JP2006069262A - Driver safety device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a practical driver safety device for protecting a driver from a secondary collision attributable to a vehicle collision. <P>SOLUTION: The driver safety device has a device moving device to move at least one of a foot device and an instrument panel lower device so as to be brought close to each other in a vehicle collision. For example, a device 102 or the like to retract a brake pedal 100 as the foot device backward of a vehicle is provided on the device moving device to form a cabin space capable of restricting both the foot position of and the knee position of the driver. A body of the driver is turned around the knees thereby and an upper half body of the driver forms a bow-making posture. By realizing such a behavior of the driver, a chest of the driver can be subjected to the secondary collision straight to an inclined steering member, and an impact on the driver can be effectively mitigated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a protection device that protects a driver against a secondary collision caused by a vehicle collision.

A driver may collide with a steering operation member such as a steering wheel due to a vehicle collision. The magnitude of the impact received by the driver due to the secondary collision is influenced by the angle of the upper body of the driver with respect to the steering operation member. For example, when the steering operation member is equipped with an airbag device, when the vehicle directly collides with the steering operation member, the deployed airbag effectively absorbs the shock, and the impact received by the driver is relatively low. It will be small. In consideration of such circumstances, for example, in the technology described in the following patent document, the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver at the time of the secondary collision is reduced with respect to the arrangement angle of the steering operation member by pulling the seat belt. Appropriate technology is described.
No. 6-35829

  The technology described in the above-mentioned patent document is based on the premise that the driver is wearing a seat belt, and when the driver does not wear the seat belt, The tilt angle of the upper body cannot be optimized. Therefore, it is desired for the protective device that the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver at the time of the secondary collision to the steering operation member can be optimized regardless of whether the driver wears the seat belt. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a practical driver protection device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the driver protection device of the present invention includes a device moving device that moves at least one of a foot device and an instrument panel lower device so as to relatively approach each other at the time of a vehicle collision. Features.

  In a general vehicle, the steering operation member is inclined. On the other hand, in the event of a vehicle collision, the driver moves to the front side of the vehicle due to inertial force, but when the positions of both the driver's feet and knees are constrained, the driver's body is above the knee. This part turns around the knee, the buttocks rise from the seat, and the upper body bows. The protection device of the present invention uses such behavior of the driver's body, and according to the protection device of the present invention, both the position of the foot and the position of the knee can be restrained at the time of a vehicle collision. Thus, the vehicle interior space is created, and the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver at the time of the secondary collision with the steering operation member is made appropriate. Since the protective device of the present invention can optimize the inclination angle of the upper body regardless of the seat belt, it becomes a practical driver protective device.

Aspects of the Invention

  In the following, some aspects of the invention that can be claimed in the present application (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “claimable invention”) will be exemplified and described. As with the claims, each aspect is divided into sections, each section is numbered, and is described in a form that cites the numbers of other sections as necessary. This is merely for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the claimable inventions, and is not intended to limit the combinations of the constituent elements constituting those inventions to those described in the following sections. In other words, the claimable invention should be construed in consideration of the description accompanying each section, the description of the embodiments, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, another aspect is added to the form of each section. In addition, an aspect in which constituent elements are deleted from the aspect of each item can be an aspect of the claimable invention.

  In each of the following items, item (1) corresponds to a claim, item (2) corresponds to claim 2, and item (6) and (7) are combined in claim 3, respectively. Equivalent to.

(1) A driver protection device installed in a vehicle in which a steering operation member is disposed at an inclination so that an upper end portion is positioned on the vehicle front side from a lower end portion on the rear side of the instrument panel,
A device moving device that moves at least one of a foot device including at least one of an operation pedal and a footrest and an instrument panel lower device constituting at least a part of the lower part of the instrument panel so that they relatively approach each other at the time of a vehicle collision Driver protection device with.

  As will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings, in a general vehicle, an operation member such as a steering wheel (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “operation member”) is inclined so that the upper part is positioned on the front side of the vehicle. Provided. On the other hand, the driver sits on the seat, places the lower limbs in the space below the instrument panel (in this specification, using the abbreviation “instrument panel”), and puts the foot on the foot device (the operation described later). The vehicle is driven in a posture to be placed on the pedal and footrest. When the vehicle collides with the driver not wearing the seat belt, the driver moves forward of the vehicle due to inertial force. When the driver moves forward of the vehicle, the driver's feet are supported by the foot device and the driver's knees are bent. When the bent knee collides with the lower part of the instrument panel, the position of the foot and the position of the knee are constrained. In this state, the part above the knee of the driver's body is centered on the knee by inertial force. , The buttocks rise from the seat and the upper body looks like bowing, that is, the head is inclined so that it is located in front of the vehicle compared to the buttocks.

  When the driver exhibits the above behavior at the time of a vehicle collision, the arrangement angle of the operation member and the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver are matched, and the driver's chest directly collides with the operation member. When the driver collides straight with the operating member, the impact received by the driver from the operating member is small. Specifically, in the case of a straight collision, for example, in a vehicle in which the operation member is equipped with an airbag device, the shock absorption by the deployed airbag is effectively performed, and for example, the axial direction of the operation member In a vehicle provided with an impact absorbing device that absorbs the impact while allowing the movement of the vehicle, the impact absorbing device effectively absorbs the impact, so that the impact becomes small. Therefore, in order to reduce the impact received by the driver, it is important to match the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver with the arrangement angle of the operation member.

  However, a driver who does not wear a seat belt does not always exhibit the above behavior at the time of a vehicle collision. For example, if there are various factors such as sufficient space below the instrument panel and the driver being a small person, both the foot position and the knee position may not be restrained. In this case, the upper body of the driver is not tilted, and the chest of the driver may not be in a secondary collision with the operation member. In view of such a situation, in the aspect described in this section, the vehicle interior space in which the distance between the foot device and the instrument panel lower device is made closer and the foot position and the knee position can be restrained below the instrument panel is provided. By making it, it is comprised so that the alignment with the inclination angle of a driver | operator's upper body and the arrangement | positioning angle of an operation member may be ensured. Therefore, according to the aspect described in this section, even when the above factors are present, it is ensured that the driver's chest is in a secondary collision straight with the operation member, and the impact received by the driver is effectively mitigated. It is possible to do that. Therefore, according to the aspect described in this section, a practical driver protection device is realized.

  In the aspect described in this section, the “foot device” is a concept including an operation pedal such as a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, and a clutch pedal, and a footrest. When moving the foot device, only the foot device may be moved alone, or when the foot device is provided on any substrate, the foot device is moved together with the substrate by moving the substrate. You may let them. In addition, when moving a foot device, the whole may be moved and a part of foot device may be moved. For example, when the foot device is a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, or the like, only the portion on which the foot of the pedal is placed may be moved. Further, the “instrument panel lower device” is a concept including an instrument panel lower cover, a part of the instrument panel lower cover, a knee pad device that constitutes the device when a knee pad device that protects the knee is provided, and the like.

  The “device moving device” described in this section may move both the foot device and the lower instrument panel device so that they are relatively close to each other, and either the foot device or the lower instrument panel device. They may be moved relatively close to each other by moving only them. Further, the device moving apparatus of this section is not limited to a specific structure for moving these devices. For example, as will be described later, an actuator as a drive source may be provided, and the device may be moved by the drive force of the actuator, and the impact force of a vehicle collision may be transmitted using some transmission mechanism. The device may be converted into a moving force, and the device may be moved by the converted force. Furthermore, the direction in which the device is moved by the device moving device is not particularly limited as long as the foot device and the lower instrument panel device are close to each other and can restrain both the foot position and the knee position. Any direction is possible. Furthermore, the amount of movement is not particularly limited. For example, the device moving device may be configured to move by a certain amount of movement, and the relationship between the physique of the driver and the space below the instrument panel may be used. The structure may be such that the amount of movement is variable.

  (2) The driver protection device according to (1), wherein the device moving device includes a foot device retracting device for retracting the foot device.

  (3) The driver protection apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the device moving device includes an instrument panel lower device lowering device that lowers the instrument panel lower device.

  The modes of the above two terms are modes in which the configuration of the device moving apparatus is more specifically limited. According to those aspects, both the position of the foot and the position of the knee can be sufficiently restricted, and the alignment between the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver and the arrangement angle of the operation member is sufficiently ensured. Become. The device moving device may be configured to include both the foot device retracting device and the instrument panel lower device lowering device. The device moving apparatus having such a configuration may be configured to operate the two apparatuses simultaneously, and is configured to selectively operate the two apparatuses. May be.

  (4) The driver protection device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the device moving device includes an actuator as a drive source.

  If an actuator is employed as in the aspect described in this section, a device moving apparatus that moves the device in a desired movement direction by a desired movement amount can be easily realized. The specific configuration of the actuator in this section is not particularly limited, and for example, various configurations such as an electric motor, a cylinder device using high-pressure gas, high-pressure liquid, and the like can be adopted.

  (5) The driver protection device according to (4), wherein the actuator includes a cylinder and a piston that is moved relative to the cylinder by the pressure of a high-pressure gas filled in the cylinder.

  The actuator described in this section includes a cylinder device that is operated by high-pressure gas. A device moving device equipped with such a cylinder device has a relatively simple structure and can perform a quick operation. As such a cylinder device, for example, a solid medicine such as a gunpowder that generates a high-pressure gas inside the cylinder, and a piston that is moved by the high-pressure gas generated by the medicine is adopted. Is possible. Further, it is possible to adopt a mode in which high-pressure gas generated outside is introduced into the cylinder and the piston is moved by the introduced high-pressure gas.

  (6) The driver protection apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the driver protection apparatus includes a control device that controls and operates the device moving device.

  The “control device” described in this section can be configured to have, for example, a computer as a main component. If such a control device is adopted, the presence / absence of operation of the device moving device, the timing of operation, etc., the vehicle configuration, the degree of impact of the vehicle collision, the physique of the driver, the posture of the driver, the wearing of the seat belt A driver protection device that can be arbitrarily changed according to various factors such as presence or absence of the driver is easily realized. That is, according to the aspect described in this section, a versatile driver protection device and a driver protection device with optimized operation characteristics can be easily realized.

  (7) The driver protection device includes a seat belt detector that detects whether or not the driver wears the seat belt, and the control device detects whether the driver is seated based on the detection result of the seat belt detector. The driver protection device according to item (6), wherein the device moving device is operated only when a belt is not worn.

  As described above, the alignment between the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver and the installation angle of the operation member at the time of the secondary collision is particularly necessary when the driver is not wearing the seat belt. Conversely, according to the aspect described in this section, when the seat belt is worn, it is often unnecessary to operate the device moving device. According to the aspect described in this section, it is possible to operate the device moving device only when it is really necessary and not to operate when it is not necessary. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to perform an operation for returning.

  (8) The driver protection device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the steering operation member is installed in a vehicle including an airbag device.

  (9) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (8), which is installed in a vehicle including an impact absorbing device that absorbs an impact of a secondary collision while allowing the steering operation member to move in the axial direction. Driver protection device.

  As described above, the airbag device and the shock absorbing device are generally designed so that effective shock absorption is performed when the chest of the driver collides straight with the operation member. is there. Therefore, in the modes described in the above two sections, the action of the device moving device matches the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver with the arrangement angle of the operation member, so that effective shock absorption by these devices is achieved. It will be secured. The shock absorbing device is provided in a steering system having a configuration in which an operating member is held at one end of a steering column and the steering column is supported by a part of the vehicle body. A device is included that absorbs impact energy of a secondary collision by allowing separation from a part of the vehicle body and movement after separation, and generating an energy absorption load (EA load) associated with the movement.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention and modifications thereof will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and in addition to the following examples, various modifications can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the above [Aspect of the Invention] section. The present invention can be carried out in various modes with improvements. Also, for convenience of explanation, first, after describing the behavior of the driver's body at the time of a vehicle collision and the configuration of the steering system provided with the steering operation member that is the target of the driver's secondary collision, the embodiment of the present invention A driver protection device, and a modified example of the driver protection device will be described.

<Behavior of driver's body at the time of vehicle collision>
FIG. 1 conceptually shows the behavior of the driver's body in a vehicle collision. FIG. 1A shows a state where the driver's lower limb collides with a part of the vehicle body, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the driver's buttocks are then lifted. Each figure shows the behavior of the driver's body when the driver is not wearing the seat belt.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, in a normal driving posture, the foot B of the driver A is placed on a foot device C including at least one of an operation pedal and a footrest. When the vehicle collides, the driver moves forward by the inertial force. However, since the foot B is supported by the foot device C, the knee D is bent and its position moves obliquely forward and upward. An instrument panel lower device E (instrument lower cover, a knee pad constituting a knee pad device that is a knee protection device) is provided at the lower part of the instrument panel, and the knee D collides with the instrument panel lower device E, and the instrument panel lower device E I will support it. In a state where the position of the foot B and the position of the knee D are constrained, the portion above the knee D of the driver A supports the knee D by the inertial force of the driver A as shown in FIG. As a result, the buttocks rise from the seat and the upper body bows. In a general vehicle, the steering operation member F is provided so as to be inclined so that the upper part is positioned on the front side of the vehicle. The arrangement angle θs of the operation member F and the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver A described above are provided. θb is matched, and the chest of the driver A will have a secondary collision straight with the operation member F.

  As can be seen from the figure, when the chest of the driver A collides with the operation member F in a straight line, the chest is received in a relatively large area, so the impact received by the driver is relatively small. In that sense, it is desirable that the inclination angle θb of the upper body of the driver A and the disposition angle θs of the operation member F are matched in the secondary collision. Many vehicles are also equipped with various devices for coping with secondary collisions. For example, there are an airbag device that absorbs an impact by an airbag mounted on the operation member F and an impact absorption device that absorbs an impact while allowing the operation member F to move in the axial direction. These devices are designed so that when the chest collides with the operation member F in a straight line, the shock is effectively absorbed and the impact received by the driver A is reduced. In view of the function of such a protection device, it is important to match the inclination angle θb of the upper body of the driver A with the arrangement angle θs of the operation member F also in relation to the protection device.

  However, when the vehicle collides, the body of the driver A does not exhibit the above behavior, and the chest may not collide with the operation member F straight. For example, there is a case where a space below the instrument panel is widely secured, or a case where the driver A is a small person. As an example, FIG. 2 shows a situation where the driver A has a small physique and the vehicle driven by the small driver A collides. In that case, after the foot B of the driver A is supported by the foot device C, the position where the knee D collides with the instrument panel lower device E is on the vehicle front side as compared with the above case, or the knee D is on the instrument panel. The lower device E will not collide. That is, the lower body of the driver enters a space below the instrument panel. In such a state, the chest of the driver A secondarily collides with the operating member F before the upper body is tilted, and the driver A receives a large impact. In the case of a vehicle in which the lower space of the instrument panel is wide, even if the driver A is not small in size, the behavior of the driver A's body is similar to the behavior described above.

  In view of the above, a space where both the position of the foot B and the position of the knee D can be restrained is created below the instrument panel, and the inclination angle θb of the upper body of the driver A is matched with the arrangement angle θs of the operating member F. As a means for achieving this, the driver protection device of the embodiment described below is an effective means. As will be described in detail later, the driver protection device according to the embodiment includes a device moving device that causes the distance between the foot device C and the instrument panel lower device E to approach each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the device moving apparatus is an apparatus that executes at least one of retreating the foot device C toward the vehicle rear side and lowering the instrument panel lower device E. The device ensures that the behavior of the body of the driver A becomes the behavior shown in FIG. 1B, and can effectively reduce the impact received by the driver A.

  In addition, although FIGS. 1-3 has shown about the case where the driver | operator is not wearing a seatbelt, when the driver | operator is wearing a seatbelt, the position of the waist is restrained by the seatbelt. In addition, the upper body collides with the operation member F in a manner that the upper body bows by a function such as a force limiter of the seat belt device. That is, the inclination angle θb of the upper body of the driver A and the arrangement angle θs of the operation member F are matched by the seat belt device. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate the device moving device when wearing a seat belt, and it is considered sufficient to operate the device moving device only when not wearing the seat belt. .

<Configuration of steering system>
FIG. 4 shows a steering system installed in the vehicle. The steering system is composed mainly of a steering column (hereinafter may be abbreviated as “column”) 10, and the columns 10 are separated from each other in the vehicle width direction to reinforce instrument panels (hereinafter “ A pair of column mounting brackets 14 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “mounting brackets”) 14 provided on the instrument panel R / F 12, which may be abbreviated as “instrument panel R / F”, are fixedly supported by the instrument panel R / F 12. In the supported state, the column 10 is arranged in an inclined posture so that the front side of the vehicle is positioned downward as shown in the drawing. The column 10 mainly includes a column main body 20, a breakaway bracket (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “B.A.BKT”) 22 provided at an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the column main body 20, and a front portion. The B. A. BKT 22 and the front bracket 24 are each attached to the mounting bracket 14 so that the column 10 is supported at two locations. The column 10 that is supported is in a state in which a rear portion projects from the instrument panel 30 toward the rear of the vehicle. A steering wheel 32 as a steering operation member is attached to the protruding rear end portion, and the column 10 holds the steering wheel 32 so as to be operable. From such a structure, the steering wheel 32 is disposed so as to be inclined so that the upper end portion is located on the vehicle front side from the lower end portion. Note that the front end portion of the column 10 is connected to a steering apparatus existing outside the vehicle compartment via an intermediate shaft (not shown).

  The steering wheel 32 is provided with an airbag device 34. The airbag device 34 deploys the airbag 36 in a state of being supported by the steering wheel 32 on the vehicle rear side of the steering wheel 32 at the time of a vehicle collision (see a two-dot chain line in the drawing). The deployed airbag 36 alleviates the impact received by the driver during a secondary collision with the steering wheel.

  If the structure of the column main body 20 is demonstrated easily, the column main body 20 will be comprised including the shaft and the tube supported in the state which penetrated the shaft. The shaft includes a rear shaft 40 positioned on the vehicle rear side and a front shaft 42 positioned on the vehicle front side. The tube includes a rear tube 44 positioned on the vehicle rear side, and a vehicle front side. And a front tube 46 positioned at the front. The rear shaft 40 is rotatably supported by the rear tube 44, and the front shaft 42 is rotatably supported by the front tube 46, and both the shaft and the tube can be expanded and contracted, so that the column body 20 can be expanded and contracted. ing.

  The rear tube 44 is held by the B.A.BKT 22 via the tilt / telescopic mechanism 50, and the B.A.BKT 22 is fastened to the pair of mounting brackets 14. Although the detailed description is omitted, the fastening structure 52 is configured to allow the B.A.BKT 22 to be detached when an impact is applied to the steering wheel 32 due to a secondary collision of the driver. Therefore, at the time of the secondary collision, the portion of the column 10 on the vehicle rear side moves in the axial direction of the column 10. In the present steering system, an impact absorbing device that absorbs the impact energy of the secondary collision as it moves, that is, an impact absorbing device that absorbs the impact of the secondary collision while allowing the steering wheel 32 to move in the axial direction. (Hereinafter, may be abbreviated as “EA device”) 54, and the EA device 54 effectively absorbs the impact energy of the column secondary collision. Incidentally, the EA device 54 is a device that absorbs impact energy by an impact energy absorption load (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “EA load”) accompanying the deformation of the U-shaped EA plate 56. One end is locked to the mounting bracket 14, and the EA plate 56 is deformed by the front end portion of the B.A.BKT 22 as the portion of the column 10 on the rear side of the vehicle moves. It is generated.

  As described above, the steering system includes the airbag device 34 and the EA device 54. As understood from the above-described structure, these devices 34 and 54 are designed so that effective shock absorption is performed when the driver collides with the steering wheel 32 in a straight line. Therefore, in the vehicle equipped with the steering system, the following driver protection device plays an important role in shock absorption.

<Driver protection device>
As described above, the driver protection device according to the present embodiment includes the device moving device that brings the foot device and the instrument panel lower device closer to each other. Specifically, the device moving device includes a foot device retracting device that retracts the foot device toward the vehicle rear side, and an instrument panel lower device lowering device that lowers the instrument panel lower device.

a) Underfoot Device Retracting Device FIG. 5 shows a first underfoot device retracting device 102 for retreating the brake pedal 100 as the underfoot device from the left side of the vehicle (partially a sectional view). The brake pedal 100 includes an arm portion 106 that is pivotally supported by a rotating shaft 104 that is fixed to a part of the vehicle body, and a pedal step portion 108 that is fixed to an end portion on the lower side of the arm portion 106. ing. The brake pedal 100 is a position indicated by a two-dot chain line when the brake is not operated, and is a position indicated by a solid line when the brake pedal 100 is fully depressed.

  A push-back plate 110 for pushing back the brake pedal 100 is provided below the brake pedal 100 at a position where the arm portion 106 does not contact even when the brake pedal 100 is fully depressed. The push-back plate 110 is pivotally supported by a support shaft 114 that is fixed in a state of extending in the vehicle width direction to a floor panel 112 serving as a floor member that partitions the passenger compartment. One side in the width direction is placed on a step portion 118 provided on a dash panel 116 as a standing wall that partitions the passenger compartment. A cylinder device 120 fixed to a part of the vehicle body is provided on the lower surface side of the push-back plate 110 so as to protrude from the dash panel 116 toward the vehicle compartment. The cylinder device 120 includes a cylinder 122 that functions as a housing, a piston 124 that is movably provided in the cylinder 122, one end connected to the piston 124, and the other end directed obliquely rearward and upward of the vehicle from the cylinder 122. The piston rod 126 includes a piston rod 126 extending in an oblique direction, and an end portion of the piston rod 126 on the oblique rear upper side is connected to the lower surface side of the push-back plate 110.

  The interior of the cylinder 122, specifically, the space below the piston 124, is filled with explosive 128 that is a solid medicine. This explosive 128 is ignited by a spark electrode (not shown) and generates high-pressure gas. The high-pressure gas is filled in the space of the cylinder 122 filled with the explosive 128, and the piston 124 is moved obliquely rearward and upward by the pressure. Accordingly, the push-back plate 110 is rotated around the support shaft 114 and, when the brake pedal 100 is depressed, pushes the vehicle front side of the arm portion 106 toward the vehicle rear side, thereby The brake pedal 100 is pushed back to the original position indicated by the two-dot chain line. The high-pressure gas remains filled in the cylinder 122, and the position of the brake pedal 100 is maintained at the original position by the pressure of the high-pressure gas. That is, when the vehicle collides with the brake pedal 100 being depressed by the driver, the driver's right foot is in a state of being restrained by the brake pedal 100 in the original position.

  From the above structure, the first foot device retracting device 102 is configured including the pushback plate 110, the cylinder device 120, and the like. The cylinder device 120 functions as an actuator that drives the first foot device retracting device 102, that is, a drive source of the first foot device retracting device 102.

  The device moving device of the present embodiment includes not only a foot device retracting device that retracts the brake pedal 100 but also a second foot device retracting device that retracts an accelerator pedal as a foot device. Since the structure of the second foot device retracting device is the same as the structure of the first foot device retracting device 102, the description regarding the second foot device retracting device is omitted.

  The device moving apparatus according to the present embodiment further includes a third foot device retracting device 142 that retracts a footrest 140 as a foot device on which the left foot is placed. FIG. 6 shows the third foot device retracting device 142 in a viewpoint from the left side of the vehicle (partial sectional view). The footrest 140 includes a pad 144 and a base 146 that supports the pad 144. A ridge 148 is provided at a lower portion of the base 146, and the ridge 148 is fitted in a guide groove 150 provided in the floor panel 112 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The footrest 140 is formed by the guide groove 150. It is possible to move only to the rear side of the vehicle.

  A pair of cylinder devices 158 are fixed to the upper surface of the floor panel 112 on the vehicle front side of the footrest 140. The cylinder device 158 includes a cylinder 160 functioning as a housing, a piston 162 inserted into the cylinder 160, a piston rod 164 having one end fixed to the piston 162 and the other end extending from the cylinder 160 toward the vehicle rear side. And a plunger head 166 fixed to the other end of the piston rod 164. The piston 162 is positioned with a relatively narrow space between the end of the cylinder 160 and the front side of the vehicle, and the space is filled with explosives 168. A distal end portion, which is an end portion on the vehicle rear side of the plunger head 166 of the cylinder device, is brought into contact with the vehicle front side of the footrest 140.

  The cylinder device 158 operates when the explosive 168 is ignited by a spark electrode (not shown). The gunpowder 168 generates high-pressure gas by ignition, and the piston 162 moves toward the vehicle rear side by the pressure. Due to the movement of the piston 162, the plunger head 166 pushes the base 146 of the footrest 140 and retracts the footrest 140 along the guide groove 150. That is, the third foot device retracting device 142 is configured including the cylinder device 158. In this device 142, the cylinder device 158 is an actuator, and functions as a drive source for the third foot device retracting device 142.

  In this embodiment, as the second foot device retracting device for moving the accelerator pedal, a device having a structure similar to that of the first foot device retracting device 102 is employed. However, for example, the accelerator pedal includes a pressure sensor. In the case of an electronic pedal, a device having the same structure as the third foot device retracting device can be adopted as a device for retracting the accelerator pedal.

b) Instrument panel lower device lowering device The instrument panel lower device lowering device 180 is equipped as a device for lowering the knee pad as the instrument panel lower device. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle equipped with the driver protection device of this embodiment mitigates the impact caused by the collision in order to deal with the collision of the driver's knee with a part of the vehicle body. A knee pad device 182 is provided, and a knee pad 184 constituting the knee pad device 182 is provided in the lower part of the instrument panel. The instrument panel lower device lowering device 180 lowers the knee pad 184. More specifically, the knee pad 184 includes a pad material 186 made of a resin foam material, a backup plate 188 on which the pad material 186 is adhered and backed up, and a reinforcing material 190 fixed to the back surface of the backup plate 188. And a pair of supports provided on the instrument panel R / F 12 via a pair of mounting brackets 14 via four cylinder devices 192 (only two are shown, one is shown in cross section). The bracket 194 is supported.

  Each cylinder device 192 includes a cylinder 200 that functions as a housing, a piston 202 that is movably provided in the cylinder 200, a piston that has one end fixed to the piston 202 and the other end extending downward from the cylinder 200. The rod 204 includes a rod head 206 fixed to the other end of the piston rod 204. An upper end portion of the cylinder 200 is fixed to the support bracket 194, and a lower end portion of the rod head 206 is fixed to a lower end portion of the knee pad 184.

  In each cylinder device 192, explosive 208 is filled in the cylinder 200, specifically, in the space above the piston 202. This explosive 208 is ignited by a spark electrode (not shown) and generates high-pressure gas. The high-pressure gas is filled in the space of the cylinder 200 filled with the explosive 208, and the pressure disengages the rod head 206 from the cylinder 200 and moves the piston 202 downward. By operating the four cylinder devices 192 as described above, the knee pad 184 is lowered.

  From the structure as described above, the instrument panel lower device lowering device 180 is configured to include the four cylinder devices 192, and each cylinder device 192 functions as an actuator, that is, a drive source of the instrument panel lower device lowering device 180. It has become.

c) Operation of Driver Protection Device The driver protection device of this embodiment includes an electronic control unit (ECU) 230 that is a control device (see FIG. 4). ECU 230 operates the device moving device based on signals from various sensors provided in the vehicle. More specifically, the sensor includes a vehicle collision sensor (CS) 232 that detects a vehicle collision, and a seat belt sensor (SS) as a seat belt detector that detects whether the driver is wearing the seat belt. 234 etc. Further, a foot device retraction allowance switch (FD.Sw) 240 for permitting the operation of the three foot device retreating devices 102, 142, etc., and an instrument panel lower device lowering allowance switch (permissible for operation of the instrument panel lower device lowering device 180) ID.Sw) 242 is provided in the instrument panel 30. The switches 240 and 242 are operated by the driver, and the ECU 230 is controlled so that when the switches 240 and 242 are turned on, the devices that are turned on are operated. . Note that the switches 240 and 242 allow the driver to arbitrarily select an ON state or an OFF state in consideration of the physique, the seat position, and the like.

  The case where at least one of the switches is turned on to operate the selected device will be described. As described above, if the driver wears a seat belt, the inclination angle of the upper body of the driver and the arrangement angle of the operation member can be matched, so there is no need to operate the device moving device There are many. In this embodiment, the ECU 230 activates the selected device only when the vehicle collision sensor 232 detects a collision and the seat belt sensor 234 detects that the seat belt is not worn. Specifically, the ignition current is supplied to the explosive filled in the cylinder device constituting each device, and the device is operated.

  When the vehicle collision is detected by the vehicle collision sensor 232, the ECU 230 determines whether the driver is wearing the seat belt based on the detection signal of the seat belt sensor 234. If it is determined that the user is wearing the seat belt, none of the device moving devices, that is, the foot device retracting devices 102 and 142 and the lower instrument panel lowering device 180 are operated. On the other hand, when the driver is not wearing the seat belt, the ECU 230 activates only the three foot device retracting devices 102, 142 and the like when only the foot device retracting permission switch 240 is in the ON state. When only the lower device lowering allowable switch 242 is in the ON state, only the instrument panel lower device lowering device 180 is operated. Further, when both switches are in the ON state, control is performed so that both devices are operated, and when both switches are in the OFF state, neither device is operated.

  The driver protection device of the present embodiment was capable of arbitrarily selecting the presence or absence of the operation of the device moving device by the driver, but provided with a driver physique detector that detects the physique of the driver, The device moving device may be operated based on the detection result. For example, the driver protection device includes a sensor that detects the position of the driver's knee, and the ECU determines whether or not the foot device retracting device and the instrument panel lowering device lowering device are operated depending on the detected knee position. Can be configured

<Modification>
Instead of the foot device retracting devices 102, 142 and the like of the above embodiment, a foot device retracting device as a modified example shown in FIG. 7 can be adopted. The foot device retraction device 250 shown in the figure does not move the brake pedal, the accelerator pedal, and the footrest as the foot devices individually, but provides the foot devices on the base material 252 and moves the foot devices together with the base material 252. It is a device to let you. The base member 252 is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section provided on the floor panel 112, and the back surface of the standing portion 254 extending upward is in contact with the dash panel 116. The base material 252 is movable only to the vehicle rear side by a guide (not shown) provided on the floor panel 112. The base 252 is provided with an accelerator pedal 256, a brake pedal 258, and a footrest 260 in order from the right side of the vehicle. The accelerator pedal 256 shown in the figure is an electronic accelerator pedal that employs a pressure sensor. The accelerator pedal 256 and the footrest 260 are fixed to a portion of the base 252 that extends toward the vehicle rear side, and the brake pedal 258 is The bracket 262 holds the base 252 at the standing portion 254. In addition, the driver | operator's leg | foot of the figure has shown the state mounted on the accelerator pedal 256. FIG.

  A pair of cylinder devices 268 are fixed to a part of the vehicle body on the vehicle front side of the base 252. The cylinder device 268 includes a cylinder 270 functioning as a housing, a piston 272 inserted into the cylinder 270, and a piston rod 274 having one end fixed to the piston 272 and the other end extending from the cylinder 270 toward the vehicle rear side. And a plunger head 276 fixed to the other end of the piston rod 274. The piston 272 is positioned with a relatively narrow space between the end of the cylinder 270 on the vehicle front side, and the space is filled with explosive 278. A tip portion, which is an end portion on the vehicle rear side of the plunger head 276 of the pair of cylinder devices, is brought into contact with each of both end portions of the base material 252 in the vehicle width direction.

  The cylinder device 268 operates when the explosive 278 is ignited by a spark electrode (not shown). The gunpowder 278 generates high-pressure gas by ignition, and the piston 272 moves toward the vehicle rear side by the pressure. By the movement of the piston 272, the plunger head 276 pushes the base material 252 provided with the foot device, and the accelerator pedal 256, the brake pedal 258, and the footrest 260 as the foot device are retracted together with the base material 252. That is, in the present modification, the foot device retracting device 250 is configured to include the base material 252 and the pair of cylinder devices 264. In this modification, the pair of cylinder devices 268 function as a drive source for the foot device retracting device 250.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the driver | operator's behavior in a vehicle collision. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the behavior of the driver | operator of a small physique in a vehicle collision. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the behavior of the driver of a small physique at the time of operating the device movement apparatus with which the driver | operator protection apparatus of a present Example is provided. It is a figure which shows an instrument panel lower device lowering apparatus in the viewpoint from the left side of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the leg device retraction apparatus which reverses a brake pedal in the viewpoint from the left side of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the leg device retraction apparatus which retreats a footrest in the viewpoint from the left side of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the leg device retraction apparatus as a modification in the viewpoint from the left side of a vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Steering column 30: Instrument panel 32: Steering wheel (steering operation member) 34: Airbag apparatus 54: Impact energy absorber 100: Brake pedal (foot device) 102: 1st foot device retraction device 120: Cylinder device (Actuator) 122: Cylinder 124: Piston 128: Gunpowder 140: Footrest (foot device) 142: Third foot device retractor 158: Cylinder device (actuator) 160: Cylinder 162: Piston 168: Gunpowder 180: Lower instrument panel lowering device 184: Knee pad (lower instrument panel device) 192: Cylinder device (actuator) 200: Cylinder 202: Piston 208: Gunpowder 230: Electronic control unit (control device) 2 2: vehicle collision sensor 234: seat belt sensor (seat belt detector) 250: foot device retracting device 252: base material 256: accelerator pedal 258: brake pedal 260: footrest 268: cylinder device (actuator) 270: cylinder 272: piston 278: Gunpowder

Claims (3)

A driver protection device installed in a vehicle in which a steering operation member is disposed at an inclination so that an upper end portion is located on the vehicle front side from a lower end portion on the vehicle rear side of the instrument panel,
A device moving device that moves at least one of a foot device including at least one of an operation pedal and a footrest and an instrument panel lower device constituting at least a part of the lower part of the instrument panel so that they relatively approach each other at the time of a vehicle collision Driver protection device with.   The driver protection device according to claim 1, wherein the device moving device includes a foot device retracting device for retracting the foot device. The driver protection device includes a seat belt detector that detects whether or not the driver wears a seat belt, and a control device that controls and operates the device moving device, and the control device includes the seat belt detector. The driver protection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device moving device is operated only when the driver does not wear a seat belt based on the detection result.

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