JPH07108903A - Pillar air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To unfold an air bag outside a vehicle for lightening an impact to a pedestrian. CONSTITUTION:A pillar air bag device has a pedestrian collision detecting sensor 13 attached to a front bumper 12; a pillar air bag 18 to unfold outside a front pillar 17 when a collision against a pedestrian is detected by the above sensor 13; and an inflater to expandingly unfold the pillar air bag 18. When the pedestrian collision detecting sensor 13 detects the collision, the inflater generates gas to expand the pillar air bag 18 for covering the front of the front pillar 17. Thus an impact to the pedestrian can thereby be lightened.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention protects a pedestrian by absorbing and mitigating the impact when the pedestrian collides with the front pillar of the vehicle body when the running vehicle collides with the pedestrian. The present invention relates to a pillar airbag device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is known that when a running vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the collided pedestrian is secondarily collided with the lower half of the body by the front portion of the vehicle body and the upper surface of the hood at the front portion of the vehicle body. . For example, FIG. 11 shows US Pat.
32 shows a safety device for protecting a pedestrian disclosed in No. 32, which protects a pedestrian from a secondary collision with a hood, and a sensor 3 provided on a bumper 2 at a front end portion of a vehicle body 1. When the collision of the pedestrian 4 is detected, the airbag 6 installed at the lower rear end of the hood 5 is inflated and deployed,
By elastically lifting the rear end side of the hood 5 upward, the impact when the pedestrian 4 makes a secondary collision with the hood 5 is alleviated.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional safety device for protecting a pedestrian, the hood 5 can absorb the impact when the pedestrian collided with the vehicle makes a secondary collision with the hood 5. A pedestrian who has fallen up may collide with the highly rigid front pillars on both side edges of the windshield glass, which are provided so as to rise from the upper surface of the hood.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a pillar airbag device which detects a collision with a pedestrian and deploys the airbag on the front pillar to reduce the impact on the pedestrian. It is an object.

[0005]

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention is provided with a pedestrian collision detection means for detecting a collision with a pedestrian and a skeleton of a vehicle body around the windshield glass. A pillar airbag and an inflator for inflating and deploying the pillar airbag on the skeleton of the vehicle body in response to collision detection from the pedestrian collision detection means are provided.

Further, a pedestrian collision detecting means for detecting a collision with a pedestrian, a hood airbag deployed on a hood of a vehicle body, a pillar airbag deployed on a pillar, the hood airbag and the pillar air. An inflator shared with the bag is provided, and the inflator is actuated in response to collision detection from the pedestrian collision detection means to inflate and deploy the hood airbag and the pillar airbag.

[0007]

With the above construction, when the pedestrian collision detection means provided on the vehicle body detects a collision with a pedestrian, gas is generated in the inflator to inflate the pillar airbag, and the windshield glass is inflated. Deploy to the front side of the body frame at the periphery. Therefore, the front surface of the vehicle body skeleton is covered with the pillar airbag, which effectively cushions the impact on the pedestrian who makes a secondary collision with the front pillar.

Further, in addition to the pillar airbag, a hood airbag for deploying on the hood is provided, and both airbags are connected so as to be inflated by a common inflator, and the pedestrian collision detection means is configured to communicate with a pedestrian. By the gas generated from the inflator when a collision is detected,
The hood airbag is inflated and deployed on the hood, and the pillar airbag is inflated and deployed on the front surface of the vehicle body frame. As a result, the pedestrian who falls down on the hood is buffered by the hood airbag, and the pedestrian's backward movement and secondary collision with the front pillar is buffered by the pillar airbag.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the pillar airbag device of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a vehicle equipped with a pillar airbag device is
Front bumper 12 provided at the front end of the vehicle body 11
The pedestrian collision detection sensor 13
Is provided. This pedestrian collision detection sensor 13
It is a touch sensor whose contacts are made conductive when compressed by a collision load input from the front, and is capable of detecting a collision with a pedestrian or the like when the vehicle is traveling.

Further, at the rear of the hood 14 at the front of the vehicle body,
A windshield 15 attached to the front of the vehicle compartment, and a front pillar 17 for fixing both side edges of the windshield 15 and supporting a roof portion 16 of the vehicle compartment stand obliquely rearward from the upper surface of the hood 14. It is formed to go up. Each front pillar 17 (one of which is not shown) located on both sides of the windshield 15 is provided with a groove-shaped recess 22 on the outside of the vehicle body (in FIG. 2) as shown in the sectional view of the front pillar shown in FIG. The upper side of the pillar airbag 1 is formed in the recess 22.
A pillar air bag module 21 in which 8 and an inflator 19 are integrally attached to a backup plate 20 is fitted and the opening side flange of the backup plate 20 is housed with a screw at the rim of the recess 22.

On the front surface of the front pillar 17 in which the stored pillar airbag module 21 is opened, a resin garnish 23 having a "U" -shaped cross section in which one corner is thinned to form an integral hinge 23a. ,
Both side portions thereof are engaged with both sides of the pillar 17, and one side portion of the integral hinge 23a side is fixed to one side surface of the pillar 17 with a screw, and the other side portion of the garnish 23 is fixed to the pillar 17. It is attached to the other side surface by being locked by a shear pin 24 made of resin.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 25 is a side door glass.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained. When a running vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the pedestrian collision detection sensor 13 mounted on the front bumper 12 causes a collision. The inflator 1 of the pillar airbag module 21 is compressed by the load and the contacts are conducted.
Ignition current is applied to 9. In response to this, inflator 1
9 generates gas, and the pillar airbag 18 is filled with this gas and inflated. Inflatable pillar airbag 18
Is a garnish 23 that covers the front surface of the front pillar 17.
Is pressed from the inside, the shear pin 24 is broken by the pressure, and the garnish 23 pivotally opens with the integral hinge 23 as a fulcrum. And garnish 23
When is opened, the pillar airbag 18 bulges from the inside, and the pillar airbag 18 is deployed so as to cover the front surface of the front pillar 17.

Therefore, a pedestrian collided with a vehicle is
After falling down on the hood of the vehicle body 11, the impact when moving on the hood and making a secondary collision with the front pillar 17 is mitigated.

In this embodiment, the front surface of the front pillar 17 has a structure in which one side portion of the resin garnish 23 having the integral hinge 23a is locked by the shear pin 24. As shown in FIG. In addition, a front surface of the front pillar 17 accommodating the pillar airbag module 21 and a resin garnish 26 having a U-shaped cross section in which a crack inducing groove 6a is formed on the back surface near the central portion are provided on both sides of the pillar garnish 26, respectively. It is also possible to employ a structure in which the screws are attached and the share pin 24 is not used. In this case, when a collision with a pedestrian is detected and the pillar airbag 18 is inflated, the garnish 26 is pressed outward by the inflating pressure. As a result, a crack occurs at the weakest crack-inducing groove 26a of the garnish 26, tears in the vicinity of the central portion, and opens left and right. Therefore,
As in the case described above, since the pillar airbag 18 that bulges from the inside expands so as to cover the front surface of the front pillar 17, the impact of the secondary collision on the front pillar 17 should be mitigated by the pillar airbag 17. You can

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inflator 39 is housed in a recess 37a formed in the front surface of the front pillar 37, and a vent hole 40a is formed, and a pillar air is provided outside the vent hole 40a. Bag 4
It is also possible to adopt a structure in which the backup plate 40 to which 1 is attached is attached so as to close the recess 37a, and the outside thereof is covered with a thin resin cosmetic cover 43. In this case, the gas generated in the inflator 39 is filled in the pillar airbag 41 through the ventilation hole 40a of the backup plate 40. The inflating pillar airbag 41 pushes out the makeup cover 43 and deploys it on the front surface of the front pillar 37.

5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the pillar airbag module is housed in a cowl portion 52 connecting the lower ends of the left and right front pillars 57, 57. Will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Behind the hood 54 of the vehicle body 51, an outer panel 52a connecting the lower ends of the left and right front pillars 57.
A cowl portion 52 including an inner panel 52b and an inner panel 52b is installed. The outer panel 52a exposed below the windshield 55 has a rectangular notch formed with an opening 52c for inflating an airbag. Then, inside the opening 52c, when a collision with a pedestrian is detected, the bulge bulges to cover the surface of the cowl portion 52, and the front surfaces of the left and right front pillars 57 are divided into the left and right directions of the vehicle body. A pillar airbag module 61 in which a pillar airbag 58 and an inflator 59 respectively covering the backup plate 60 are integrally attached is housed.

The pillar airbag module 61
The upper portion of the opening portion 52c in which is stored is covered with a resin makeup cover 53, and the cover 5
The peripheral edge portion of 3 is waterproofed by a seal material 62 such as a shield rubber provided at the lower end of the windshield 55. Furthermore, the cover 53 has a crack-inducing groove 53a formed in the vicinity of the center of the back surface with a reduced thickness. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 63 is a spacer, which is a pillar airbag module 61 housed inside the cowl portion 52.
The back end of the backup plate 60 of the
The height is adjusted so that the height can be locked in the opening 52c formed in the.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. When a running vehicle collides with a pedestrian,
When the pedestrian collision detection sensor provided in the front bumper or the like detects a collision with a pedestrian, an ignition current is passed through the inflator 59 of the pillar airbag module 61,
The pillar airbag 58 is inflated by the generated gas. When the pillar airbag 58 inflates, the cowl portion 52
The cover 53 covering the opening 52c is pressed from the inside, and the crack inducing groove 53a formed in the center thereof is torn and the lid is opened. The pillar airbag 58 that bulges from the opening 52c extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle body along the surface of the cowl portion 52, covers the cowl portion 52, and
The cowl portion 52 is deployed toward the rear of the vehicle body from both ends in the vehicle width direction, and is deployed so as to cover the front surfaces of the left and right front pillars 57, respectively.

Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the pedestrian collided with the vehicle first falls on the hood 54 of the vehicle body 51 and then moves on the hood 54.
The impact at the time of the secondary collision with the front pillar 57 is mitigated, and the rigid structure cowl portion 52 connecting the lower ends of the left and right front pillars 57 can be covered with an air bag, so that it moves on the hood 54. A secondary collision with the cowl portion 52 of a pedestrian who runs can also be buffered.

7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the pedestrian is protected more effectively by deploying the hood airbag together with the pillar airbag. The description will be made below with reference to the drawings.

At the rear of the hood 74 of the vehicle body 71, the rear end side of the hood 74 is cut out in the vehicle width direction in the portion covering the cowl portion joining the lower ends of the left and right front pillars 77,
An opening 72a for inflating the air bag is formed, and a hood airbag 75 that inflates and covers the hood 74 is stored inside the opening 72a, and the opening 72a is opened by the lid 73. Covered as possible.

A pillar airbag 78 is housed inside each of the left and right front pillars 77 so as to expand to the front surface of the front pillar 77 when inflated.
A pair of inflators 79 for inflating the hood airbag 75 and the pillar airbags 78 are provided below the storage location of the hood airbag 75.
One (not shown) is installed on each side of the vehicle body, and each inflator 79 is directly connected to the left and right lower surfaces of the folded hood airbag 75 so that gas can be supplied. At the same time, the left and right pillar airbags 78 are connected to each other through gas pressure hoses 80 having a relatively small diameter so that gas can be supplied.

Further, each pillar airbag 78 is connected to the vicinity of both side edges of the hood airbag 75 by a supply hose 81 so as to communicate the insides of both airbags with each other. When the gas pressure of the hood exceeds a certain level, the gas is replenished from inside the hood airbag 75 to each pillar airbag 78 via the replenishment hose 81.
However, it is designed to be inflated and deployed prior to both pillar airbags 78.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained. When a running vehicle collides with a pedestrian,
When a pedestrian collision detection sensor provided in the front bumper or the like detects a collision with a pedestrian, an ignition current is applied to the pair of left and right inflators 79, and the gas generating agent in each inflator 79 is ignited. Generates a large amount of gas. Then, the gas generated in each inflator 79 has a large diameter and is directly connected to the hood airbag 75.
In addition, each of the left and right sides is filled respectively, and a part of the generated gas is gradually filled into each pillar airbag through the pressure resistant hose 80. Therefore, immediately after the collision is detected, that is, immediately after the inflator is ignited, most of the generated gas is hood airbag 75.
Therefore, the hood airbag 75 inflates in advance and expands so as to cover the upper surface of the hood 74, and each pillar airbag 78 lags and inflates. When the hood airbag 75 inflates and expands to a predetermined internal pressure, part of the gas filled in the hood airbag 75 is replenished to each pillar airbag 78 via the refill hose 81, and the pillar airbag 78 inflates. Increases speed.
Increase the diameter of the pressure hose 81 to increase the hood airbag 75.
Also, the pillar airbag 78 can be inflated and deployed at the same time.

Therefore, the pedestrian who has collided with the hood 7
The impact of the secondary collision is mitigated by the hood airbag 75 on the No. 4 and the internal pressure of the hood airbag 75 is increased by the force applied to the hood airbag at that time. As a result, each pillar airbag 78 expands to a predetermined range on the front surface of the front pillar 77. As a result, the impact of the collided pedestrian can be mitigated by the pillar airbag 75 when the pedestrian is buffered by the hood airbag 75 and subsequently collides with the front pillar 77.

[0028]

As described above, according to the pillar airbag system of the present invention, when the pedestrian collision detection means detects a collision with a pedestrian, the inflator is ignited and the periphery of the windshield glass is located outside the vehicle body skeleton. Since the pillar airbag is inflated and deployed, the impact on the pedestrian who makes a secondary collision with the vehicle body frame can be mitigated.

Further, the pillar airbag is combined with a hood airbag which is deployed on the hood, and the pillar airbag is inflated and deployed together with the hood airbag by the gas supplied from the same inflator. The impact of a pedestrian colliding with can be more effectively mitigated. Further, the apparatus can be made more compact and less expensive than the case where the pillar airbag and the hood airbag are separately installed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a pillar airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of a front pillar showing a stored state of a pillar airbag in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of a front pillar showing an example in which another resin garnish having a different lid opening method is attached.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a front pillar showing another example in which an airbag is attached in a different state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with the pillar airbag device of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of a cowl portion showing a stored state of a pillar airbag according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a pillar airbag device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view showing a stored state of a pillar airbag in the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory view of a vehicle provided with a conventional pedestrian protection means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Front bumper 13 Pedestrian collision detection sensor 14 Hood 17 Front pillar 18 Pillar airbag 19 Inflator 21 Pillar airbag module 23 Resin garnish 52 Cowl 57 Front pillar 58 Pillar airbag 74 Hood 75 Hood airbag 77 Front pillar 78 Pillar Airbag

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pedestrian collision detection means for detecting a collision with a pedestrian, a pillar airbag installed on a vehicle body skeleton at a peripheral portion of a windshield glass, and a collision detection from the pedestrian collision detection means. A pillar airbag device comprising: an inflator for inflating and deploying the pillar airbag on the skeleton of the vehicle body. 2. A pedestrian collision detection means for detecting a collision with a pedestrian, a hood airbag deployed on a hood of a vehicle body, a pillar airbag deployed on a pillar, the hood airbag and the pillar air. A pillar air comprising: an inflator shared with a bag, which receives the collision detection from the pedestrian collision detection means to operate the inflator to inflate and deploy the hood airbag and the pillar airbag. Bag device.