Patent ID: 8286995

Claim:
A side airbag apparatus mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle seat and a body side portion, the apparatus comprising: an inflator; and an airbag that is inflated and deployed in a space between an occupant seated in the vehicle seat and the vehicle body side portion by inflation gas that is supplied from the inflator in response to an impact applied to the vehicle from a side, wherein the airbag includes a lumbar region protecting portion that is inflated and deployed at least beside the lumbar region of the occupant, thereby protecting the lumbar region, wherein the vehicle seat includes a seat cushion that is inclined such that the height of the seat cushion in the vertical direction increase toward the front end, and wherein the lumbar region protecting portion has a part at which the thickness in the vehicle widthwise direction is the greatest, the position in the vertical direction of the part being lower than a highest point in a front portion of the seat cushion, and the lowest end position of the airbag when the airbag is inflated and deployed is higher than the lowest position of a seating surface of the vehicle seat.