Vehicle rear structure provided with curtain air bag device

• US 7,520,527 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kikkawa, Hideaki, Watanabe, Tsutomu, Nakao, Hiroaki, Hidaka, Shouichirou, Hirata, Motoharu, Yamagiwa, Tsuyoshi, Saiki, Hideharu
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Toan C
• Application Number:
  US11/723,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20070228700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.1, 280/728.2, 280/728.3, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A vehicle rear structure with a curtain air bag device is provided which is capable of, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, effectively restraining a front upper end of a rear pillar trim from breaking and scattering, and spreading a curtain member properly. The air bag device includes a curtain member which is fixed to the body of a vehicle, inflates with a gas pressure supplied when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and spreads so as to cover the interior surface of a side window glass at least from a side end of a roof trim up to a predetermined lower position in the front surface of the rear pillar; a roof side trim is provided between the vicinity of the upper end of the side window glass and the roof trim, and a rear end of the roof side trim is disposed to overlap with the front upper end of the rear pillar trim; and the curtain member spreads from the inner in the vehicle width directions through the boundary part between the rear end of the roof side trim and the front upper end of the rear pillar trim toward a cabin space of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A rear structure of a vehicle including a roof trim which is made of a flexible material and disposed on a lower surface of a ceiling part of the vehicle, a rear pillar trim which is made of a synthetic resin harder than the roof trim and disposed so as to cover a rear pillar located in the rear of the vehicle, and a side window glass which is disposed ahead of the rear pillar trim and whose upper end is located outer than the roof trim in a width direction of the vehicle,

the rear structure comprising an air bag device including a curtain member which is fixedly attached to a vehicle body and operable to inflate with a gas pressure supplied upon a predetermined condition to thereby spread over at least an inner surface of the side window glass from a side end of the roof trim and a front surface of the rear pillar,

wherein a roof side trim is provided between a vicinity of an upper end of the side window glass and the roof trim, and a rear end of the roof side trim overlaps with a front upper end of the rear pillar trim with the rear end positioning inner than the front upper end so that the curtain member spreads from an inner end of the roof side trim and a boundary between the rear end of the roof side trim toward a cabin space of the vehicle.

2. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a spreading direction of the curtain member passes an inner portion of the rear end of the roof side trim.

3. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the curtain member is disposed along the overlapping zone of the rear end of the roof side trim and the front upper end of the rear pillar trim.

4. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the front upper end of the rear pillar trim extends, in plan view, obliquely in a rear and outer direction.

5. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 4, wherein an inner side end of the roof side trim overlaps with a side end of the roof trim with the inner side end positioning inner than the side end of the roof trim so that the curtain member spreads from the overlapping zone of the inner side end of the roof side trim and the side end of the roof trim toward a cabin space of the vehicle.

6. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle further comprises a middle pillar disposed ahead of the rear pillar, and a middle pillar trim covering the middle pillar, and a front end of the roof side trim overlaps with a rear upper end of the middle pillar trim with the front end positioning inner than the rear upper end.

7. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the curtain member includes an expansion portion which expands between the rear pillar and the side window glass when the curtain member spreads.

8. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the roof side trim is provided with a clip member at a vicinity of a rear end of the roof side trim for detachably attaching the roof side trim to the vehicle body.

9. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the clip member is made of a metal material.

10. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the rear pillar trim is mounted to the vehicle in a state that an upper rear section of the rear pillar trim is positionally limited for a thermal expansion while an upper front section of the rear pillar trim is positionally unlimited for a thermal expansion.

11. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the curtain member is disposed along the overlapping zone of the rear end of the roof side trim and the front upper end of the rear pillar trim.

12. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the front upper end of the rear pillar trim extends, in plan view, obliquely in a rear and outer direction.

13. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an inner side end of the roof side trim overlaps with a side end of the roof trim with the inner side end positioning inner than the side end of the roof trim so that the curtain member spreads from the overlapping zone of the inner side end of the roof side trim and the side end of the roof trim toward a cabin space of the vehicle.

14. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle further comprises a middle pillar disposed ahead of the rear pillar, and a middle pillar trim covering the middle pillar, and a front end of the roof side trim overlaps with a rear upper end of the middle pillar trim with the front end positioning inner than the rear upper end.

15. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the curtain member includes an expansion portion which expands between the rear pillar and the side window glass when the curtain member spreads.

16. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the roof side trim is provided with a clip member at a vicinity of a rear end of the roof side trim for detachably attaching the roof side trim to the vehicle body.

17. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear pillar trim is mounted to the vehicle in a state that an upper rear section of the rear pillar trim is positionally limited for a thermal expansion while an upper front section of the rear pillar trim is positionally unlimited for a thermal expansion.