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. 9-254734.

【0003】

The inflatable curtain device described in the above publication is housed inside the cover in a state where the airbag is folded in a zigzag in the vertical direction, and is expanded by the high pressure gas supplied from the inflator in the event of a vehicle collision to cover the cover. The notch on the underside of the car is pushed open and deployed downward into the passenger compartment.

【0004】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

FIG. 16 shows the process of deploying the airbag of the conventional inflatable curtain device. The upper base end of the airbag shown in cross section is represented by a white circle, and the lower tip is represented by a black circle. ..

【0005】

The airbag in the stowed state is folded in a zigzag manner in the vertical direction (see Fig. 16 (a)), and when the high-pressure gas from the inflator is supplied to the base end of the airbag due to a vehicle collision, the airbag is based. Expansion starts from the end side (see Fig. 16 (b)), but as the inflated part of the airbag expands from the base end side toward the tip side, the tip part becomes the inner surface of the side part (pillar) of the passenger compartment. Or the inner surface of the door) (see Fig. 16 (c)). When high-pressure gas is further supplied in this state and the tip begins to expand, the rigidity of the airbag increases due to the increase in internal pressure, and the tip tends to extend straight, so that the tip is on the inner surface of the side of the passenger compartment. The airbag may be bent in a "dogleg" shape when pressed strongly against the airbag, making it impossible to deploy it smoothly downward (see Fig. 16 (d)).

【0006】

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and prevents the tip of the airbag of the inflatable curtain device from being caught on the inner surface of the side portion of the passenger compartment and not being able to be smoothly deployed in the process of deploying the airbag. The purpose.

【0007】

[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 in the event of a vehicle collision. In an inflatable curtain device that inflates the airbag and deploys it in a curtain shape along the inner surface of the side of the passenger compartment, the airbag is folded in half so that the tip overlaps the side surface of the passenger compartment. , An inflatable curtain device characterized by being folded in a zigzag manner in the vertical direction is proposed.

【0008】

According to the above configuration, the airbag is first folded in half so that the tip overlaps the side surface on the passenger compartment side, and then is folded in a zigzag direction in the vertical direction. In the process of unraveling and further unfolding the airbag, the tip of the airbag passes through a position away from the inner surface of the side of the passenger compartment (that is, a position closer to the center of the passenger compartment), and the tip of the airbag passes through the passenger compartment. It is possible to prevent the vehicle from getting caught on the inner surface of the side portion of the vehicle and enable smooth and reliable deployment.

【0009】

Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, 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 inflator at the time of a vehicle collision. In an inflatable curtain device that deploys in a curtain shape along the inner surface of the side of the passenger compartment, the airbag is folded in a zigzag manner in the vertical direction and then folded in half in the width direction so that its tip is covered. An inflatable curtain device characterized by the above is proposed.

【0010】

According to the above configuration, the airbag is first folded in a zigzag direction in the vertical direction and then folded in half in the width direction to cover the tip portion, so that the tip portion is exposed until the fold is unfolded during the deployment process of the airbag. It is possible to prevent the tip portion from being caught on the inner surface of the side portion of the vehicle interior and enable smooth and reliable deployment.

【0011】

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.

【0012】

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.

【0013】

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.

【0014】

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.

【0015】

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.

【0016】

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.

【0017】

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.

【0018】

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.

【0019】

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.

【0020】

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.

【0021】

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.

【0022】

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.

【0023】

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.

【0024】

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.

【0025】

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.

【0026】

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.

【0027】

Instead of wrapping the edge of the skin material 55 around the upper surface of the roof garnish 54, a shatterproof sheet was placed near the edge of the roof garnish 54 or a shatterproof coating was applied. Later, the same effect can be obtained by covering only the lower surface of the roof garnish 54 with the skin material 55.

【0028】

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.

【0029】

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.

【0030】

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.

【0031】

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.

【0032】

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.

【0033】

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.

【0034】

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.

【0035】

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.

【0036】

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.

【0037】

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

【0038】

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.

【0039】

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).

【0040】

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.

【0041】

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.

【0042】

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.

【0043】

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.

【0044】

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.

【0045】

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.

【0046】

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.

【0047】

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.

【0048】

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

【0049】

FIG. 14 shows a procedure for folding the airbag 21. First, the airbag 21 is folded in a zigzag manner in the vertical direction from the state of FIG. 14 (a) to the states of (b) and (c). At this time, the tip end portion of the airbag 21 is positioned at the center portion in the width direction (left-right direction) of the airbag 21. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 14 (d), the airbag 21 folded in a zigzag manner is folded downward in half in the width direction, and the tip portion thereof is sandwiched between the airbag 21 itself from the left and right to cover it.

【0050】

FIG. 15 shows the process of unfolding the airbag 21 folded as described above. When the high pressure gas from the inflator 41 is supplied to the base end of the folded airbag 21, FIG. 15 (a) ) ~ (C), the airbag 21 expands sequentially from the base end side to the tip end side. Therefore, the tip of the airbag 21 that is maintained in the folded state until the end is covered with the airbag 21 itself that is folded in half in the width direction and does not come into contact with the inner surface of the side portion of the passenger compartment. It is possible to reliably prevent the tip of 21 from being caught on the side surface of the vehicle interior and being bent in a "dogleg" shape.

【0051】

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.

【0052】

[Effect of the invention]

According to the invention described in claim 1 as described above, the airbag is first folded in half so that the tip portion overlaps the side surface on the passenger compartment side, and then is folded in a zigzag manner in the vertical direction. When the bag is unfolded, the zigzag fold is unfolded, and in the process of unfolding the two folds, the tip of the airbag passes through a position away from the inner surface of the side of the passenger compartment (that is, a position closer to the center of the passenger compartment). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tip portion from being caught on the inner surface of the side portion of the vehicle interior and enable smooth and reliable deployment.

【0053】

Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, the airbag is first folded in a zigzag direction in the vertical direction and then folded in half in the width direction to cover the tip portion, so that the airbag is folded in the process of deploying the airbag. The tip portion is not exposed until the tip portion is unraveled, and the tip portion can be prevented from being caught on the inner surface of the side portion of the vehicle interior to enable smooth and reliable deployment.

[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]

Explanatory drawing of operation at the time of folding of the airbag which concerns on 2nd Example [Fig. 15]

Explanatory drawing of operation at the time of deployment according to 2nd Example [Fig. 16]

Explanatory drawing of operation when deploying a conventional airbag [Explanation of symbols]

14 Door opening 17 Door opening 21 airbag 41 Inflator