Occupant knee part protection device for vehicle

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

In the present invention, the occupant protection device mounted on the vehicle, particularly the airbag bag body folded and arranged in front of the occupant's knee, expands and expands due to the gas supplied from the inflator at the time of the vehicle collision to expand the occupant's knee. Regarding the occupant knee protection device for vehicles that is designed to protect the vehicle.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

In this type of vehicle occupant knee protection device, when the airbag bag body folded and arranged in front of the occupant's knee expands and expands due to the gas supplied from the inflator, the airbag bag body is the instrument panel and the occupant. Expands and expands in the space between the knee and the knee (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

【0003】

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-123862 [0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

By the way, the space where the airbag bag expands and expands is a narrow space between the instrument panel and the occupant's knee, and when viewed from the side, the position where the airbag bag is folded and arranged. It is a space that exists diagonally upward from (the storage position of the airbag bag body). Therefore, when the airbag bag body does not expand and expand accurately toward the space, the expanding and expanding airbag bag body may interfere with the occupant's knees / lower limbs, the instrument panel, and the like.

【0005】

[Summary of Invention]

In order to deal with the above-mentioned problems, the present invention protects the occupant's knee by expanding and deploying the airbag bag body folded and arranged in front of the occupant's knee by the gas supplied from the inflator at the time of a vehicle collision. In the vehicle occupant knee protection device as described above, when the airbag bag body is expanded and deployed, the expansion and deployment of the instrument panel side base cloth in the airbag bag body is promoted as compared with the expansion and deployment of the occupant side base cloth. It is characterized by the provision of deployment promotion means to make it.

【0006】

In this case, the deployment promoting means reduces the elongation rate of the airbag bag body by reducing the substantial elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth with respect to the substantial stretch rate of the occupant side base cloth. It can also be a means. Further, in the stretch ratio reducing means, the weave direction of the instrument panel side base cloth is substantially parallel to the expansion / deployment direction of the airbag bag body, and the weave direction of the occupant side base cloth is the air bag bag body. The instrument panel side base cloth is slanted with respect to the expansion and deployment direction, and the substantial elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth is made smaller than the substantial elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth. The weave density of the instrument panel side base fabric is made larger than the weave density of the occupant side base cloth, and the substantial elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth is made smaller than the substantial elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth. A tack portion that is attached to the instrument panel side base cloth, or is provided on the instrument panel side base cloth and extends and disappears when the expansion and deployment of the airbag bag body is completed. It is also possible to be.

【0007】

According to the present invention, when the airbag bag body is expanded and expanded, the expansion and expansion of the instrument panel side base cloth in the airbag bag body can be promoted as compared with the expansion and expansion of the occupant side base cloth by the expansion promoting means. Therefore, the airbag bag body can be expanded and expanded diagonally upward from the storage position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inflatable and deployable airbag bag body from interfering with the occupant's knees / lower limbs, the instrument panel, and the like, and improve the inflatable and deployable property of the airbag bag body.

【0008】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 schematically show an embodiment of a vehicle occupant knee protection device (a knee airbag device that can be implemented in a driver's seat or a passenger seat) according to the present invention, and the occupant knee portion of this embodiment is shown. In the protective device, the knee airbag module 10 is assembled to the instrument panel force 23 via the panel 21 and the pair of left and right brackets 22 at a position approximately equal to the knee B of the occupant A, and the panel. It is attached to the lower end 24a of the instrument panel 24 via 21.

【0009】

The knee airbag module 10 accommodates an airbag bag body 11 that can be expanded and deployed in front of the knee portion B of occupant A, and an inflator 12 that supplies gas to the airbag bag body 11 in the event of a vehicle collision. The airbag case 13 and the airbag cover 14 that covers the rear opening of the airbag case 13 are provided.

【0010】

The air bag bag body 11 is made of a woven fabric as a base cloth, and is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape with respect to the occupant A by sewing the base cloth, and the airtight holding force of the woven cloth, which is the base cloth, is formed on the surface thereof. An airtightness enhancer (for example, silicone) is applied to enhance the air-tightness, and as shown in FIG. 1, it is folded and stored in the airbag case 13. Further, the airbag bag body 11 protrudes rearward from the airbag case 13 at the time of expansion and deployment, and expands and expands between the instrument panel 24 and the knee portion B of the occupant A as shown in FIG. 3, and the occupant A It is designed to protect the knee B of the body.

【0011】

The inflator 12 operates when the acceleration detected by the corresponding sensor (not shown) is equal to or higher than the set value at the time of a vehicle collision to eject and supply gas into the airbag bag body 11, and the airbag. It is assembled to the case 13 together with the airbag bag body 11. The airbag case 13 is made of sheet metal and is formed in a horizontally long shape and has an opening toward the rear, so that the rear opening coincides with the opening 21a provided at the lower end of the panel 21 and is formed on the panel 21. It is assembled.

【0012】

The airbag cover 14 is made of resin and is formed in a horizontally long shape, and is assembled to the airbag case 13 and the panel 21 to cover the rear opening of the airbag case 13 and the opening 21a of the panel 21. Further, in the airbag cover 14, the portion corresponding to the rear opening of the airbag case 13 and the opening 21a of the panel 21 is a horizontally long rectangular door portion, and this door portion is formed when the airbag bag body 11 is expanded and deployed. It is formed so that it opens with a downward opening.

【0013】

The panel 21 is formed of a thin plate into a predetermined shape and can absorb energy by plastic deformation. As shown in FIG. 2, the panel 21 is connected to the rear end of each bracket 22 by the upper end mounting portion 21b. At the same time, it is connected to the lower end of the instrument panel 24 by the lower end mounting portion 21c. Beads (overhanging reinforcing portions) 21d extending in the vertical direction are formed at both left and right ends of the panel 21.

【0014】

The bracket 22 is formed of a thick plate into a predetermined shape and can absorb energy by plastic deformation. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the bracket 22 is fixed to the instrument panel force 23 at the tip portion 22a. The middle portion has two bent portions that bend downward.

【0015】

By the way, in this embodiment, the weave direction (extending direction of the warp or weft) of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a in the airbag bag 11 is as shown schematically in FIG. The fabric is cut so as to be substantially parallel to the expansion / deployment direction of the airbag, and the weave direction of the occupant side base cloth 11b is relative to the expansion / deployment direction of the airbag bag body 11 as schematically shown in FIG. It is cut so as to be slanted, and the substantial elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a when the airbag bag body 11 is expanded and deployed is smaller than the substantial elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth 11b. Has been done.

【0016】

Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the airbag bag body 11 is expanded and expanded, the expansion and expansion of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a in the airbag bag body 11 is promoted as compared with the expansion and expansion of the occupant side base cloth 11b. The airbag bag body 11 can be expanded and expanded diagonally upward from the storage position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inflatable and deployable airbag bag body 11 from interfering with the knee portion B or the lower limbs of the occupant A or the instrument panel 24 and the like, and improve the inflatable and deployable property of the airbag bag body 11. Is.

【0017】

In the above embodiment, as schematically shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the weave direction of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a is substantially parallel to the expansion / deployment direction of the airbag bag body 11 on the occupant side. The weave direction of the base cloth 11b is oblique to the expansion and deployment direction of the airbag bag body 11, and the substantial elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a is compared with the substantial elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth 11b. However, as shown schematically in FIGS. 6 and 7, the weave density of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a was increased compared to the weave density of the occupant side base cloth 11b, and the instrument panel was made smaller. It is also possible to make the substantial elongation of the side base cloth 11a smaller than the substantial elongation of the occupant side base cloth 11b.

【0018】

Further, as schematically shown in FIG. 8, the strap 11c attached to the instrument panel side base cloth 11a (the size and the attachment position can be changed as appropriate) is used to substantially the instrument panel side base cloth 11a. The elongation rate should be made smaller than the actual elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth 11b, or as shown schematically in FIG. 9, the airbag bag body 11 is extended when the expansion and deployment is completed. The tack portion 11a1 that disappears is provided on the instrument panel side base cloth 11a so that the substantial elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a is smaller than the substantial elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth 11b. Is also possible. The tack portion 11a1 is formed by folding a part of the instrument panel side base cloth 11a inward and suturing it with, for example, a weak thread.

【0019】

Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention has been carried out in the embodiment in which the inflator 12 is provided inside the airbag bag body 11, but the present invention is also in the embodiment in which the inflator is provided outside the airbag bag body. It can be carried out in the same manner or with appropriate changes.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an embodiment of a vehicle occupant knee protection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the knee airbag module shown in FIG. 1 and a panel, a bracket, and an instrument panel force.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the airbag bag body of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a state where expansion and deployment are completed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between the weave direction of the instrument panel side base fabric and the deployment direction of the airbag bag body shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between the weave direction of the occupant side base cloth and the deployment direction of the airbag bag body shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the weave density of the instrument panel side base fabric.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the weave density of the occupant side base fabric.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment in which a strap attached to an instrument panel side base cloth has a substantially elongation rate of the instrument panel side base cloth smaller than a substantial elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth. It is a figure which shows.

FIG. 9 is provided with a tack portion on the instrument panel side base cloth that expands and disappears when the expansion and deployment of the airbag bag is completed, and the substantial elongation ratio of the instrument panel side base cloth is set to the actual elongation rate of the occupant side base cloth. It is a figure which shows typically the embodiment which was made smaller than the specific elongation rate.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... knee airbag module, 11 ... airbag bag body, 11a ... instrument panel side base cloth, 11a1 ... tack part, 11b ... occupant side base cloth, 11c ... strap , 12 ... Inflator, 13 ... Airbag Case, 21 ... Panel, 22 ... Bracket, 23 ... Instrument Panel Force, 24 ... Instrument Panel, A ... Crew, B ... Knee.