JP2001247001A - Collision form discriminating device and collision form discriminating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly and more accurately decide whether a collision form of a vehicle is a head-on collision or not. SOLUTION: When the collision form of the vehicle is the head-on collision, normalization of a locus for time of a time integrated value of deceleration detected by a floor sensor mounted in the vicinity of a center console of a vehicle gives the normalized locus accurately approximated to a quadratic curve. When the collision form of the vehicle is a symmetric collision except the head-on collision, the locus normalized in the same way is remarkably deviated from the quadratic curve. By using the result, whether the collision form is the head-on collision or not is discriminated. Because the time integrated value of deceleration required for the discrimination is required till an initial stage of the collision, the discrimination can be performed at the initial stage of the collision.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a collision type discriminating apparatus and a collision type discriminating method, and more particularly, to a collision type discriminating apparatus and a collision type discriminating method for discriminating a collision type of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An occupant protection device such as an air bag device mounted on a vehicle is adjusted in the start timing based on the type of collision. The form of the collision is classified into a symmetrical collision in which the entire front of the vehicle collides (full lap collision), an asymmetrical collision in which one side in front of the vehicle collides (offset collision), and an oblique collision in which the vehicle collides at an arbitrary angle. . Symmetrical collisions include head-on collisions where the entire vehicle collides and pole collisions where the approximate center of the front of the vehicle collides with an object, as seen in examples of collisions with poles, and sinks beneath the rear of a truck or the like. It is classified as an underride that collides with. In addition, the asymmetrical collision includes an ORB (Offset Rigid Barrier) that collides with a hard object that does not deform,
ODB (Offset Deformable) that collides with a deformed object
Barrier).

[0003]

Such a difference in the form of a collision often appears as a difference in a moving direction, a moving amount, and a moving timing of the occupant at the time of the collision, so that a more appropriate occupant protection device is required. It has been considered to determine the type of collision and use this in order to activate at an accurate timing. As one of the devices to determine the type of collision,
The applicant has proposed a device capable of effectively discriminating between a symmetrical collision and an asymmetrical collision based on a difference or a ratio of decelerations detected by G sensors (satellite sensors) disposed in front of and right and left of the vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-157572. No. 8-326180).

[0004] It is an object of the collision type discrimination device and the collision type discrimination method of the present invention to determine the collision type of a vehicle more accurately. It is another object of the collision type determination device and the collision type determination method of the present invention to more accurately determine whether the collision type of a vehicle is a head-on collision. Further, it is another object of the collision type determination device and the collision type determination method of the present invention to more quickly determine the collision type of a vehicle.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Action / Effect Thereof The collision type discriminating apparatus and the collision type discriminating method of the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve at least a part of the above object.

The collision type discriminating apparatus according to the present invention is a collision type discriminating apparatus for discriminating a collision type of a vehicle, which is disposed in front of a center of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, and includes deceleration detecting means for detecting deceleration. A time integration calculating means for calculating a time integration value of the detected deceleration; and a collision mode determination means for determining a collision mode based on a trajectory of the calculated time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time. Is the gist.

In the collision type discriminating apparatus according to the present invention, the time integral value calculating means calculates the time integral value of the deceleration detected by the deceleration detecting means disposed in the front center of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and performs the collision. The form determining means determines a collision form based on the trajectory of the calculated time integral of the deceleration with respect to time. The trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time is
The type of collision of the vehicle, particularly whether the vehicle is a head-on collision or not, differs, so that the type of collision can be determined based on the difference between the trajectories.

In the collision type discriminating apparatus of the present invention, the collision type determination means may be a means for determining a collision type based on a trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time. it can. As described above, the difference in the collision mode of the vehicle appears in the trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time, but also in the trajectory of the rate of change. The collision type can be determined based on the trajectory.
In the collision type determination device according to the aspect of the present invention, the collision type determination unit is a unit that determines that the collision type is a head-on collision when the trajectory of the time integral of the time integral of the deceleration monotonically increases with time. It can also be.

In the collision type discriminating apparatus according to the present invention, the collision type determining means determines that the collision type is a head-on collision when the trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time can approximate a quadratic curve. May be used. Of the vehicle collision modes, the trajectory of the time integrated value of the deceleration in the head-on collision with respect to time can be approximated by a quadratic curve in many cases. This is used to determine whether the collision mode is head-on. Here, the “quadratic curve” includes a quadratic equation in addition to the concept as a curve.

In the collision type determining apparatus according to the aspect of the present invention, wherein the collision type is determined by approximation with a quadratic curve, the collision type determining means includes a normalizing means for normalizing a trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time. Error calculating means for calculating an error between the normalized trajectory and the normalized quadratic curve;
The vehicle may further include a head-on collision determination unit that determines whether the collision mode is a head-on collision based on the calculated error. This makes it possible to determine the type of collision with the degree of approximation to the quadratic curve being objective. In the collision type discriminating apparatus according to the aspect of the present invention, the error calculating means calculates a square root of a sum of squares of a deviation at a predetermined position of the normalized trajectory and the normalized quadratic curve as the error. The head-on collision determining means may be a means for determining that the collision mode is a head-on collision when the calculated error is equal to or less than a predetermined value. This makes it possible to objectively and quickly determine the collision type.

The collision type determination method according to the present invention is a collision type determination method for determining the type of collision of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: (a) calculating a time integral value of deceleration in front of a center of a passenger compartment of the vehicle; (B) The gist of the invention is to determine the collision mode based on the trajectory of the calculated time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time.

According to the collision type determination method of the present invention, the collision type can be determined by using the fact that the trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time is different depending on the collision type of the vehicle, especially whether the vehicle is head-on or not. .

In the collision type discriminating method of the present invention, the step (b) is a step of judging the collision type as a frontal collision when the trajectory of the time integral of the time integral of the deceleration monotonically increases with time. It can be. The difference in the type of collision of the vehicle appears in the trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time, but also in the trajectory of the rate of change. The form can be determined.

In the collision type determination method according to the present invention, the step (b) includes the step of determining that the collision type is a head-on collision when the trajectory of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time can be approximated by a quadratic curve. May be used. Of the vehicle collision modes, the trajectory of the time integrated value of the deceleration in the head-on collision with respect to time can be approximated by a quadratic curve in many cases. This is used to determine whether the collision mode is head-on. In the collision type determining method according to the aspect of the present invention, the step (b) comprises: (b1) normalizing a trajectory of the time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time;
2) calculating an error between the normalized trajectory and the normalized quadratic curve, and (b3) determining whether the collision mode is a head-on collision based on the calculated error. You can also. This makes it possible to determine the type of collision with the degree of approximation to the quadratic curve being objective. Further, in the collision type determination method according to the aspect of the present invention, in the step (b2), the square root of the sum of squares of the deviation at the predetermined position of the normalized trajectory and the normalized quadratic curve is defined as the error. Calculating,
The step (b3) may be a step of determining that the collision mode is a head-on collision when the calculated error is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0015]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a collision type determination device 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention using functional blocks, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of the collision type determination device 20 of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the collision type determination device 20 according to the embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a collision type discriminating apparatus 20 of the embodiment is mounted near a central console of a vehicle 10 and detects a deceleration G by a floor sensor 22.
And an integration calculator 28 that inputs the deceleration G detected by the floor sensor 22 and calculates the time integral value VG of the deceleration G
And a collision type determination unit 30 that determines a collision type based on a trajectory of the time integration value VG of the deceleration G with respect to the elapsed time. The collision type determination unit 30 includes a normalization unit 32 that normalizes a trajectory of the time integral value VG of the deceleration G with respect to the elapsed time.
An error calculator 34 that calculates an error between the normalized trajectory and the quadratic curve; and a determiner 36 that determines whether the collision mode is a head-on collision based on the calculated error.

As shown in FIG. 2, the collision type discriminating apparatus 20 of the embodiment has a floor sensor 22 and a CPU.
And a microcomputer 40 centered at 42. The microcomputer 40 includes a CPU 4
2, a ROM 44 storing a processing program, a RAM 46 temporarily storing data, and an input / output processing circuit (I / O) 48. When the processing program stored in the ROM 44 is started, the components of the collision type determination device 20 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 function integrally with software and hardware. In FIG. 2, in order to determine another type of collision of the vehicle, for example, whether it is a symmetrical collision or an asymmetrical collision, etc., in front of the left and right side members of the vehicle 10 (crash zone).
Also shown are left and right front sensors 24 and 26 which are attached to the sensors and detect deceleration, respectively.

Next, the operation of the collision mode judging device 20 of the embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 illustrates a microcomputer 40 of the collision mode determination device 20 according to the embodiment.
5 is a flowchart showing an example of a head-on collision determination processing routine executed by the CPU. This routine is executed by the floor sensor 2
2 is executed when the deceleration G detected by the control signal 2 exceeds the predetermined value Gth.

When the head-on collision determination processing routine is executed, the CPU 42 of the microcomputer 40 first executes processing for reading the deceleration G detected by the floor sensor 22 (step S100). Subsequently, a time integration value VG of the deceleration G read from the start of this routine to the current time as an integration section is calculated (step S10).
2), a process of writing in a predetermined area of the RAM 46 as data of the calculated time integral value VG and the current time t is executed (step S104). Then, the calculated time integral value V
G is compared with a threshold value Vth (step S106), and when the time integration value VG is smaller than the threshold value Vth, step S100 is performed.
Then, the process returns to the reading processing of the deceleration G.

On the other hand, when the deceleration G is equal to or greater than the threshold value Vth, a process of reading out a pair of data of the time integral value VG and the current time t stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 46 and performing normalization is executed (step S108). . More specifically, the normalization calculates a normalized time integration value VG / Vth by dividing each time integration value VG by a threshold value Vth, and makes the time integration value VG equal to or greater than the threshold value Vth for the current time t. This is performed by dividing by the time T that has become and calculating the normalized time t / T.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a locus of the time integrated value VG with respect to the time t. FIG. 6 is an example of a locus of the normalized time integrated value VG / Vth corresponding to the normalized time t / T corresponding to the locus of FIG. FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, since the time integration value VG and the time t are normalized, the starting point of the trajectory is the origin and the ending point of the trajectory is (1, 1).

Subsequently, a process of calculating an error E with respect to the quadratic curve of the normalized trajectory is performed (step S11).
0). FIG. 7 shows an example of a calculation method of the error E in the embodiment. In the figure, curve A is a quadratic curve, and curve B is a normalized locus. In the embodiment, the error E is, as shown in FIG. 7, the square root of the sum of squares of the deviations e1, e2, and e3 between the normalized trajectory and the quadratic curve at the time when the normalized time t / T is divided into four equal parts. The following equation (1) was calculated.

[0022]

(Equation 1)

Here, the reason why it is possible to determine from the error E whether or not the collision mode of the vehicle 10 is a head-on collision will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a trajectory of the normalized time integration value VG / Vth at a normalized time t / T at the time of a head-on collision. FIG. 9 shows a symmetrical collision but a pole collision or a collision with a pole or the like. Normalized time integration value VG / Vth in the case of a collision other than a head-on collision such as an underride collision that enters the lower part of a large vehicle
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a trajectory with respect to a normalized time t / T. The curve A in FIGS. 8 and 9 is a quadratic curve.
The middle curve C is a normalized trajectory for a head-on collision, and the curve D in FIG. 9 is a normalized trajectory for a symmetrical collision other than a head-on collision. As can be seen from FIGS. 8 and 9, the normalized trajectory at the time of a head-on collision approximates a quadratic curve, but the trajectory at the time of a collision other than a head-on collision deviates significantly from the quadratic curve. Therefore,
It is possible to determine whether the vehicle is head-on or not based on whether or not the locus of the normalized time integration value VG / Vth with respect to the normalized time t / T approximates a quadratic curve. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the degree of this approximation is determined by an error E calculated as the square root of the sum of squares of the deviation between the three trajectories and the quadratic curve.
It is asking. That is, when the error E is small, it can be determined that the collision mode is a head-on collision, and when the error E is large, it can be determined that the collision mode is other than a head-on collision.

Returning to the head collision determination routine of FIG. 4, when the error E is calculated, the error E is compared with a threshold value Eth (step S112). When the error E is equal to or smaller than the threshold value Eth, the collision mode is determined to be a head collision. (Step S114) When the error E is larger than the threshold value Eth, it is determined that the collision mode is other than the head-on collision (Step S116), and this routine ends.
The threshold value Eth is obtained by an experiment or the like.

The collision type discriminating apparatus 2 of the embodiment described above
According to 0, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the collision mode is a head-on collision. Moreover, since the determination is made only by the calculation using the deceleration G detected by the floor sensor 22 mounted near the center console of the vehicle 10, the collision type can be determined with a simple configuration. Further, since the type of collision can be determined at the initial stage of the collision, the determination result can be effectively used for the activation timing and activation speed of the occupant protection device such as the airbag device.

In the collision type discriminating apparatus 20 of the embodiment, the error E is normalized to the three deviations e1,
Although the calculation is performed as the square root of the sum of squares of e2 and e3, the calculation may be performed as the square root of the sum of squares of the deviations of four or more places obtained by dividing the normalized time t / T by 5 or more. Further, since the degree of approximation to the quadratic curve may be obtained, the correlation value between the normalized trajectory and the quadratic curve may be obtained, and the correlation value may be substituted for the error E. Alternatively, it may be calculated as a sum of absolute values of deviations or a sum of squares of deviations. Not only a quadratic curve but also a quadratic equation (corresponding to a quadratic equation) may be used.

In the collision type discriminating apparatus 20 of the embodiment, it is determined whether or not the collision type is a head-on collision based on the degree of approximation of the normalized time integral value VG / Vth with the quadratic curve of the trajectory with respect to the normalized time t / T. Is the unnormalized time integral VG
May be determined based on the degree of approximation of the trajectory to the quadratic curve with respect to time t. In this case, the quadratic expression representing the quadratic curve has coefficients.

In the collision type discriminating apparatus 20 of the embodiment, it is determined whether the collision type is a head-on collision based on the degree of approximation of the normalized time integral value VG / Vth with the quadratic curve of the trajectory with respect to the normalized time t / T. However, it may be determined whether or not the collision mode is a head-on collision based on the degree of approximation with a curve other than the quadratic curve, for example, a cubic curve, a quaternary curve, or a 2.5-degree curve. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, when the collision mode is a head-on collision, the time change rate of the trajectory with respect to the normalized time t / T of the normalized time integral value VG / Vth tends to increase monotonically. It may be determined whether or not the collision mode is a head-on collision based on the time change rate.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, it can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a collision type determination device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the first embodiment using functional blocks.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a hardware configuration of a collision type determination device 20 of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view exemplifying a state in which the collision type determination device 20 of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 10.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a head-on collision determination processing routine executed by the microcomputer 40 of the collision mode determination device 20 of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a trajectory of the time integration value VG with respect to time t.

6 is a graph showing a normalized time integral value VG corresponding to the locus of FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a trajectory for a normalized time t / T of / Vth.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a calculation method of an error E.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a trajectory of a normalized time integral value VG / Vth at a head-on collision with respect to a normalized time t / T.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing a normalized time integral value VG in the case of a collision other than a head-on collision;
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a trajectory for a normalized time t / T of / Vth.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 vehicle, 20 collision type discriminating device, 22 floor sensor, 24 left front sensor, 26 right front sensor, 28 integral operation unit, 30 collision type discriminating unit, 32
Normalization section, 34 error calculation section, 36 determination section, 40 microcomputer, 42 CPU, 44 ROM, 4
6 RAM, 48 input / output processing circuit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kibun Iyoda 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Automobile Co., Ltd. 1 Toyota Central Research Laboratory Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3D054 EE06 EE14 EE19 FF20

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A collision type determination device for determining a type of collision of a vehicle, comprising: deceleration detection means disposed in front of a center of an occupant compartment of the vehicle for detecting deceleration; And a collision mode determination unit that determines a collision mode based on a trajectory of the calculated deceleration time integration value with respect to time. 2. The collision type determination device according to claim 1, wherein the collision type determination unit is a unit configured to determine a collision type based on a trajectory of a time derivative of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time. 3. The collision mode according to claim 2, wherein the collision mode determination means determines the collision mode as a head-on collision when the trajectory of the time integral of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time is monotonically increasing. Discriminator. 4. The collision mode according to claim 1, wherein said collision mode determination means determines the collision mode as a head-on collision when a trajectory of the time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time can be approximated by a quadratic curve. Discriminator. 5. The collision mode determination device according to claim 4, wherein the collision mode determination unit normalizes a trajectory of the time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time, and the normalized A collision mode discriminating apparatus comprising: error calculating means for calculating an error between a trajectory and a normalized quadratic curve; and head-on collision determining means for determining whether the collision mode is a head-on collision based on the calculated error. . 6. The error calculating means according to claim 5, wherein the error calculating means calculates a square root of a sum of squares of a deviation at a predetermined position of the normalized trajectory and the normalized quadratic curve as the error. Collision type determination device. 7. The collision type determination device according to claim 5, wherein the head-on collision determination unit determines that the collision type is a head-on collision when the calculated error is equal to or less than a predetermined value. 8. A collision type determination method for determining the type of collision of a vehicle, comprising: (a) calculating a time integrated value of deceleration in the front center of a passenger compartment of the vehicle; and (b) calculating the calculated reduction. A collision type determination method for determining a collision type based on a trajectory of a time integration value of a speed with respect to time. 9. The step (b) is a step of judging the collision mode as a frontal collision when the trajectory of the time derivative of the time integral of the deceleration with respect to time monotonically increases.
The collision type determination method described in the above. 10. The collision mode according to claim 8, wherein the step (b) is a step of judging the collision mode as a head-on collision when a trajectory of the time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time can be approximated to a quadratic curve. Judgment method. 11. The collision type determination method according to claim 10, wherein the step (b) comprises: (b1) normalizing a trajectory of the time integration value of the deceleration with respect to time; and (b2) the normalized (B3) a method for determining whether the collision type is a head-on collision based on the calculated error. 12. The collision type discriminating method according to claim 11, wherein the step (b2) comprises the step of calculating a square root of a sum of squares of a deviation between the normalized trajectory and the normalized quadratic curve at a predetermined position. Is calculated as the error, and the step (b3) is a step of determining that the collision mode is a head-on collision when the calculated error is equal to or less than a predetermined value.