JP2002362301A - Starting device for occupant crash protector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a starting device for an occupant crash protector capable of properly starting the occupant crash protector regardless of traveling conditions of a vehicle. SOLUTION: This starting device 20 for the occupant crash protector is provided with a car speed sensor 26 to detect speed of the vehicle, a pre-crash sensor 24 to detect an obstacle which may collide with the vehicle, a collision prediction determination part 28 to predict collision between the obstacle and the vehicle based on a detection value by the pre-crash sensor 24, a post-crash sensor 22 to detect a degree of impact given to the vehicle after collision of the vehicle with the obstacle, and a start determining part 29 to determine if start of the occupant crash protector is necessary or not based on speed of the vehicle detected by the car speed sensor 26, result of determination by the collision prediction determining part 28, and a detected value of the post- crash sensor 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a starting device for an occupant protection device. More specifically, occupant protection that can effectively and accurately use the collision information immediately before the collision of the vehicle and the collision information after the collision of the vehicle to quickly and accurately activate the occupant protection device according to the traveling state of the vehicle. The present invention relates to a device activation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An occupant protection device such as an airbag mounted on a vehicle adjusts the activation timing of the occupant protection device based on a temporal change in deceleration detected by a deceleration meter or the like in the vehicle. Have been done. Therefore, with regard to the conventional occupant protection device, many studies have been made to detect that the vehicle has actually collided, and to accurately activate the airbag or the like based on the detected value.

[0003]

However, the above occupant protection device detects that the vehicle has actually collided with an obstacle, and activates the airbag or the like after this (post-crash). For this reason, when the vehicle collides particularly in a high-speed running state, there is a problem that the sensing is delayed and the occupant protection cannot be reliably performed.

[0004] In addition, there is a case where the vehicle is hit by another vehicle that is traveling at a high speed despite the vehicle being stopped,
A collision mode in which the vehicle collides with a fixed obstacle at high speed is also assumed, and in such a case, a delay in sensing also becomes a problem.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a starting device for an occupant protection device capable of appropriately starting the occupant protection device regardless of the running state of the vehicle.

[0006]

The above object is achieved by a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a speed of a vehicle, a pre-crash sensor for detecting an obstacle which may collide with the vehicle, and A collision prediction determination unit that predicts a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle based on a detection value of a pre-crash sensor, and after the vehicle collides with the obstacle,
Using a post-crash sensor that detects the degree of impact received by the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor, the determination result by the collision prediction determination unit, and the detection value of the post-crash sensor, activation of the occupant protection device Do you need
This is achieved by an occupant protection device that includes an activation determination unit that determines whether or not the occupant protection device is activated.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the collision prediction determination unit obtains a detection value from the pre-crash sensor as information before the collision, and uses the detection value to determine whether the vehicle is in the state of (shortly) colliding. Make a collision prediction decision. When the vehicle actually collides, the post-crash sensor detects the degree of impact generated on the vehicle as information after the collision. Further, the vehicle speed sensor detects the speed of the vehicle. These collision prediction results, the impact degree and the vehicle speed are supplied to a start determination unit, and the start determination unit comprehensively determines whether or not the occupant protection device needs to be started.

That is, in the activation device for the occupant protection device according to the present invention, the activation of the occupant protection device is determined using the vehicle collision information immediately before and after the collision. In that case,
It is referenced up to the speed of the vehicle. Therefore, according to the present device, the occupant protection device can be activated so that occupant protection is reliably performed at the time of a vehicle collision.

As the vehicle speed sensor, various types of conventionally known speed sensors can be selected and used.

The above-mentioned pre-crash sensor is a sensor that can obtain a detection signal according to the relative speed and relative distance between the vehicle and the obstacle. For example, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a CCD camera or the like can be used. . The pre-crash sensor is provided at a predetermined position of the vehicle, for example, at a front grille at the front end of the vehicle, so as to detect an obstacle that may collide with the vehicle. The number of pre-crash sensors is not limited to one, and a plurality of pre-crash sensors may be provided at the front end of the vehicle.

Further, the pre-crash sensor is not limited to responding to a collision from the front side, but is desirably disposed so as to be able to detect a collision from the side and the rear of the vehicle.

The post-crash sensor only needs to detect the degree of impact generated on the vehicle. For example, a deceleration sensor (G sensor) can be used. The G sensor is provided so as to detect the deceleration in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and also to detect the deceleration in the left-right or oblique direction of the vehicle from the direction in which the collision is to be detected.

The collision prediction determining section calculates, for example, a relative speed and a relative distance between the vehicle and an obstacle based on the detection value of the pipe crush sensor, and from the calculated values, it is predicted that the vehicle will collide. Or not.

Further, the activation judging section uses one or both of the judgment result of the collision prediction judging section and the detection value of the post-crash sensor to determine whether or not the occupant protection device needs to be activated. Is comprehensively determined. At this time, the activation determining unit also uses the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor in consideration of the vehicle speed and uses the result.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device according to the first aspect, the activation determination unit detects that the vehicle is running at a high speed by the vehicle speed sensor. When the vehicle speed sensor detects that the vehicle is in a middle-speed running state, the determination is performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor when the vehicle speed sensor detects that the vehicle is in a middle-speed running state. Is also good.

The conditions under which the occupant protection device should be activated also differ depending on the running state of the vehicle in collision. That is, when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed, the occupant protection is particularly urgent. When the vehicle is traveling at a medium speed, the occupant needs to be protected, but the urgency is lower than when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed. Furthermore, it is often not necessary to activate the occupant protection device in a collision when the vehicle is traveling at low speed.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that the vehicle is traveling at a high speed, the collision prediction judgment unit uses the judgment result to determine whether a collision with high urgency is expected. I am prepared to respond. On the other hand, when the vehicle is in a middle-speed running state, the start-up determination is performed using a detection value of the post-crash sensor in a start-up determination in a collision requiring occupant protection.

In the second aspect of the present invention, it is a post-crash sensor that accurately detects the degree of impact due to a vehicle collision. However, in the case of a high-speed collision with high urgency from the viewpoint of occupant protection, an early start-up determination is made based on the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit. On the other hand, when there is a need for occupant protection but the urgency is low compared to a high-speed collision, a startup determination with improved accuracy is performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor. .

Therefore, the high-speed running state referred to here is a state in which the vehicle is running at a high vehicle speed with high urgency for occupant protection when the vehicle collides with an obstacle. The medium-speed running state is a state in which the vehicle is running at a vehicle speed that requires occupant protection when the vehicle collides with an obstacle.

From the viewpoint of practical use of the present apparatus, it is important to determine whether the vehicle speed should be handled as a medium speed or a vehicle speed to be handled at a high speed. Since the setting of the high speed / medium speed is also affected by the structure of the vehicle, it is desirable to obtain data by performing various vehicle collision tests and simulations and determine the data for each vehicle type.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the activating device for an occupant protection device according to the first or second aspect, the occupant protection device includes a pretensioner device and an airbag that wind a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force. At least one of the devices can be used.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an occupant protection device including one of a pretensioner device as a first occupant protection device and an airbag device as a second occupant protection device, and more preferably both of them. As a result, reliable occupant protection is performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device according to the third aspect, the activation determination unit determines the activation of the pretensioner device by the collision prediction determination unit. And a configuration in which the determination is performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor for the determination of the activation of the airbag device.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the result of the judgment by the collision prediction judging section is an early judgment based on the information immediately before the collision from the pre-crash sensor. Since the activation determination of the pretensioner device is performed based on the determination result of the collision prediction determining unit, it is possible to effectively cope with a case where early occupant protection such as a high-speed collision is required. Further, since the detection value of the post-crash sensor is used for the activation determination of the airbag device, the airbag can be deployed with high precision when necessary.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device according to the third aspect, the airbag device has a function of deploying the airbag in a plurality of stages, and the activation determination unit includes: The first-stage airbag activation determination of the pretensioner device and the airbag device uses the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit, and the second-stage and subsequent airbag activation determinations of the airbag device use the above-described determination. The activation determination may be performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first-stage airbag activation determination of the pretensioner device and the airbag device is performed based on the early determination result by the collision prediction determination unit, so that a high-speed collision is performed. For example, it is possible to effectively deal with cases where early occupant protection is required. Then, the detection value of the post-crash sensor is used for the airbag activation determination of the second and subsequent stages of the airbag device, so that the airbag deployment of the second and subsequent stages can be executed with high precision if necessary. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the activation determination unit continues the determination using the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit. Preferably, the determination using the detection value of the post-crash sensor is performed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, immediately before the collision, the judgment of the activation of the occupant protection device corresponding to the emergency collision using the judgment result of the collision prediction judgment unit, and the post generated on the vehicle after the collision Since the start-up determination is performed using the detection value of the crash sensor, the occupant protection can be realized in a more preferable state.

Further, the above object is achieved by a pre-crash sensor for detecting an obstacle that may collide with a vehicle, and the obstacle and the vehicle are detected based on a detection value of the pre-crash sensor. A collision prediction determining unit that predicts a collision with the vehicle, a post-crash sensor that detects a degree of impact received by the vehicle after the vehicle collides with the obstacle, a determination result by the collision prediction determining unit, and the post-crash sensor It can also be achieved by an activation device for an occupant protection device that includes an activation determination unit that determines whether or not activation of the occupant protection device is necessary using the detection value of the occupant protection device.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the collision prediction judging section judges whether or not the vehicle collides using the detection value of the pre-crash sensor, and further judges the collision by the post-crash sensor. The degree of impact that actually occurred on the vehicle that was hit is detected. The result of the collision determination and the degree of impact are supplied to the activation determination unit, and the activation determination unit comprehensively determines whether to activate the occupant protection device. That is, even with the activation device of the occupant protection device, the activation of the occupant protection device is determined using the vehicle collision information immediately before and after the collision. Even with the configuration of the present invention, early occupant protection can be achieved when a vehicle collides.

The above-mentioned inventions up to claim 6 have a vehicle speed sensor, but even in the case of the present invention which does not have a vehicle speed sensor, the occupant protection device can be appropriately activated depending on the state of a vehicle collision. it can.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device according to the seventh aspect, the occupant protection device includes a pretensioner device and an airbag device for winding a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force. It can be at least one.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device according to the eighth aspect, the activation determination unit determines the activation of the pretensioner device by the collision prediction determination unit. The determination of the activation of the airbag device may be performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor.

According to the eighth and ninth aspects of the present invention,
The occupant protection device can be activated so that occupant protection is reliably performed at the time of a vehicle collision.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the activation device for an occupant protection device, the occupant protection device includes, as a first occupant protection device, a pretensioner device that winds a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force; The activation determination unit uses the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit to determine the activation of the pretensioner device, and uses the post-crash determination to determine the activation of the airbag device. The start determination may be performed using the detection value of the sensor.

Further, in the occupant protection device starting device according to claim 7, the occupant protection device includes a pretensioner device that winds a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force as a first occupant protection device. An airbag device having a function of deploying the airbag in a plurality of stages as an occupant protection device, wherein the activation determination unit determines the first stage airbag activation of the pretensioner device and the airbag device. It is configured to use the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit and execute the activation determination using the detection value of the post-crash sensor for the airbag activation determination of the second and subsequent stages of the airbag device. Is also good.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The embodiment described below describes the determination of activation of the occupant protection device when the vehicle collides at a middle speed or a high speed. As described above, the determination that the traveling state of the colliding vehicle is medium speed or high speed should be made for each vehicle type or according to the degree of impact. For example, a high speed is a vehicle speed exceeding 40 km / h. Yes, the medium speed can be set as a vehicle speed of 15 to 40 km / h. In the present embodiment, the following description is made on the assumption that it is not necessary to activate the occupant protection device when the vehicle collides at a low speed lower than the medium speed.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a hardware configuration of an activation device 20 of an occupant protection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an airbag device 5 as an occupant protection device.
0 is also illustrated. FIG. 2 is a diagram exemplifying a state when the activation device 20 is mounted on the vehicle 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the activation device 20 by functional blocks.

The starting device 20 of the occupant protection device of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a post-crash sensor (G sensor) 22 mounted near the center console of the vehicle 10 and detecting the degree of impact received after a collision of the vehicle as a deceleration G, The vehicle includes a pre-crash sensor 24 attached to a front grille or the like at the forefront, which detects an obstacle (not shown) existing around the vehicle 10 and which may collide, and a vehicle speed sensor 26 which detects a vehicle speed. I have.

As the pre-crash sensor 24, various sensors capable of detecting obstacles around the vehicle 10, for example, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a CCD camera and the like can be used. Pre-crash sensor 24 of the present embodiment
Supplies a detection signal corresponding to the relative speed and relative distance between the vehicle 10 and the obstacle to a collision prediction determination unit 28 described later. In this embodiment, the case where one pre-crash sensor 24 is provided in front of the vehicle 10 will be described. However, by arranging a plurality of pre-crash sensors 24 in front, the detection sensitivity can be improved. Further, a pre-crash sensor may be further provided on the side and rear sides so that a collision can be predicted in all directions.

The activation device 20 of the occupant protection device receives the detection signal from the pre-crash sensor 24 and executes a process of predicting and determining whether or not the vehicle 10 will collide with an obstacle. ) 31. For example, the ECU 31 calculates the relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the obstacle and calculates the relative distance, and determines whether or not the collision occurs based on whether the calculated value exceeds a predetermined threshold.
This determination result is supplied to the next ECU 32. In this embodiment, the ECU 31 predicts a collision based on the relative speed and the relative distance.
In the case where a D camera is used, the collision prediction may be performed by the ECU 31 performing predetermined image processing to identify an obstacle, determine a collision direction, and the like.

Further, the activation device 20 of the occupant protection device includes:
It includes an ECU 32 that receives a signal of the determination result from the ECU 31 and that determines whether or not to activate the occupant protection device including the detection values of the post-crash sensor 22 and the speed sensor 26. The result of the determination processing here includes a plurality of patterns for starting the occupant protection device in a more preferable state according to the situation in which the vehicle has collided. The details of the activation determination will be clarified in the following description.

The ECUs 31 and 32 are mainly composed of a CPU, and have an R function storing a predetermined processing program.
It is composed of an OM, a RAM for temporarily storing data, an input / output circuit, and the like. FIG. 3 shows a collision type discriminating apparatus 2 based on the processing contents executed by the ECUs 31 and 32.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the device No. 0.

Referring to FIG.
0 will be explained. In FIG. 3, the detection value of the pre-crash sensor (PC sensor) 24, the vehicle speed of the vehicle speed sensor (SC sensor) 26, and the deceleration G of the post-crash sensor (G sensor) 22 are input via a signal input unit 27 to a collision prediction determination unit. 28 and an activation determination unit 29.

The collision prediction determining section 28 predicts and determines whether or not a collision will occur based on the relative speed and relative distance between the vehicle and the obstacle based on the detection value of the pre-crash sensor 24. The collision prediction determination unit 28 includes a collision prediction determination map as shown in FIG.
If the specific point determined from the relative speed RV and the relative distance RL calculated based on the detection value from Step 4 belongs to the hatched collision area CZ shown in FIG. 4, the collision of the vehicle cannot be avoided. That is, the collision prediction determining unit 28 performs a collision prediction determination that the vehicle will collide when the specific point exceeds the predetermined threshold value CRTH.

The activation judging section 29 also refers to the judgment result of the collision prediction judging section 28, the deceleration G as the impact degree detected by the post-crash sensor 22, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 26. Then, it is comprehensively determined whether or not the occupant protection device 50 should be activated.

The occupant protection device includes an airbag device and a pretensioner device for winding a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force. The pretensioner device is a first occupant protection device that secures an occupant to a seat at the time of a vehicle collision to secure a secondary collision in a passenger cabin or a collapsible portion of the colliding vehicle, thereby protecting the occupant. Preferably, the pretensioner device is activated earlier when the possibility of collision is high.

It is also desirable that the airbag device be deployed earlier when the vehicle actually collides, but if it is deployed erroneously, it may cause a large impact to the occupant. Also. Therefore, in the case of the airbag device, there is a situation in which it is desired to execute the earlier deployment after the collision is reliably detected.

Further, recently, an airbag device capable of deploying (inflating) the airbag in a plurality of stages has been proposed so that the output of the airbag is adjusted according to the degree of impact received by the occupant in the event of a collision. I have. Such an airbag device includes, for example, two inflators and can deploy the airbag in two stages. In the event of a collision in which the occupant protection is urgent, the two inflators are simultaneously ignited and deployed at a high speed. In other collisions, one inflator is ignited, or two inflators are sequentially ignited with a time lag to deploy more slowly than in the case of two simultaneous inflators.

As described above, FIG. 1 illustrates the airbag device 50 as an occupant protection device. Here, the configuration of the airbag device 50 will be briefly described. This airbag device has a function of deploying the airbag in two stages.

The airbag 52, two inflators 54 for supplying gas to the airbag 52, an ignition device 56 for igniting a gas generating agent (not shown), and the ECU
Drive circuits 58 and 58 for energizing and igniting the ignition device 56 based on a start signal from the engine 32. Since two inflators 54 are provided, only the first stage or one
By activating the second stage after the first stage, deployment of the airbag 52 according to the collision state of the vehicle can be realized.

The pretensioner device is not shown, but is similarly provided with an ignition device so that the seat belt is wound up with a predetermined tightening force.

As described above, an embodiment in which the airbag device is generally deployed early after a collision is preferable. However, in the case of an airbag device having a function of deploying the airbag in a plurality of stages, the deployment start determination of the first stage is determined by the collision prediction determination (the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit 28) in the same manner as the pretensioner device. ) Is effective for early occupant protection.

Further, even if the collision prediction judgment is erroneous, it can be said that the impact on the occupant can be suppressed by deploying only the first-stage airbag, so that the disadvantage is small.

Therefore, the starting device of the present embodiment determines the start of the occupant protection device in consideration of such points. That is, from the viewpoint of executing appropriate occupant protection, the activation determination unit 29 performs the activation determination in a plurality of patterns according to the collision state. For this determination, when only the pretensioner device is activated, when the pretensioner device and the airbag device are activated at the same time, and further, when the pretensioner device and the airbag device deploy and activate only the first stage airbag, Startup pattern is included.

For example, the start-up judging section 29 simply activates the airbag device by using the result of the judgment made by the collision predicting judging section 28, even if it is predicted that the vehicle will collide. Rather than making a determination, the start-up determination differs depending on whether the vehicle is running in a high-speed state or a medium-speed state based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 26.

When the urgency of the occupant protection is relatively low, the start-up judging section 29 uses the deceleration G detected by the post-crash sensor 22 to make a more accurate start-up judgment. . For this purpose, the activation determination unit 29 of the present embodiment also has a function of determining whether to activate the airbag device.

For example, the activation judging section 29 has an airbag deployment judging map exemplified in FIG. 5, and a specific point determined from the deceleration G and ∫Gdt obtained by integrating the deceleration G with time exceeds a predetermined threshold TH. In such a case, it is determined that the airbag device is to be activated. When the airbag deployment determination map shown in FIG. 5 is used, the activation determination unit 29 determines that the vehicle has a similar impact as a high-speed collision when the specific point exceeds the threshold GTH-High. , And the specific point exceeds the threshold value GTH-Low, but the threshold value GTH-Hi
If the vehicle speed does not exceed gh, it is determined that the same impact has occurred as when the vehicle has collided at a medium speed, and the result is used to determine the activation of the airbag device.

There are a plurality of patterns in the judgment result by the start judging section 29, and the preferable contents of the start judgment among them are specifically described below with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a start determination routine executed by the start determination unit 29 realized by the ECU 32. In this routine, the activation determination unit 29 activates the first stage of the pretensioner device and the airbag using the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit 28,
It is determined based on the deceleration G of the post-crash sensor (G sensor) whether or not to perform the activation determination up to and not to activate the second stage of the airbag.

A description will be given with reference to FIG. First step 1
00 (hereinafter, steps are indicated by S), the activation determination unit 29
Indicates that the vehicle 10 is traveling at a high speed, and the collision prediction determination unit 28
With this, it is confirmed whether or not a result of the judgment that the vehicle has collided is given. If the vehicle collides in a high-speed running state, S102
In the pre-tensioner device, the first stage and the second stage are combined to perform an activation determination to deploy and activate the airbag,
This routine ends.

If it is determined in S100 that the collision is not a collision in a high-speed running state, the start determination unit 29 determines in S104 that the collision is determined by the collision prediction determination unit 28 in a running state of medium speed or higher. Check if it is. If it is determined that the vehicle will collide while driving at medium speed or higher,
In S106, an activation determination is made to deploy and activate the airbag with only the pretensioner device and the first stage.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the collision is not a collision in a running state at a medium speed or higher, the possibility of the collision is small, and even if the collision occurs, it does not mean that the occupant protection device is activated. Therefore, in S108, the activation determination unit 29 performs a determination that the pretensioner device and the airbag device are to be deactivated, and ends this routine.

In this routine, in particular, in S10
At S6, after the activation determination that the airbag is deployed and activated only by the pretensioner device and the first stage is executed, the process proceeds to S
At 110, it is confirmed by referring to the deceleration G of the G sensor whether a large impact corresponding to a high-speed collision has occurred on the vehicle.

When it is determined in S110 that there is an impact corresponding to the case where the vehicle is traveling at high speed due to the deceleration G by the G sensor, it is determined in S112 that the second-stage airbag is to be deployed and activated. Then, this routine ends.

According to the activation determination I, the first-stage airbag activation determination in the pretensioner device and the airbag device is performed on the basis of the early determination result by the collision prediction determination unit 28. It can effectively cope with the need for early occupant protection. Since the airbag activation determination for the second stage of the airbag device uses the deceleration G of the G sensor, the airbag is strongly deployed only when necessary. Therefore, early and reliable occupant protection can be performed.

Also, even if the early collision prediction judgment by the collision prediction judgment unit 28 is erroneous, only the first stage of the airbag is deployed, so that the impact on the occupant is suppressed to a low level. it can.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another start determination II routine executed by the start determination unit 29. In this case, the activation determination unit 29 determines whether to activate the pretensioner device and the airbag device by using the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit 28 when the vehicle is running at a high speed, or not. . However, when the vehicle is in the middle-speed running state, the startup determination is performed based on the deceleration G of the G sensor without using the determination result by the collision prediction determination unit 28.

A description will be given based on FIG. First, S200
Then, the activation determination unit 29 confirms whether or not the collision prediction determination unit 28 has made a collision determination while the vehicle 10 is traveling at a high speed. If the collision is in a high-speed running state, S20
In step 2, a start determination is made to deploy and start the airbag together with the pretensioner device and the first and second stages, and this routine ends.

If it is determined in step S200 that the collision is not a collision in a high-speed running state, the start-up determination unit 29 determines in step S204 whether or not a determination result of a collision in a running state of a medium speed or higher is output. Confirm. If it is determined in S204 that the collision is not a collision in the middle-speed running state, it is determined that there is little possibility of the collision, and even if the collision occurs, it is not until the occupant protection device is activated. The activation determination unit 29 performs a determination that the pretensioner device and the airbag device are to be deactivated, and terminates this routine.

On the other hand, if it is confirmed in S204 that the result of the judgment that the vehicle collides in the middle-speed running state is obtained, the deceleration G from the G sensor is referred to in the following steps (S206, S210, S212). Execute the startup judgment. That is, even if the result of the prediction determination that a collision occurs in the medium-speed running state is obtained in S204, it is not determined that the occupant protection device is activated. The reason for performing such a process is that the determination by the collision prediction determination unit 28 is based on the pre-crash sensor 24, and the collision determination is in the category of the prediction, and the possibility of a slight but erroneous determination cannot be denied. Therefore, when a collision is predicted in a middle-speed running state, the deceleration G by the G sensor can be determined with higher accuracy in consideration of the lower urgency compared to the case of a high-speed state. This routine is used.

At S206 following S204, it is checked whether or not a large impact corresponding to a high-speed collision has occurred on the vehicle with reference to the deceleration G of the G sensor. This S
If an impact equivalent to a high-speed collision is confirmed in 206, the process proceeds to S202 in the same manner as in the case where there is a prediction judgment that a collision occurs in a high-speed running state, and the pre-tensioner device and the first and second stages are At the same time, a start-up determination for deploying and starting the airbag is executed, and this routine ends.

If it is determined in S206 that a large impact equivalent to a high-speed collision has not occurred, it is checked in the next S210 whether an impact equivalent to a medium-speed collision has occurred. . In this S210, when it is confirmed that an impact equivalent to a medium speed collision has occurred,
In the next step S212, a start determination is made to start the airbag only with the pretensioner device and the first stage, and this routine ends.

If it is determined in S210 that the vehicle is not in a collision state in the middle-speed running state, it is determined in S208 that the pretensioner device and the airbag device are to be deactivated, and this routine is terminated. .

According to the start determination II, when the vehicle is running at a high speed, the result of the collision prediction determining unit is used to take into account a highly urgent collision. On the other hand, when the vehicle is in the middle-speed running state, the start determination is performed using the deceleration G of the G sensor, and the accuracy of the determination is increased to execute more preferable occupant protection. That is, in the activation determination II, it is possible to selectively execute the early activation of the occupant protection device in the case of a collision having a high degree of urgency and the accurate activation of the occupant protection device in a case where there is enough time.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a routine of another start judgment III executed by the start judgment section 29. This routine is a simplified version of the start determination II routine shown in FIG. 7, and corresponds to a modification of FIG. Although the airbag device shown in FIG. 7 has a function of deploying in two stages, FIG. 8 shows only one stage of the airbag device.

The basic features of the routine shown in FIG. 8 are the same as those in FIG. 7, and therefore will be briefly described. FIG.
When the start determination unit 29 confirms that the collision prediction determination unit 28 determines that the vehicle is traveling at high speed and that the collision prediction determination unit 28 determines that a collision has occurred (S300), the start determination unit 29 starts the pretensioner device and the airbag device. Make a judgment (S
302).

However, it is determined in S300 that the collision is not a collision in a high-speed running state, and the
If the result of the determination in step 8 is a collision, this result is not used for the startup determination (S304), and the startup is determined based on the deceleration G of the G sensor (S306).

Also in the case of the start determination III, the judgment result of the collision prediction judgment unit is used when the vehicle is running at a high speed, and the deceleration G of the G sensor is used when the vehicle is running at a medium speed. Early activation of the occupant protection device in the event of a high collision, and accurate activation of the occupant protection device when there is enough time.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a routine of still another start determination IV executed by the start determination unit 29.

In this routine, the activation judging section 29 uses the judgment result of the collision prediction judging section 28 to judge the activation of the pretensioner device, and uses the deceleration G of the G sensor to judge the activation of the airbag device. The judgment is performed.

A description will be given based on FIG. First S400
Then, the activation determination unit 29 confirms whether or not the collision prediction determination unit 28 has output a determination result that the vehicle 10 has collided when the vehicle 10 is traveling at a medium speed or higher. If it is determined that the collision is in the middle or higher speed state, a determination is made in step S406 to activate the pretensioner device.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S400 that the vehicle is not in a collision state at a medium speed or higher, the pretensioner device is deactivated and
At 402, it is determined whether or not an impact has occurred so as to exceed the case of a medium-speed collision with reference to the deceleration G of the G sensor. If such an impact has not occurred, it is determined in S404 that the airbag device is also not activated, and this routine ends.

If it is determined in step S406 that the pretensioner device is to be activated, the process proceeds to step S40.
At 8, it is confirmed whether or not an impact has occurred so as to exceed the case of the middle-speed collision with the vehicle by referring to the deceleration G of the G sensor.
If it is determined in S408 that the impact has occurred so as to exceed the case of the medium-speed collision, it is determined in S410 that the airbag device is also activated, and the routine ends. In this case, following the pretensioner device, the airbag device is also activated.

If it is determined in step S408 that no impact has occurred so as to exceed the case of the medium-speed collision, the process proceeds to step S41.
In step 2, the airbag device determines that the airbag device is not activated, and ends the routine. In this case, the pretensioner device is activated and the airbag device is not activated.

According to the start determination IV, the start determination of the pretensioner device is performed based on the result of the judgment by the collision prediction judgment unit, so that it is possible to effectively cope with a case where early occupant protection such as a high-speed collision is required. In addition, since the deceleration G of the G sensor is used to determine the activation of the airbag device, the airbag can be deployed with high precision when necessary.

The starting device of the occupant protection device according to the embodiment described above is provided with a vehicle speed sensor and takes into consideration the vehicle speed at the time of a collision. However, when the vehicle collides with a fixed obstacle at medium or high speed, or when it collides with an obstacle that is moving at low speed, that is, when the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle is considerably large, the collision may occur. In this case, the occupant protection device can be properly started even if the starter has no vehicle speed sensor.

For example, the start determination unit 29 of the above-described embodiment.
Is set so as to refer to the relative speed calculated by the collision prediction determination unit 28. If the relative speed is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the relative speed is handled in the same manner as the above-described vehicle speed. The occupant protection device can be started properly.

Also, whether the vehicle is in the high-speed running state or the medium-speed running state, which has been determined in the above-described start determinations I to IV, is determined by determining whether the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle is high. A similar routine can be performed by changing whether the relative speed is medium.

When the relative speed is used, the occupant protection device can be appropriately started in response to a case where the own vehicle is stopped and a rear-end collision occurs with another vehicle.
However, in this case, it is assumed that a pre-crash sensor for detecting a rear collision is provided.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention described in the appended claims. Can be modified and changed.

[0093]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the activation of the occupant protection device is determined using the vehicle collision information immediately before and after the collision. In that case, the speed of the vehicle is referred to. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to activate the occupant protection device so that occupant protection is reliably and appropriately performed at the time of a vehicle collision.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in the case of a high-speed collision that is highly urgent from the viewpoint of occupant protection, an early start-up determination is performed based on the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit. Although there is a need for occupant protection, if the urgency is low compared to a high-speed collision, a start determination with improved accuracy is performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor,
The occupant protection device can be activated according to the vehicle collision situation.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an occupant protection device includes one of a pretensioner device as a first occupant protection device and an airbag device as a second occupant protection device, and more preferably both of them. By being applied to the device, reliable and appropriate occupant protection is performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the activation of the pretensioner device is determined on the basis of the result of the determination by the collision prediction determining unit, and the present invention is effectively applied to a case where early occupant protection is required such as a high-speed collision. In addition, since the detection value of the post-crash sensor is used to determine whether to activate the airbag device, the occupant protection device can be activated in accordance with the collision state of the vehicle.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first-stage airbag activation determination of the pretensioner device and the airbag device is performed based on the determination result by the collision prediction determination unit. Since the detection value of the post-crash sensor is used for the airbag activation determination of the second and subsequent stages, the occupant protection device can be activated according to the vehicle collision situation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, immediately before the collision, it is determined that the occupant protection device is activated in response to an emergency collision by using the result of the collision prediction determination unit. Since the start determination is performed using the detected value of the post-crash sensor, occupant protection in a more preferable state can be realized.

Further, according to the inventions described in claims 7 to 9, it is possible to execute a preferable activation judgment of the occupant protection device using the vehicle collision information immediately before and after the collision without using a vehicle speed sensor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a hardware configuration of a starting device of an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram exemplifying a state when the activation device of the occupant protection device shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a starting device of the occupant protection device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a collision prediction determination map.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an airbag deployment determination map.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a routine of a start determination I executed by a start determination unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a start determination II routine executed by a start determination unit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a routine of a start determination III executed by a start determination unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a routine of a start determination IV executed by a start determination unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 20 Activation device of occupant protection device 22 Post-crash sensor 24 Pre-crash sensor 26 Vehicle speed sensor 27 Signal input unit 28 Collision prediction judgment unit 29 Activation judgment unit 50 Occupant protection device 52 Airbag 54 Inflator

Claims (9)

[Claims] A vehicle speed sensor for detecting a speed of a vehicle; a pre-crash sensor for detecting an obstacle which may collide with the vehicle; and an obstacle and the vehicle based on a detection value of the pre-crash sensor. A collision prediction determining unit that predicts a collision with the vehicle; a post-crash sensor that detects a degree of impact received by the vehicle after the vehicle collides with the obstacle; a vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor; An activation device for an occupant protection device, comprising: an activation determination unit that determines whether activation of the occupant protection device is necessary using a result of the determination by the determination unit and a detection value of the post-crash sensor. 2. The start-up device of the occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the start-judgment unit is configured to determine whether the vehicle is in a high-speed running state by the vehicle speed sensor. Using the result of the determination, when the vehicle speed sensor detects that the vehicle is in a middle-speed running state, the determination is performed using the detection value of the post-crash sensor, Starter. 3. The activation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the occupant protection device is at least one of a pretensioner device and an airbag device that wind a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force. A starting device for an occupant protection device. 4. The activation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the activation determination unit uses a determination result of the collision prediction determination unit to determine activation of the pretensioner device, and activates the airbag device. The activation device for an occupant protection device, wherein the determination is performed using a detection value of the post-crash sensor. 5. The activation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the airbag device has a function of deploying the airbag in a plurality of stages, and the activation determination unit includes the pretensioner device and the airbag. The determination result of the collision prediction determination unit is used for the first-stage airbag activation determination of the device, and the detection value of the post-crash sensor is used for the second- and subsequent-stage airbag activation determination of the airbag device. And performing the activation determination. 6. The activation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 4, wherein the activation determination unit detects the post-crash sensor following the determination using the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit. A starting device for an occupant protection device, wherein a determination is made using a value. 7. A pre-crash sensor for detecting an obstacle that may collide with a vehicle, a collision prediction determining unit for predicting a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle based on a detection value of the pre-crash sensor. A post-crash sensor that detects a degree of impact received by the vehicle after the vehicle collides with the obstacle; and an occupant protection device using a determination result of the collision prediction determination unit and a detection value of the post-crash sensor. An activation determining unit that determines whether activation of the occupant is necessary or not. 8. The activation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 7, wherein the occupant protection device is at least one of a pretensioner device and an airbag device that wind a seat belt with a predetermined tightening force. A starting device for the occupant protection device. 9. The activation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 8, wherein the activation determination unit uses the determination result of the collision prediction determination unit to determine the activation of the pretensioner device, and activates the airbag device. The activation device for an occupant protection device, wherein the determination is performed using a detection value of the post-crash sensor.