Air bag device for motorcycle

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a motorcycle airbag device for buffering an impact on an occupant due to a collision or subsequent behavior.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as an airbag device for motorcycles, for example, a large number of small airbags are attached to the exterior surface of a joint-shaped clothing body, and a large number of small airbags are attached to the occupant himself. When a collision is detected, each small airbag is attached. It is known that a compressed gas is introduced into the airbag to inflate the small airbag, and the impact on the occupant is alleviated by its cushioning action (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-81842).

【0003】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in the conventional airbag device, the airbag is attached to the occupant's body itself. When sitting on a motorcycle, the occupant must always wear the airbag, which causes a feeling of resistance and crampedness.

【0004】

There is a natural limit to the size and capacity of the airbag so that it does not interfere with the occupant's driving skills, and it is necessary to consider the normal folding shape and size.

【0005】

The occupants have the trouble of putting on and taking off the airbag device each time they get on and off.

【0006】

There is the hassle of having to store the removed airbag device in a storage compartment or carry it with you.

【0007】

There is a problem.

【0008】

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a new airbag for motorcycles in which all the airbag devices are equipped on the vehicle body side to solve the above-mentioned problems and to secure the shock mitigating performance to the occupants. The purpose is to provide the device.

【0009】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 1, there is an airbag device for a motorcycle, in which an occupant can be restrained and buffered by expanding and deploying an airbag provided on a vehicle body. The bag consists of a front bag portion that faces the front surface of the occupant when it is expanded and deployed, and a left and right side bag portion that is integrally extended rearward from both the left and right sides of the front bag portion and faces the left and right side surfaces of the occupant. It is characterized by being configured to cling to the occupant's body.

【0010】

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, the free ends of the left and right side bag portions approach each other so as to restrain and buffer both sides of the back surface of the occupant. It is characterized by being caught in the direction.

【0011】

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 3, in the invention of claim 1, in order to improve the adhesion of the airbag to the occupant's clothing on the surface facing the occupant. , It is characterized in that an adhesive member is provided.

【0012】

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claim 1, the airbag module provided with the airbag can move forward with respect to the vehicle body in the event of a collision. It is characterized by.

【0013】

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 5, the airbag module provided with the airbag is characterized in that it can be detached from the vehicle body after expansion and deployment. There is.

【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】

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle equipped with the airbag device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a two-line view of FIG. Top view of the motorcycle along, Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the partially broken part along line 3-3 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag module along line 4-4 in Fig. 3. , FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the airbag module when the airbag is expanded and deployed, FIG. 6 is a perspective view when the airbag is expanded and deployed, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the motorcycle when the airbag is expanded and deployed. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the motorcycle along the line 8-line arrow of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the motorcycle showing a state in which the airbag is separated from the motorcycle.

【0016】

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the front wheels Wf are rotatably supported by the front fork 2 which is rotatably supported by the front part of the body frame 1 which forms the skeleton of the body B of the motorcycle, and the body frame 1 A rear wheel Wr is supported on the swing arm 3 which is oscillatedly suspended at the rear. A fuel tank 4 is mounted on the upper part of the front half of the vehicle body frame 1, and a seat 5 is supported on the rear seat rail. Most of the body frame 1 is covered with the front cowl 6 and the rear cowl 7. The body frame 1, the fuel tank 4, the front cowl 6, the rear cowl 7, and the like constitute the body B of the motorcycle.

【0017】

A concave portion 8 having an open front surface formed in a rectangular shape in the front-rear direction is formed in the left-right center portion of the upper surface of the fuel tank 4, and the impact on the occupant due to a collision is formed in the concave portion 8. Equipped with airbag module M for mitigation.

【0018】

Next, the configuration of the airbag module M and its mounting structure will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

【0019】

Left and right guide rails 9l, 9r extending in the front-rear direction over substantially the entire length are formed on the left and right inner side surfaces of the recess 8, and the front ends of these guide rails 9l, 9r are opened forward. The left and right guide rails 9l and 9r are slidably fitted to the left and right guide rails 9l and 9r via a resistance-imparting material 11 formed of a synthetic resin material or the like on both left and right edges of the slide frame 10 formed in a vertical cross-sectional channel shape. .. A mounting frame 12 is fixed on the bottom wall of the slide frame 10, and the lower opening of the airbag housing 14 formed in a cap shape by a lightweight material such as a synthetic resin material is mounted on the mounting frame 12. .. The airbag housing 14 is a storage unit 14 capable of accommodating the airbag module M.₁And this storage part 14₁Lid that closes the upper surface of the opening 14₂It is composed of and storage part 14₁And lid 14₂Hinge 14 at each of the left and right boundary corners₃Is formed, and the lid 14₂Is an I-shaped, notched break line from the center of the left and right to the front and back edges.₄Is formed. As will be described later, when an impact force exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the motorcycle, the breaking line 14 is shown in FIG.₄Is torn and the lid 14₂Is the hinge part 14₃It is designed to be opened upward with the fulcrum.

【0020】

In the airbag housing 14, the airbag module M is attached to the mounting frame 12, and the airbag module M includes an airbag 16 and an inflator 17 that generates gas for expanding and deploying the airbag 16. The airbag 16 has an opening 16 on its underside.₁It is formed in a bag shape and is housed in an airbag housing 14 in a folded state, and its opening 16₁The outer peripheral portion of the inflator 17 is airtightly fixed to the base 18 fixed to the base 18, and the inflator 17 is integrally supported on the mounting frame 12.

【0021】

As is clearly shown in FIG. 6, the shape of the airbag 16 when expanded and inflated is such that the airbag 16 surrounds both the left and right sides from the front surface of the occupant R and extends to the rear surface so as to cling to the body of the occupant R. The bag portion 16f and the left and right side bag portions 16s and 16s that are curved inward from both the left and right sides and are extended rearward are formed in a C-shaped cross section, and the height thereof is seated on the seat 5. It is formed so as to cover the face and upper body of the occupant R. The material of the airbag 16 is made of a polyamide-based base cloth having high tensile strength, coated with a coating material such as neoprene material for preventing gas leakage, and also in order to easily adhere to the clothes of the occupant R. , Adhesive members 19 such as surface fasteners and adhesive members are integrally laminated on the surface facing the occupant.

【0022】

A vent hole 20 provided with a pressure regulating valve is opened at an appropriate position of the airbag 16, and when the internal pressure of the airbag 16 during expansion and deployment exceeds a predetermined value, high-pressure gas passes through the vent hole 20 to the outside. It is released.

【0023】

As shown in FIG. 1, an impact detection sensor S such as a G sensor is provided at the front portion of the vehicle body frame 1, and the detection signal of this sensor S operates the inflator 17 to inject high pressure gas into the airbag 16. Supply to.

【0024】

Next, mainly in FIG. 1, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. When a motorcycle collides with an obstacle such as another vehicle, the collision detection sensor S detects it. By this detection signal, the inflator 17 operates to generate high pressure gas, and this gas is folded into the airbag 16 and its opening 16₁As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the airbag 16 is expanded and deployed, in which the front bag portion 16f faces the front of the upper body of the occupant R, and the left and right side bag portions 16s and 16s It clings to the body of the occupant R so as to face each other from the left and right sides of the upper body of the occupant R to the rear surface. Then, the airbag 16 is attached to the occupant R by the adhesive member 19 such as the surface facener provided on each facing surface with the occupant R adheres to the clothes of the occupant R.

【0025】

The internal pressure inside the airbag 16 is adjusted to a predetermined value most suitable for shock absorbing of the occupant R by the vent hole 20 provided in the airbag 16 provided with a pressure regulating valve.

【0026】

On the other hand, the slide frame 10, which supports the airbag module M including the airbag 16, receives an inertial force at the time of impact and is guided by the left and right guide rails 9l and 9r in the recess 8 to slide forward. At that time, the slide frame 10 slides forward while absorbing impact energy due to the load of the occupant R, the airbag module M, etc. and the slide resistance of the resistance imparting material 11. As a result, the impact applied to the occupant R is reduced as much as possible by the restraining action due to the expansion and deployment of the airbag 16 and the shock absorbing action due to the forward movement of the slide frame 10.

【0027】

When the impact at the time of a collision is large, as shown in FIG. 9, the slide frame 10 is separated from the left and right guide rails 9l and 9r, and the occupant R is separated from the motorcycle while being restrained by the airbag 16. The impact on the occupant R can be minimized by the cooperation of the buffer absorption action of the impact energy due to the forward slide movement of the slide frame 10 and the restraint action of the occupant R by the airbag 16.

【0028】

Although the examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the examples, and various examples are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the airbag module is provided in the fuel tank, but it may be provided in another vehicle body portion such as a vehicle body frame, and in the above embodiment, the airbag is provided by an adhesive member by an occupant. Although it is designed to be adhered and held to the occupant, it may be adhered and held to the occupant only by the attachment of the airbag itself.

【0029】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the invention described in each claim, the occupant does not have to wear the airbag device in advance. Therefore, the occupant does not feel resistance or cramped during normal driving, and can wear the airbag device. There is no hassle of taking it off, carrying it, or storing it.

【0030】

In addition, the airbag, which is the main part of the airbag device, has the front bag part and the left and right side bag parts integrally formed after the expansion and deployment, so that the airbag is attached to the occupant and maintained in a state of being attached to the occupant. Therefore, the occupant can be restrained and buffered at the time of a collision and subsequent secondary and tertiary impacts, and the occupant buffering performance can be dramatically improved.

【0031】

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since the airbag module is movable with respect to the vehicle body at the time of a collision, in addition to the occupant restraint buffering action of the airbag, the shock absorbing action due to the movement of the airbag module causes. Impact mitigation performance for occupants is further enhanced.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

Side view of a motorcycle equipped with an airbag device [Figure 2]

Top view of a motorcycle along the two-line arrow in Fig. 1. [Fig. 3]

Enlarged side view of a partially broken part along line 3-3 in Fig. 2. [Fig. 4]

Enlarged vertical section of the airbag module along lines 4-4 in Figure 3. [Fig. 5]

Longitudinal section of the airbag module when the airbag is expanded and deployed [Fig. 6]

Perspective view of airbag inflated and deployed [Fig. 7]

Side view of a motorcycle when the airbag is inflated and deployed [Fig. 8]

Top view of a motorcycle along the 8-line arrow in Fig. 7 [Fig. 9]

Side view of a motorcycle showing the airbag away from the motorcycle [Explanation of symbols]

B Body M Airbag module R Crew 16 Airbag 16f Front bag 16r Side bag 19 Adhesive member