JP2000335343A - Vehicle collision safety device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle collision safety device of a relatively simple structure capable of mitigating the impact on thighs, ankles and a chest of an occupant when a large external force is applied in a collision of a vehicle etc., to enhance the safety. SOLUTION: A push-up mechanism part 1 to push tights 11 upward when an external force is applied is provided in a groove 2 of a riser part 3a of a cab floor panel 3 for supporting a seat frame 8 under the tights 11 of an occupant 10 seated in a seat part 17. When the tights 11 are elevated, a foot 12 of the occupant 10 is detached from a brake pedal 19, the approaching speed between a chest part 13 and a steering wheel 18 is also reduced, and impacts and damages on the occupant 10 can be greatly reduced. Since the thighs 11 are released upward, the abutting of an instrument panel 15 on a knee part 11a can be avoided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collision safety device for a vehicle, which protects the lower limbs and chest of an occupant when an external force is applied during a collision of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 1, a cab 16 of a cab-over type has a seat 17 on which an occupant 10 sits, a steering wheel 18 of a steering mechanism 14 and a brake pedal 1.
9 is provided, and an instrument panel 15 is provided in front of the lower leg 20 of the occupant 10. A highly rigid object such as the brake master cylinder 21 or the clutch master cylinder 22 is disposed close to the back of the instrument panel 15.

When a large external force is applied to the cab 16 of a vehicle having the above-described structure at the time of a vehicle collision or the like, the front surface of the cab 16 retreats, and highly rigid objects such as the brake master cylinder 21 and the clutch master cylinder 22 retreat. The instrument panel 15 is pressed, and the instrument panel 15 also moves backward. On the other hand, the occupant 10 moves forward by the action of the inertial force. Therefore, the instrument panel 15 may collide with the lower limb 20 and cause injury to the lower limb 20. At the same time, the occupant 10 may lean forward, hit the handle 18 and injure the chest 13. In order to prevent the above problems, various safety devices have conventionally been employed. As a known example thereof, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-1388
09, JP-A-10-217818, JP-A-7-81466, and the like.

[0004]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-2009-2009 discloses an “occupant posture control device” which lifts a seat by upward displacement means, applies lower limb evacuation means to the lower limb of the occupant, pushes the occupant to the rear of the seat, and retreats. For the purpose of protection,
The present invention is different from the present invention in configuration and purpose, and the device structure is complicated. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-217818
The "vehicle seat" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-157572 has a recess at the front end of the seat, inserts the airbag into the recess, and cuts a sewn portion on the front end side of the trim cover of the seat by the deployment pressure of the airbag. This is to prevent the seating surface from slipping down (submarine phenomenon) at the time of collision, and does not prevent injuries to the lower limbs and chest as in the present invention. In addition, the degree of improvement of the seat cushion itself is large, and the seat cushion has a special seat structure. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-81766 discloses a "seat lower structure for restricting forward movement of an occupant". An airbag is provided in a concave portion on the floor side on which a seat cushion is mounted, and the plate is opened obliquely by deployment of the airbag. To restrict the forward movement of the occupant, which is different from the present invention in configuration and purpose.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and alleviates the pressing force of the occupant at the time of contact between the thigh of the occupant and the instrument panel at the time of a large external force such as a vehicle collision. To provide a collision safety device for a vehicle that eliminates a pressing force on an ankle by a brake pedal, relieves pressure on a chest, protects an occupant, and can be easily implemented without requiring much modification of a seat cushion. With the goal.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an instrument panel or a brake pedal in which a highly rigid object such as a brake master cylinder or a clutch master cylinder is disposed close to the rear surface. A collision safety device for preventing a large impact force from being applied to the lower limbs and chest of an occupant seated on a seat cushion when an external force is applied due to a vehicle collision or the like, thereby ensuring safety. A collision safety device for a vehicle is provided in which a push-up mechanism for pushing up a thigh portion during operation is housed in a groove recessed at a front end of a rising portion of a cab floor panel supporting the seat cushion. is there. More specifically, the push-up mechanism section includes a piston having an abutting portion that abuts on the thigh, a cylinder fixed to a front end of a seat frame of a seat cushion to slidably support the piston, Pressing means for pressing the piston upward. Further, the pressing means comprises an airbag and the inflator. Further, the pressing means uses a spring expansion / contraction mechanism. Further, the pressing means uses a link mechanism which is vertically expandable and contractible. Further, the pressing means uses high-pressure gas or explosive.

According to the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention, the occupant's thigh is pushed up by the pushing-up mechanism when an external force is applied to relieve the pressure at the time of collision between the knee and the instrument panel, and the ankle and the chest. Safety is ensured, and the push-up mechanism is characterized in that it is stored in a groove at the front end of a rising portion of a cab floor panel that supports a seat cushion. This structure facilitates the installation of the lifting mechanism, and facilitates the mounting operation. The push-up mechanism in the groove is the most suitable position for pushing up the thigh.

[0008]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle collision safety device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the cab floor panel 3
Is formed, and the cab floor panel 3 forms a rising part 3a from the middle part toward the rear. A seat rail 9 is fixed on the rear panel 3b behind the rising portion 3a, and a seat frame 8 fixed to the seat cushion 7 is slidably supported on the seat rail 9 in the front-rear direction. . An occupant 1 is placed on the seat cushion 7.
0 is seated. A steering mechanism 14 having a handle 18 and the like, an instrument panel 15 and the like are provided in a cab 16 in front of the occupant 10. The brake master cylinder 2 is located on the back of the instrument panel 15.
1 and a highly rigid object such as the clutch master cylinder 22 are arranged close to each other. Also, the brake pedal 1 with which the foot 12 of the lower leg 20 of the occupant 10 engages on the cab floor panel 3
9 are provided.

The rising portion 3a of the cab 16 is provided with a groove 2 at a part thereof as shown in FIGS. This groove 2
The push-up mechanism 1 according to the present invention is housed and arranged therein. The position where the push-up mechanism 1 is stored is a position facing the thigh 11 of the occupant 10 sitting on the seat cushion 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the push-up mechanism 1 includes a cylinder 5 fixed to the front end of the seat frame 8 and housed in the groove 2, a piston 4 slidably supported by the cylinder 5, and a piston 4. And a pushing means 24 for pushing the piston 4 upward to move the piston 4 to the position of the thigh 11. As shown in FIG. 4, the piston 4 has a contact portion 4a and a shaft portion 4b, and has a shape (T-shape) in which the contact portion 4a contacts the thigh portion 11 when the piston 4 rises.
On the other hand, the shaft portion 4b is slidably supported by the cylinder 5.
The pressing means 24 is engaged with the shaft 4b of the piston 4. Since the pressing means 24 is configured to operate only when an external force is applied, the collision detection sensor 6 for providing an operating signal to the pressing means is engaged with the pressing means 24 and arranged in the cab 16. . In order to prevent the appearance from being reduced due to the exposure of the push-up mechanism 1, the lid 36 is mounted on the cylinder 5
It is rotatably supported on the side.

Next, the manner of movement of the occupant 10, particularly the thigh 11, when an external force is applied will be described. The front surface of the cab 16 is pressed by the action of the external force, the brake master cylinder 21 and the clutch master cylinder 22 retreat, and the instrument panel 15 moves in a direction near the thigh 11. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the external force detection signal of the collision detection sensor 6 is transmitted to the pressing means 24 side, the piston 4 largely moves upward, and the contact portion 4a hits the lower surface of the thigh portion 11. The thigh 11 is largely moved upward. As a result, the occupant 10 trying to lean forward due to inertial force is prevented from moving as shown in the figure, the foot 12 is separated from the brake pedal 19, and the occupant's 10 chest 13 also has a low collision speed with the steering wheel 18. As a result of the above change in the occupant's posture, first, the relative position of the knee portion 11a in the vertical direction with respect to the instrument panel 15 changes, and the impact of the instrument panel 15 on the knee portion 11a is avoided. Also,
The foot 12 is also separated from the brake pedal 19, and the impact force from the brake pedal 19 does not act on the ankle 12a, so that safety is ensured.

FIG. 6 shows the engagement state between the instrument panel 15 and the thigh 11 when the external force F is applied when the vehicle safety device of the present invention is not provided.
In this case, as shown in the figure, the external force F and the accompanying inertial force act substantially parallel to the line connecting the knee 11a and the seating point P, and exert a large impact force on the thigh 11. On the other hand, FIG. 7 shows a state when an external force F acts when the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention is provided. In this case, the sitting point P and the knee 11
a is inclined by an angle α with respect to the direction of action of the external force F and the inertial force, the impact force acting on the thigh 11 is greatly reduced, and the instrument panel 15 is moved to the knee 11a.
Acts on the lower shin part of the 6 and 7, since the knee 11a moves rearward by the angle α, the distance between the knee 11a and the instrument panel 15 side increases, and the occupant 10 receives the instrument panel. 15 can take a large buffer stroke up to contact. Thereby, the impact force acting on the occupant 10 is reduced.

Further, as described above, the foot 12 of the occupant 10
Is separated from the brake pedal 19, so that a strong pressing force from the brake pedal 19 side does not act on the ankle 12a when an external force acts as in the related art, and protection around the ankle 12a is achieved. Also, the handle 18 and the chest 1 of the occupant 10
The speed of the collision with the handle 3 is also lower than in the prior art, and the effect of the impact force on the chest 13 by the handle 18 is greatly reduced. Further, when an airbag 23 (shown by a two-dot chain line) is provided at the handle 18 as shown in FIG. 5, the safety of the chest 13 is further ensured.

Next, an embodiment of the pressing means 24 applied to the lifting mechanism 1 of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. The pressing means 24a in FIG. 8 uses an airbag 25 and an inflator 26. The airbag 25 is connected to the contact part 4 a of the piston 4,
b. The inflator 26 is an airbag 25
Ignited by the collision sensor 6.

The pressing means 24b shown in FIG. 9 comprises a spring 27 and a locking means 28 and the like. The locking means 28 is unlocked by the collision detecting sensor 6. Locking means 28
As a result, the spring 27 that has been compressed in advance is restored, and the contact portion 4a of the piston 4 is urged upward.

The pressing means 24c shown in FIG. 10 uses a link mechanism. The link 2 is provided at the contact portion 4a of the piston 4.
One ends of 9, 30 are connected. The other ends of the links 29 and 30 are arranged on the cylinder 5 side. More specifically, one end of the link 29 is connected to the contact portion 4 through the long hole 31.
The other end is connected to the piston 33 of the reciprocating mechanism 32. On the other hand, the link 30 connected to the link 29 at the center point 34 has one end thereof pin-connected to the contact portion 4c and the other end pin-connected to the cylinder 5 side. On the other hand, the reciprocating mechanism 32 is coupled to the collision detection sensor 6 via the controller 35, and the detection signal of the
Operate. With the above structure, the links 29 and 30 rotate around the center point 34 and push the contact portion 5 upward when an external force is applied. This produces the same effect as described above. The same applies to a structure in which the reciprocating mechanism 32 is engaged with the link 30 as shown in FIG.

Although various types of pressing means 24 have been described above, the pressing means 24 is not limited to the above structure as long as it pushes up the piston 4 and lifts the thigh 11 when an external force is applied. Is also good. In addition, the push-up mechanism 1 of the present invention includes the cab floor panel 3 as described above.
Since it is disposed at the front end of the rising portion 3a, the handleability and workability are good, but there is a possibility that the aesthetic appearance may be impaired, and the occupant 1
0 may interfere with the normal operation of the lower limb 20. Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the periphery of the contact portion 4a of the piston 4 is mainly covered by the lid 36. The lid 36 is connected to a cantilever pin on the cylinder 5 side, and rotates forward when the piston 4 rises so as not to hinder the movement.

[0018]

According to the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention,
The following remarkable effects can be obtained. 1) Since the thigh is lifted upward when an external force and an inertial force are applied, the pressure directly generated on the thigh is greatly reduced, and safety can be improved. Further, since the occupant is restrained from leaning forward with the upward movement of the thigh, the stroke from the front side of the cab to the occupant increases, and a shock-absorbing stroke can be obtained. 2) Since the occupant's foot separates from the brake pedal with the upward movement of the thigh, there is no impact force on the ankle via the brake pedal. Therefore, the safety of the ankle can be improved. 3) Further, since the relative speed of the occupant's chest to the steering side is reduced, the chest can be protected. 4) Since it is arranged at the rising portion of the cab floor panel, it is easy to handle and work, and can be implemented relatively easily without any change in the seat structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cab-over type cab internal structure and a schematic structure of each device in a cab of a vehicle collision safety device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing a groove of a rising portion of a cab floor panel in which a push-up mechanism according to the present invention is housed.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a push-up mechanism of the collision safety device for a vehicle according to the present invention disposed in a groove of a rising portion.

FIG. 4 is a front view as viewed in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a change in posture of an occupant when an external force is applied when the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention is provided.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a relationship between an external force and a thigh when a conventional external force is applied.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between an external force and a thigh when an external force is applied when the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention is provided.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a push-up mechanism using an airbag as a pressing means of the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing a structure of a push-up mechanism using a spring expansion and contraction mechanism as a pressing means of the vehicle collision safety device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a push-up mechanism using a link mechanism as a pressing means of the vehicle safety device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Push-up mechanism part 2 Groove 3 Cab floor panel 3a Rise part 4 Piston 4a Contact part 4b Shaft part 5 Cylinder 6 Collision detection sensor 7 Seat cushion 8 Seat frame 9 Seat rail 10 Occupant 11 Thigh part 11a Knee part 12 Foot 12a Ankle 13 Chest 14 Steering mechanism 15 Instrument panel 16 Cab 17 Seat 18 Handle 19 Brake pedal 20 Lower limb 21 Brake master cylinder 22 Clutch master cylinder 23 Airbag 24 Pressing means 24a Pressing means 24b Pressing means 24c Pressing means 25 Airbag 26 Inflator (Explosive) 27 Spring 28 Locking means 29 Link 30 Link 31 Long hole 32 Reciprocating mechanism 33 Piston 34 Center point 35 Controller 36 Lid

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiharu Sonoda 8 Dosana, Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture Isuzu Motors Fujisawa Plant (72) Inventor Mitsuru Koushida 8 Dosana, Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture Isuzu Motors Fujisawa Co., Ltd. F-term in the factory (reference) 3B087 CD04 CD05 DE10 3D054 AA02 AA08 AA12 AA13 BB30 FF20

Claims (5)

[Claims] A highly rigid object such as a brake master cylinder or a clutch master cylinder is seated on a seat cushion by an instrument panel, a brake pedal, or the like which is disposed close to the rear surface when an external force such as a vehicle collision occurs. A collision safety device that prevents a large impact force from being applied to the lower limbs and chest of an occupant to ensure safety, and includes a femoral head (hereinafter, referred to as a connecting portion between a femur and a tibia when the external force is applied). A collision safety device for a vehicle, characterized in that a push-up mechanism for pushing up a knee portion is housed and provided in a groove recessed at a front end of a rising portion of a cab floor panel supporting the seat cushion. A piston fixed to a front end of a seat frame of a seat cushion for slidably supporting the piston; The collision safety device for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing unit configured to press the piston upward. 3. The collision safety device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the pressing means comprises an airbag and the inflator. 4. The collision safety device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the pressing means uses a spring expansion / contraction mechanism. 5. The collision safety device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the pressing means uses a link mechanism that is vertically expandable and contractible.