Wearable airbag device

Abstract

A wearable airbag device for protecting the hip of a wearer from the surface they hit at fall includes an airbag that is adapted to be worn around the pelvis and inflatable with an inflation gas. The airbag includes two covering portions that are configured to cover outer sides of left and right trochanters of femurs of the wearer respectively at airbag deployment, and a means for suppressing an elevation of an internal pressure of the airbag at contact between the airbag and the surface at fall of the wearer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wearable airbag device for protecting the hip of a wearer from the surface they hit at fall, the airbag device comprising an airbag that is adapted to be put on a circumference of the pelvis of the wearer and configured to be inflated with an inflation gas,
 wherein the airbag includes:   two covering portions that are configured to be inflated and cover outer sides of targeted body parts of the wearer respectively at airbag deployment, the targeted body parts being left and right trochanters of femurs; and   a means for suppressing an elevation of an internal pressure of the airbag at contact between the airbag and the surface at fall of the wearer.   
     
     
         2 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 1 , comprising, as the means for suppressing, a means for exhausting the inflation gas at elevation of the internal pressure, the means for exhausting being disposed in each of the covering portions. 
     
     
         3 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 2 , wherein:
 each of the covering portions includes an inner wall that is configured to be disposed towards the wearer when worn and an outer wall that is configured to face away from the wearer when worn;   the airbag further includes a communication path that provides gas communication between the two covering portions at upper ends of the covering portions and is adapted to be deployed at a side of the pelvis of the wearer;   the means for exhausting is composed of an exhaust port that is disposed on the outer wall of each of the covering portions for exhausting the inflation gas; and   the exhaust port of each of the covering portions is formed at such a position as to be occluded by the surface the wearer hits at fall.   
     
     
         4 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 3 , further including an outer cover that covers an outer circumference of the airbag, the outer cover being adapted to be wrapped around the hip of the wearer. 
     
     
         5 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 3 , wherein the exhaust port is provided with an exhaust valve that is configured to cause exhaust of the inflation gas from the exhaust port at elevation of the internal pressure of the covering portion after completion of inflation of the airbag. 
     
     
         6 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the airbag includes:   a primary inflatable portion that includes the two covering portions; and   two secondary inflatable portions each of which is in gas communication with one of the two covering portions via one or more communication holes, each of the secondary inflatable portions being configured to be inflated later than the covering portion in communication therewith, with an inflation gas which has flown through the covering portion and communication holes;   wherein each of the covering portions includes an inner wall that is configured to be disposed towards the wearer when worn and an outer wall that is configured to face away from the wearer when worn;   wherein each of the secondary inflatable portions constitutes the means for suppressing and is disposed in such a manner as to cover the outer wall of the covering portion; and   wherein each of the secondary inflatable portions includes, in a portion thereof facing the covering portion, an exhaust hole for exhausting an extra inflation gas to the atmosphere.   
     
     
         7 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 6 , wherein the primary inflatable portion includes a communication path that provides gas communication between the two covering portions at upper ends of the covering portions and is adapted to be deployed at a side of the pelvis of the wearer. 
     
     
         8 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 7 , further including an outer cover that covers an outer circumference of the airbag, the outer cover being adapted to be wrapped around the hip of the wearer. 
     
     
         9 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 each of the covering portions includes an inner wall that is configured to be disposed towards the wearer when worn and an outer wall that is configured to face away from the wearer when worn;   each of the covering portions further includes a main protecting region that is configured to cover the targeted body part at airbag deployment, and one or more temporary seams that are disposed in a periphery of the main protecting region and join the inner wall and outer wall together partially, the temporary seams being configured to disjoin the inner wall from the outer wall at elevation of internal pressure of the main protecting region, the temporary seams constituting the means for suppressing.   
     
     
         10 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 9 , wherein the airbag further includes a communication path that provides gas communication between the two covering portions at upper ends of the covering portions and is adapted to be deployed at a side of the pelvis of the wearer. 
     
     
         11 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 10 , further including an outer cover that covers an outer circumference of the airbag, the outer cover being adapted to be wrapped around the hip of the wearer. 
     
     
         12 . A wearable airbag device for protecting the hip of a wearer from the surface they hit at fall, the airbag device comprising an airbag that is adapted to be put on a circumference of the pelvis of the wearer and configured to be inflated with an inflation gas,
 wherein the airbag includes:   two covering portions that are configured to be inflated and cover outer sides of targeted body parts of the wearer respectively at airbag deployment, the targeted body parts being left and right trochanters of femurs;   a communication path that provides gas communication between the two covering portions at upper ends of the covering portions and is adapted to be deployed at a side of the pelvis of the wearer; and   a means for restraining an inflation gas having flown into one of the covering portions from flowing out to the other covering portion.   
     
     
         13 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 12 , wherein the means for restraining is composed of a check valve that is disposed in a vicinity of each of the covering portions inside the communication path in order to restrain an outflow of the inflation gas from the one of the covering portions to the other. 
     
     
         14 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the airbag is stored in a storage in a folded form in which a width in an up and down direction of at least the covering portions is reduced;   the means for restraining is composed of a restraining member which is composed of an elongated material having flexibility;   the restraining member includes: a middle portion that is disposed around an outer circumference of the communication path so as to be able to bind the communication path at airbag deployment; and opposite ends that are respectively connected to lower ends of the two covering portions as deployed; and   a length of the restraining member is determined so that the middle portion constricts and occludes the communication path at airbag deployment.   
     
     
         15 . The wearable airbag device of  claim 12 , further including an outer cover that covers an outer circumference of the airbag, the outer cover being adapted to be wrapped around the hip of the wearer.