Radiant energy – Ionic separation or analysis – Static field-type ion path-bending selecting means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-31
2001-12-25
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Radiant energy
Ionic separation or analysis
Static field-type ion path-bending selecting means
C280S743100, C280S743100, C280S748000, C280S728100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333515
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application is the national phase of international application PCT/JP97/04006 filed Nov. 4, 1997 which designated the U.S.
The present invention relates to a structure of arranging an vehicle occupant protecting apparatus for an automotive vehicle which expands a bag, which is housed along a front pillar portion and a roof side rail portion in a folded state, toward an inner side of a vehicle cabin in a side portion of a vehicle body in a curtain manner by a gas injected from an inflator at a time when a predetermined high load is applied to the side portion of the vehicle body.
BACKGROUND ART
There has been already proposed an vehicle occupant protecting apparatus which expands a bag, which is housed between a front pillar portion and a roof side rail portion in a folded manner along a window glass in a curtain manner, so as to improve a protecting performance for a head portion of the vehicle occupant at a time when a predetermined high load is applied to the side portion of the vehicle body. A structure shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-227340 which discloses an vehicle occupant protecting apparatus of this kind will be described below.
As shown in
FIG. 55
, an vehicle occupant protecting apparatus
700
is mainly structured by a sensor
702
for detecting a predetermined state of application of high load to a side portion of a vehicle body, an inflator
704
operated by the high load application state detected by the sensor
702
and injecting a gas, and an elongated bag
712
arranged from an upper end portion of a front pillar
706
along a roof side rail
708
and housed within a pillar garnish
710
of the front pillar
706
in a folded state. A front end portion of the bag
712
is connected to an upper end portion of the inflator
704
, and a rear end portion of the bag
712
is positioned at a front portion of a center pillar
714
.
In accordance with the structure described above, when a side collision is detected by the sensor
702
, the inflator
704
is operated so as to inject the gas. Accordingly, the injected gas is supplied to the interior of the bag
712
, and the pillar garnish
710
unfolds due to the an expanding pressure of the bag
712
. As a result, the bag
712
which is expanding in a curtain manner is interposed between the head portion of the vehicle occupant and the side surface of the vehicle cabin.
However, in the case of the vehicle occupant protecting apparatus
700
mentioned above, there is the possibility that at a time when the bag
712
expands, the pillar garnish
710
of the front pillar
706
may break and be scattered, or the pillar garnish
710
may separate from the front pillar
706
and scatter.
The present invention has been made by taking the facts mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure of arranging an vehicle occupant protecting apparatus for an automotive vehicle which can prevent a pillar garnish of a pillar portion from scattering at a time when a bag is expanded.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure of arranging a vehicle occupant protecting apparatus for an automotive vehicle comprising:
an inflator disposed at a predetermined region of a vehicle body and jetting a gas at a time of a side collision;
a bag housed between a front pillar portion and a roof side rail portion in a folded manner, and expanded in a curtain manner to beneath the roof side rail portion within a vehicle cabin by the gas supplied from said inflator;
a pillar garnish which is formed by a trim member disposed at a vehicle cabin inner side of the front pillar portion, and which extends out along a longitudinal direction of the front pillar portion so as to cover a portion of said bag housed in the front pillar portion, an opening for expansion of said bag being formed in said pillar garnish by an expanding pressure when said bag expands; and
scatter preventing means provided at at least one of said pillar garnish and said bag so as to prevent said pillar garnish from scattering at a time when said bag expands.
In accordance with this aspect, when a side collision occurs, the gas jetted from the inflator. Accordingly, the bag housed between the front pillar portion and the roof side rail portion in a folded state expands out to beneath the roof side rail portion within the vehicle cabin in a curtain manner. Therefore, the bag is interposed between the side portion of the vehicle body and the head portion of the vehicle occupant, so that the head portion of the vehicle occupant is protected.
Here, in accordance with this aspect, since the scatter preventing means is provided in at least one of the pillar garnish and the bag, the pillar garnish is prevented from being scattered by an expanding pressure at a time when the bag expands.
In accordance with a second aspect, in the first aspect, the scatter preventing means is a non-expanding portion of the bag which is positioned at a region corresponding to the pillar garnish at a time when the bag expands.
In accordance with this aspect, in the bag, the non-expanding portion is provided at the region corresponding to the pillar garnish at a time when the bag expands. Therefore, the non-expanding portion is positioned within the pillar garnish in a state in which the bag has expanded, and the portion at which the non-expanding portion is not provided is positioned out of the pillar garnish as an expanding portion. Accordingly, a pressing load acting on the pillar garnish can be reduced to the extent that the pressing load does not act on the pillar garnish from the non-expanding portion, in comparison with a case of using a bag having no non-expanding portion. The pillar garnish can be prevented from being scattered by reducing the pressing load.
In accordance with a third aspect, in the first aspect, the scatter preventing means is an unfolding portion which is provided at the pillar garnish and is capable of unfolding such that an opening for an expansion of the bag is formed around an intermediate portion in a widthwise direction of the pillar garnish.
In accordance with this aspect, since the unfolding portion capable of unfolding around the intermediate portion in the widthwise direction of the pillar garnish is provided, the pillar garnish is unfolded around the intermediate portion in the widthwise direction thereof at a time when the bag expands. Accordingly, by forming the pillar garnish in advance to be capable of unfolding around the intermediate portion in the widthwise direction thereof, the operating load against the pillar garnish due to the bag expanding pressure can be avoided, so that concentration of excess stress at the pillar garnish is prevented. The pillar garnish can be prevented from scattering by preventing the concentration of excess stress.
In accordance with a fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the intermediate portion in the widthwise direction of the pillar garnish is a weakened portion.
In accordance with this aspect, since the weakened portion is provided at the intermediate portion in the widthwise direction of the pillar garnish, the pillar garnish can be easily unfolded with the weakened portion as the starting point of unfolding.
In accordance with a fifth aspect, in the third aspect, the unfolding portion is made thinner than the other portions of the pillar garnish.
In accordance with this aspect, since the unfolding portion is made thinner than the other portions of the pillar garnish, the rigidity of this thin portion is lower than that of the other portions. Accordingly, the thin portion can be elastically deformed with ease and unfolded.
In accordance with a sixth aspect, in the third aspect, said pillar garnish is formed so as to include a base member, which is positioned at a vehicle cabin outer side, and an outer skin, which is positioned at a vehicle cabin inner side of the base member, and
the base member is formed by a resin which is softer at one widthwise direction side of the
Aono Masamichi
Kobayashi Fumitake
Kubota Yasushi
Nagai Yutaka
Nakajima Hiroki
Mai Lanna
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
To Toan C
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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