown in FIG. 10 (c). The airbag 21 folded in this way is wrapped in the airbag cover 58 and held in a folded shape.

【0040】

Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be described.

【0041】

When the acceleration sensor detects acceleration above a predetermined value due to a side collision of the vehicle, the inflator 41 is ignited by a command from the airbag deployment control means, and the high pressure gas generated by the combustion of the propellant is emitted from the high pressure gas ejection part 41 of the inflator 41.₁Erupts from inside the inflator case 42. The high-pressure gas ejected inside the inflator case 42 is supplied from the high-pressure gas outlet 59 of the diffuser 43 on the front side to the first high-pressure gas supply port 31 of the first cell group 36 of the airbag 21 and from there the first high-pressure gas supply. It flows into the nine cells 29a to 29i through the passage 30 and the nine through holes 32a to 32i, and expands the nine cells 29a to 29i. At the same time, the high-pressure gas ejected from the inflator 41 into the inflator case 42 is supplied from the high-pressure gas outlet 60 of the rear diffuser 44 to the second high-pressure gas supply port 35 of the second cell group 37 of the airbag 21. From there, it flows into the four cells 29j to 29m through the second high-pressure gas supply passage 34 and the four through holes 32j to 32m, and these four cells 29j to 29m are expanded.

【0042】

In the process, as shown in FIG. 12, the hinge portion 61 of the airbag holder 61 is subjected to the pressure of the expanding first cell group 36 and second cell group 37.₂Breaks and supports arm 61₃Is separated from the main body 61 and covers the folded airbag 21. Slit 58 of the airbag cover 58.₁... (see Figure 9) breaks, allowing the airbag 21 to expand freely. When the airbag 21 is further inflated, the pressure pushes the edge of the roof garnish 54 downward, disengaging it from the weather strip 53 and forming an opening, so that the airbag 21 passing through this opening is a vehicle. Deploy downward into the room (see Figure 2).

【0043】

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 13, in the process of expanding the airbag 21 as described above, the non-expanding portion 21 at the front end of the airbag 21 pulled by the expanding first cell group 36₁Invades the passage 70 formed between the inner member 65 of the front pillar 11 and the rib 69 ... of the front pillar garnish 67. As a result, the front pillar garnish 67 is the non-expanding part 21 of the airbag 21.₁It is deformed by the pressure received from the vehicle, disengages from the weather strip 53, and expands downward into the vehicle interior through the opening formed therein. At this time, the non-expanding portion 21 of the airbag 21₁Is guided by the rib 69 ... of the front pillar garnish 67, but the surface 69 of the rib 69 ...₁Since ... is composed of a smooth curved surface without protrusions, it is surely prevented that the airbag 21 is caught by the rib 69 ... and hinders smooth deployment or is damaged.

【0044】

In the above embodiment, the non-expanding portion 21 of the airbag 21 is located between the front pillar 11 and the front pillar garnish 67.₁Is stored, but it is also possible to store an inflatable cell there.

【0045】

FIG. 11 schematically shows the process of deploying the airbag 21, where white circles indicate the base end of the airbag 21 and black circles indicate the tip of the airbag 21. As already described in FIG. 10, the airbag 21 is first folded in half so that the tip portion faces the inside of the vehicle body, and then is folded in a zigzag direction in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the folded airbag 21 shown in FIG. 11 (a) starts expanding from the proximal end side as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the tip portion of the airbag 21 is shown in FIG. 11 (c). The side moves so as to fall away from the inner side of the vehicle body (the side toward the center of the passenger compartment). As a result, as shown in FIG. 11 (d), the airbag 21 can be correctly deployed, and the tip of the airbag 21 is surely prevented from being caught on the inner side surface of the vehicle body and bent in a dogleg shape. be able to.

【0046】

The airbag cover 58 that covers the folded airbag 21 also has a function of preventing the tip of the airbag 21 to be deployed from being caught on the inner surface of the vehicle body and promoting correct deployment. That is, the slit 58 of the airbag cover 58 that breaks when the airbag 21 is deployed.₁... is formed on the side facing the inner surface of the car body, so its slit 58₁When ... breaks and an opening is formed, the reaction causes the airbag to swing toward the center of the passenger compartment in a pendulum shape with the base end as the center. As a result, the distance between the tip of the airbag 21 and the inner surface of the vehicle body is increased, and it is possible to prevent the tip from being caught on the inner surface of the vehicle body and causing a deployment failure.

【0047】

When the airbag 21 is deployed in this way, the high-pressure gas generated by the inflator 41 is distributed to the first cell group 36 and the second cell group 37 by the front and rear diffusers 43 and 44, but the first cell has a large volume. The opening area of the high pressure gas outlet 59 of the diffuser 43 corresponding to the group 36 is large, and the opening area of the high pressure gas outlet 60 of the diffuser 44 corresponding to the second cell group 37 having a small volume is set to be small. 1. An appropriate amount of high-pressure gas can be distributed to the second cell groups 36 and 37 to equalize the time required for deployment and the internal pressure of each part of the airbag 21.

【0048】

In addition, the passage cross-sectional area of the through holes 32f to 32i of the four cells 29f to 29i located near the center pillar 12 of the nine cells 29a to 29i of the first cell group 36 is set large, and the second cell group 36 has a large passage cross-sectional area. Since the passage cross-sectional area of the through holes 37l, 37m of the two cells 29l, 29m located near the rear pillar 15 of the four cells 29j to 29m of the cell group 37 was set to be large, compared with the other parts. A sufficient amount of high-pressure gas can be supplied to the cells 29f to 29i, 29l, 29m located in the vicinity of the center pillar 12 and the rear pillar 15 where a large impact buffering performance is required, and the cells can be expanded quickly and surely.

【0049】

Further, since the airbag 21 is divided into the first cell group 36 and the second cell group 37 in which the high pressure gas does not flow independently, one of the first and second cell groups 36 and 37 is damaged and the pressure is high. Even if a gas leak occurs, it can be prevented from affecting the other. Furthermore, assuming that the airbag has only a single cell group and the high pressure gas is supplied from one end of the single cell group, there is a time delay before the high pressure gas reaches the other end of the cell group. This makes it difficult to quickly deploy the entire airbag. However, in this embodiment, the airbag 21 is divided into the first cell group 36 and the second cell group 37 having the first and second high pressure gas supply ports 31, 35, respectively, and thus due to the delay in the supply of the high pressure gas. Non-uniform deployment of airbags is prevented.

【0050】

The inflatable curtain device C does not operate when the acceleration generated by the side collision is less than a predetermined value, but when the impact causes a secondary collision with the edge of the roof garnish 54 facing the roof side rail 18, it is synthesized. Hollow body 61 of resin airbag holder 61₁Not only is the airbag crushed to buffer the impact, but the folded airbag 21 also exerts a function of enhancing the impact buffering effect. In this way, since the airbag holder 61 that supports the airbag 21 on the roof side rail 18 has a function as a shock absorbing member, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts and cost as compared with the case where the shock absorbing member is provided. Can be done.

【0051】

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

【0052】

In the airbag 21 of the second embodiment, 13 cells 29a to 29m form a single cell group 77, and high pressure gas is supplied from the first inflator 41a to the first high pressure gas supply port 78 at the front end thereof. Then, the high pressure gas is supplied from the second inflator 41b to the second high pressure gas supply port 79 at the rear end. A synthetic resin or metal pipe material 81 that connects the first and second high-pressure gas supply ports 78 and 79 is housed along the base end of the airbag 21. The high pressure gas supply passage 80 is formed. Thirteen through holes 32a to 32m are formed in the pipe material 81, and each through hole 32a to 32m communicates with each of the 13 cells 29a to 29m. And, as in the first embodiment, the passage cross-sectional areas of the six cells 29f to 29i, 29l, 29m facing the center pillar 12 and the rear pillar 15 of the through holes 32f to 32i, 32l, 32m are the other seven. It is set larger than the passage cross-sectional area of the through holes 32a to 32e, 32j, 32k of cells 29a to 29e, 29j, 29k.

【0053】

According to the second embodiment, the high-pressure gas supply passage 80 is formed of the pipe material 81, which is more rigid than the base cloths 25 and 26 of the airbag 21, and the through holes 32a to 32 m are formed in the pipe material 81. Therefore, the amount of high-pressure gas supplied to each cell 29a to 29m can be accurately controlled to stabilize the deployment performance of the airbag 21.

【0054】

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

【0055】

The airbag 21 of the third embodiment is provided with a single inflator 41 at the front end of a single cell group 77, and one high pressure gas supply passage 80 is the first base cloth 25 and the second of the airbag 21. It is formed integrally with the base cloth 26. That is, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the first base cloth 25 and the second base cloth 26 are sewn to form the airbag 21, the pipe material 81 is sewn integrally and the pipe material 81 is sewn together. 13 through holes 32a to 32m are formed in advance. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the pipe material 81 is folded back and inserted into the airbag 21 to form the high pressure gas supply passage 80, and then the airbag is formed as shown in FIG. 16 (c). Attach the inflator 41 to the end of 21. The high-pressure gas supplied from the inflator 41 to the high-pressure gas supply passage 80 inside the pipe material 81 is supplied to each cell 29a to 29m through the through holes 32a to 32m formed in the pipe material 81.

【0056】

According to this embodiment, since the pipe material 81 made of a separate member is not required, not only the number of parts and the cost are reduced, but also the first and second base fabrics 25 and 26 constituting the pipe material 81 are doubled. The structure can be made to increase the strength.

【0057】

Although the examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention can make various design changes without departing from the gist thereof.

【0058】

For example, in the embodiment, the passage cross-sectional area of the through holes 32f to 32i, 32l, 32m of the cells 29f to 29i, 29l, 29m facing the center pillar 12 and the rear pillar 15 is set large, but the inflator 41, 41a, 41b By changing the passage cross-sectional area of the through holes 32a to 32m according to the distance from each cell 29a to 29m, the entire airbag 21 can be deployed at an appropriate timing.

【0059】

[Effect of the invention]

According to the invention described in claim 1 as described above, the airbag is transferred from the plurality of expandable cells, the high pressure gas supply passage for guiding the high pressure gas from the inflator, and the high pressure gas supply passage to each cell. Since it is composed of a through hole for supplying high pressure gas and the opening area of the through hole is made different according to the position of each cell, the expansion of each cell supplied from the inflator through the high pressure gas supply passage and the through hole. The timing can be arbitrarily controlled according to the opening area of the through hole to improve the occupant restraint performance of the airbag.

【0060】

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the opening area of the through hole corresponding to the cell adjacent to the pillar of the vehicle body is set to be large, the cell adjacent to the pillar which requires high occupant restraint performance is used. It can be inflated preferentially to reliably restrain the occupants.

【0061】

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the pipe material having the through hole is housed inside the airbag to form the high pressure gas supply passage, the opening area of the through hole is precisely controlled. The expansion timing of each cell can be stabilized.

【0062】

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since the base cloth of the airbag is combined to form the high pressure gas supply passage, not only a special member for forming the high pressure gas supply passage becomes unnecessary, but also. The impact can be minimized when the occupant's body buffers the high pressure gas supply passage.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

Perspective view showing the interior of an automobile [Figure 2]

The figure corresponding to FIG. 1 showing the state where the inflatable curtain airbag is deployed. [Fig. 3]

3 part enlarged view of Fig. 2 [Fig. 4]

Enlarged sectional view of line 4-4 in Fig. 1. [Fig. 5]

Enlarged sectional view of line 5-5 in Fig. 1. [Fig. 6]

Enlarged sectional view of line 6-6 in Fig. 1. [Fig. 7]

Enlarged sectional view of 7 parts in Fig. 3 [Fig. 8]

Enlarged sectional view of line 8-8 in Fig. 3. [Fig. 9]

An exploded perspective view of an inflatable curtain [Fig. 10]

Explanatory drawing of the operation when the airbag is folded [Fig. 11]

Explanatory drawing of the operation when the airbag is deployed [Fig. 12]

The figure corresponding to FIG. 5 described above, which describes the operation of the airbag when it is deployed. [Fig. 13]

The figure corresponding to FIG. 6 described above, which describes the operation of the airbag when it is deployed. [Fig. 14]

The figure corresponding to FIG. 3 which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. [Fig. 15]

The figure corresponding to FIG. 3 which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. [Fig. 16]

The figure which shows the sewing process of the airbag which concerns on 3rd Example [Explanation of symbols]

12 Center pillar (pillar) 14 Door opening 15 Rear pillar (pillar) 17 Door opening 21 airbag 25 1st base cloth (base cloth) 26 2nd base cloth (base cloth) 29a ~ 29m cell 30 1st high pressure gas supply passage (high pressure gas supply passage) 32a ~ 32m through hole 34 Second high-pressure gas supply passage (high-pressure gas supply passage) 41 Inflator 41a 1st inflator (inflator) 41b 2nd inflator (inflator) 80 High pressure gas supply passage 81 Pipe material