Occupant constraint device

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a occupant restraint device provided on a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a occupant restraint device for restraining the lower body of an occupant in a vehicle provided with means for restraining the upper body of the occupant in the event of an impact such as a collision. is there.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

It is common for vehicles to be equipped with devices such as seat belts and airbags that mainly restrain the upper body of the occupant when an impact such as a collision occurs. For example, in a vehicle equipped with a seat belt, an impact is generated. Occasionally, there is a so-called submarine phenomenon in which the occupant slides forward from the lower part of the seatbelt, the waist belt comes off from the pelvic portion, the occupant restraint portion shifts, and the occupant restraint performance of the seatbelt deteriorates.

【0003】

Therefore, a projecting member for projecting upward and restraining the lower limbs of the occupant is movably supported on the front part of the casing fixed to the seat frame at the front part of the seat cushion, and this projecting member is supported when an impact such as a vehicle collision occurs. There is an occupant restraint device that raises the front end of the seat only when an impact is generated by driving with a power generator. As this power generator, there is a device that mechanically lifts the tip of the seat by using an explosive actuator or the like (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-122504, etc.).

【0004】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the occupant restraint device, the front end portion of the seat is raised, that is, the knee portion of the occupant is lifted. Therefore, although it is possible to avoid the knees hitting the front wall of the passenger compartment to some extent, it is inevitable that the buttocks of the occupants move forward to some extent. Therefore, in reality, it has not always been possible to solve the problem that the occupant restraint effect of the seat belt is reduced due to the submarine phenomenon.

【0005】

On the other hand, when an impact occurs, it is desirable to lower the peak of deceleration of each part of the occupant, and for that purpose, it is desirable to start the deceleration as early as possible. Due to the slack, elongation and spring action of the seat belt, the deceleration rises slowly, and the peak becomes higher by that amount, that is, a large impact is received in a short time.

【0006】

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can reliably prevent the submarine phenomenon at the time of a collision in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and by combining with a means for restraining the upper body of an occupant such as a seat belt or an airbag, a collision occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide an occupant restraint device capable of cushioning an impact on an occupant at the time, particularly on the chest and head.

【0007】

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, the above-described object is a occupant restraint device for restraining the lower body of the occupant in a vehicle provided with means for restraining the upper body of the occupant when an impact such as a collision occurs, and is in front of the occupant. An anti-slip member movably supported by the left and right casings fixed to the seat frame so as to be able to project upward in order to suppress movement, and a power generator that drives the anti-slip member when an impact such as a vehicle collision occurs. The slip-out prevention member is provided so as to project upward from the lower end of the seat bone when the occupant is seated faster than the upper body restraining means restrains the occupant, and from the center between the upper and lower joints of the occupant's thigh. This is achieved by providing an occupant restraint device characterized in that it abuts on a portion closer to the buttock and suppresses the forward movement of the occupant's buttock. Here, in reality, suppressing the forward movement of the occupant's buttocks is equivalent to suppressing the forward movement of the occupant's lumbar region.

【0008】

In particular, it is preferable that the means for restraining the upper body of the occupant has a seat belt including a waist belt for restraining the waist portion of the occupant. Further, in order to suppress the forward movement of the occupant's buttocks, specifically, the slip-out prevention member is above the lower end of the ischium when the occupant is seated at a position 80 mm to 220 mm forward from the lower end position of the ischium when the occupant is seated. It is good that it protrudes to.

【0009】

In addition, it is desirable that the amount of protrusion is 20 mm or more from the lower end of the ischial bone when the occupant is seated. If the amount of protrusion is less than 20 mm from the lower end of the ischial bone when the occupant is seated, the occupant's buttocks will get over the slip-out prevention member, and it will be difficult to suppress the forward movement of the occupant's buttocks.

【0010】

Here, the position of the lower end of the ischial bone when the occupant is seated is slightly different depending on the type (material, etc.) of the seat, but this does not matter because it can be considered at the time of design. Further, it is known that in a general seat, the lower end position of the ischial bone when the occupant is seated becomes a substantially constant position only by changing the width of about 10 mm above and below depending on the weight of the occupant.

【0011】

By doing so, when an impact occurs, the occupant's ischium (pelvis) is directly pressed, and the occupant does not slide forward from the lower part of the seat belt. In addition, the deceleration of the occupant's lumbar region (buttocks) can be started at an early stage. Then, the deceleration of the head and chest of the occupant can be accelerated at the lumbar region, that is, the peak of deceleration can be lowered.

【0012】

Further, the slip-out prevention member is attached to the tilting free end side of the arm member movably supported by the casing with the tilting axis in the left-right direction, and the tilting shaft of the arm member is provided on the front side of the arm member. When the arm member is tilted forward and upward, the load is received not in the return direction of the arm member but in the substantially buckling direction of the arm member, and the arm can be shortened. Therefore, for example, the arm member A lock mechanism that prevents return can be simplified.

【0013】

Further, by providing the power generator on the front side of the slip-out prevention member, that is, at a position near the knee of the occupant where the weight of the occupant is relatively not applied, the cushion at the position where the weight of the occupant is applied can be thickened and the riding comfort can be improved. improves.

【0014】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

【0015】

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat 1 to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the arrangement of the occupant restraint device of the vehicle seat 1 to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the occupant restraint device. A perspective view is shown. The seat 1 of the vehicle having the seat belt 11 has a cushion member 2 made of a foam material or the like and a seat frame 3 for supporting the cushion member 2 in the seat cushion portion. A pair of sub-assemblies 4a and 4b constituting the occupant restraint device are fastened to the left and right sides of the seat frame 3. A pipe 13 as a slip-out prevention member is hung between the free end portion 6a of the arm 6 described later in the sub-assembly 4a and the free end portion 16a of the arm 16 described later in the sub-assembly 4b. When an impact occurs, the pipe 13 supports the thighs of the occupant to stop the forward movement of the buttocks and lumbar region, but in reality, the pipe 13 gradually deforms to absorb the impact.

【0016】

On the front side of the pipe 13, a convex surface portion 14 is provided so as to form a surface substantially parallel to the surface of the cushion member 2 together with the upper surface of the pipe 13. Due to the convex surface portion 14, the pipe 13 in the stored state does not give a foreign body sensation to the thigh portion when the occupant is seated.

【0017】

As shown well in FIG. 2, when the pipe 13 protrudes upward, the sub-assemblies 4a and 4b abut on the lumbar or buttock-closer part than the center between the upper and lower joints of the occupant's thigh, and move forward. It is installed in a position that directly suppresses it. The preferred range is the shaded area A.

【0018】

Here, the position where the pipe 13 comes into contact when the pipe 13 protrudes upward is set to the waist or the buttocks closer to the center than the center between the upper and lower joints of the occupant's thigh, because the position closer to the buttocks is earlier than the occupant's buttocks. It is possible to suppress the forward movement of the occupant, and if it is closer to the knee than this range, the suppression of the forward movement of the occupant's buttocks is delayed, and in some cases, the seat belt may act on the occupant first, and the occupant's buttocks may be suppressed. This is because it becomes difficult to directly suppress it.

【0019】

Specifically, the position 80 mm to 220 mm forward from the lower end position O of the ischium when the occupant is seated is preferable. This is the position where the pipe 13 abuts in the lumbar or buttock area rather than the center between the upper and lower joints of the thigh in the case of a standard (50th percentile) Japanese adult male. More specifically, since the lower end position O of the ischium is usually 100 mm to 130 mm anterior to the rear end of the cushion member 2 of the seat, the position 80 mm to 220 mm anterior to the lower end position O of the ischium is the cushion member of the seat. It will be 180mm to 350mm forward from the rear end of 2.

【0020】

Since the total length of the cushion member is 530 mm to 580 mm as a standard, when the total length of the cushion member is 530 mm, the position 180 mm to 350 mm forward from the rear end of the cushion member 2 of the seat is the rear end of the cushion member 2 of the seat. It is located about 34% to 66% ahead of the vehicle. When the total length of the cushion member is 580 mm, the position 180 mm to 350 mm forward from the rear end of the cushion member 2 of the seat is about 31% to 60% forward from the rear end of the cushion member 2 of the seat.

【0021】

Further, the amount of protrusion of the pipe 13 is preferably 20 mm or more with respect to the horizontal line L passing through the lower end position O of the ischial bone of the occupant. This is because if the pipe 13 is less than 20 mm from the lower end position O of the ischium at the time of its protrusion, the desired effect of directly suppressing the forward movement of the buttocks of the occupant cannot be obtained.

【0022】

Further, the amount of protrusion of the pipe 13 is preferably in a range in which the pipe 13 does not bite into the occupant's thigh by 20 mm or more with reference to the lower surface M of the occupant's thigh in consideration of the impact of pushing the pipe 13 onto the occupant's lower limbs. The lower surface M of the thigh of the occupant is used as a reference. Normally, the lower surface of the thigh of the occupant sinks below the upper surface (pad main line) N near the center of the cushion member 2 of the seat when normally seated. Because it is.

【0023】

Actually, take into consideration the impact of pushing up the pipe 13 when installing the child seat and the impact of pushing up the pipe 13 when the lightweight occupant, that is, the occupant with a thin thigh is seated, so that it does not protrude more than 10 mm from the upper surface N of the seat. It is preferable to do so.

【0024】

The optimum amount of protrusion differs for each seat depending on the actual seat frame, inclination of the cushion member, and the like.

【0025】

In the above area A, the performance of other occupant restraint devices (seat belts, seat belts with pretensioners, airbags, etc.), the strength and rigidity of the seats (seat frame, slide rail mechanism, lifter mechanism, etc.), and the assumed collision Conditions (frontal collision, diagonal collision, ODB (offset deformal barrier test: offset collision), collision speed, generated G, etc.), strength and rigidity of the vehicle body (presence or absence of slide structure, rail mounting part (body) with slide structure) It also depends on the strength and rigidity of

【0026】

FIG. 3A shows an example in which the sub-assemblies 4a and 4b are arranged so that the pipe 13 protrudes from the rear end of the region A, and FIG. 3B shows an example in which the pipe 13 protrudes from the front end of the region A. This is an example of arranging sub-assemblies 4a and 4b in. The shape of the convex surface portion 14 also differs depending on the positions of the sub-assemblies 4a and 4b. Further, since the bottom surface of the seat frame 3 and the upper surface (pad main line) N near the center of the cushion member 2 are not parallel to each other, the amount of protrusion of the pipe 13 is also in front of the above region A depending on the positions of the sub-assemblies 4a and 4b. In that case, the lengths of the arms 6 and 16 supporting the pipe 13 are also different from those in FIG. 3 (a).

【0027】

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (a), the sub-assembly 4a on the right side of the occupant restraint device is supported by a substantially rectangular tubular casing 5 and a support portion 7 on the casing 5 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. An arm 6 as a power transmission means, a power generator 8 received by the casing 5 to drive the arm 6, and a one-way lock mechanism 9 supported by the casing 5 near the operating end of the power generator 8. It is composed of. The free end portion of the piston rod 21b of the piston member 21 described later of the power generator 8 is connected to the arm 6 by inserting the pin 12 into the elongated hole 6b provided at a position offset from the support portion 7 of the arm 6. Further, the pin 12 is guided in the protruding direction by inserting the pin 12 into the elongated hole 5c provided in the casing 5.

【0028】

Here, as shown in FIG. 5B, the casing 5 closes the main body portion 5a having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens on one side surface (right side in the drawing) and the opening of the main body portion 5a. After receiving the power generator 8 and the one-way lock mechanism 9 from the side to the main body 5a of the casing 5, the lid 5b is closed and the claw 5f is crimped into the casing 5. These are fixed and held.

【0029】

The main body portion 5a and the lid portion 5b are curved along the contour of the cylinder 23 described later of the power generator 8. In addition, the flange of the cylinder 23 is located at the bottom of the U-shaped cross section of the main body 5a (right side of FIG. 5 (b)) and at the middle of the flat cross section of the lid 5b (left side of FIG. 5 (b)). Holes 5d and 5e for engaging 23b are formed. Since the main body 5a and the lid 5b are curved in this way, the contour of the receiving surface of the flange 23b in the holes 5d and 5e is also curved and the area is widened, and the holes 5d and 5e are the main bodies. Looking at the cross sections of 5a and the lid 5b, they are closed at the top and bottom, and the top and bottom cross sections are substantially symmetrical with respect to the cylinder 23, so the strength against impact during operation of the occupant restraint device is improved. doing. The casing 5 is fastened to the seat frame 3 with a support portion 7 and a fixing portion 10.

【0030】

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the left sub-assembly 4b includes a rectangular tubular casing 15, an arm 16 rotatably supported by the casing 15 with a support portion 17 in the vertical direction, and the one-way lock mechanism. It is composed of a one-way locking mechanism 19 similar to 9 and a rod 18 having an annular groove (or annular thread) or thread groove (or thread) formed on the outer peripheral surface like the piston rod 21b described later. The structure is the same as that of the sub-assembly 4a, except that the power generator is not provided. The casing 15 of the sub-assembly 4b is also composed of a main body portion 15a having a U-shaped cross section that opens on the side surface and a lid portion 15b that closes the opening of the main body portion 15a. After receiving from the side to 15a, the lid 15b is closed and the claw 15f is crimped to fix and hold it in the casing 15. Holes 15d and 15e for engaging the one-way lock mechanism 19 are formed at the bottom of the U-shaped cross section of the main body 15a and at the middle of the flat cross section of the lid 15b. The sub-assembly 4b is fastened to the seat frame 3 with a support portion 17 and a fixing portion 20.

【0031】

Reference numerals 7a and 17a are rubber rings for absorbing attachments such as dimensional errors between the sub-assembly 4a and the sub-assembly 4b and the seat frame 3.

【0032】

As shown in FIG. 7, the power generator 8 includes a cylinder 23 fixed to the casing 5, a piston body 21a shuntably received in the inner hole 23a of the cylinder 23, and a base end rather than the piston body 21a. It has a gas generator 24 received on the side. An elastic sealing member 25 and a compression coil spring 26 are interposed between the piston body 21a and the gas generator 24 to constantly urge the piston body 21a in the operating direction (protruding direction). The seal member 25 may be elastic as long as it has elasticity in the axial direction and can reliably prevent leakage when gas is generated.

【0033】

A one-way lock mechanism 9 is provided at the tip of the power generator 8. The one-way lock mechanism 9 includes an engaging piece 29 for selectively engaging with the outer periphery of the piston rod 21b inside the casing 28 fixed to the casing 5 so as to cover the outer periphery of the piston member 21. The structure is such that the unit 29 receives the spring 30 that urges the piston member 21 on the base end side, that is, on the cylinder 23 side. The outer peripheral surface of the engaging piece 29 is gradually reduced in diameter from the free end side to the base end side of the piston member 21. Further, the inside of the casing 28 is composed of a large diameter portion 28a and a tapered portion 28b that gradually narrows from the large diameter portion 28a. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 7, the engaging piece 29 is urged by the spring 30 and pressed by the tapered portion 28b to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the piston member 21, but when the piston member 21 moves in the protruding direction. The engaging piece 29 also moves in the direction in which the piston member 21 protrudes against the urging force of the spring 30, reaches the large diameter portion 28a, and separates from the piston member 21, so that the piston member 21 moves freely. On the contrary, when the piston member 21 is moved in the immersive direction, the engaging piece 29 moves to the tapered portion 28b due to the urging force of the spring 30 and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the piston member 21 to fix them. ing. Here, an annular groove (or an annular thread) or a thread groove (or thread) 21c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the piston rod 21b. An annular groove (or annular thread) or thread groove (or thread) corresponding to the groove 21c is also formed on the inner peripheral surface of the engaging piece 29. Therefore, when the piston member 21 is to be moved in the immersive direction, the inner peripheral surface of the engaging piece 29 and the outer peripheral surface of the piston member 21 are engaged with each other, and both are firmly fixed and the position is maintained. It has become like.

【0034】

In the above configuration, one engaging piece 29 is used to engage a part of the outer peripheral surface of the piston rod 21b, but a plurality of engaging pieces are used over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the piston rod 21b. It may be configured to engage.

【0035】

The occupant restraint device is composed of the left and right sub-assemblies 4a and 4b arranged as described above, the pipe 13, and the impact generation detecting means and the controlling means including an acceleration sensor (not shown).

【0036】

Next, the operation procedure of this embodiment will be described. First, when an impact such as a collision is detected by a sensor or the like (not shown), gas is generated in the gas generator 24, and the internal pressure of the cylinder 23 rapidly increases, so that a thrust force is generated in the protruding direction of the piston member 21. Then, the free end side of the piston member 21 instantly protrudes from the cylinder 23. Then, the arm 6 connected to the free end of the piston rod 21b rotates clockwise as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 2, the arm 16 also follows, and the pipe 13 moves (protrudes) upward. At this time, the cushion member is almost crushed and can be ignored. The protruding pipe 13 acts directly on the sciatic nerve of the occupant who is trying to move forward to stop the forward movement of the buttocks and the lumbar region, prevent the submarine phenomenon, and start the deceleration of the occupant lumbar region at an early stage. Along with this, the deceleration of the chest and head is also started early in combination with the action of the seat belt 11 (solid lines in FIGS. 8 (a), 8 (b), and 8 (c)). This can reduce the peak deceleration of the chest and head. Fig. 8 (a), Fig. 8 (b), and Fig. 8 (c) show the deceleration (broken line) of the occupant's waist, chest, and head when an impact such as a collision of a vehicle with only a seatbelt occurs, and the seatbelt. In addition, the deceleration (imaginary line) of the occupant's waist, chest, and head when an impact such as a collision of a vehicle equipped with a conventional occupant restraint device that lifts the occupant's knee near the tip of the seat occurs is also shown.

【0037】

In addition, suppressing the anterior movement of the lumbar region also suppresses the anterior movement of the lower body side, so that interference between the knees and ankles and the anterior wall is also prevented or reduced.

【0038】

The gas generation by the gas generator 24 ends and the driving force of the power generator 8 disappears, but the one-way lock mechanisms 9 and 19 prevent the pipe 13 that has moved upward from returning downward. Then, the pipe 13 is deformed to absorb the impact together with the seat belt and decelerate the occupant.

【0039】

In this configuration, the power generator 8 is provided only on the right side of the seat, but it may be provided on both the left and right sides. If power generators are provided on both the left and right sides, one power generator can be miniaturized, and the device does not become locally large.

【0040】

FIG. 9 is a diagram similar to FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) showing another embodiment to which the present invention is applied. In this configuration, the sub-assemblies 4a and 4b are provided so as to be in the opposite directions to the above configuration. That is, the tilting shafts of the arms 6 and 16 are provided on the front side thereof, and the arms 6 and 16 tilt forward and upward to stand up. The power generator 8 is also provided in front of the arms 6, 16 and the pipe 13. As a result, the load is received in the substantially buckling direction of the arm instead of the return direction of the arm, and the arm can be shortened. Therefore, the lock mechanism can be simplified and the power generator 8 can reduce the weight of the occupant near the knee. It will be in a position where it will not participate, and the cushion at the position where the weight of the occupant will be applied can be thickened, improving the riding comfort.

【0041】

In this configuration, the seat frame 3 may be slidably supported in the front-rear direction on the seat rail fixed to the vehicle body via the slider, and may be fixed at a desired position by the seat adjuster mechanism.

【0042】

[Effect of the invention]

As is clear from the above description, according to the vehicle occupant restraint device according to the present invention, the occupant for restraining the lower body of the occupant in the vehicle provided with the means for restraining the upper body of the occupant in the event of an impact such as a collision. The restraint device drives the anti-slip member that is movably supported by the left and right casings fixed to the seat frame so that the occupant can project upward to suppress the forward movement of the occupant, and the anti-slip member when an impact such as a vehicle collision occurs. The anti-slip member is provided with a power generator that projects upward from the lower end of the seat bone when the occupant is seated faster than the occupant is restrained by the upper body restraining means, and the center between the upper and lower joints of the occupant's thigh. By contacting the part closer to the buttock and suppressing the forward movement of the occupant's buttock, the occupant does not slip forward from the lower part of the seat belt when an impact occurs, and the occupant can be efficiently restrained. it can. In addition, the deceleration of the occupant's lumbar region (buttocks) can be started at an early stage, and by pressing the occupant's lumbar region, the deceleration of the head and chest can be started quickly, and the peak of deceleration is lowered. be able to. In particular, the effect is remarkable by using a seat belt including a waist belt that restrains the waist of the occupant. In addition, since the amount of protrusion is 20 mm or more from the lower end of the ischial bone when the occupant is seated, the forward movement of the occupant's buttocks can be reliably suppressed. Further, it is preferable that the slip-out prevention member protrudes at a position of 80 mm to 220 mm from the lower end position of the ischium when the occupant is seated. This is the position where the anti-slip member comes into contact with the lumbar or buttock area rather than the center between the upper and lower joints of the thigh in the case of a standard (50th percentile) Japanese adult male. More specifically, since the lower end position of the ischium is usually 100 mm to 130 mm from the rear end of the cushion member of the seat, the position 80 mm to 220 mm forward from the lower end position of the ischium is the rear end of the cushion member 2 of the seat. It will be 180mm to 350mm in front of you.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

The perspective view which shows the main part structure of the vehicle seat device to which this invention was applied.

[Figure 2]

The side view which shows the arrangement of the occupant restraint device of the vehicle seat 1 to which this invention is applied.

[Fig. 3]

(a) and (b) are side views similar to FIG. 2 showing an arrangement example of the sub-assemblies 4a and 4b.

[Fig. 4]

The exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the sub-assembly 4a, 4b of the occupant restraint device to which this invention was applied.

[Fig. 5]

(a) is a side view of the right sub-assembly 4a provided with the power generator of the occupant restraint device to which the present invention is applied, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of line IIIb-IIIb of (a). ..

[Fig. 6]

The side view seen from the outside of the sub-assembly 4b on the left side which does not provide the power generator of the occupant restraint device to which this invention is applied.

[Fig. 7]

The cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the power generator of the occupant restraint device to which this invention is applied.

[Fig. 8]

(a), (b), and (c) are graphs showing the deceleration of the occupant's waist, chest, and head when a vehicle impact occurs.

[Fig. 9]

The same figure as FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 3 (b) which shows the main part structure of the vehicle seat device in still another embodiment to which this invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Vehicle seat 2 Seat cushion 3 seat frame 4a, 4b Sub-assembly of occupant restraint device 5 casing 5a body 5b lid 5c long hole 5d, 5e holes 5f nails 6 arm 6a Free end 6b long hole 7 Support 7a rubber ring 8 Power generator 9 One-way lock mechanism 10 Fixed part 11 Seat belt 12 pin 13 Pipe (slip prevention member) 14 Convex surface 15 Casing 15a body 15b lid 15c long hole 15d, 15e holes 15f nails 16 arm 16a Free end 17 Support 17a rubber ring 18 rod 19 One-way lock mechanism 20 Fixed part 21 Piston member 21a Piston body 21b piston rod 21c thread groove 23 cylinder 23a Inner hole 23b flange 24 Gas generator 25 Seal member 26 compression coil spring 28 Casing 28a Large diameter part 28b taper part 28c Engagement groove 29 Engagement piece 30 springs