JP2006273262A - Airbag system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten an deployment time and relax impact relative to a collision object such as a pedestrian at collision compatible, in an airbag system inflated by a blower fan. <P>SOLUTION: The airbag system has an airbag 103 deployed toward a front side of the vehicle before the collision object collides against the vehicle; and the blower fan 104 for feeding a gas to the inside of the airbag 103. An internal pressure of the airbag after collision is reduced according to the circumstance of the collision. For example, after detection of the collision, the blower fan 104 is reversely rotated at a rotating speed in accordance with a collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the physique of the pedestrian, thickness of the airbag, the position of the collision or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag system using a blower fan.

Conventionally, a technique is known in which an airbag is provided in front of a vehicle to prevent damage to a pedestrian or the like at the time of a collision and the vehicle (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In such a conventional technique, an inflator is used when inflating an airbag. However, since the inflator is used up once, it must be replaced every time it is used, which places a heavy burden on the driver. Therefore, a technique for inflating an airbag using a blower called a blower fan has been proposed.
JP-A-11-91503 JP 2001-315599 A

  However, the blower fan has a much lower air supply capability than the inflator. Therefore, when an air bag is inflated by a blower fan, the air bag is sewed and weaved to improve airtightness and shorten the time for the air bag to inflate.

  However, simply increasing the air tightness of the airbag has caused a problem that the impact on a pedestrian or the like increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and its object is an airbag that is inflated by a blower fan. The purpose is to relieve the impact at the time of collision with an object.

In order to achieve the above object, an airbag system according to the present invention includes:
An airbag that is deployed forward of the vehicle before the collision object collides with the vehicle;
A blower fan for supplying gas into the airbag;
Have
The internal pressure of the airbag after the collision is lowered according to the collision situation.

  According to this configuration, the airtightness of the airbag can be increased to shorten the deployment time, and the impact force applied to the collision target object at the time of collision can be reduced.

  An elastic member that is provided at a coupling portion between the airbag and the blower fan and that elastically deforms when the internal pressure of the airbag is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and allows the gas inside the airbag to escape to the outside of the airbag; It is characterized by including. The elastic member is a variable vent valve.

  According to this configuration, the airbag can be controlled to an internal pressure corresponding to the impact force with a simple configuration.

A pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the gas in the airbag;
A collision between the collision target and the airbag is detected by a pressure change detected by the pressure sensor.

  According to this configuration, a collision can be reliably detected.

  Moreover, the internal pressure of an airbag can be easily reduced by reversely rotating the blower fan after a collision.

  By controlling the speed and amount of decrease in the internal pressure of the airbag according to the collision situation, it is possible to make the impact given to the collision object constant regardless of the collision situation.

  The rate and amount of decrease in the internal pressure of the airbag after the collision are controlled according to at least one of the size of the collision object, the number of collision objects, the vehicle speed at the time of the collision, the airbag shape, or the collision position. It is characterized by doing.

  According to this, the amount of change in the internal pressure can be controlled according to various factors at the time of the collision, and the impact applied to the collision target can be made constant.

  According to the present invention, in an airbag system that is inflated by a blower fan, it is possible to achieve both shortening of the deployment time and mitigation of an impact at the time of a collision with a collision target such as a pedestrian.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them.

(First embodiment)
A schematic configuration of the airbag system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among a vehicle 101, a pedestrian 102 as a collision target, and an airbag 103.

  When the vehicle 101 predicts a collision with the collision target object 102, as shown in FIG. 1, the blower fan 104 is used to deploy the airbag 103 in front of the vehicle 101 to minimize the impact force applied to the collision target object 102. Turn into. That is, the airbag 103 is deployed in front of the vehicle 101 before the collision object 102 collides with the vehicle.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the airbag unit provided in the vehicle 101, and is a view of the vehicle 101 as viewed from above. The airbag 103 is accommodated in the bonnet of the vehicle 101 and is deployed so as to cover the bumper 106 before the collision target collides with the vehicle 101 when a collision is predicted.

  A blower fan 104 that supplies gas into the airbag 103 is also accommodated at the front end of the bonnet. The vehicle 101 is provided with a collision prediction sensor 105 that predicts a collision. As the collision prediction sensor 105, a known technique can be used. For example, a CCD camera, a radar, an infrared ray, or the like can be used.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the airbag system. As shown in FIG. 1, the CPU 202 is configured to control the blower fan 104 in accordance with outputs from the collision prediction sensor 105 and the collision sensor 201.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the airbag apparatus as the first embodiment. A cylindrical blower pipe 301 containing the blower fan 104 is continuous with the airbag 103, and the airbag 103 is operated by operating the blower fan at the maximum output after predicting a collision and sending air into the airbag 103. Deploy rapidly.

  A collision sensor 201 that detects pressure and detects a collision from the amount of change is provided at a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 serving as an air flow path. As shown in the upper graph of FIG. 5, the blower fan 104 shown in the present embodiment starts normal rotation from the time of collision prediction, and after air is sent into the airbag 103, the collision sensor 201 When a collision is detected, the fan is rotated in the reverse direction and the air in the airbag 103 is removed. The motor rotation speed 501 and the reverse rotation time 502 at the time of reverse rotation are set according to the collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the pedestrian physique, the thickness of the airbag, the collision position, and the like. As the collision speed, the speed of the host vehicle at the time of the collision, the relative speed with respect to the collision target, or the like may be considered.

  Thereby, the pressure in the airbag 103 changes as shown in the lower graph of FIG. In addition, after predicting a collision, the timing at which the airbag internal pressure suddenly increases is the actual collision, and the collision sensor 201 detects the collision by detecting a change in the airbag internal pressure.

  Control of the airbag internal pressure according to the collision situation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, when the host vehicle speed is high, the exhaust amount per unit time (exhaust speed) is made smaller than when the host vehicle speed is low, and the pedestrian is held for a long time. When the speed of the collision target can be detected, the relative speed may be used instead of the vehicle speed. In that case, the higher the relative speed, the smaller the displacement per unit time.

  On the other hand, the larger the size of the collision object (physique for pedestrians) and the number (number of people for pedestrians), the smaller the displacement per unit time.

  Further, the exhaust speed and the exhaust time may be changed according to the shape of the airbag 103. For example, the smaller the thickness of the airbag 103 when inflated, the smaller the amount of exhaust per unit time. Thereby, a collision target object can fully be protected.

  When these collision situations are combined, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the collision speed is roughly divided, and then the number of collision objects (number of people), the size of the collision objects (physique), the airbag thickness, The amount of exhaust per unit time is determined in the following order. As a result, when the collision speed is fast, the number of persons is large, the physique is large, and the thickness is small, the displacement per unit time is the smallest. On the other hand, when the collision speed is slow, the number of persons is one, the physique is small, and the thickness is large, the displacement per unit time is the largest.

  In this way, by reducing the internal pressure of the airbag 103 after the collision according to the collision situation, the airtightness of the airbag is increased, the deployment time is shortened, and the impact force applied to the collision target object at the time of the collision And effectively absorbs the impact from the collision object.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an airbag system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the relationship with the vehicle and the control system are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of the airbag system of the present embodiment, and FIG. 8A is a partial perspective view showing a connection portion between the airbag and the blower pipe, and FIGS. 8B to 8D. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the blower pipe 301 of the present embodiment is provided with an exhaust port 602. The actuator 603 is driven to slide the vent valve 601 so that the opening amount of the exhaust port 602 can be adjusted. After the collision prediction, until the actual collision, the exhaust port 602 is completely closed as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). Thereafter, when a collision is detected by a pressure sensor or an acceleration sensor, the exhaust port 602 is half opened as shown in FIG. 8C, or the exhaust port 602 is fully opened as shown in FIG. 8D. Or

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the opening degree of the vent valve 601 and the airbag internal pressure from the time of the collision prediction until after the collision.

  As shown in the upper graph of FIG. 9, the actuator 603 according to the present embodiment performs control to slide the vent valve 601 from the time of collision detection, open the exhaust port 602, and extract air from the airbag 103. The opening 701 and the opening time 702 of the vent valve are set according to the collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the pedestrian physique, the thickness of the airbag, the collision position, and the like. As the collision speed, the speed of the host vehicle at the time of the collision, the relative speed with respect to the collision target, or the like may be considered.

  As described above, since the vent valve is used, the response speed is faster than the reverse rotation of the motor. Thereby, the impact from a collision target object can be absorbed effectively.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an airbag system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the relationship with the vehicle and the control system are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 before the collision. FIG. 10A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion, and FIG. 10B is a partial perspective view showing the connection portion.

  The end of the airbag 103 is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301 by a connection member 1001. On the other hand, a vent valve 1003 as an elastic member is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 at a location close to the end of the blower pipe 301, and the outer periphery of the blower pipe 301 is indicated by an arrow. An inward force is applied to the surface. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 tightens the blower pipe 301 so that air does not leak from the exhaust port 1002 provided in the airbag 103 between the vent valve 1003 and the connection member 1001. In other words, the air inside the airbag 103 is sealed by the vent valve 1003 so as not to leak from the exhaust port 1002.

  FIG. 11 is a view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 after the collision. FIG. 11A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion, and FIG. 11B is a partial perspective view showing the connection portion.

  When the internal pressure of the airbag 103 increases due to the collision and exceeds the tightening force of the elastic member 1003, the vent valve 1003 is elastically deformed as the airbag 103 further spreads as shown in FIG. Thereby, the inner peripheral surface of the vent valve 1003 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301, and the air in the airbag is discharged from the exhaust port 1002 to the outside of the airbag.

  The opening degree and opening time of the vent valve vary according to the internal pressure in the airbag. That is, it is determined by the collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the pedestrian physique, the thickness of the airbag, the collision position, and the like. Thereby, the impact from a collision target object can be absorbed effectively.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, an airbag system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the relationship with the vehicle and the control system are the same as those in the third embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. 12A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 before the collision, and FIG. 12B is a partial cross-section showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 after the collision. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the airbag system according to the present embodiment, elastic members 1201 are joined to the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 and the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301, respectively, and two elastic members are present before the collision. Sealed between 1201 to prevent air leakage from the exhaust port 1002.

  On the other hand, the two elastic members 1201 are connected by a spring member 1202. When an internal pressure larger than the elastic force of the spring member 1202 is generated in the airbag 103 due to a collision, as shown in FIG. The two elastic members 1201 are separated from each other, and air is appropriately discharged.

  The opening degree and opening time of the elastic member change according to the internal pressure in the airbag. That is, it is determined by the collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the pedestrian physique, the thickness of the airbag, the collision position, and the like. Thereby, the impact from a collision target object can be absorbed effectively.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, the airbag system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.13 and FIG.14. Since the relationship with the vehicle and the control system are the same as those in the third embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 13 is a view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 before the collision. FIG. 13A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion, and FIG. 13B is a partial perspective view showing the connection portion.

  The end of the airbag 103 is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301 by a connection member 1001. On the other hand, a vent valve 1003 as an elastic member is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 at a location close to the end of the blower pipe 301, and the outer periphery of the blower pipe 301 is indicated by an arrow. An inward force is applied to the surface. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 tightens the blower pipe 301 so that air does not leak from the exhaust port 1002 provided in the airbag 103 between the vent valve 1003 and the connection member 1001. In other words, the air inside the airbag 103 is sealed by the vent valve 1003 so as not to leak from the exhaust port 1002. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a slide cover 1301 for closing the exhaust port 1002 is provided so as to be slidable by the actuator 1302.

  FIG. 14 is a view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 after the collision. FIG. 14A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion, and FIG. 14B is a partial perspective view showing the connection portion.

  When the internal pressure of the airbag 103 increases due to the collision and exceeds the tightening force of the elastic member 1003, the vent valve 1003 is elastically deformed as the airbag 103 further spreads as shown in FIG. Thereby, the inner peripheral surface of the vent valve 1003 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301, and the air in the airbag is discharged from the exhaust port 1002 to the outside of the airbag.

  By controlling the position of the slide cover 1301 according to the collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the pedestrian physique, the thickness of the airbag, the collision position, etc., the opening degree and the opening time of the vent valve are changed. Thereby, the impact from a collision target object can be absorbed effectively.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, an airbag system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. Since the relationship with the vehicle and the control system are the same as those in the third embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 15 is a view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 before the collision. FIG. 15A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion, and FIG. 15B is a partial perspective view showing the connection portion.

  The end of the airbag 103 is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301 by a connection member 1001. On the other hand, a vent valve 1003 as an elastic member is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 at a location close to the end of the blower pipe 301, and the outer periphery of the blower pipe 301 is indicated by an arrow. An inward force is applied to the surface. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the airbag 103 tightens the blower pipe 301 so that air does not leak from the exhaust port 1002 provided in the airbag 103 between the vent valve 1003 and the connection member 1001. In other words, the air inside the airbag 103 is sealed by the vent valve 1003 so as not to leak from the exhaust port 1002. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a plate 1501 for closing the exhaust port 1002 is provided by an actuator 1502 so as to be movable up and down in the drawing. That is, in the state of FIG. 15, the airbag 103 is pressed in the direction of the arrow, and the sealing performance of the vent valve 1003 is enhanced so that the air inside the airbag 103 does not leak from the exhaust port 1002.

  FIG. 16 is a view showing a connection portion between the airbag 103 and the blower pipe 301 after the collision. FIG. 16A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection portion, and FIG. 16B is a partial perspective view showing the connection portion.

  When the internal pressure of the airbag 103 increases due to the collision and exceeds the tightening force of the elastic member 1003, the vent valve 1003 is elastically deformed as the airbag 103 further expands as shown in FIG. 16. Thereby, the inner peripheral surface of the vent valve 1003 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the blower pipe 301, and the air in the airbag is discharged from the exhaust port 1002 to the outside of the airbag. The separation amount at this time is controlled by the actuator 1502 and the plate 1501.

  By controlling the position of the plate 1501 according to the collision speed, the number of pedestrians, the pedestrian physique, the thickness of the airbag, the collision position, etc., the opening degree and the opening time of the vent valve are changed. Thereby, the impact from a collision target object can be absorbed effectively.

It is a figure which shows the relationship between the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a collision target object. It is a figure showing composition of an air bag system concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the control system of the airbag system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the airbag system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining control of the displacement of the air bag system concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining control of the displacement of the air bag system concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the airbag system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concern on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concern on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a structure and operation | movement of the airbag system which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention.

Claims (7)

An airbag that is deployed forward of the vehicle before the collision object collides with the vehicle;
A blower fan for supplying gas into the airbag;
Have
An airbag system characterized by reducing an internal pressure of the airbag after the collision according to a collision situation.   An elastic member that is provided at a coupling portion between the airbag and the blower fan and that elastically deforms when the internal pressure of the airbag is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and allows the gas inside the airbag to escape to the outside of the airbag; The airbag system according to claim 1, comprising:   The airbag system according to claim 2, wherein the elastic member is a variable vent valve. A pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the gas in the airbag;
The airbag system according to claim 1, wherein a collision between an object to be collided and an airbag is detected based on a pressure change detected by the pressure sensor.   The airbag system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the blower fan is reversely rotated after the collision.   The airbag system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a speed and an amount of reduction of the internal pressure of the airbag are controlled in accordance with a collision situation.   The speed and amount of decrease in the internal pressure of the airbag after the collision are controlled in accordance with at least one of the size of the collision target, the number of collision objects, the collision speed, the airbag shape, or the collision position. The airbag system according to claim 6.

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