JP2005280468A - Knee protector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a knee protector capable of protecting the knee by suppressing impact applied to the thigh and waist of an occupant connected to the knee. <P>SOLUTION: The knee protector S has a knee protection panel 21 that is delivered to the front side of the knee of an occupant by a driving mechanism 31, restricts the forward moving knee, and can absorb the kinetic energy of the knee in vehicle collision. The knee protection panel has a shock absorbing section 25 which plastically deforms so as to be dented on the front side and can absorb the kinetic energy of the knee K1. The shock absorbing section 25 has an absorbing central part 26 positioned on the front side of the center C of each knee K0 in a normal seating state of the occupant at the completion of the delivery of the knee protection panel 21. In interfering of the knee protection panel with the knee, the load at the time of the plastic deformation when the shock absorbing section 25 is dented on the front side so that the knee K1 at the position in a non-normal seating state can be guided to the back side of the absorbing central part 26 is set smaller on the side near the absorbing central part 26 than on the side separated from the absorbing central part 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention comprises a knee protection panel that is extended by a drive mechanism to the front side of an occupant's knee in a vehicle collision and is capable of absorbing the kinetic energy of the knee by restraining the knee moving forward. It relates to a protective device.

  Conventionally, there has been a knee protection device that protects a knee that moves forward by operating a servo drive mechanism and moving a knee protection panel backward during a vehicle collision (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, there is an apparatus in which the knee protection panel is moved backward by the inflating airbag and the knee moving forward is protected with good cushioning by the knee protection panel supported by the airbag (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ).
JP-A-4-278858 JP-A-10-59103

  However, the device described in Patent Document 1 cannot protect the knee by absorbing the kinetic energy of the knee, and there is room for improvement in terms of protecting the knee. Further, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since an airbag is used, an apparatus such as an inflator for generating a gas for inflating an airbag is provided although a cushion function can be obtained and a knee can be protected. Necessary and cost increases.

  As a countermeasure, a shock absorbing material that can plastically deform and absorb the kinetic energy of the knee is provided on the panel that can restrain the knee, and when the vehicle collides, the panel is extended to the front side of the knee. ,Conceivable.

  Further, in this case, with the occupant seated in a proper posture (a normal seating state where the thigh is along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle), the knee interferes with the knee protection panel, and the shock absorber is If it can be plastically deformed, the knee can be protected by suppressing the impact applied to the thigh and waist of the occupant who is connected to the knee.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a knee protection device capable of protecting the knee while suppressing the impact applied to the thigh and waist of an occupant connected to the knee.

The knee protection device according to the present invention includes a knee protection panel that is extended to the front side of the occupant's knee by a drive mechanism at the time of a vehicle collision and can restrain the knee moving forward to absorb the kinetic energy of the knee. A knee protection device composed of
When the knee protection panel interferes with the knee, the front side is supported by the rear end part of the drive rod of the drive mechanism, and the knee protection panel is plastically deformed so as to be recessed forward, so that it can absorb the kinetic energy of the knee. The parts are arranged and configured,
The shock absorbing portion has an absorption center portion located in front of the center of each knee in the regular seating state of the occupant when the knee protection panel is fully extended,
When interfering with the knee of the knee protection panel, the load at the time of plastic deformation that dents forward in the shock absorption part can be guided away from the absorption center part so that the knee in the irregular seated position can be guided to the rear side of the absorption center part It is characterized by being set so as to make the part side closer to the absorption center part smaller than the part side.

  In the knee protection device according to the present invention, when the knee protection panel extended to the rear side interferes with the knee of the occupant moving forward during operation, even if the knee is displaced from the position of the normal seating state, the normal seating is performed. The knee shifted from the position of the state is shifted toward the absorption center so that it is guided while the portion near the absorption center where the deformation load is smaller than the portion of the shock absorption near the knee is recessed forward. Moving. Then, the knee that has been displaced from the position of the normal sitting state is disposed at the position of the normal sitting state, and the vicinity of the absorption center of the shock absorbing portion is greatly recessed forward to absorb the kinetic energy.

  Therefore, in the knee protection device according to the present invention, even if the knee is deviated from the position of the normal sitting state, when it interferes with the knee protection panel, it is guided to the position of the normal sitting state. The knee can be protected by suppressing the impact on the thigh and waist.

  In the knee protection device according to the present invention, the occupant's knees can be placed behind the absorption center portion by pressing the occupant's thighs toward the center in the lateral direction of the occupant on the side of the seated occupant. It is desirable to arrange and configure the auxiliary means.

  In such a configuration, even if the knee is largely deviated from the absorption center by the auxiliary means, it is possible to arrange the knee behind the absorption center, and precisely the vicinity of the absorption center is plastically deformed. Let the knees protect.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the knee protection device S of the embodiment allows a driver M to restrain a knee K of a driver M as an occupant. M is disposed below the steering column 6 on the vehicle front side.

  The vertical / front / rear / left / right relationship in this specification is based on the state in which the knee protection device S is mounted on the vehicle, and is consistent with the vertical / front / rear / left / right relationship of the vehicle when mounted. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the steering column 6 includes a main shaft 7 coupled to the steering wheel 5, a column tube 8 that covers the periphery of the main shaft 7, and a column cover 9 that covers the periphery thereof. Has been. The column cover 9 is disposed so as to protrude obliquely upward and rearward from an instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as instrument panel) 12 as an interior material.

  The knee protection device S includes a knee protection panel 21 and a drive mechanism 31 that moves the knee protection panel 21.

  The drive mechanism 31 includes an actuator 32 as a drive source that can move a drive rod 33 protruding rearward to the rear side. The actuator 32 is constituted by a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic solenoid, an electric motor, and the like, and its operation is controlled by the control device 17. The actuator 32 is held on the side of the body side member 1 such as the instrument panel reinforcement 2 having the rigidity of the vehicle with brackets 3 and 4 interposed therebetween.

  In the knee protection device S of the embodiment, two actuators 32 of the drive mechanism 31 are used and arranged on the left and right sides below the column cover 9, respectively.

  And the drive rod 33 of each actuator 32 has connected the support plate 34 made from the substantially square steel plate which has the rigidity arrange | positioned by the up-down direction at the rear end. Each support plate 34 is disposed in the vicinity of the left and right sides of the knee protection panel 21 below the column cover 9 when viewed from the vehicle rear side.

  Each support plate 34, when the knee protection panel 21 is moved rearward to the extended position, has its center position, along with the axis of the drive rod 33, both knees K0 of the normally seated occupant M (each knee K0). Are arranged on the front side of the center C) (see FIG. 5).

  1-4, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the design panel part 22 exposed to the passenger | crew M side, the front panel part 23 located in the support plate 34 side, the design panel part 22, and the front panel part 23, And an impact absorbing portion 25 disposed between the two. The design panel section 22 is made of a synthetic resin such as a substantially rectangular plate-like polypropylene / ABS resin and is disposed in the opening 13 of the instrument panel 12 as an interior material. Note that the opening 13 has a substantially rectangular shape and is disposed in a region extending left and right on the lower side of the column cover 9 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

  Locking legs that can be inserted into locking holes 15 formed in the peripheral edge 14 of the opening 13 of the instrument panel 12 and locked to the peripheral edge 14 respectively on the front side at the four corners of the outer peripheral edge of the design panel 22. 29 projects from the front side. Then, when these locking legs 29 are locked to the peripheral edge portion 14, the knee protection panel 21 is configured so that the surface on the vehicle rear side is the vehicle rear side of the instrument panel 12 before the knee protection device S is activated. The front side of the occupant M is improved in design so as to be flush with the side surface.

  The shock absorbing portion 25 is disposed in a rectangular region smaller than the outer shape of the design panel portion 22 when viewed from the rear side, and is made of a thermoplastic resin such as an olefin-based material or a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, or a metal such as a sheet metal. It is said. And in the case of embodiment, the impact-absorbing part 25 is comprised from many ribs (vertical rib) 25a arranged in parallel with the left-right direction as a strip | belt shape along an up-down direction. The shock absorbing part 25 made of these ribs 25a absorbs the kinetic energy of the knee K moving forward by plastic deformation that buckles each rib 25a so that the design panel part 22 is recessed forward. It is configured.

  Furthermore, the shock absorbing portion 25 of the embodiment is disposed on the front side of the center C in the left-right direction in both knees K0 in the normal sitting state (see FIG. 5) when the knee protection panel 21 is fully extended. Centering on the absorption center part 26, it is comprised so that the kinetic energy of the knee K0 may be absorbed. And, the load at the time of plastic deformation recessed to the front side of the shock absorbing portion 25 is such that the portion side away from the surrounding absorption center portion 26 to the left and right gradually increases from the portion side close to the absorption center portion 26. Furthermore, the position of the non-regular seating state, that is, the absorption when the value of the load at the time of plastic deformation and the state in which the load changes are in interference with the knee K (K0 · K1) of the knee protection panel 21. If there is a knee K1 behind the part away from the central part 26, the knee K1 can be guided to the position of the normal sitting state, that is, the position of the absorption central part 26 in the vicinity of the knee K1. Is set.

  Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the thicknesses of the vertical ribs 25a arranged side by side in the left-right direction are substantially equal, and the distance between the ribs 25a increases as the distance from the left and right increases with reference to the two absorption center portions 26. The pitch P is set to be gradually narrowed. In the case of the embodiment, the peripheral edge absorption in which the pitch P between the ribs 25a is the smallest and the plastic deformation load value is maximized between the center between the absorption center portions 26 and 26 and the vicinity of both left and right edges of the knee protection panel 21. The part 27 is disposed.

  The width dimension of the knee protection panel 21 in the left-right direction is such that the seated state of the occupant M is not a regular seated state, and at least one of the left and right knees is opened outward so as to increase the distance between the knees. However, it is comprised so that it may arrange | position in the area (protection area) A (refer FIG. 4) between the right-and-left periphery absorption parts 27. FIG.

  The front panel portion 23 is made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene / ABS resin, and is connected to the front ends of the ribs 25a of the shock absorbing portion 25 so as to be able to support the front end sides of the ribs 25a during plastic deformation. It is formed in a plate shape in which the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge is shortened from the portion 22. A rear surface 34 a of the support plate 34 is connected and fixed to the front surface 23 a of the panel portion 23.

  In addition, when the knee protection panel 21 is formed from a synthetic resin, the design panel unit 22, the shock absorbing unit 25, and the front panel unit 23 are formed separately from each other and bonded to each other or vibrated. For example, the shock absorbing portion 25 is integrally formed with the design panel portion 22 and the front panel portion 23 is connected to the molded product, or the impact is absorbed. The absorbent portion 25 may be formed integrally with the front panel portion 23, and the design panel portion 22 may be joined to the molded product.

  The control device 17 is electrically connected to a plurality of sensors 18 arranged in a bumper or the like. The sensor 18 can detect an object approaching the vehicle from the front, and can be exemplified by a type using infrared rays or ultrasonic waves, or a type using a CCD camera. The control device 17 inputs signals from the sensors 18 in consideration of the vehicle speed and the like, and operates the actuators 32 of the drive mechanism 31 at the time of collision detection that can predict a collision with an approaching object. Become.

  That is, in this knee protection device S, if the control device 17 detects collision detection based on a signal from the sensor 18, each actuator 32 of the drive mechanism 31 is actuated by the control device 17, and each drive rod 33 moves backward. Accordingly, the support plate 34 connected to the rear end of each drive rod 33 moves to the vehicle rear side. 4 and 5, the knee protection panel 21 is disposed on the front side of the knee K <b> 1 of the occupant M with the support plate 34 supporting the front panel portion 23.

  At this time, if the knee K1 that moves forward in the event of a vehicle collision deviates from the position of the normal seating state as shown in FIG. 5, the absorption center portion having a smaller deformation load than the portion of the shock absorbing portion 25 near the knee K1. While the part side of 26 is recessed forward, it moves to the absorption center part 26 side so as to be guided. Then, the knee K1, which has been displaced from the position of the normal seating state, is disposed at the position of the normal seating state as shown in FIG. 5B, and the vicinity of the absorption center portion 26 of the shock absorber 25 is greatly recessed forward. Kinetic energy is absorbed.

  Therefore, in the knee protection device S of the embodiment, even when the knee K1 is deviated from the position of the normal sitting state (a state in which the thigh is along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle), at the time of interference with the knee protection panel 21, Since it is guided to the position of the normal seating state, it is possible to protect the knee K0 by suppressing the impact applied to the thigh F and the waist of the occupant connected to the knee K0.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the knee protection device S presses the thigh F of the occupant M toward the lateral center of the occupant M toward the side of the seated occupant M, You may arrange | position the auxiliary | assistant means 40 which can arrange | position the knee K in the back of the absorption center part 26 side. This auxiliary means 40 is composed of a pusher 40 which is disposed in the region of the console box B and the door D in the vicinity of the thigh F of the seated occupant M and whose operation is controlled by the control device 17 in the event of a vehicle collision. 40 includes a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic solenoid, an electric motor, and the like, and a pressing plate 42 disposed at the tip of the drive rod 41 is moved from the storage area of the console box B and the door D to the thigh F of the occupant M. Extrude to the side.

  In the knee protection device S provided with such a pusher 40, even if the knee is greatly displaced from the absorption center portion 26 at the time of a vehicle collision, that is, outside the peripheral absorption portions 27 and 27, for example, knee protection. Even if the knee K2 is arranged in the vicinity of the left and right edges of the panel 21 or in the area left and right away from the knee protection panel 21, the thigh F is pushed by the pressing plate 42, and the absorption center portion 26 side is located. The knee K2 can be disposed rearward. Then, if the knee K2 moves forward while being pushed by the pusher 40, it is guided to the absorption center portion 26 side by plastic deformation of the shock absorbing portion 25, and the vicinity of the absorption center portion 26 is plastically deformed to accurately It will be protected.

  In the embodiment, the case where the shock absorbing portion 25 is constituted by the rib 25a has been shown. However, not only the rib shape but also a plate shape provided with a foam layer that causes brittle fracture is obtained, and the plastic deformation load is appropriately changed. Then, the impact absorbing portion may be formed from a synthetic resin or the like that is plastically deformed so as to be recessed forward.

  Moreover, although the case where the knee protection device S of the embodiment is disposed on the front side of the driver's seat has been shown, the knee protection device of the present invention may be mounted in front of the passenger seat.

It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the knee protection apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic front view seen from the vehicle back side of the knee protection device of an embodiment. It is a partial expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view of the knee protection apparatus of embodiment, and respond | corresponds to the III-III site | part of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the impact absorbing portion of the embodiment, corresponding to the IV-IV part in FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows in order the action | operation time of the knee protection apparatus of embodiment. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the state which provided the auxiliary means in the knee protection apparatus of embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

21 ... Knee protection panel,
23a ... front,
25 ... Shock absorbing part,
25a ... ribs,
26 ... absorption center,
31 ... Drive mechanism,
32 ... drive rod,
40 ... (Auxiliary means) Pusher,
42 ... Pressing plate,
M ... Crew,
K ... knees,
K0 ... Knee (regular seated),
K1, K2 ... knees (non-regular seated state),
F ... thigh,
S: Knee protector.

Claims (2)

A knee protection device comprising a knee protection panel that is extended to the front side of the occupant's knee by a drive mechanism in the event of a vehicle collision and restrains the knee moving forward to absorb the kinetic energy of the knee. And
When the knee protection panel interferes with the knee, the front side is supported by the rear end of the drive rod of the drive mechanism, and the knee protection panel is plastically deformed so as to be recessed forward, thereby absorbing the knee's kinetic energy. Arranged by arranging the absorption part,
The shock absorbing portion comprises an absorption center portion positioned in front of the center of each knee in the normal seating state of the occupant when the knee protection panel is extended.
When the knee protection panel interferes with the knee, the load at the time of plastic deformation that dents forward in the shock absorbing portion can be guided to the rear side of the absorption center portion so that the knee in the non-normal seating state can be guided. A knee protection device, wherein the knee protection device is set so as to make the part near the absorption center smaller than the part away from the center.   Auxiliary means capable of placing the occupant's knees behind the absorption center portion by pressing the occupant's thighs toward the center in the lateral direction of the occupant are arranged on the side of the seated occupant. Knee protector characterized by being made.

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