Patent ID: 7780190

Claim:
A vehicle rear structure of a vehicle body, the vehicle rear structure comprising: a side window glass provided between a rear pillar positioned in a rear portion of the vehicle body and a middle pillar positioned immediately to a front of the rear pillar; a curtain air bag apparatus comprising a curtain air bag in a stored state and fixed to the vehicle body in a vicinity of the side window glass, and an inflator for supplying gas pressure to the curtain air bag, wherein the curtain air bag, when expanded by receiving gas pressure from the inflator, is deployed inside a vehicle cabin so as to cover the side window glass along the side window glass; a soft roof trim that covers a roof panel from inside the vehicle cabin, an outside edge of the roof trim in a widthwise direction of the vehicle being positioned near the side window glass; a rear pillar trim that is harder than the roof trim, and covers the rear pillar from inside the vehicle cabin, a predetermined end edge being positioned in an immediate vicinity of the side window glass, the predetermined end edge being an end edge of a front of the rear pillar trim that is outward in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body; and a middle pillar trim that is harder than the roof trim, and covers the middle pillar from inside the vehicle cabin; wherein the curtain air bag in a stored state is fixed to the vehicle body along an upper edge and a rear edge of the side window glass, and a portion of the curtain air bag in a stored state along the upper edge of the side window glass is positioned above the roof trim, and a portion of the curtain air bag in a stored state along the rear edge of the side window glass is positioned to the rear of the predetermined end edge, when the curtain air bag in a stored state has been expanded, the curtain air bag is deployed in the vehicle cabin while deforming the roof trim downward and deforming at least an upper portion of the predetermined end edge frontward, when the curtain air bag is in a stored state, a separation distance in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body of the curtain air bag from the side window glass, in the portion along the rear edge of the side window glass, is less than that of the portion of the curtain air bag along the upper edge of the side window glass in a vicinity of the middle pillar trim, and wherein the separation distance in the widthwise direction of the vehicle of the curtain air bag of the portion along the upper edge of the side window glass in a stored state from the side window glass is set to be less for the portion in the vicinity of the rear end than for the portion in the vicinity of the front end.