PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION AIRBAG DEVICE

摘要

A pedestrian protection airbag device is mountable proximate to a rear end of a vehicle hood. An airbag includes a horizontal inflatable portion deployable over a lower region of a front windshield and a pair of vertical inflatable portions extending rearward from opposite ends of the horizontal inflatable portion for covering front surfaces of front pillars. The horizontal inflatable portion includes an upper reach region that is deployable at a front region thereof and a lower reach region deployable at the rear of the upper reach region. A gas outlet region is provided at the rear edge of the upper reach region and inward relative to the vertical inflatable portions in a left and right direction as inflated, such that an inflation gas having flown out of the upper reach region via the gas outlet region flows through the lower reach region and then flows into the vertical inflatable portions.

主权项

1. A pedestrian protection airbag device adapted to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
an airbag housed in a housing that is adapted to be mounted proximate to a rear end of a vehicle hood and proximate to a center of a space between front pillars, the airbag being folded up in front and rear- and left and right directions; a horizontal inflatable portion of the airbag that is deployable into a generally rod shape extending in a left and right direction over a lower region of a front windshield located at the rear of the vehicle hood; a pair of vertical inflatable portions of the airbag that extend rearward from opposite ends of the horizontal inflatable portion for covering front surfaces of the front pillars, each of the vertical inflatable portions being folded back toward the horizontal inflatable portion when the airbag is folded up to be housed in the housing; an inflator that is connected with a front side of the horizontal inflatable portion for feeding an inflation gas to the airbag; an upper reach region of the horizontal inflatable portion that is located in a front region of the horizontal inflatable portion as inflated, the upper reach region being connected to the inflator and located at an upper reach of a stream of an inflation gas; a lower reach region of the horizontal inflatable portion that is deployable at the rear of the upper reach region; and a gas outlet region that is located at a rear edge of the upper reach region as inflated and inward relative to the vertical inflatable portions in a left and right direction for letting out an inflation gas toward a rear edge of the lower reach region, such that an inflation gas having flown out of the upper reach region via the gas outlet region flows through the lower reach region and then into the vertical inflatable portions.