Occupant protection device
View Patent ↗An occupant protection device is applied to a vehicle including a front seat and a rear seat, and includes a first protection device and a second protection device. The first protection device includes a first gas generator and a first side airbag, which is inflated and deployed between an occupant seated in the front seat and a side portion of the vehicle by gas generated by the first gas generator. The second protection device includes a second gas generator and a second side airbag, which is inflated and deployed between an occupant seated in the rear seat and a side portion of the vehicle by gas generated by the second gas generator. The thickness of the inflated second side airbag in the vehicle width direction is set greater than the thickness of the inflated first side airbag in the vehicle width direction.
1. An occupant protection device applied to a vehicle including a front seat and a rear seat, the device comprising:
a first protection device including a first gas generator and a first side airbag, which is inflated and deployed between an occupant seated in the front seat and a side portion of the vehicle by gas generated by the first gas generator; and
a second protection device including a second gas generator and a second side airbag, which is inflated and deployed between an occupant seated in the rear seat and a side portion of the vehicle by gas generated by the second gas generator,
wherein the thickness of the inflated second side airbag in the vehicle width direction is set greater than the thickness of the inflated first side airbag in the vehicle width direction; and
wherein the thickness of the inflated first side airbag is defined as the thickness of a portion of the inflated first side airbag that is the greatest in the vehicle width direction.
2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the thickness of the inflated second side airbag in the vehicle width direction to the thickness of the inflated first side airbag in the vehicle width direction is in the range of 2.5 to 3.5.
3. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inflated first side airbag in the width direction is set in the range of 50 mm to 150 mm, and
wherein the upper limit of the thickness of the inflated second airbag in the vehicle width direction is 300 mm.
4. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the internal pressure of the inflated second side airbag is set greater than the internal pressure of the inflated first side airbag.
5. The occupant protection device according to claim 4 , wherein the ratio of the internal pressure of the inflated second side airbag to the internal pressure of the inflated first side airbag is in the range of 1.5 to 2.5.
6. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second side airbag is inflated and deployed between the upper body of the occupant above the lumbar region and the side portion of the vehicle.
7. The occupant protection device according to claim 6 , wherein the second side airbag is inflated and deployed between at least the shoulder region of the occupant and the side portion of the vehicle.
8. The occupant protection device according to claim 6 , wherein the second side airbag is inflated and deployed between a region including the shoulder region and the chest region of the occupant and the side portion of the vehicle.
9. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inflated second side airbag is defined as the thickness of a portion of the inflated second side airbag that is the greatest in the vehicle width direction.
10. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first protection device is mounted to the front seat and the second protection device is mounted to the rear seat.
11. The occupant protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the front seat is the front-most seat on a side of the vehicle and the rear seat is the second front-most seat on the same side of the vehicle.